Current Setup

I'm not really particularly far into the evolution of my perfect intelligent home. What's more, I've just moved so even the stuff I had working earlier is still awaiting unpacking.

My haven consists of:

• a secure Wifi network

• Password-less SSH logins and SSHFS for secure file shares

• The Nokia 770 - an infinitely hackable Linux device, but also one less reason to switch on the PC if I only want to surf the web, chat or access web-based GUIs

• an XBox Media Center (XBMC)

• a Buffalo Linkstation NAS running Linux for file shares and version control

• a shiny silver Intel Core2 Duo (Ubuntu Linux), ready to be overclocked and watercooled!

• A "smart" power plug. Plug the main device (in this case, the PC) into the master socket and the slave sockets will switch off completely when the master is not drawing a charge.

• an ancient Toshiba laptop which will end it's days as either a digital photo frame, waterproofed digital map display for a motorcycle tankbag or kitchen display.

• Scheduled downloads with Azureus

• Password-less logins with PAM in Ubuntu

• Homebrew always-on server

• TV tuner & MythTV streaming to XBMC

• a couple of Nintendo DS consoles with the R4 for DS

• Linksys Sipura 3102 VOIP gateway for IP telephony (and cheap calls to Oz)

• Synchronised calendars with GCalDaemon

Some other things which may prove useful:

• some random work laptops (Windows, ugh)
• an iPod dock and speakers which are crying out for hackification
• permanent webspace and multiple domain-names for offsite backups and/or synch services
• a DAB and FM clock radio

Work in Progress

Things I'm planning or working on now:

• Asterisk VOIP server

• Low-power energy-efficient globes, with a significantly lower current draw.
• Use ACPI to schedule a computer "ON" time, and anacron or GShutdown for an "OFF". This could be handy
• Web-based remote control of media playback
• Screenlets-based feedback and control of media playback
• Synchronization of personal information
• Music streaming with MPD and Icecast
• Nagios: service monitoring with Nagios
• Publishing IPP printers with Avahi
• Remote reporting/control via VOIP with Asterisk
• Remote reporting/control via Jabber
• Surveillance with ZoneMinder
• Lighting and motion sensors so lamps can turn off when not in use (may conflict with energy efficient globes)

• GlennjiMason/Security

Thoughts for the future

Appliance control

I haven't decided on which appliance control system I should use, although it will probably be either X10 or Insteon. Once I figure that out I'll be experimenting with xPL and MisterHouse, with curiousity as the controller (although I may want one of the always-on devices to do it, the Buffalo Linkstation or the new tranquility music player.

Remote Control

• The Chumby is almost ready to buy, and should only be ~£90!
• Some kind of firewalled secure access to web GUIs from outside the network (still undecided on the best way to do this)
• Asterisk-enabled "dial-in" remote control
• Remote-control bots via a private Jabber server

Security

Recently we witnessed an attempted burglary. We called the police, who apprehended one of the would-be-thieves, but a week later someone threw a firebomb over our fence and burnt up some motorcycles. Just this morning we saw a guy walking along casing cars. Maybe we should just move It made me realise just how subjective experience was i.e. how little we could trust our own recollections of the events.

So I want a security/surveillance system which can, if not protect me, at least keep a record of exactly what's going on down there in the big bad world. Information technology can act as our agents for this, a crude intelligence augmentation (IA).

• ZoneMinder surveillance

Robotics

• TuxDroid - by the gods, I want one of these!

The far distant future

• Kitchen touchscreen (wish I could find an Audrey)
• Voice activation
• Security system
• GPS and music player on the treadley, powered by solar, wind and/or dynamo (thanks Make)
• Stompbox for GPS and telemetry on the Ducati

Random ideas, thoughts and links

• Notification via libnotify over DBUS
  • Oooh, a command line client to libnotify in Python!
• Pop ups on XBMC
• Audible notifications/control -- python-mpdclient API
• Notifications via Jabber - xmpppy Jabber API in Python
• X10 screenlets?
• Introduction to writing DS homebrew
• Synchronisation with Unison, and works on the Nokia too!
• Should really try iPodLinux - if only for the emulators
• Can use the Linkstation as an Asterisk server
• Argos are selling the Juicebox for £4.99 ... a couple of these for digital photo frames, perhaps?
• USB key drive as a "shadow home" with UnionFS -- plug it in and it mounts the encrypted volume, then mounts over your dotfiles so you get your own settings (but still possible to use PC without key drive)
• Make Magazine and the Internet have instructions for building both ECGs and EEGs ... I'd like to wire myself up to the PC for some experimentation (with sbagen binaural beats generator)
• If I make a little FM transmitter ("micromitter") I could stream digital audio (OGG and MP3) to the DAB radio in the bedroom. Wouldn't be using the DAB part of it of course, but it might be good if you want to listen to music in the bedroom but nowhere else.
• AWM (Avant Window Manager) now has plugins! And icons can be updated via dbus-send!