[Lab Bench Online]
EiED Online>> Building A Multimedia Home Control Center, Part 1
William Wong
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ED Online ID #13330 |
August 21, 2006
USB support remains critical but a front panel USB socket was one thing missing from the system case. Instead, I used a Belkin F5U237v1 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 7-Port Hub. This stylish unit as a pair of connections on the top that are ideal for memory sticks and connecting transient devices like cameras and iPods.
Still, having the system in one area where the Sharp HDTV dominates means things like scanners and printers are out of place. Connecting over the network is possible but you need either a PC with shared peripherals or a network-enabled device like a network printer for remote use with our central system. I have both types of devices but most people will not. Luckily there is an alternative like the Lantronix Ubox USB/Ethernet Bridge. This little device plugs into the Ethernet network. USB devices plugged into the Ubox appears to the application software on the multimedia PC as if they were connected locally. Better yet. The links are dynamic so you can have a USB printer that can be sequentially accessed by different PCs on the network. More on this device later.
That wraps up the system side of things. The assembly of these components is covered later in this article but first a quick overview of the components that will be in parts 3 and 4. Part 2 deals only with the SageTV software.
The Insteon hardware support was covered in “Insteon Now” (ED Online 11782). This includes the range of Insteon switches and power control blocks that you can use all over the house. What is added this time around is the USB PowerLinc controller and two different home control software packages. The PowerLinc is plugged into the multimedia PC so I can now view the power status of the house from the TV. It can also be managed directly or on a scheduled basis in addition to implementing macros that can control multiple devices from a single button press.
The Insteon products are available from SmartHome. SmartHome also provided two security cameras that will be covered in this article. One is the 7545IR Day/Night Wireless Camera & Receiver. The receiver plugs into the ATI TV capture board that also has a composite video input. The Smarthome Vidi Security Camera is an Ethernet network attached device. Unlike the other camera, this one can be reoriented using built-in servos.
Finally there is the Elk M1G Home Control System that is covered in part 4. This home control system centers around Elk’s control box that is normally located in a basement or an out of the way storage room. It has its own battery backed up power supply and is designed to connect to wired devices like smoke detectors, motion detectors and so on. Its like to the multimedia system is through the Insteaon PowerLinc. This allows the control program to run on the multimedia PC providing control and status information. The M1G is available from SmartHome.
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