newbie wanting to start with controlling thermostat

[Brandon]

I just learned that X10 is more than those annoying popups, but a
communication standard.........

Ok, I want to control my home thermostat (adjust heating/AC temp) remotely
via my WinXP PC. I can "tunnel in" to my PC via remote desktop. That part is
no problem. What do I need to be able to control it from there?

Assuming a moderately low budget (low enough so my wife won't notice it :) )
Is X10 hardware a viable solution?
What software?
What thermostats can I use?
Does the thermostat have to be plugged into a 110 volt line?

I was thinking of one of the X10.com $65 products with a thermostat.

Of course the thermostat is only the beginning, I would also later move into
lighting, smoke alarm, burglar alarm etc. BTW, my house is 55 years old with
few ground wires (another project).

Thanks,
Brandon

[Neil Cherry]

On Mon, 2 Sep 2002 23:21:43 -0500, Brandon wrote:
>I just learned that X10 is more than those annoying popups, but a
>communication standard.........

Yeah X10 thinks that their standards are the best but nobody likes
them. Oh you were talking about the X10 standard not the popups (or
pop unders as one of their exec's so kindly pointed out in an
interview). They're just the low cost alternative to not much else (I
really hope that changes!). Either the other offerings are very
expensive (need to be purchased and installed by a 'professional') or
are basically non-existent (like CeBus).

>Ok, I want to control my home thermostat (adjust heating/AC temp) remotely
>via my WinXP PC. I can "tunnel in" to my PC via remote desktop. That part is
>no problem. What do I need to be able to control it from there?
>
>Assuming a moderately low budget (low enough so my wife won't notice it :) )
>Is X10 hardware a viable solution?
>What software?
>What thermostats can I use?
>Does the thermostat have to be plugged into a 110 volt line?

The only X10 brand thermostat device I'm familiar with is a device you
connect below your present thermostat and the X10 device heats the
air. I really don't trust that product. I believe that RCS has some
thermostats that can be controlled by RS485 (RS232?). But that's my
limited knowledge on that subject.

--
Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry nch...@comcast.net
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/ncherry/ (Text only)
http://linuxha.sourceforge.net/ (SourceForge)
http://hcs.sourceforge.net/ (HCS II)

[Mark S]

On Mon, 2 Sep 2002 23:21:43 -0500, "Brandon"

<bhar...@nopenospam.bellsouth.net> wrote:

>I just learned that X10 is more than those annoying popups, but a
>communication standard.........
>
>Ok, I want to control my home thermostat (adjust heating/AC temp) remotely
>via my WinXP PC. I can "tunnel in" to my PC via remote desktop. That part is
>no problem. What do I need to be able to control it from there?
>

You might want to start here
http://www.smarthome.com/x10thermostat.html Smarthome does not have
the best prices (typically), but you can get a good idea of what is
out there (and they will price match). Using your PC typically takes
additional software. You should also be aware that X-10 is NOT 100%
reliable and you should use caution when controlling devices such as
thermostats.

[Allan Yates]

Aprilaire (Enerzone/Enerstat) http://www.aprilaire.com has an RS-422/RS-232
communicating thermostat. US$279 It will even display messages from your
control system.

Allan.
--
Intelligent Interiors
http://www.i2automation.com
Installation, Sales, Service, Parts for Crestron, Vantage, Elan, Sonance,
Niles, Atlantic Technology, HAI, OnQ, and many others

"Neil Cherry" <n...@bgp558256bgs.ewndsr01.nj.comcast.net> wrote in message
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