What is the coolest feature of your Indigo setup?

Posted on
Mon Jul 12, 2010 8:14 am
eme jota ce offline
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Joined: Jul 09, 2009
Location: SW Florida

Re: What is the coolest feature of your Indigo setup?

mooshee wrote:
...
Ultimately, I'd like to have a motion sensor trigger a snapshot of the person walking up to the door, identify their face (my own or family members'), and unlock the front door.


I love the idea of face recognition integration and hope you'll share your further success.

As far as using it to unlock a front door ... beyond the usual error and confusion in facial recognition that might allow accidental entrance, couldn't someone just hold a picture of you or family up to the camera to enter the house?

Posted on
Mon Jul 12, 2010 8:42 am
hamw offline
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Joined: Mar 31, 2008

Re: What is the coolest feature of your Indigo setup?

There is also an RFID device you could incorporate, which, depending on your goals, might reduce a lot of complexity.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=4676

http://www.smarthome.com/7434/Proximity ... S-5/p.aspx

I think this would work with an iolinc.

Posted on
Mon Jul 12, 2010 11:14 am
mooshee offline
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Re: What is the coolest feature of your Indigo setup?

I've been teaching myself php and web programming in the process (I'm a java/c++ guy at the core), but I will certainly share my code once I clean it up a bit. I need to add error checking and eventually Facebook integration for a larger picture database of myself and friends. It will be fun to have my house eventually talk to my friends as well.

I've thought about some sort of verification process to diffuse the possibility of someone holding up a picture. I may just use the facial recognition to determine "who's home" variables. Another possibility is using the proximity software in conjunction with the facial recognition as double verification. I'd also hide the camera, perhaps in the peephole, discreetly so that its not so obvious I'm pausing for a picture.

Posted on
Mon Jul 12, 2010 11:51 am
anode offline
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Location: NC

Re: What is the coolest feature of your Indigo setup?

eme jota ce wrote:
mooshee wrote:
...
Ultimately, I'd like to have a motion sensor trigger a snapshot of the person walking up to the door, identify their face (my own or family members'), and unlock the front door.


I love the idea of face recognition integration and hope you'll share your further success.

As far as using it to unlock a front door ... beyond the usual error and confusion in facial recognition that might allow accidental entrance, couldn't someone just hold a picture of you or family up to the camera to enter the house?


Thats a reason I won't use the fingerprint access entries. You can pull a print and make a duplicate 'finger' pretty easily. Now if retinal scanner get a bit cheaper.....

Posted on
Sun Feb 13, 2011 11:32 am
wi_pedaler offline
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Location: Southeast Wisconsin, USA

Re: What is the coolest feature of your Indigo setup?

Some great ideas here. I especially like the bluetooth proximity ideas to set parameters, announce arrivals, etc.

One feature that we rely on all school year is a timed announcement for the bus. Our bus driver is very consistent, so I have set Indigo to play a wav file "bushorn.wav" a couple minutes before the yellow truck comes up the street.

We use an Applescript to set the computer volume, and play the sound.
Code: Select all
tell application "Finder"
    set volume 4
end tell

tell application "Play Sound"
    play "iMac:Users:theUser:Sounds:bushorn.wav"
end tell


Although it's not nearly as cool and high tech as other entries here, it's something we rely on every school day.
Thanks for all who have contributed to this thread! Keep them coming!

Posted on
Mon Mar 07, 2011 8:04 am
dstrickler offline
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Location: Boston, MA

Re: What is the coolest feature of your Indigo setup?

mooshee wrote:
I've been teaching myself php and web programming in the process (I'm a java/c++ guy at the core), but I will certainly share my code once I clean it up a bit.


I'm pretty good with PHP, and am interested in working with you on this project.

As noted in their thread, I wouldn't unlock my door based on a face, but I've been working on a lot of "detect who is home" functions, and facial recognition would add a double-confirmation (after detecting my GPS coordinates via iPhone) that it's me who is home. I am envisioning my Panasonic (WiFi enabled, and already mounted at the door) detecting movement, snapping pictures and confirming them with face.com, and then setting an Indigo variable "isDaveHome = true".

None of this happen in real-time enough to say, turn on a light, but my guess is can be done within 15 seconds of detecting motion and taking a picture.

Let me know if/when you're ready to share some code. Otherwise I may dive in on my own when I get some free time.

Dave

Posted on
Thu Mar 24, 2011 8:01 pm
raneil offline
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Joined: Feb 11, 2011
Location: Grapevine, Texas

Indigo can start your car

Overall, ours was a pretty mild winter this year. But there were a few weeks in early February that were really, really cold. On those mornings, I was sure glad to have the Remote Start feature on my vehicle. And, of course, it's very handy in the summer too -- even in the mornings, our garage gets ridiculously hot during the Dog Days of Summer. So, I've become a little spoiled by the technological marvels that are Remote Start and Automatic Climate Control. And since Home Automation is all bout being spoiled by technology, it seemed only natural to marry the vehicular technology to the HA technology. So, this week I set out to do just that.

Our overhead garage doors were already being monitored and controlled by Indigo using a Phidget Interface Kit -- two of the inputs are wired to limit switches that close when the doors are closed, and two of the outputs are wired in parallel with the wall-mounted opener switches. So, having Indigo open the appropriate garage door as needed was the easy part.

To actually remote-start the vehicle, I first needed an additional compatible key fob -- I wasn't willing to sacrifice one of the two I had. I located one online for $49.00 -- in line with the cost of an inexpensive Insteon module. After updating the vehicle's on-board computer to work with the new transmitter, I was finally willing to hack into one of the old ones. I removed the circuit board from the key-fob enclosure, connected the necessary wires, and mounted it in a plastic project box.


Image

I added a power receptacle to the box so I could connect a 3V DC wall-wart to power the board -- I hate changing batteries. Finally, I mounted the whole mess to the under-side of a shelf on the front wall of my garage and connected the switch wires to the normally-open contacts of two I/O Lincs.


Image

Each I/O Linc is programmed for momentary action, with the first one (the door-lock button) staying ON for two seconds (the minimum) and the second one (the remote-start button) staying ON for three seconds.

A simple external AppleScript checks to see if the appropriate garage door is open (and if not, opens it), then activates the I/O Lincs in the right sequence, and the truck starts every time.

Code: Select all
tell application "IndigoServer"
   try
      --check to see if the 2-Car Garage Door is closed
      set isClosed to (the value of variable "Zone03_status" = "CLOSED")
      
      if isClosed then
         log "Opening 2-Car Garage Door..." using type "Start Suburban"
         
         --open the Garage Door
         openGarageDoor("2-Car")
         
         --wait for the Garage Door to open
         delay 12
      end if
      
      --check again to see if the 2-Car Garage Door is open
      set isClosed to (the value of variable "Zone03_status" = "CLOSED")
      
      if not isClosed then
         --make a log entry that the door is open
         log "2-Car Garage Door open.  Starting Suburban..." using type "Start Suburban"
         
         --Start the Suburban.  Press the Door Lock button for 2 seconds
         set binary outputs of device "Suburban Door Lock" to {true}

         --Wait 3 seconds
         delay 3
         
         --press the Remobe Start button for 3 seconds
         set binary outputs of device "Suburban Remote Start" to {true}
      else
         --make a log entry that the door did not open
         log "Unable to start Suburban.  2-Car Garage Door closed." using type "Start Suburban"
      end if
   on error errMsg number errNum
      set retVal to (errMsg & " (" & errNum as text) & ")."
      log retVal
   end try
end tell



Since I leave for work at the same time every day (M-F), a schedule was easy to set up. On Saturdays, it takes a rest, and on Sundays the time is adjusted for Church departure.

I also made a simple Control Page, so I can initiate the process via Indigo Touch as needed.


Image


The To-Do List includes interfacing with iCal to abort on vacation days, and to use the NOAA Weather data to abort when the temperature is mild.

It may not be the most sophisticated part of my setup, but it's my favorite... so far.

Posted on
Thu Mar 24, 2011 8:50 pm
dstrickler offline
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Joined: Oct 08, 2010
Location: Boston, MA

Re: What is the coolest feature of your Indigo setup?

OK ranell, that gets my vote for coolest Insteon hack. Just make sure you don't leave the car in gear when you park it ;-)

Dave

Posted on
Sun Mar 27, 2011 10:31 am
matt (support) offline
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Location: Texas

Re: What is the coolest feature of your Indigo setup?

Wow, that is definitely a first. Very neat!

Image

Posted on
Mon Mar 28, 2011 12:21 pm
raneil offline
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Location: Grapevine, Texas

Re: What is the coolest feature of your Indigo setup?

dstrickler wrote:
OK ranell, that gets my vote for coolest Insteon hack. Just make sure you don't leave the car in gear when you park it ;-)


Thanks. Fortunately, The General already considered that, and it won't crank if it's not in Park.

Posted on
Mon Mar 28, 2011 12:29 pm
raneil offline
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Posts: 90
Joined: Feb 11, 2011
Location: Grapevine, Texas

Re: What is the coolest feature of your Indigo setup?

Oh, I failed to mention one other item on the To-Do List. The addition of a beam sensor to perform a pre-flight check to see if the vehicle is actually parked in the garage -- and to abort if it's not there. The hardware actually arrived before the extra key fob, but I had forgotten about it. Now I just have to make room for one more wall-wart. :roll:

Posted on
Fri Apr 15, 2011 11:09 am
tomvardon offline
Posts: 23
Joined: Jan 10, 2011

Re: What is the coolest feature of your Indigo setup?

This is a great idea, i'm gonna think about that for next winter....
I have to program my sprinklers to deal with rainfall from the local weather station first. Just spring up here in Canada and this is my first year with indigo and Insteon.
One thing I really want to do is have my router inform indigo when our iphones are connected. (if connected I am home, and I don't leave home without it) I use bluetooth for hands-free in the cars, so don't think thats the best way to communicate with the computer. If anyone has any suggestions, I sure would be happy about that.

Posted on
Sat Apr 16, 2011 4:18 pm
dstrickler offline
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Location: Boston, MA

Re: What is the coolest feature of your Indigo setup?

tomvardon,
tomvardon wrote:
If anyone has any suggestions, I sure would be happy about that.

There's an ongoing thread about it: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4894

Dave

Posted on
Sun Sep 25, 2011 10:33 am
macpro offline
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Location: Third byte on the right

Re: What is the coolest feature of your Indigo setup?

I've been working on integrating my TV with Indigo.

Thanks to Python support in Indigo 5 and help from Jay and Perry my TV now acts as an Indigo client:

Image

Image

All menu info on both screens is controlled by Indigo.

Posted on
Mon Dec 05, 2011 11:07 pm
red offline
Posts: 3
Joined: Aug 12, 2011

Re: What is the coolest feature of your Indigo setup?

We have 2 cats and their litter boxes are in the laundry room under a counter. If a motion sensor detects them in the box, it starts up an x10 exhaust fan that runs for 20 min. Also, every 2 hours the fan is scheduled to run for 10 min.

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