[subego]

I don't know how many Mac users know about the home automation program Indigo, which is not only awesome in its own right, but completely blows away the Windows competition.

Taking advantage of its built in web server, I set out never to worry if I locked the front door again...





If you have the proper interface box, integrating alarm system equipment with Indigo is a trivial procedure. That's how the "Garage" monitor works. My garage door is connected to a giant sized magnetic switch like you'd see in any typical burglar alarm type setup. If the switch is open, which happens when the magnet is moved away, it tells the web server the garage door is open. When the magnet moves back near the switch, the switch closes and tells the web server the door is closed.

The idea behind the sensor for the "Entry" lock is even simpler, though I executed it in a somewhat Frankenstein like manner:



Rather than having a magnet in proximity complete the circuit (like a normal door open/closed sensor) I have the deadbolt itself complete the circuit. The screw with the orange wire is one lead, and that mess of armature wire and a thumbtack connects to the white wire, which is the other lead.



To be honest, the hardest part was this bit right here:



This would be useless if I could only use it on my own wireless network.

Despite statements from me in the past, I'm actually super computer security paranoid, so there was no choice other than to set up a VPN. What made this so difficult is how much the Apple VPN client sucks. It's incompatible with almost everything except for the Apple VPN server. The only thing that saved this (other than taking the ridiculous step of getting OS X server) is that the Apple VPN server is built into the normal OS X installation, it's just a question of some light terminal work to get it running.


As a closer, though this doesn't connect to my iPhone, having the garage sensor allowed me to put the finishing touches on my parking laser (i.e. turning it on and off).

What's a parking laser? Glad you asked...



If I can see the spot on the far wall, I know the garage door won't hit the car.

[CollinG3G4]

That is pretty awesome. You must own some stuff worthy of stealing.

[Hugi]

Herr Fritzl - is that you?

[subego]

Originally Posted by CollinG3G4 

That is pretty awesome. You must own some stuff worthy of stealing.

All I'm admitting to is an iPhone.

Seriously though, this is more a cure for my forgetfulness. I just can't stand that "did I lock the door?" feeling.

In addition, the way the apartment is set up, people think it's an alternate entrance for the rest of the building. We get someone trying to open our door about twice a day.

Edit: and thank you for the compliment.

[- - e r i k - -]

I'm in awe. Some serious cool nerdery there. Kudos.

[Dakar the Fourth]

Originally Posted by Hugi 

Herr Fritzl - is that you?

Yikes.

[osiris]

Pfft. My 'home' automation includes numerous mounted dual turreted 50mm machine guns, and a few 350 watt lasers that are not for parking but for removing cars entirely.

Great work subego!

[subego]

Thank you all for your kind words. As I was doing this I was just as excited about sharing this here as I was about the project itself.

[vmarks]

What other home automation equipment are you using?
X10 or the other variety of switches?
How many of them?

Just doors, or also lights, a/v gear, and thermostat?


I'm thinking about doing this and thinking about how much wiring I have to make it all work.

[SSharon]

I have had X-10 in my parents house and always loved it, but that is an awesome project.
If it was a bit easier I might have tried to do it myself. I could see it being even cooler since I know some of the X-10 appliances let you call home and use voice automation to change the thermostat, etc.

All I can do now is dream of the day I can use my iphone to turn on and off all the lights and set up timers for them the same way I set an alarm on the phone.

[subego]

Originally Posted by vmarks 

What other home automation equipment are you using?
X10 or the other variety of switches?

I had X10 for a few years and then switched to Insteon.

The Insteon is far superior to X10. Depending upon your wiring, with X10 you'll need all manner of filters and boosters and still probably won't have 100% reliable operation.

The Insteon has worked flawlessly, with the exception of interference from old florescent tubes/CFLs. Replacing the tube/light fixes the problem. The same thing would happen with my X10 setup, only much worse.

Originally Posted by vmarks 

How many of them?

Somewhere in the 16-20 range.

Originally Posted by vmarks 

Just doors, or also lights, a/v gear, and thermostat?

Mostly lights. This was one of my first real non-light project.

I did have the "bow chicka bow bow" button for awhile. If I had the stereo in the bedroom on and set to the right input, you could hit the button and it would dim the lights and tell Indigo to run an AppleScript. This script ran our "bow chicka bow bow" playlist in iTunes.

It was a cute idea, but since you needed to have so many things already prepared, it made more sense to save the button and just run the music from one of our laptops.

Originally Posted by vmarks 

I'm thinking about doing this and thinking about how much wiring I have to make it all work.

What do you mean by wiring? Running new wires or having to wire a wall switch?

[subego]

Originally Posted by SSharon 

All I can do now is dream of the day I can use my iphone to turn on and off all the lights and set up timers for them the same way I set an alarm on the phone.

Setting up the timers would be a trick, but turning the lights on and off from your iPhone would be waaaay easier than you think. That's what the buttons below do on my setup.

It's all based in Indigo. I'm tellin' ya, this application is bottled awesomesauce.

I went through the effort to make it look like the iPhone UI, but it's still at heart just a web page. The program makes a default web page that lets you turn on and off your lights. You point Safari at it and go. It comes with a widget too. Since you'll only want to access it at home you don't have to worry about the VPN part.

Literally, you would have to do nothing beyond installing the program (and the plug in USB control box) and entering in your lights (i.e. what their X10 address is), in a nice (and ultra-well supported) program that follows Apple UI guidelines. I should add that setting up the timers here would be a piece of cake, and is ultimately why I got it in the first place.

Likewise, the web page function (which it calls "control pages") is totally simple, GUI, and WYSIWYG. It even has a bunch of built in graphics, buttons, light bulbs, etc.

Edit: it does have to be on for you to access it though, that could be a problem.

[Jawbone54]

That is some SERIOUSLY cool stuff. I've been sitting here taking it all in for several minutes.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by osiris 

Pfft. My 'home' automation includes numerous mounted dual turreted 50mm machine guns, and a few 350 watt lasers that are not for parking but for removing cars entirely.

Great work subego!

350 watt wouldn't do much...it takes several several second for a 4400 watt laser to penetrate 3/4" steel at 1/4" away. Do you plan on your attackers pulling up and stopping so that you have time for your laser to properly pierce their armor?

[SSharon]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

350 watt wouldn't do much...it takes several several second for a 4400 watt laser to penetrate 3/4" steel at 1/4" away. Do you plan on your attackers pulling up and stopping so that you have time for your laser to properly pierce their armor?

obviously he is using one of those cool green lasers rather than the plain old red ones which were popular when I was in 8th grade.

[subego]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

350 watt wouldn't do much...it takes several several second for a 4400 watt laser to penetrate 3/4" steel at 1/4" away.

You're thinking input, he's talking output.

[vmarks]

So, can you share with us the page you made for iphone?

graphics, etc., so the rest of us can customize it too?

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by vmarks 

So, can you share with us the page you made for iphone?

graphics, etc., so the rest of us can customize it too?

Heck, you could just give us the address and let us try it out ourselves, no?

[subego]

Originally Posted by vmarks 

So, can you share with us the page you made for iphone?

graphics, etc., so the rest of us can customize it too?

Sure thing. They're photoshop files, so gimme a sec to figure out how to host them. Edit: I could post the jpegs, but then they won't be as customizable.

Likewise, I downloaded a (clearly unauthorized) bundle of all the iPhone UI elements to make the buttons and the recessed look for the open/closed monitors, I'm not sure if it's cool for me to repost (undoubtedly copyrighted) material like that.

[subego]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Heck, you could just give us the address and let us try it out ourselves, no?

I'd have to give you my VPN login.