Lights Out (No Clapper Needed)
Remember the Clapper? Your Mac handily takes the place of that cheesy As-Seen-on-TV invention, thanks to the Indigo 2 software. In addition to Indigo, you’ll also need some hardware from Insteon, including the LampLinc V2 Dimmer module ($34.99), a pair of SignaLinc RF Signal Extenders ($69.99) to enhance the signal in your home, plus the PowerLinc V2 ($69.99), which attaches to your Mac with a USB cable. All Insteon products are available from www.smarthome.com or www.machomestore.com.
Before you get started on the lamp connection, plug the PowerLinc into a wall outlet next to your Mac, then connect the USB cable to the PowerLinc and to your Mac. Indigo 2 will find the PowerLinc automatically, since the driver comes preinstalled.
1. Make Contact
First, write down the six-digit code that should appear on the LampLinc, near the plug prongs. Plug a lamp in your bedroom into the outlet facing down on the LampLinc. (The outlet on the front is a “passthrough” that you can use for items that are not controlled by Indigo.) Plug in the LampLinc. Turn on the lamp, and head to your Mac. In Indigo, go to File > New Device. Type a name like “Bedroom_Lamp” and select INSTEON in the Type pop-up. Click Define And Sync, type in the LampLinc code you wrote down, and click Start. (Oops, got an error? Make sure you wrote down and typed in the correct LampLinc code, and that the PowerLinc is properly connected.)
If you add more lamps, name them succinctly: Sofa_Lamp, Front_Hall_Lamp, Lava_Lamp, and so on.
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2. Schedule Your Actions
In Indigo, click Time/Date Actions. Name the trigger something like “Turn Lamp On and Off.” Under Time/Date Trigger, set up the schedule for when the lamp should turn on and off. Now click Actions, and select Control Light/Appliance under Type, Turn On under Action, and Bedroom_Lamp under Device. (Yup, that’s the device you added in step 1.) Click Auto Off and set a timer for when the lamp should turn off.
The Actions pane also has a Speak field, if you want your Mac to say, “The bedroom lamp is now on.”
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3. Test It Out
Finally, test out the trigger. Place a check next to the “Turn Lamp On and Off,” click the Execute Actions button, and check to see if the lamp is on. You can also click Devices, select Bedroom_Lamp and turn it on or off that way.
Only those actions with a check will execute when you click Execute Actions in Indigo.
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Wake Up, Little Suzie
Alarm Clock Pro ($20) lets you configure your morning alarm in lots of different ways: with a song or entire playlist that fades in, with a daily news podcast, or with the Mac saying “Go ahead, sleep all day, ya dweeb” or other spoken text.
Once you’ve installed Alarm Clock Pro, click New to set a new alarm. In the Regular pop-up window, select Relative so you can set a recurring alarm. Set the time, and click the days you want it to go off. Then, under Events, select the podcast, song, playlist, or other wake-up call. (You have to double-click to configure your option.)
Alarm Clock Pro even lets you open up a webpage or send an email automatically when the alarm goes off.
More...
Pipe in Music Wirelessly
If you’re like us, you have most of your music stored on the Mac - which is sitting in your office or another part of the house. Unless you have a laptop, accessing your music collection from the bedroom isn’t all that easy. Using a digital streaming device like the Sonos Bundle 130 ($999) solves the problem. It comes with an LCD remote, one main amplified unit, and one unit you can use in the bedroom with headphones or a stereo.
1. Plug in
First, plug in the power and connect the cables for each unit. Use the Sonos ZP100 in your office, connect it to your router using an Ethernet cable, and connect speakers. Then set up the ZP80 in your bedroom, along with the LCD remote control and cradle (Sonos calls this the Controller). Install the Sonos Desktop Controller app on your Mac (just copy it into the /Applications folder) from the included CD.
Yes, it's pricey. But it does its job well.
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2. Establish Contact
Launch the Sonos Desktop Controller software and follow the instructions to add a zone. When prompted, simultaneously press the Volume and Mute buttons on the ZP100 in your office for a second so they flash back and forth; the Desktop Controller will find and configure it. In the software, click continue, then, back in the bedroom, do the same on the ZP80.
You can add a player for the den, the back porch, or any other room and play the same song on every one.
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3. Share Your Music
Back in your office, go to System Preferences > Sharing and place a check next to Windows Sharing. This allows your Mac to share its music library.
If you've already enabled Windows Sharing (say, for iTunes Mac-to-Mac sharing), you can skip this step.
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4. Listen and Enjoy
In the Desktop Controller software, select whether you want to use the default iTunes folder for streaming music, or pick a different folder. Now you can start playing music that you’ll hear in the bedroom.
Control your music her, from the Mac, or with the LCD remote.
To continue on this journey of home-automation, view part 3 of Brains of the Operation here.
