8051 Control your Home appliances using Cortana (Windowsphone 8.1)

Binu submitted a new resource:

Control your Home appliances using Cortana (Windowsphone 8.1) - Control your home appliances using Cortana which is a personal smartphone assistant for Windowsphone

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I am curious to see how the blue home device connects to your lighting switch. The question in my mind is...Will the setup be simple for a person with simple and limited electrical skills to install on his own?

Another question I have in mind. If the device can be connected by Wifi. Is it possible for the user to turn on and off the appliances outside of the house area. With bluetooth, I assume the scope of the home automation is confined within the house itself? (Correct me if I am wrong on this). But with wifi, there might be some potential where you can perform this home automation through the internet? This will be a very practical feature!

Yes it would be simple. You just need to configure the IP address, Wifi Access point name and security password.
For device connection you just need to connect the output to the existing switch on Home.

Yes i am trying to add this feature so you can control the home appliances from anywhere through internet.

Hi Binu,
When I observe the video and Blue Home's website, I understand the product is currently limited to connecting 6 appliance at one time. I think this is fine, but what if a house has 2 units of Blue Home (example one unit located on the ground floor and the second unit located on the 1st floor building). Can the system be configured so that it is intelligent enough to work on 2 units of Blue Home at the same time on the windows phone 8.1?

(Example:
1: Home....turn on ground floor fan
2: Home .... turn on 1st floor fan
3: Home ....turn on all fans)

It is just my thought and suggestion....that way your product and concept becomes expandable.

I am sincerely looking forward to the development of your system. And if possible I would like to purchase and try out your finished project.

Best Wishes, Vince

Hi Bino, I would like to seek further clarification to your explanation of the way the device called "Home" is connected.

If I refer to the images of your previous project (bluetooth)
http://www.8051projects.info/micro-cart/device-control-through-windows-phone-8.30/viewproduct

Am I correct to assume, the live electrical wire goes into the transformer "SUPER". Then I connect my appliances such as the light and fan to the 8 black relays "NICE"? Is it as simple as that?

Please excuse my ignorance because I know little of electronics. But I do have a strong interest to the amazing things it can do.

Yes you can use as many devices, since each device has its own IP address. But my WP app is designed for connecting to only 1 device. But it can also be redesigned for more than one device. if i get enough time sure i will do it.

Each relay has its own input and output.
Check this image

Hi Binu, thanks for the image. I think I have a better idea now of how the relays are connected. I am curious over the some of the practical aspect of the current design. My question would be.....Will the user of this device be able to manually turn on and off their lights and fans using their existing wall switch once the device is connected? Because from the way I see it, once the device is hooked up, there is no way for the user to turn on and off the device other than using the phone.
I fancy the idea that this device can replace the existing wall switches at home. So it will be good that the devices can have buttons so that the user can turn on/off their appliances when they are at home. And when buttons are manually pressed, the phone can also observe the status of device changing on their phone. What do you think?

The relays can be connected parallel to the manual switch so you can control them from both. But once you switch ON the device manually then you can't switch it off through the kit. Also of you switch on the device through our kit then you can't switch it off manually.
I think you got it.

Hi Binu,

I saw your youtube video of an updated version of your project.


After looking at that video, I am starting to wonder how best to setup this device around the home. The most recent demo looked as though as the blue home will be the central management system. Which in my opinion has its flaws in terms of maintenance and installation.

If I were to invest into a centralise home automation system there is little point in using wireless connectivity. With centralised home automation system, I would have to pull new wires at different points of the house in order to control the switches, and since I am doing that, I might as well wired the connectivity of such system directly to my POE switch.

When I first looked at the initial demo (bluetooth version). I thought that just maybe this product can turn out to be a decentralised approach to home automation system. In other words, I view it as a type of appliance where installation is not limited to changing the way a consumer wires their existing electric circuits.

From my outlook into home automation for the past 5 years. The biggest drawback are Cost and Simplicity. And I believe making home automation into a form of an Appliance is what attracts consumers.

Examples of which are things like Lockitron, Nest Protect, etc....

Good work on the project.
Highlight commendable.
Vince