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Updated July 23, 2007 17:00 PDT
Is it possible to control the heating and cooling of
another home via cell phone or computer? Could you also
check temperatures in the same place?
Yes it is very possible to set up a remote home management
system that will give you full control of another home via
cell phone or web browser. One of the nicest systems available
is from Hawking Technology and is called RemoteHome with
Cell Link.
I have a simple Byron Home Automation kit that I want
to expand. Will Z-Wave
operate the appliance plugs and table lamp dimmers from
Windows MCE 2005?
Unfortunately the Byron Automation Kit is not interoperable
with Z-Wave controls. The two systems use different RF frequencies
and protocols. It may be possible to find some PC software
the could control both systems independently but from the
same user interface; however, I'm not familiar with any
that can do this.
I have a Harmony 890 remote, which I understand uses
Z-Wave RF signals natively to communicate with its IR extender.
What can I use to control Insteon-based lighting scenes
from the Harmony?
As far as I know there is no easy or direct way to bridge
a Harmony 890 to Insteon lighting. If you run an Internet
search on "Insteon IR" you will find several postings
involving two or three devices. These can convert the Insteon
signals to X10, then convert the Harmony signals to IR,
and then bridge the two at the IR level. If you ask me,
and you did, I would replace the Insteon products with Z-Wave
products and skip the mess. You will also have a much greater
selection of Z-Wave lighting and non-lighting products and
the increased flexibility and reliability of an RF system
vs. a power-line system.
