The Official Smarthome Blog – All Things Home Automation

This daily timer turns off appliances when you aren’t using them but also provides a gentle nightlight so you will never find yourself in complete darkness. The timer leaves just enough illumination to light walkways and keep scared children reassured. Up to 24 on/off settings can be programmed for a single day. When the timer turns off the connected devices, it automatically turns on its nightlight. Settings can be programmed in 30-minute intervals. You can schedule lamps to turn on at sunset so you will never have to come home to a dark house. Program fans or space heaters to turn off at bedtime so they don’t run all night when they aren’t needed. You will save energy by ensuring your appliances are powered only when they will be in use. Programming can be completed in a matter of minutes – a quick pin adjustment is all it takes. Pins are permanently attached so you won’t lose them. A convenient override button can suspend the timer with a simple flip of a switch. Use the timer with just about any 2-prong appliance including lamps, fans, heaters, fountains, and more. Read more

There’s no need to worry about inflated water bills when you install the Melnor 101 Flowmeter Water Timer. With two different settings, you’ll ensure your lawn or garden gets the perfect amount of water.

Don’t worry that low water pressure might leave your lawn under watered. Set the timer to Automatic Shut-Off to automatically shut the water off after the desired amount has been delivered, at any pressure or amount of time. Or set the timer to Continuous Flow to bypass the timer and allow the water to be turned on and off like a faucet. Read more

The Woods 17321 3-Outlet Power Stake with Timer & 6′ Cord automatically controls your landscape lights, holiday lights, and more. When it’s cold and dark outside, the last thing you want to do is run out to turn off your lighted yard decorations or turn on your security lights. Let the timer on this power stake do the work for you. Seven different timer cycles let you set a schedule; once set, the cycle repeats daily until changed. It can use the sunlight (with photoelectric eye) to automatically turn on at dusk and off at dawn, or 2, 4, 6, or 8 hours later. It saves energy and electricity costs by only turning on lights when needed. Accommodates up to 3 different plugged-in items. Hardy, weatherproof 14 gauge, 6′ cord and rain tight timer and outlet covers make this power stake ideal for all four seasons, it keeps rain, snow, and animals away from the timer and outlets. Read more

The rain sensor is designed for indoor or outdoor use in and around your home. The kit is great for monitoring rainfall and/or moisture levels in sensitive areas such as green houses, flower beds or lawns. Using the included mounting bracket and mounting hardware, the rain sensor can be placed anywhere where you would like to detect the accumulation of water. If you are using I/O Linc – INSTEON Low Voltage / Contact Closure Interface (4-Pack) to electronically control sprinklers via your INSTEON network, this rain sensor kit can trigger the sprinklers to automatically shut-off when it rains, saving water and money. Alternatively, it can be placed near the foundation of your home to help detect detrimental standing water and flooding; as soon as the accumulation of water starts, the rain sensor will trigger I/O Linc to turn any INSTEON controlled lights or appliances on or off, alerting you of the condition. Conserve water by having your sprinklers turn off automatically when it rains or stop catastrophic and expensive water damage as soon as it starts with I/O Linc – INSTEON Rain Sensor Kit; an easy-to-use solution for adding convenience and awareness to any INSTEON-controlled home.

How It Works
The rain sensor monitors the build-up of liquid (rain, water, etc.). When 5mm or more of liquid has been detected, the sensor triggers the included I/O Linc – INSTEON Low Voltage / Contact Closure Interface (1 In / 1 Out) to send an INSTEON signal. Simply link I/O Linc to a remote INSTEON device which can act as an alert for leaks. For example, you can have a KeypadLinc LED light up, have all the lights in your house flash, or activate a custom event in HouseLinc 2 – INSTEON Desktop Software to notify you of the concern. Read more

Control every electronic system in your home from your computer, even if you’re away from home! The PRO-100 Home Automation Controller is designed to incorporate all the power and flexibility of HomeSeer software into a very compact, rugged and easy-to-install unit. Once configured, you’ll be able to control lighting, appliances, security, HVAC and home theater components with one central interface. Powerline interfaces and patch cables are sold separately.

The PRO-100 Home Automation Controller provides a single user interface to all of your home’s subsystems. Control your lighting, heating system, security, home theater, and other systems through a single web interface, PDA, touchscreen, or even your telephone or cell phone, thanks to HomeSeer’s voice-recognition technology. The PRO-100 Home Automation Controller supports all popular automation technologies, such as INSTEON, X10, Z-Wave, UPB, and more.

In addition to direct control of your systems, you can schedule events to occur based on time (including sunrise/sunset), upon security panel triggers, I/O controller response, e-mail receipt, and RS-232 input. In response to these triggers, you can set your system to turn on lights, send e-mail, run a script, trigger another event, control a web camera, or even play sounds or speak using human voices. Announcements can also be sent to other computers in the home to alert users to incoming phone calls, motion at the front door, or news or weather events.

Configure and manage the PRO-100 Home Automation Controller system using any web browser, whether you’re on or off site. The system software is totally customizable, and plug-ins allow the software to be extended to support custom hardware. The system also includes a scripting interface that supports popular scripting languages like VBScript, JavaScript, and Perl. The user interface and custom interfaces are built or modified using simple web (HTML) technologies.

The PRO-100 Home Automation Controller is free from moving parts and has no fans, so it can be mounted inside a structured wiring cabinet or in any other location, even without ventilation. Read more