The first X10 interfaces for PCs used the venerable 9-pin serial (COM) port shown in Figure 11.1. The serial port continues to be used for some types of X10 computer interfaces, but its slow speed, lack of resource sharing with other ports, and the increasing numbers of PCs that lack a serial port suggest that this is not the most desirable way to interface your PC with X10.

Some major types of serial-port-to-X10 interfaces are the following:

A USB (universal serial bus) interface can be used by any computer running Windows 98, Second Edition or greater as well as Macintoshes. USB ports are designed to coexist with each other, and if you don’t have enough USB ports on your system, you can add additional ports by connecting a USB hub to another system. Most recent desktop and laptop computers have anywhere from two to as many as eight USB ports, making USB the preferred interface type for long-term use.

Some major types of USB interfaces to X10 home automation systems are the following:

When you select a PC interface for your X10 home automation system, look for these features:

Select the Locations icon to create a location, such as a room or section of your home. Click Add a New Location (see Figure 11.4) to add a location. A new location is named New Location by default; type over the name with your preferred name.

You can also right-click the Locations icon and select Add a Location. The location is used as part of the name of any action you create.

Figure 11.4. Adding a location with Smarthome Manager.

After you’ve added a location, you can add a device to that location or add another location. Click Add a New Device or right-click All Devices and Select Add Device (refer to Figure 11.4) to bring up a device properties dialog (see Figure 11.5). Specify the device type, house and unit codes, and provide a descriptive name. When you select a particular module, the properties menu changes to reflect the features of that module. For example, if you have a dimmer switch, you can select the ramp rate (how quickly the light fades on and off) and the default brightness level when you turn it on.

Figure 11.5. Configuring a Smarthome two-way dimmer switch.

To add another device to the same location, click the location in the left window, and then click Add a New Device in the center pane. Each device is listed in the right-side pane (see Figure 11.6).

Figure 11.6. Device listing for the selected location.

To turn on a device that’s off, double-click it in the right pane. If the device is already on, double-clicking it turns it off. For additional control options, right-click the device and select Control Device from the contextual menu. You can send the following commands:

With some types of Smarthome modules, you can select Keypress to speed up operation. With two-way modules, select Status Request to see whether the module is on or off, or to view its current settings.

The real power of an X10 computer interface is its capability to create events that can run automatically. With Smarthome Manager, you can create actions that are triggered by time or by a particular event.

To create a timed action, click Time Triggered Action in the left pane. Then click Add a New Timer in the center pane. The New Timer Properties dialog (see Figure 11.7) is displayed. Enter a descriptive name for the event, specify when the action should occur, and click OK.

Figure 11.7. Creating a new timed event.

Your new timer is stored under the Time Triggered Action object in the left pane. Next, right-click the new timer object and select Add Event Step to open the Select Device Action dialog (see Figure 11.8).

Figure 11.8. Specifying an action to take during a timed event.

Select the action you want to take from the listing, and then click OK. You can use the increment bright, increment dim, or repeat dim commands with any dimmable module, including entry-level lamp modules.

To add a step to an action, right-click the action, select Add Event Step, and select another device and another action. Repeat as desired. For example, you can create an action that turns on various interior lights at a specified time (or at sunset), as in Figure 11.9.

Figure 11.9. A timed action that triggers multiple devices.

Adding a Delay to an Action

It can be useful to add delays to an action. For example, you can create an elegant effect in your home if you turn on lights one by one at sunset or at a specified time. To add a delay to an action, right-click the action and select Add Delay. In the Enter Delay dialog that appears, specify the length of the delay in the form minutes:seconds. A delay object then appears at the end of the list of event objects.

To move the delay to the location you want it to occur in the action, click the green up-arrow button until the delay is in the correct location. To perform an action after the delay, drag the action desired to the delay to create a nested effect as in Figure 11.10.

Figure 11.10. Placing delays between actions correctly (left) and incorrectly (right).

If you don’t nest the desired actions after each delay, the delays will be ignored. A Warnings dialog (shown in Figure 11.11) will be displayed when you download the program to the controller (see the “Downloading Your Smarthome Configuration to the Controller” section later in this chapter for details). Click the links in the Warnings dialog to see examples of incorrect and correct program logic.

Figure 11.11. The Warnings dialog indicates problems with your action.

To add another delay, repeat these steps. When you are finished, your action might resemble the one shown in Figure 11.12, which has three steps, separated by two delays.

Figure 11.12. An action with multiple delays and devices controlled.

If you want one X10 module to turn on others, you need to create an event-triggered action. For example, you can use an X10 motion detection module to turn on an X10 camera and a lamp in the same room, or use an X10 door or window sensor to trigger a call from an X10 telephone module to your remote location.

To create an event-triggered action, right-click the Event Triggered Action object in the left pane and select Add Trigger. This displays the Event Triggered Action dialog. Select the device you want to use as the trigger from the pull-down menu, and then select the device action you want to use as the trigger. Depending on the device, you can choose from on, off, bright, dim, or a preset dim level. Click OK after you’ve made your selections. This creates a conditional statement at the start of your action (If this event ...).

Next, right-click the conditional (If) action you just created and select one of the following options from the right-click menu:

Figure 11.13 shows an action that turns off the ceiling light in the den if the motion detector turns off and 30 minutes have elapsed.

Figure 11.13. An event-triggered action that includes a time delay.

To create this action, I used the following procedure:

As soon as you set up your X10 modules, you should save your home automation configuration. Saving your configuration enables you to recall it in case of computer power failure. As you create actions to go with your modules, you can use different names to save different configurations. This enables you to create configurations suitable to different times of the year or different situations.

To save your current configuration:

Figure 11.14. Saving your current Smarthome configuration.

The name of your saved configuration is displayed at the top of the Smarthome Manager screen. When you change a saved configuration, the configuration name ends with an asterisk at the top of the Smarthome Manager screen. This serves as a visual reminder that you have made changes.

If you are using a controller with onboard memory and timers, such as the Smarthome Controller USB, you need to download your configuration before it can be used to run your home. To download the configuration, click File, Download or press the F12 key.

During the download process, a series of status messages is displayed, and a Download Complete dialog box appears when the download is completed. Click OK.

Caution

If you’re experimenting with different configurations, keep in mind that after the configuration has been downloaded into the controller, the controller will run your X10 devices until you download a different configuration—or until you disconnect the controller from the AC wall outlet or clear the controller’s memory (refer to Figure 11.3).

The Tools menu provides a variety of utilities that you can use to make your home automation configuration easier.

Smarthome Manager can help you create scenes if you use Smarthome’s SwitchLinc/LampLinc/ToggleLinc programmable switches and modules in your X10 home automation system.

To create a new scene, click View, SwitchLinc/LampLinc Window. This displays the SwitchLinc/LampLinc dialog shown in Figure 11.17.

Figure 11.17. The SwitchLinc/LampLinc dialog provides manual and wizard configuration for your Smarthome programmable switches and modules.

The SwitchLinc/LampLinc dialog provides your choice of manual control or wizards for configuration. To create a new scene using the scene wizard, do the following:

Triggering a Scene

After you’ve created a scene, you can incorporate it into an action you create with Smarthome Manager. Use the following steps to do so:

1. Create the action as described in the section “Creating a Timed Action” earlier in this chapter or “Creating an Event-Triggered Action,” also earlier in this chapter.

2. When you want to add a step that triggers a scene, right-click the preceding step and select Add Event Step.

3. From the Select Device Action menu, click the Click Here link to display advanced options (see Figure 11.18). Select the device containing the scene.

4. Enter the house and unit code of the scene you want to trigger. Click OK.

5. Add additional steps as desired.

Figure 11.18. Selecting a device and house/unit code combination to trigger a scene.

When you start HomeSeer, a setup wizard known as the HomeSeer Assistant Wizard appears . Unless you disable it, this wizard appears by default each time you start HomeSeer.

The wizard offers options to

Because the wizard makes it easy to configure the various parts of a home automation system, I recommend you allow the wizard to run at startup until you have configured the hardware you plan to control with HomeSeer.

Setting Up Your Hardware Interfaces

When you start HomeSeer for the first time, you should configure the hardware interface(s) that connect your PC to your home automation system. From the Hardware Assistant Wizard , select Tell HomeSeer about my hardware interfaces, and then click Next in this dialog and the following dialog to display the Interfaces tab of the Options menu (shown in Figure 11.19).

The X10 Interface section occupies the upper-left corner of the dialog. Click the down-arrow next to Device and select your X10 interface device from those listed. If your X10 device uses a serial (COM) port, be sure to select the correct COM port number. Click Options if you need to adjust other settings for your interface. Click OK when you’re finished. Click Finish to close the wizard.

Keeping HomeSeer Fresh

You should check for program updates the first time you run HomeSeer and frequently thereafter. See the next section, “Installing Program Updates,” for details.

Figure 11.19. The Interfaces tab of the Options menu is used to select interfaces for X10, Z-Wave, and other home automation standards.

Installing Program Updates

You can check for free and extra-cost program updates to HomeSeer in two ways:

• Select Check for Updates to HomeSeer using the Updater in the HomeSeer Assistant Wizard

• Click More Plugins from the Interfaces tab of the Options menu (refer to Figure 11.19), and then click Next.

To open this dialog after you’ve started HomeSeer, click View, Options, and click the Interfaces tab.

The Check for Application Updates dialog appears when you start the update process. From this dialog, you can enable HomeSeer to check for updates at startup or at a particular time of day, and to run a specified event when updates are available. Make any changes desired, click Next, and again click Next on the following page to continue.

The HomeSeer Updater displays updates, plug-ins, and scripts that you can install (see Figure 11.20). The Cost column indicates which updates are free and the cost of optional plug-ins and scripts. The list is color-coded. Click Configure to adjust how updates are displayed. To get more information about an update or plug-in, click the item to select it, and then click Package Description.

Figure 11.20. Selecting updates from the HomeSeer Updater.

Click the box next to each update you want to install. To install selected updates, click Install Now. A progress window appears and displays installation details. Click Exit when the installation process is complete.

Specifying X10 Device Types

To specify the types of X10 devices in your home automation system when you start HomeSeer, click Tell HomeSeer About My X10 devices in the HomeSeer Assistant Wizard. If you have already started HomeSeer, click View, Options, Device Types. Either method opens the Device Types dialog shown in Figure 11.21.

Figure 11.21. Selecting and configuring a type of X10 device.

Select the type of X10 device you have from the list of devices at left. The attributes menu at right automatically displays available attributes, such as dimming, two-way options, and so forth. Select additional attributes if they apply to your hardware. Click OK when finished. Repeat this process as needed until all the X10 modules and switches that you want to control with HomeSeer have been identified. You can also add an unspecified module type and customize its attributes.

Specify Now, Configure Later

Don’t confuse the Device Types dialog with the Add Device and Device Properties dialogs (see the section “Controlling Devices Interactively with HomeSeer” later in this chapter for details). Those dialogs are used to specify the location and house/unit code for each device.

Configuring Sunrise/Sunset

If you want to create lighting, security, or other actions that are triggered by sunrise or sunset, select the Sunrise/Sunset tab from the Options menu. Choose a location from the Pick Location menu or specify your latitude and longitude. Click Calculate to display sunrise and sunset for the current date and location you specified (see Figure 11.22). Click OK to lock in your selection. HomeSeer uses this information for all actions that depend on sunrise/sunset timing.

Figure 11.22. Specifying sunrise/sunset times for your location.

After HomeSeer has started, you’ve configured your hardware interface and X10 devices with the wizard, and you’ve closed the wizard, you should start to add specific devices to your home automation configuration. To add a device, click the Devices (light bulb) icon under the Views menu at the left side of the HomeSeer interface (refer to Figure 11.26). Then right-click within the list of Devices and select Add Device from the contextual menu to bring up the Device Properties dialog shown in Figure 11.24.

Figure 11.24. Setting up a two-way LampLinc module.

To set up a device, specify these items:

Click OK when you’ve finished. Repeat as needed until all the devices you want to control with HomeSeer have been identified.

To adjust properties for an existing device, right-click the device and select Device Properties. The same Device Properties dialog shown in Figure 11.24 will be displayed.

If the device you are installing has specific options that you can configure, the dialog enables you to make suitable changes. For example, if you are installing a Smarthome SwitchLinc, LampLinc, or similar modules, as in Figure 11.24, click the Options button to specify the preset dim level and ramp rate and to enable or disable transmit (two-way operation) for modules supporting these features (see Figure 11.25).

Figure 11.25. Specifying preset dim and ramp rates for a SwitchLinc or LampLinc module.

Other types of devices have different options, such as a serial port setting for some types of thermostats, key definitions for infrared devices, and house code values beyond P. Click Help if you need assistance in setting up some types of devices; click OK when you’ve finished.

After you have configured some devices, the HomeSeer display resembles the one shown in Figure 11.26.

Figure 11.26. HomeSeer’s Devices view.

After you’ve configured your X10 devices in HomeSeer, you can create events. HomeSeer uses a single dialog to create all types of events, including those triggered by time, conditions, or other factors. To create an event, click the Events (alarm clock) icon in the Views menu to display existing events. Then right-click anywhere in the list of events and select Add Event to display the Event Properties dialog (shown in Figure 11.27).

Figure 11.27. Selecting a trigger for an event.

Device Options

To select the devices you want to use in the action, click the Device Actions tab. Select the devices you want to use in the action from the Available Devices list and drag them to the Selected Device: section of the dialog (see Figure 11.28).

Figure 11.28. Selecting the devices to use in the event.

Double-click each device in the Selected Devices portion of the dialog to display the Device Command dialog (see Figure 11.29). Configure the device as desired. Figure 11.29 shows typical options for a lamp module.

Figure 11.29. Configuring a bedroom lamp to dim to 16% during an action.

You can turn all lights on or off, all units off, turn on or turn off a lamp, set the brightness level, and specify a time delay if desired.

Specifying Other Options

Click the App/Sound/Email tab if you want to run an application as part of an event, play a sound, or send an email (including an optional attachment) during an event.

This tab offers many possibilities:

• Use the launch application option to start a slide show or a media player to set the mood for a romantic evening or to kick off a party

• Use the play sound option as part of a security or door-opening event to alert a visually impaired user to a potential problem

• Use the EMAIL option along with a security event such as a motion detector, or a door or window trigger to send an alert to your office or school email address that there might be problems at home

Preparations Before You Can Use App/Sound/Email

If you want to use the App/Sound/Email tab to alert you to a problem, make sure that you do the following:

• Convert any non-WAV audio (such as MP3 or WMA compressed digital audio files) into WAV. You can use the Sound Recorder applet in Windows or other audio recording programs to make the conversion.

• Set up HomeSeer to use your email program.

Set up a test event that you can trigger manually to see whether these features are working correctly before you create an event to warn you of an actual problem.

Use the Scripts/Speech tab (shown in Figure 11.30) to select a script to run during an action or to add computer-generated speech to your action.

Figure 11.30. Adding a script to warn of a weather alert and computer-generated speech to an event.

Click Run Events to chain existing events together into a single event. This is easier than re-creating an event.

Click Dial-Up Connection to configure HomeSeer’s connection to the Internet if you don’t use a broadband home network.

Click OK to complete the event.

HomeSeer, as you have already seen, is a powerful and complex program. To review what you have done with it since installation or to determine whether there are any errors in a script you are using, click the Log (notebook) icon at the left side of the screen. The event log is displayed (as in Figure 11.31).

Figure 11.31. Viewing a section of the event log.

To clear the log, stop updates, or open the log in a new window, right-click anywhere in the Event Log window and select the appropriate option from the contextual menu.

Instead of drilling down through the device menu to control a particular device, you can click the Control Panel icon (the yellow light switch icon) at the top of the HomeSeer display to open the Device Control dialog. The Device Control dialog enables you to send commands to a specified device, to all lights (on/off), to all units (off only), or to only the specified address. With a light switch, you can use it to send standard, preset, or Leviton dim commands. You can also use this dialog to send address strings to a SwitchLinc or LampLinc module for scene programming as discussed in Chapter 6; click Address Only to send the address without a command.

The Tools menu features a variety of utilities you can use to configure various parts of HomeSeer. These include the following:

Caution

The scripting tools in HomeSeer (it supports VBScript and other programming languages) enable it to perform almost any home automation task, but be careful if you’re not familiar with writing scripts (which are, essentially, short computer programs). Carefully study the help files and script examples provided as part of HomeSeer (use the Updater to download examples) before you modify a script. Modify existing scripts, save the changes with different names, and make sure that you understand how they work before you try creating a script from scratch.

When you start ActiveHome Pro for the first time, you need to enter the registration code emailed to you by X10.com. Enter the code and click Register Now! When the registration code entry field changes to “Registered,” click Close to use the program. If your installation uses plugins, they also need to be registered.

When you start ActiveHome Pro for the first time, you automatically open a sample home automation configuration called “My Room.” My Room has four predefined components (refer to Figure 11.32):

To learn how to use ActiveHome Pro, I recommend you modify these components to match a room in your current home automation configuration.

To change the house and unit code (X10 address) used by the lamp module, click the address field in My Lamp and type in the correct house/unit code. To change the X10 address used by the appliance module, click the address field in My Appliance and type in the correct house/unit code. Figure 11.32 shows the My Lamp and My Appliance controls after being changed to match the modules installed in my home.

Figure 11.32. My Home after changing the default X10 addresses for My Lamp and My Appliance to the correct X10 addresses for a room in my home.

To rename My Room to the name of an actual room in your house, right-click My Room in the Rooms menu in the left-hand window and select Rename Room. Enter the name of the room in the Rename Room dialog that appears and select a header color for the modules in this room. Click OK.

To edit the name or other information for a module, right-click the module control and select Edit Module. In the Edit Module dialog (see Figure 11.33), enter a new name for the module, select the module type (lamp, appliance, sensor, retail, pro modules, security, other), select a specific model of module, the room where the module is located, and the X10 address (house/unit code). Click OK when finished.

Figure 11.33. Editing a module.

To remove a module from a room, right-click the module in the right-side menu and select Delete Module. Click OK on the confirming dialog. Note that any timers used by the module are also deleted.

Deleted modules are placed in ActiveHome Professional’s own Recycle Bin, which is located at the bottom of the left-hand menu. To learn how to retrieve deleted modules, see “Retrieving a Deleted Module,” later in this chapter.

To add a module to a room, click the type of module you want to add from the Modules section of the left-hand menu. Click the double-down arrow next to Modules to display the list if it not visible. After you select the module type, a new window opens on the bottom of the screen (see Figure 11.34).

Figure 11.34. Selecting a module type from the Modules menu.

Click the module you want to add to the room and drag it to the room section of the dialog. Release the module, and an Edit Module dialog appears similar to the one shown in Figure 11.33. Enter the name you want to use to identify the module, enter the X10 address the module uses, edit any other settings necessary, and click OK.

After you have added the modules you want, close the Modules dialog at the bottom of the screen by clicking the X next to the Order Direct button.

You can control modules interactively with ActiveHome Pro. Click the switch to turn on a lamp or appliance module. With a lamp module, drag the slider to the desired brightness. See Figure 11.35 for an example.

Figure 11.35. Turning on lamp modules to full brightness and 44% brightness.

To unleash the real power of computer control of X10 modules with ActiveHome Pro, add a timer to a module. A timer (comparable to a timed event in other home automation programs) turns on and turns off a module according to the time of day, dawn, or dusk. To view existing timers or set up a new timer, click the timer button (refer to Figure 11.35) to open the Timer Designer (see Figure 11.36).

Figure 11.36. Working with the Timer Designer in its default (simple) mode.

Using the Timer Designer in Simple Mode

To modify an existing timer, highlight it at the top of the Timer Designer. From the default (simple) mode, you can

• Adjust on/off time

• Select dusk-to-dawn or dawn-to-dusk operation

• Turn module on at dawn or on at dusk

• Select dimming level for lamp modules

• Weekday, Weekend, or Daily operation

• Delete the timer

To set a particular time to turn on a module, make sure the time field is white. If the time field is grayed out, click the On button for Dawn or Dusk until the field is white. Enter the time, or scroll through time in five-minute increments with the up and down arrows.

To select dusk-to-dawn operation, click On at Night. To select dawn-to-dusk operation, click On During the Day. To turn a module on or off at dawn or dusk, click the On or Off button next to DAWN Operation or DUSK Operation.

To adjust the dimming level for a lamp module, drag the slider to the desired dimming level.

To specify daily operation of this timer, click Daily. To use the timer on Monday-Friday only, click Weekdays. To use the timer on Saturday and Sunday only, click Weekends.

To delete the highlighted timer, click Delete.

To add a new timer, click New. The same options are available for a new timer as for an existing timer.

Figure 11.37 shows the full Timer Designer in default (simple) mode after creating new timers for the bedside lamp.

Figure 11.37. Using the Timer Designer to create multiple timers for a single module.

Using the Timer Designer’s Advanced Mode

If you want to specify particular days of the week in a timer or adjust the start and ending times of a timer for improved security, click View Advanced Layout (refer to Figure 11.36) to open the dialog shown in Figure 11.38.

Figure 11.38. Using Advanced Layout to create a Sunday-only timer.

To add a room to ActiveHome Pro, click the plus (+) sign next to Rooms in the left-hand menu. When the Add a Room dialog appears, enter the name of the room to create, select a header color for the modules in the room, and click OK to create the room. After you add a new room to your configuration, use the Modules menu to add modules to the room. See “Adding a Module to a Room” earlier in this chapter, for details.

To save changes and additions to the default ActiveHome Pro configuration under a different name, click File, Save As. Enter the name you want to use for the new configuration, and click Save. By default, your configurations are stored in the default ActiveHome Pro folder unless you choose a different location. See Figure 11.39.

Figure 11.39. Saving your ActiveHome Pro configuration.

Caution

ActiveHome Pro must be shut down during the update process. It will save over the existing configuration. If you have modified My Home and prefer to save your changes to your own filename, save the changes as discussed in “Storing Changes to Your Configuration.”

By default, ActiveHome Professional checks for updates automatically and displays an “Update Available” button at the top of the screen when an update is available. Click this button to start the update process. You can also check for updates through the Help menu.

An update history dialog (see Figure 11.40) is displayed when you click the Update Available button. Information about the latest update is listed at the top; scroll down for earlier versions. Click Update to continue the process.

Figure 11.40. Viewing the ActiveHome Professional update history.

On the Welcome dialog that follows, click Next to continue. Click OK on the Application Shutdown dialog to shut down ActiveHome Professional. The Installing dialog appears briefly, listing each file as it is downloaded to your system. If the download includes updates for the CM15A ActiveHome Pro USB interface, make sure it is connected to your computer before you click OK on the X10 Hardware Setup dialog. To complete the update process, click OK on the ActiveHome Pro Update dialog. ActiveHome Pro restarts automatically.

You can make your ActiveHome Pro system even more powerful by creating macros, which are a sequence of events that can involve one or more modules. ActiveHome Pro includes two sample macros:

Figure 11.42. A three-step macro that turns on one lamp, waits, and then turns on the other lamp.

Testing, Viewing Editing, and Deleting Macros

After you create your macro, you should test it. To test the macro, right-click on the macro in the Macros section of the left-side menu. Select Trigger Macro.

To edit a macro, right-click it and select Edit Macro or just click the macro name. To view all your macros in a compact form, right-click any macro and select Macro Summary View (see Figure 11.43).

Figure 11.43. Viewing macros in Macro Summary View.

To edit the steps in any macro from Macro Summary View, click the Edit button. To add a timer to any macro from Macro Summary View, click the Timer button.

To delete a macro, right-click the macro in the Macros listing and select Delete Macro. When the Delete this Module dialog appears, click OK to delete the macro. If you don’t want to confirm the deletion each time, click the Don’t Ask Again box in the Delete this Module dialog before you click OK.

Use the Tools menu (see Figure 11.44) to perform a variety of tasks including

Figure 11.44. Turning on bedroom lights using ActiveHome Professional’s Tools menu.

Downloading Your Configuration

The CM15A interface provided as part of ActiveHome Pro can store programs and run them without being connected to your computer. After you save your configuration (see “Storing Changes to Your Configuration” earlier in this chapter for details), click Tools in the top-level menu, and then click Download Timers and Macros. Click Yes on the Warning dialog that appears to continue. At the end of the process, a Message dialog indicating the timers and macros have been downloaded appears. Click OK to close the dialog.

The first time you download your configuration to the CM15A, you will need to configure your hardware interface if you did not do so through the Hardware Interface Configuration option in the Tools menu. When prompted, select the location, set up the CM15A’s RF transceiver, and select the house code you want to monitor. Click Update Interface when done. See Figure 11.45.

Figure 11.45. The Hardware Interface Configuration dialog.

Editing Preferences

To change the default settings used by ActiveHome Pro, select Preferences from the Tools menu. The Preferences menu is in two parts. The first part includes Action Warnings; for every action in this section that is checkmarked, you must confirm the action before it takes place. This default helps you to avoid deleting modules or other settings by mistake. Clear the checkmarks to skip the confirmation dialog. The second part of the preferences menu is used to configure other parts of the program. Figure 11.46 shows the entire preferences menu’s list of defaults. (Note that you might need to scroll to see all of it on your PC.) Click Close when you have reviewed or edited the settings in the Preferences dialog.

Figure 11.46. The ActiveHome Professional Preferences menu.

Viewing the Activity Monitor

ActiveHome Professional stores all X10 commands you have sent to modules in its Activity Monitor. This includes commands given with remote controls, tabletop controllers, or X10-enabled wall switches. To see the contents of the Activity Monitor (Figure 11.47), press the F2 key or click Activity Monitor from the Tools menu.

Figure 11.47. The ActiveHome Professional Activity Monitor.

As an alternative to setting up macros and timers, you can use the Lifestyle Mode to automatically play back every X10 command sent by ActiveHome Professional in the last 24 hours. To activate Lifestyle Mode, click Lifestyle in the top-level menu and then click Enable Lifestyle. Click OK on the confirming dialog (see Figure 11.48).

Figure 11.48. Preparing to enable Lifestyle Mode.

When ActiveHome Pro is running in Lifestyle Mode, an animated house icon appears in the lower right-hand corner of the program screen. To prevent a particular module from being controlled by Lifestyle Mode, click the small red house button on each module dialog. When the house turns blue, it is not controlled by Lifestyle Mode. See Figure 11.49.

Figure 11.49. ActiveHome Professional running in Lifestyle Mode.

To disable Lifestyle Mode, click Lifestyle, Lifestyle Mode again to uncheck it.

After you delete a module, you might need to retrieve it. To see deleted modules, click the Recycle Bin icon in the bottom left-hand corner of the ActiveHome Professional screen (see Figure 11.50). To retrieve a deleted module, drag the module to the room you want to use it in. Click OK on the Restore This Module dialog.

Figure 11.50. Restoring a deleted module.

To delete modules from the Recycle Bin, right-click it and select Empty Deleted Modules.

To see which plug-ins are available for ActiveHome Pro, click the Plug-Ins menu and select Download Plug-Ins. This opens the ActiveHome Pro plug-ins page at www.activehomepro.com/plugins/index.html.

The SmartMacros plug-in adds conditional logic to macros, the ability to trigger macros with various types of X10 hardware, timers, and macros, and an Advanced Mode that adds IF/AND/OR/ELSE logic and other features. SmartMacros are created using drag-and-drop editing.

The iWitness plugin enables you to view and control X10 security cameras with ActiveHome Pro.

For pricing, order information, and screen shots, see the ActiveHome Pro plug-ins page.

Use the File, Reports menu to create three types of reports about your SmartHome system:

Use the File menu in your web browser to save or print each report.

Use the File, Print Labels command to print labels for PalmPad remote controls. Specify the house code you want to use, or select All to print labels for all house codes.

To determine which X10 address ranges might be in use in your vicinity, click Tools, Find Other Computers. The X10 Code Usage–Historical window lists modules and macros you have added to your ActiveHome Pro system in green, activity from modules you have not yet added (or might belong to another home automation system nearby) in red, and ranges it might not be safe to use in yellow. See Figure 11.51 for an example.

Figure 11.51. X10 Address Activity.

If you are using X10 or X10-compatible modules you have not yet added to your ActiveHome Pro configuration, they will show up as yellow or red blocks in this grid. After you have added all of your modules, switches and other devices to your configuration, this report will be useful in determining if you are receiving signals from another X10 installation.

Caution

If addresses in your preferred house code range(s) are being used by other systems, consider changing the house codes on your modules. If you do so, be sure to change the settings in ActiveHome Pro.