Hello and Welcome to my personal HA project! My name is Bryan Turcotte and I have been doing HA since about 2001. I've always been someone that took brand new stuff apart just to see what made it tick. So HA just seemed like a perfect fit once I got into it. This page here is a reflection of a lot of time, money and patience. Without these 3 things, no HA project will ever get done, lol! Seriouly though, it has been a lot of fun and a great learning experience. I can't imagine having a home without this stuff!

Sorry but I no longer allow guest access to my Homeseer setup due to security concerns.

My First Award!

1st Place!
2007 Smarthome.com Electronic Home Improvement & Home Automation Month Contest Winner

Click here to see the Press Release!

What I do with all this stuff:

    This system consists of a dedicated computer running 24/7, utilizing the Homeseer software package, 2412S Insteon PowerLinc Modem, and the W800RF32A Whole House Transceiver. The webcam software, Active Webcam Pro is also always running to support my cams. All lighting is controlled with motion sensors. When we enter a room the lighting automaticallly comes on and when there is no motion for a set period of time, the lights go off. The system knows when to turn the lights on full, partially dimmed or not at all based on triggers set in the software. Some trigger examples are if it's a sunny day (no lights come on), if it's night time (only small rope lighting come on) or early morning (lights come on dimmed). Throughout the day/night Homeseer logs who calls on the telephone, whether someone rang a doorbell or even came on the property and takes video when certain conditions are met.

    Here is an example of a typical day.

• At 6:00am the Towel Warmer in the upstairs Bathroom turns on.
• At 6:05am the Pool Filter turn on (Summer only).
• At 6:15am XM Radio turns on to our favorite station, but only in the Kitchen and Bathroom.
• As we each move about the house getting ready for the day, the lights go on and off dimmed to our settings.
• In winter, the Back Porch Light comes on around 6:30am and goes back off 10 minutes after sunrise.
• At 7:30am the Mini Blinds automaticaly open in the Living Room and Dining Room.
• At some point during the morning, we each sit at the computer to read the news, email etc. ... All we have to do is touch the Fingerprint Reader and Homeseer goes into action. It speaks to us (by voice!) how many emails we have, any appointments we may have that day, the daily forecast, whether it's trash day and any number of other things that we have set up to our individual likings.
• Once Homeseer senses there is no one home (motion sensors). It automaticaly turns off all the lights, turns off the radio and waits patiently for something to do.
• At 10:00am it turns off the Pool Filter (Summer only).
• At 10:00am it also turns on the Fish Tank Power Jet with bubbles to oxygenate the water, waits 30 minutes and turns it back off.
• Anytime we come home, we can check the status of things by touching the Fingerprint Readers. Later in the day Homeseer will tell us the status of the mail or newspaper delivery, visiter status, things like that based on who's finger touched the reader.
• As night comes, the Mini Blinds close automaticaly at Sunset and the Back Porch light comes on.
• We can choose the lighting Scenes for different occasions. Party lighting, Quite time, Movie time and the lights will act accordinly based on our motion.
• When it's time for bed, just hit a button to tell Homeseer it's Bed time and it wishes us well (randomly speaking different phrases) and turns off all the lights and tv.
• From this point on Homeseer will go about it's business quietly, only turning on rope lighting in certian rooms when motion is detected so no one stubs a toe going to get a drink in the middle of the night. It will however get our attention if the doorbell - phone rings or if an outside door is opened.
• Also during the night hours Homeseer takes care of all the computer related tasks. Examples being, nightly backups, virus checks, and drive defrag's.

Everything is available via Voice Activation, Remote Control, Touchscreens and from the Computer itself.
Ex. of Voice Activation: 'Trinity, dim Overhead Light to 70%', 'Trinity, turn on Window Fan'. As you can see this makes life very easy.

An Example Room: Living Room

Outside:

    Spread around the outside of the house is a series of camera's and motion sensors designed to cover all areas. For security reasons I won't go into much detail here. Let's just say that if someone comes on my property, I know about it. I live in a nice area and don't have anything to worry about but it was just too much fun to setup and control. Also, it's nice to come home and have the lights come on automaticaly.

    I also have a DIY irrigation system set up in my backyard. The Rain Sensor tells Homeseer if it is raining or has rained recently that way I'm not wasting water.

General:

I would like to do more with my Saltwater Fishtank. There is a kit to automaticaly fill the tank. This will be mine!

This list goes on and on ... so little time, so many devices to choose from!

If you use Homeseer, you need Blade's Plug-in's!

bptworld@comcast.net