HouseBot

Calling all housebot users please add your vote to this post in meedio ideas in order to make these 2 amazing products work together in a proper way. For instance getting a housebot software remote with the ability to display library items from meedio on screen would allow u to show what movies are there and be able to play directly,

Be able to switch lights from within the meedio interface and see status etc...



VOTE HERE http://ideas.meedio.com/story/71/



log in to the site with your meedio forum id and password to vote :)

Be able to switch lights from within the meedio interface and see status etc...

You can send messages in meedio to execute housebot functions. I have been doing it for some time now to get the ultimate meedio interface. I create command modules to send the messages I create. Each command module has a jump target name. I map target names in the input to my remote (harmony remotes are great for this).



This allows me to do a huge amount of things. I create a null device in housebot to change the current mood. I can change the mood through meedio. This way when I hit play in movie mode, it dims the theater lights slowly and brings them back up slowly when I hit pause. In party mode, it leaves the lights on.



I'll vote anyway, because full interactive control from a pocket pc would put meedio over the edge.[/u]

@Davieboy: http://ideas.meedio.com/story/59/



@Kairos: The Connector should make the Essentials libraries available. I also setup HouseBot to control all jump targets for Essentials and visa versa, but not having control over my libraries is truely missed. With it, you could actually select a movie from your HB theme and start it along with all other domotica things you have going on when starting a movie.

Lol we need to post an idea on the ideas site where a person can delete an idea that he/she posted. I only saw richards just now and cannot delete mine..

Richard Naninck wrote:The Connector should make the Essentials libraries available. I also setup HouseBot to control all jump targets for Essentials and visa versa, but not having control over my libraries is truely missed. With it, you could actually select a movie from your HB theme and start it along with all other domotica things you have going on when starting a movie.

I know, but I am just trying to say it is not as useless as most people make it out to be. I can do almost everything I need with the current connector, but browsing libraries is truely missed.

Hi Kairos I dont think that Richard nor I meant that the plugin in its current form is bad its just that it should be so much more than its current form. Then meedio-meedio tv-housebot will be fully integrated and an amazing package. Touch panel control of your libraries while at home or even from online using software remotes. It will almost negate the home automation aspect of a webserver for meedio. It would make sound business sense for meedio to implement this as it will make more essentials users look at housebot as a way to control their meedio devices. Thus increasing revenue from product purchased. obviously a windows installer package for the windows version of software remote needs to be made. But is only a small thing. Tablet pcs got a major mention in Gates keynote address this year. And they are a perfect platform for the swremote with their abilty to show media on them etc.

I voted my 2 cents worth. But I fear this is a dead end. Can't hurt to rant and whine a little more though.

If the new ideas section is going to be used to figure out which feature gets priority, then I am also afraid that the Connector is at a dead end. There are just not enough people using HouseBot I guess and I know that the majority of the people using HouseBot, don't use Essentials. But maybe that is because the Connector is still not a fact! I still think that this Connector is one of the main things for the future that will make the Meedio package more valuable than all other competitors. Unless of course Microsoft links Vista into doing domotica as well. Meedio Essentials and Meedio TV are very nice, but there are other packages out there also being competitive. HouseBot on the other hand has only one real competitor (homeseer), but the combination of HB, ME and MTV is really unique. At least the Meedio Team had a very good vision when they purchased HouseBot. Now lets just hope that time doesn't kill this vision.

They keep saying (and saying...) that they won't abandon Housebot, but that its a matter of limited resources. What irritates me is that when Housebot was sold to Meedio, there was the promise of great things to come. (see http://www.cebotics.com/News.htm) That was several years ago. As far as I can tell, little if anything has been done to HB by Meedio except for maintenance releases and the "connector", which essentially (no pun intended) bought Meedio some time. How much longer will it be before HB is fully integrated with Essentials? If I didn't have so much time and hardware tied up in HB I'd be looking for alternatives.

I remember Pablo saying they should be looking into HB a bit more this month. So fingers crossed. :lol:

A new release of Meedio HouseBot

We plan on releasing an update to Meedio HouseBot that includes support for Insteon and several long-standing bug fixes this quarter. We also strive to get on a more regular release schedule for Meedio HouseBot, with updates coming more frequently.

No mention of the connector plugin here but at least mention of long standing bug fixes and insteon support. Which only goes to prove that they are reading the forums even if they dont have time to reply. I am much happier knowing that they are working on solutions than spending time on the forums. (Insteon is no good to us here in europe we dont even have proper z-wave yet) Hopefully they will get someone hired as advertised to take over support on the forums etc. Like i mentioned before I would be very surprised if the connector plugin didn't come soon as it makes for very good business sense. People will certainly buy both products if they are integrated. Least we not forget that meedio are working on the divx connected program too. This would allow u to control your automation products and meedia from any divx connected devices in your home. This is definately the edge meedio needs on the likes of the current microsoft media center and forthcoming intel ViiV systems.