Home Automation Getting Easier and Affordable

I have always thought that it would be really cool to have an automated house. A house where all the systems were monitored and controlled by a single control panel. While home automation systems have been around for many years, most were very expensive and you needed multiple systems.  For example the control panel that turned on or dimmed lights could not set the thermostat or unlock the front door.

Recently there have been released a number of systems that use an app on your smartphone, either iPhone or Android, to control a number of different systems and appliances found in most homes. One of the systems is called Wink. Many of the products that are based on Wink and the actual Wink controller can be purchased at your local Home Depot or at Amazon.com.

The neat thing about Wink is that it works with many standard products found around the home. GE appliances, Philips lighting and Schlage locks are just a few of the manufacturers making products that can be controlled and monitored by Wink.

For example, once you purchase the Wink hub, using your smartphone and home Wi-Fi you can take control of setting your heating and air conditioning, lock or unlock your front door, turn on lights, monitor your home security system, and even check if you remembered to close the garage door. This can be done while sitting in your living room or in a hotel half way around the world.

The Wink compatible products vary in price. To get started you need a controller hub that costs about $50.00. A LED light bulb that will interface with Wink costs about $14.00. Many products like the garage door interface costs about $80.00. Unlike older systems that were priced in the thousands of dollars, you can get up and running with several Wink controlled devices for a few hundred dollars.

A Place To Recycle CLF's

A while back I discussed the need to be careful when disposing of electonic "trash." The Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District emailed today to let me know that ALL Home Depot stores now accept used Compact Fluorescent Lights (CLF’s) for recycling!

Here are the details excerpted from a press release.

The Home Depot®, launched a national in-store, consumer compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb recycling program at all 1,973 The Home Depot locations. This free offers customers additional options for making environmentally conscious decisions from purchase to disposal. The Home Depot Canada launched a CFL recycling program in November, 2007.
At each The Home Depot store, customers can simply bring in any expired, unbroken CFL bulbs, and give them to the store associate behind the returns desk. The bulbs will then be managed responsibly by an environmental management company who will coordinate CFL packaging, transportation and recycling to maximize safety and ensure environmental compliance.