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| EMagazine Volume 4 Issue 4 August 1999 |
Features
Interviews
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| Home Toys Review - August99 - [HTI Home Page] |
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TLHA Home Automation System The TLHA Server is the center of the automation system. It controls all of the automation devices, monitors the rules, and manages the system’s device definitions. The server software must be running at all times in order for the system to operate. This can be on any available computer, located in any convenient location. |
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Wow ... I downloaded the demo of this software not knowing what to expect. What I found is a very comprehensive package that does most everything you would want to do with your home system (I guess I should have expected that in a 7 meg download :-). It's not for novices ... Twin Lakes claims to offer "high quality software and hardware at reasonable prices, designed with the hobbyist in mind". The software provides a state-of-the-art client/server automation controller. It is an event-driven, rule-based, automation engine that serves as the center of any home automation system. It comes complete with device support for X10, IR, RF, and hardwired interfaces. The graphical monitor provides a complete, interactive, graphical interface to control and monitor your home. E-mail support is built in, providing both outbound status and inbound control. Runs under Windows 95, 98, and NT with minimum hardware requirements of 16 megabytes of RAM and a 33MHz 486.
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- The TLHAServer is the central automation server. It processes data from devices and evaluates rules.
- The Mail program provides automated e-mail sending, e-mail notification, and remote control of the automation system (including security options). It can run anywhere on the network, although typically it would run on the same computer as the Server software. It must be able to access your mail server, and supports the POP3 and SMTP mail protocols.
- The DeviceManager program has a dialog-based interface for defining devices and their attributes within the system.
- The RuleBuilder program also has a dialog-based interface for creating automation rules.
- The Monitor is an interactive, graphical interface that enables both monitoring and control of any device within the system.
Features:
| Send e-mail using predefined forms or free form messages, based upon any system event. | |
| LAN / Internet Access | Access your automation system from anywhere in your home, or anywhere in the world using a local area network or the Internet. |
| Graphical Interface | Create graphical views of your automation system using our predefined icons or your own. |
| Automation Rules | Powerful if/then/else rule based control. The dialog based rule manager makes adding rules easy. |
| X10 | Full 2-way X10 control and monitoring, including status requests. Supports CM11A or Lynx-Port Multi-Purpose I/O board. |
| Infrared | Use IR to control your television and stereo system. Supports any serial or X10 IR Controller. |
| Serial | Add virtually any serial based device using the flexible serial port interface. |
| Parallel | Flexible parallel interface for using commercial or home made devices. |
| Execute Programs | Any software program can be run based on rule evaluation. |
| Programmable | Add your own interfaces through the Application Programming Interface (API). |
While I can't do an in depth review here I'll touch on each of the modules so you get an idea of what to expect with this software.
Server
The TLHA Server is the center of the automation
system. It controls all of the automation devices, monitors the rules, and manages
the system’s device definitions. The server software must be running at all
times in order for the system to operate. This can be on any available computer,
located in any convenient location. The server software does not require any regular
observation, once configuration is complete.
Once the system is successfully configured, it requires little attention. A number of dialogs are available for maintenance and troubleshooting. All of the dialogs are accessed through the main menu.
Device Manager
The Device Manager is used to create, modify, and delete device definitions. If Auto Login is selected, when the Device Manager starts, it attempts to connect to the TLHA Server automatically. If it is successful, the current device definitions are displayed on the main dialog.
The main areas of the Device Manager are:
Main Menu - Provides access to all of the
actions and dialogs in the Device Manager. The most common actions are also
available using the buttons on the right hand side of the display. - Display Select - Left hand side. Allows limiting the displayed list of devices to a subset. This is handy for locating a device of a known type, without having to view the entire list.
- Device List - Shows all the currently defined devices. It displays the type of the device, its name, and description. The list is sorted by type and name. The scroll bars allow the list to be scrolled if it extends off the screen.
- Actions - Right Hand Side Buttons -Common operations that affect the currently selected device definitions. These operate in the same manner as the menu based operations. A sample or the Edit screen for a Serial Device is shown at the right.
Rule Builder
Rules are the controlling element of the TLHA Automation Server. They react to changes in device values and cause other devices to change value. Rules in TLHA are event-driven. Any time a device referenced by a rule changes value, the rule is re-evaluated. Rules are created using the Rule Builder. This application provides a dialog based interface to create and modify rule definitions.
This dialog box below presents the Rule Set Options, along with a list of all the rules that are part of the set. The Simulate Execution check box prevents any device assignments from being made during rule evaluation. This can be useful during the development of a new set to avoid turning lights on and off while evaluating a rule set’s behavior.
The three list boxes display the elements of the rules that make up the current set. The Rule list displays the descriptions of all the currently defined rules. Note that the description does not have to be unique, nor must it contain any text (although blank ones can be hard to identify at the end of the list!). The Conditions and Statements list boxes contain the conditions and statements for the currently selected rule. If any conditions are present, at least one statement must also be present for the rule to be valid. However, it is not necessary to have conditions in order to have statements. In this case, the statements are executed upon activating the Rule Set.
Monitor
The TLHAMonitor provides an interactive graphical interface for monitoring and changing the status of the automation devices that are currently defined in the system. Monitor allows you to create many different views of your automation system. Each view is stored as a separate file. The views can be placed on your Windows desktop for easy double-click access or opened from within the Monitor program using the File/Open dialog.
A layout contains a collection of objects, some of which represent devices within the system. The display objects each have a set of characteristics particular to its type. Text and Digital Values allow selection of font, pitch, color, and style. Rectangles allow selection of size, border width and color, and background bit map or color. The bit map can be anything, including a picture of a room or a floor plan. Indicators are display bit map graphics, with a choice of three different selections based on the current value of the associated device. Switches are similar to indicators, except they also allow double clicking to set the associated device’s value.
You can create many different effects using the defined display items including Floor plans, Controls, Forms and Status displays.
Just define your e-mail interface in the TLHA Mail program and your ready to begin. The mail interface uses the popular POP3 and SMTP protocols to receive and send mail. To make it even easier, the Mail client supports both predefined text forms and recipient lists. For example, to send e-mail from an automation rule requires just one statement:
Send “[Form:HomeStatus]” to Mail
The current state of any device is easily included, so you can get up-to the-minute status of your home while you are away. You can also update your automation system by sending e-mail to your home. The TLHA Mail program monitors your e-mail account and scans for messages with a predefined subject. When a message is found, it is processed and your automation devices are updated as requested. Program security supports an access password, automatic interface shutdown on repeated invalid access attempts, and an accessible device list.
This software is very comprehensive and flexible ... definitely for those who like to tinker. The "Help" files are very good. The Twin Lakes website at www.tlha.com also has a lot of good info about the system (by the way they also sell serial and parallel IO boards). Price for the software is $100 which is pretty reasonable for something with these capabilities. Worth a download of the demo ... that's for sure.
