Automating the new house
Automating your project might be cool, but what about your home?
In a recent Macworld issue, there's an article titled Automate Your Home. After reading it, I became inspired to do some automation in the new house. Since we're scheduled to move in this weekend, I'm getting close to buying the software and hardware necessary to do this. The top software packages seem to be Indigo (for OS X) and Active Home (for Windows).
I'm leaning towards the Windows version since my Windows box is always on and there's likely more information/experience working with that version. My PowerBook gets turned off frequently, so that's not a good idea. I could buy a new G5, but $4000 for home automation is a bit spendy. In reality, I'd like to find a easy-to-use (and install!) version for Linux since my Linux box is always on. Any tips?
I'd love to hear any experiences folks may have with automating their homes. Initially, I plan on automating light activation when you walk in the room. Any other cool ideas?