I had a similar but slightly more primitive thought this winter, and I've occasionaly been messing around trying to do
it, with partial success, on a total hardware/software budget of 0 yen.
My setup is something like this:
1) an ordinary form to access by typing a URL into my j-phone.
2) Apache web server running on my old laptop.
3) My FLETS ISDN line connecting the said laptop to the internet.
4) A Dynamic DNS account to keep track of the dynamic IP address I get with FLETS ISDN.
5) A bit of shareware to control household appliances from the laptop's infrared port by pretending to be their remote
controls. For example
http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA005810/remocon/remocone.htm
6) A little CGI script calling the above bit of shareware when it gets a request from my phone through the web server.
7) Various cheap household appliances.
It all worked up to a point, the point being that it's all been running under Windows 95, and the laptop usually crashed
before I could do anything useful with it. So I need to get it working under Linux, or borrow a copy of Windows 2000
from someone, but both of these things are technically feasible, I think...
My other problem was that all my heating appliances are either electric or gas, so all I could control with it was my TV
and VCR, and I don't want to watch TV when I'm not at home in any case. It would be really nice to be able to switch on
the air conditioner half an hour before getting home, and I'll try that when I get an air conditioner.
The only worry is that I think infrared is a little bit untrustworthy, so I don't like to risk leaving the air
conditioner on all day, or whatever. I wouldn't mind so much if I could get feedback from my appliances to find out what
they're up to, but the infrared control stuff is strictly one-way. (I guess I could work something out if I had a
webcam.)
What I really need is some kind of switch to the electricity mains that I can control from my computer. I imagine
something like a four-way mains adapter with a switch on each socket, but with the switches controlled, say, by a signal
from my computer's serial port, rather than my finger. That would work for any electrical appliance, including my
kotatsu, which was what I was really interested in to begin with. (I've experimented with actual mechanical switches
being flipped by ejecting the laptop's CD-ROM draw, but it doesn't seem to have enough power.) I'm sure these things
must exist, and I've looked all around Akihabara but I can't find any. (If I could I might even be prepared to exceed my
intended hardware budget...) So if anyone has seen something like that I'd love to hear about it, off-list if you like.
Ed Edgar
ed@edochan.com
-----Original Message-----
$B:9=P?M(B : Victor Pikula <victor@pikula.com>
$B08_at_h(B : keitail <keitai-l@appelsiini.net>
$BF|;~(B : 2001$BG/(B5$B7n(B23$BF|(B 21:13
$B7oL>(B : (keitai-l) Re: remote control....
>
>A company called Inprobe does something remotely similar:
>
>"An infrared controller was connected to the server through a local area network to operate the VCR by infrared signals
from the controller and receiving operating instructions for it from the phone. The signals are equivalent to those from
its remote controller. The software can be used with electric appliances in which an infrared remote controller can be
used, such as air conditioners and TV sets, in addition to VCRs."
>
>http://www.nikkeibp.asiabiztech.com/wcs/leaf?CID=onair/asabt/news/126217
>
>You would get huge packet charges when replacing your remote control by your Keitai (if you are only remotely remote).
But it certainly is cool if your are down at Hachiko, waiting with your antenna up your nose, and suddenly you remember
you wanted to tape the fifth rerun of "Namida No Kissu" (then, you are *truly* remote)
>
>Cheers,
>Victor
>
>
>
>[ Did you check the archives? http://www.appelsiini.net/keitai-l/ ]
>
>
>
[ Did you check the archives? http://www.appelsiini.net/keitai-l/ ]
Received on Thu May 24 03:11:10 2001