Another new toy!

[jimnyc]

I'm tired of being in a room by myself all the time, and sitting upright watching movies. So I treated myself to a new toy 2 days ago.

It's a wireless hard drive of sorts. It's a 1 terabyte hard drive in an enclosure, which is also wireless so it attaches to my home network. From my computer I can copy music, pictures and movies to it. The device is next to my TV permanently attached via HDMI. So after I copy what I want, I go to the TV and switch to that video port - I can browse through pictures on my flat screen, play music, but most importantly, and all I'll use it for, is watching movies. The average movie is approximately 750Mb, so technically speaking, I can put close to 1,000 movies on there before I would have to start deleting.

My only negative feedback is that it's slow copying data to it, but that's my haunted house I live in. I have a Belkin 54G router and a D-Link wireless card attached to the device. BUT, I also have a 16gb USB stick. So if I copy, say, 10 movies in a matter of a couple of minutes to the stick - the device also has a USB port on it. As soon as you plug it in, the device immediately copies over the data to the hard drive, faster than it would on my computer.

It's 1080P in full HD. And for a bonus, so long as you have memberships, it also streams Blockbuster, Netflix, Pandora, Facebook & Youtube!

[glockmail]

So its like a roku box?

[jimnyc]

So its like a roku box?

Hmmmmm, not sure. I don't know what that is! This is called "WD TV Live Hub" if interested in looking. The WD is western digital, who is a huge manufacturer of hard drives. Here's a link to what I have, and I now see it streams a hell of a lot more than listed on the box! You tell me if it's the same, I'll need to look up this Roku box myself...

http://wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=570

[fj1200]

It's 1080P in full HD. And for a bonus, so long as you have memberships, it also streams Blockbuster, Netflix, Pandora, Facebook & Youtube!

Can you browse the internet with it or record over-the-air broadcasts?


So its like a roku box?

A Roku on steroids sounds like. Roku doesn't have storage capabilities.

[glockmail]

Hmmmmm, not sure. I don't know what that is! This is called "WD TV Live Hub" if interested in looking. The WD is western digital, who is a huge manufacturer of hard drives. Here's a link to what I have, and I now see it streams a hell of a lot more than listed on the box! You tell me if it's the same, I'll need to look up this Roku box myself...

http://wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=570

I don't know what a Roku box is either. I've just heard of it.

At my mountain cabin my son built a computer several years ago to monitor the heat and hot water and enable us to turn stuff on and off over the internet. He also set it up as an entertainment PC with music, and to run Windows on the TV monitor. We use Boxie for TV shows and since I've eliminated our TV cable bill, I have a decent budget for DVDs to watch movies.

I'm wondering if your thing does what mine does for a lot less $ and less hassle. I'd love to nix the satellite bill at home but I don't want to lose FNC and local news.

[jimnyc]

Can you browse the internet with it or record over-the-air broadcasts?

Unfortunately, no, but the last thing I need is another place to surf! 3 computers on my network and I have a tablet (one of the computers is a server). I can't browse on my TV, but I do have a DirecTV box which allows recording of any broadcast though.

[jimnyc]

I don't know what a Roku box is either. I've just heard of it.

At my mountain cabin my son built a computer several years ago to monitor the heat and hot water and enable us to turn stuff on and off over the internet. He also set it up as an entertainment PC with music, and to run Windows on the TV monitor. We use Boxie for TV shows and since I've eliminated our TV cable bill, I have a decent budget for DVDs to watch movies.

I'm wondering if your thing does what mine does for a lot less $ and less hassle. I'd love to nix the satellite bill at home but I don't want to lose FNC and local news.

It does a lot of thing, but I only wish I could control utilities from ANY central location! That's awesome that he did that, and takes some serious know how. I can do the music thing, and I can run my PC's on the TV, but the utilities thing would be amazing!

The only way I could think of eliminating the home DVR box and such would be to have one of my computers hooked up full time to the TV and be able to suck in the broadcast via my TV video card in my main PC - but you would still need to run a cable from my dish/box or whatever in order to get the signal anyway, so it would be more or less the same thing, just with more cables.

[glockmail]

The software we use on the cabin PC is called Home Domination. It interacts with X-10 as well as other interfaces. I found some inexpensive temperature sensors that are three wire (power, ground and signal) that each have their own serial number and report that along with degrees Fahrenheit. We soldered those directly onto Cat5 cable and have one in the garage (where the boiler is and a lot of exposed water pipes are), on the main thermostat, on the boiler circulator piping and then outside.

My son figured out the internet access (he took Cisco Networks in HS). We use Remote Desktop and can "see" the desktop on the cabin PC and of course access the software. We also have apps for our Android phones.

They do make computer interface thermostats but they are very expensive. So I control the heat by turning on the main thermostat circuit with a low voltage contact on an X-10 device. I have a second thermostat set to 45 degrees to act as a default when the main is deactivated. Once I activate the main thermostat we can watch the temperature sensors report a rise in the boiler temperature up to 180, then a slow rise in the house temperature.

I control the hot water with another X-10 unit that turns on the 120V signal; simple.

The water main was a bit more complex. I wanted to be able to turn that off remotely as I'd always forget to when I left the cabin. So I put a $30 irrigation valve on the line and that worked well until it failed, then we had no water in the house until I took a trip to the hardware store, which at that time was closed 15 minutes before I got there on Saturday and then all day Sunday. So I plumbed in a parallel line with a manual valve and replaced the cheap electric valve with a commercial grade. It turns out that the new electric valve uses 10 watts (electricity is expensive in the mountains) and buzzes. So now I just use the manual valve and use the electric on a simple timer to turn off two hours after I leave (to allow the dishwater to complete a cycle). So I don't forget, I have a paper sign hanging against the windshield of my Jeep where it's parked in the garage, telling me to TURN OFF THE WATER. :laugh:

[jimnyc]

The software we use on the cabin PC is called Home Domination. It interacts with X-10 as well as other interfaces. I found some inexpensive temperature sensors that are three wire (power, ground and signal) that each have their own serial number and report that along with degrees Fahrenheit. We soldered those directly onto Cat5 cable and have one in the garage (where the boiler is and a lot of exposed water pipes are), on the main thermostat, on the boiler circulator piping and then outside.

My son figured out the internet access (he took Cisco Networks in HS). We use Remote Desktop and can "see" the desktop on the cabin PC and of course access the software. We also have apps for our Android phones.

They do make computer interface thermostats but they are very expensive. So I control the heat by turning on the main thermostat circuit with a low voltage contact on an X-10 device. I have a second thermostat set to 45 degrees to act as a default when the main is deactivated. Once I activate the main thermostat we can watch the temperature sensors report a rise in the boiler temperature up to 180, then a slow rise in the house temperature.

I control the hot water with another X-10 unit that turns on the 120V signal; simple.

The water main was a bit more complex. I wanted to be able to turn that off remotely as I'd always forget to when I left the cabin. So I put a $30 irrigation valve on the line and that worked well until it failed, then we had no water in the house until I took a trip to the hardware store, which at that time was closed 15 minutes before I got there on Saturday and then all day Sunday. So I plumbed in a parallel line with a manual valve and replaced the cheap electric valve with a commercial grade. It turns out that the new electric valve uses 10 watts (electricity is expensive in the mountains) and buzzes. So now I just use the manual valve and use the electric on a simple timer to turn off two hours after I leave (to allow the dishwater to complete a cycle). So I don't forget, I have a paper sign hanging against the windshield of my Jeep where it's parked in the garage, telling me to TURN OFF THE WATER. :laugh:

Wow! I know computers, at least for what I do, been doing so for about 21 years now and feel I can fix almost 100% of hardware issues and 80% of software issues. But what you just explained, I think I'll be walking to the various meters and continue to do things manually, unless I can eventually afford to pay someone to rig it up for me! LOL

Awesome setup though, kudos to you guys for doing so. I would love to be able to do so from my pc, remotely or from my phone!

[glockmail]

Wow! I know computers, at least for what I do, been doing so for about 21 years now and feel I can fix almost 100% of hardware issues and 80% of software issues. But what you just explained, I think I'll be walking to the various meters and continue to do things manually, unless I can eventually afford to pay someone to rig it up for me! LOL

Awesome setup though, kudos to you guys for doing so. I would love to be able to do so from my pc, remotely or from my phone!

To me that stuff is far easier than dingling around with software and internet connections. It's just wiring, plumbing and simple logic. It may not be worth doing at home (unless you are handicapped), but its very convenient for a cabin that is two hours away.

My wife has a high stress job and on Friday night when I drag her out there she demands comfort. In mid January if I don't turn the house on at least 6 hours before we arrive not only is it cold in the house but the mattress is cold, the counters are cold....

I'm still trying to figure out how to turn this baby on remotely: http://i514.photobucket.com/albums/t345/Southernmanpics/P1060478.jpg

[Mr. P]

To me that stuff is far easier than dingling around with software and internet connections. It's just wiring, plumbing and simple logic. It may not be worth doing at home (unless you are handicapped), but its very convenient for a cabin that is two hours away.

My wife has a high stress job and on Friday night when I drag her out there she demands comfort. In mid January if I don't turn the house on at least 6 hours before we arrive not only is it cold in the house but the mattress is cold, the counters are cold....

I'm still trying to figure out how to turn this baby on remotely: http://i514.photobucket.com/albums/t345/Southernmanpics/P1060478.jpg

Oh GOOD GRIEF MAN! If terrorist can figure out how to detonate a bomb with a cell I'm sure you can figure out a way to "remotely" turn on the damn hot tub! Geeeezzzz...:laugh:

Doesn't the X10 stuff give remote control access?

On second thought, you have a bigger problem here than just remote access. Ya gotta lay that thing flat and put water in it first! :laugh::laugh::laugh: Just sayin

[glockmail]

Oh GOOD GRIEF MAN! If terrorist can figure out how to detonate a bomb with a cell I'm sure you can figure out a way to "remotely" turn on the damn hot tub! Geeeezzzz...:laugh:

Doesn't the X10 stuff give remote control access?

On second thought, you have a bigger problem here than just remote access. Ya gotta lay that thing flat and put water in it first! :laugh::laugh::laugh: Just sayin

The problems with using X-10, is that it is a simple on-off switch. If I trigger the thermostat circuit off then the spa could freeze up.

[Mr. P]

The problems with using X-10, is that it is a simple on-off switch. If I trigger the thermostat circuit off then the spa could freeze up.

Separate the heat circuit from the pump circuit, maybe?

Or, maybe just call the next door Bubba 6 hrs ahead and ask him to walk over an flip the outside switch for circulation? Buy em a six pack, done deal.:thumb:

[glockmail]

Separate the heat circuit from the pump circuit, maybe?

Or, maybe just call the next door Bubba 6 hrs ahead and ask him to walk over an flip the outside switch for circulation? Buy em a six pack, done deal.:thumb:

They are two separate circuits. "Bubba" happens to live in Florida, and owns several million dollars worth of commercial property.

[Mr. P]

They are two separate circuits. "Bubba" happens to live in Florida, and owns several million dollars worth of commercial property.

So, X10 the two separate circuits. No?

[glockmail]

So, X10 the two separate circuits. No?If I trigger the thermostat circuit off then the spa could freeze up.

[Mr. P]

If I trigger the thermostat circuit off then the spa could freeze up.

So can't you just leave it on in low temps? Or does it have to circulate to operate properly? Can't the X10 be programed for cycling to prevent a freeze?

[glockmail]

So can't you just leave it on in low temps? Or does it have to circulate to operate properly? Can't the X10 be programed for cycling to prevent a freeze?I leave it at its lowest temperature, 80F, when I leave to save electricity. This has to be done by holding down a button on the control panel for nearly a minute while it cycled down from 104F. The X-10 is a simple on-odd switch, nothing more. I could turn off the heater circuit with a 240V model, or the thermostat with a low voltage model. Either way the spa would just get colder until it froze.

The circulator is a different circuit. It pumps a low volume of water through the filter, heating element and ozonator. Other that that it has nothing to do with the heater.