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Upgrading an ASUS EeeBox PC EB1006 Hard Drive (and Copying Partitions)
I still had about 70 GBs of free space on the ASUS. However, I needed more free space to add movies, or more likely, add my wife’s music to its iTunes library. Rather then spend money on a new hard...
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Waking Wireless Speakers from Standby for Audio Output (Windows 7)
I recently purchased a set of wireless speakers, which I’ve connected to my ASUS EeeBox PC. They work well but I have encountered a problem that is common to wireless speakers – they go into a standby...
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Using a Foscam Wireless/Wired IP Camera (FI8918W) with Vitamin D Video
Occasionally, in the process of setting up a new piece of equipment, I’ll tinker with configuration options if I can’t get something to work right. Later on I may forget the extra steps I made, which...
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mControl v3 Upgrade
Embedded Automation has officially released version 3 of mControl. There are several changes including new modules that can be purchased individually to additional features. Based on what I’ve seen it...
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Insteon 2-Wire Dimmer or Switch Not As Easy As X10
About a year ago I started swapping out some X10 dimmer and appliance modules with new Insteon modules. They’re much more reliable and more secure than X10 gear. However, the in-wall modules have one...
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Loss of X10 Control Using a SmartHome 2413U PowerLinc with mControl 3 (Build...
The Short Version: mControl 3 Build 4346 caused problems with controlling X10 devices. Rolling back to a previous build restored functionality. I recently upgraded my version of mControl 3 to Build...
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X10, Insteon, and Z-Wave – If I Knew Then What I Know Now
The Short Version: X10 is considerably less expensive and more compatible with various wiring schemes, Insteon is very reliable and relatively secure but requires a neutral wire for in-wall modules,...
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Plugable USB 2.0 to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
Several months ago I lost some network ports on different devices due to a power surge from a nearby lightning strike. Unfortunately, one of the devices that took a hit was the ASUS system I’m using...
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Moving from mControl 3 (Windows) to Indigo 6 (OS X) for Home Automation
The Short Version: I moved VPN, home automation control, and video recording from an ASUS eeeBox PC (Windows) to my iMac (OS X Mountain Lion). VPN was changed from PPTP to L2TP using iVPN to control...
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GE 45631 Z-Wave Wireless Keypad Controller
The light switch in my Man Cave is in an awkward position. Instead of being near the door it’s farther into the room on the other side of a fireplace mantel. Basically, this means that in order to...
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Using a Multi-Color LED Bulb to Visually Indicate the High Temperature Range...
In the morning, when I first get up, I walk past a motion sensor. A moment later a lamp with a color-changing bulb illuminates, glowing a specific color to indicate the temperature range that will...
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Washing Machine Notification (Smart Energy Sensor & Indigo)
As part of my recent dive back into home automation I decided it would be cool (and once again practical) to be able to receive an alert that the washing machine has finished washing a load of clothes....
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The Forgotten Role of Technology: One Step Away from Magic
I’ve noticed an increasingly more prevalent theme this year. The core theme is the concept of technology that is so ubiquitous and elegant that it appears to work like magic. For most of us that is...
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Using a Zubie Key: A Year in Review
Almost a year ago I purchased a Zubie Key, which is a device that can be used to track the location, and monitor the status, of a vehicle through a vehicle’s OBD-II port. This device has a built-in...
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Home Automation: “The dryer has finished drying your clothes.”
While most of the things that I can do with my home automation setup are only of interest to myself on occasion I manage to add something that my wife also thinks is useful. This is one of them. A...
View ArticleUsing Indigo 7 for Home Automation with a Mac
Back in 2013 I moved from using a very good Windows program called mControl for home automation control over to Indigo for Mac OS. mControl worked great for my needs then but I didn’t want to dedicate...
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Using an Aeotec Smart Strip
A while back I decided that it would be nice to have our son’s bedroom lamp, white noise machine and humidifier all plugged into Z-Wave automation switches. But I no longer had any free modules and...
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Ring Video Doorbell 2
Within the past couple of months I purchased two Ring video devices to monitor a property. The first device I decided to get was the Ring Video Doorbell 2. This device can replace an existing doorbell...
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Using a Kwikset 910 Z-Wave SmartCode Electronic Touchpad Deadbolt without the...
Normally I would first provide a post with general information about a product like this before diving straight into a tip or modification but I seem to be missing some photos so here it is… It is...
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Kwikset 910 Z-Wave SmartCode Electronic Touchpad Deadbolt
A while back I decided to purchase a Kwikset 910 Z-Wave SmartCode Electronic Touchpad Deadbolt for one of our properties so I could remotely lock and unlock one of the doors there, which is very...
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