HouseBot

I'm trying to plan an easy to use control system for my HTPC and I need to make it as wife-friendly as possible.



I'm going to buy a Harmony Remote, and I already have a USB-UIRT and girder. Here is my plan, could someone please check it over before I go spend $200+ on stuff to try it out? Thanks.



OK, my main goal is to use Housebot as a device to keep track of the status of all the components of my system, girder to send/recieve IR commands, and the harmony remote to control everything. Here's why it needs to be so complicated.



I eventually want to use housebot and an x10 motion detector to automate lights and automatically turn on the TV when I get home from work, so Housebot needs to be aware of the status of everything. AFAIK, girder and housebot can't share my USB-UIRT, so I have to use girder to interface with that as I also will have to use it to translate IR signals to keystrokes for certain functions. Plus, I use Sage TV's native USB-UIRT support to change channels, so I need a program that plays nice with that, and girder has proven itself for me.



So, long question longer, can I have the harmony remote send a IR command that will be interpreted by girder as 'watch TV', which sends a 'send message' to housebot to 'watch TV'. Housebot will have task switches for inputs, power status, etc; and interpret the 'watch TV' command, check the status of the components, and set the inputs and power accordingly by running girder events to send the appropriate IR commands through the USB-UIRT. Meanwhile the harmony remote will have automatically changed its own mode to have the appropriate commands to the components directly.



Does this make sense at all? Am I crazy for making it so complicated? I guess I want to have my cake and eat it too. I want all the complexity of automation without having to fight with my fiance about how she can't just turn on the TV. Could this work?



Thanks

Could this work?

Good question.



HouseBot has a Girder Bridge device that allows HouseBot to send commands to Girder. However, the Device doesn't allow Girder to send commands to HouseBot.



Here are the alternatives I see for this setup:

1. Try and get HB and Girder to share a USB UIRT. See this postthat indicates that this might be possible.
2. Buy a separate USB-UIRT for HB. Costs a bit more, but I believe the you can run two on the same machine. You may need to check with Jon at the USB-UIRT site to be sure.
3. Have Girder communicate to HB using the External Control plugin. This will allow Girder to control HB by executing Tasks or changing Property Values to do what needs to be done.

Thanks for the reply Scott. I think I'll try option 3 first, then 1, then 2. Just because there's no need to spend more money if I don't have to, right?



Now I just need that new gig to pay for it.



Other, somewhat related topic. Have you thought about setting up a showcase for people to show off the ways they use Housebot? Maybe even include their setup files so people don't have to re-invent the wheel every time.



The reason I suggest it is because it seems that housebot can do SO much, it's hard to imagine how you could integrate it into your system and your life to do things that bother you. It might help you penetrate another demographic of users.

Crashless wrote:Have you thought about setting up a showcase for people to show off the ways they use Housebot? Maybe even include their setup files so people don't have to re-invent the wheel every time.

On the old HouseBot site we had a small area where people could export portions of their configurations to provide samples or examples of things that might be beneficial to others. Unfortunately, there hasn't been anything setup yet on the Meedio side to facilitate sharing, but there will.



I agree that sharing of configurations and ideas for HouseBot is hugely beneficial. Particularly due to the fact that its flexibility makes it difficult to learn quickly. One of the enticements of the Meedio HouseBot deal to me was the fact that the Meedio community was a community of users that were very proactive in sharing information with others.

In time we will add whole new sections to the Meedio Add-Ins Directory for HouseBot configurations, themes, devices, etc. Until then we can post items informally to the forum itself. If you have anything you'd like to share please send Scott or myself an email.