ALiAs, which stands for Android Lighting Assistant, is designed to be a simple, easy to use, and low cost alternative to some of the commercially available home automation solutions. It consists of three components:
- Home Automation Server
- X10 Components
- ALiAs App
The goal of the design was to utilize readily available, low cost (or free) hardware and software.
This is the heart of the system. Essentially, it is a computer which tells your various X10 modules (lights, etc) what do to. The system requirements for this computer are minimal. I used an old computer which was collecting dust in a closet. It runs the Ubuntu linux distribution which is available, for personal use, at no cost.
The user interface, which allows you to interact with your home automation server, is web-based. Therefore, you'll need to install the Apache web server. This too is available at no cost! The web pages are written in a scripting language called PHP. You guessed it... PHP is also available at no cost!
ALiAs data is stored in a database to allow for the greatest flexibility. For that purpose, you'll need to install MySQL on your home automation server. Continuing with the "no cost" solutions, MySQL is freely available.
Finally, you'll need a small utility to communicate with your X10 modules. This utility is called Bottlerocket and, it too, costs nothing!
So, as you can see, with the exception of the actual computer, all of the software required to build your home automation server is free! If you have an old computer laying around, like I did, you can get this up and running without spending a dime!
The first X10 item you'll need is called a Firecracker. It's a small dongle that plugs into a serial port on your home automation server using a DB9 serial port. The best place to find these is on eBay. They're usually under $10 if you buy them separately. However, you can buy them bundled with a transceiver (you'll need one of these too) and a lamp module for around $25.
As mentioned above, you'll need a transceiver (TM751) as well. These plug into an outlet in your house and convert the wireless signal from the Firecracker into a signal that travels through the electrical wiring in your house to the various X10 switches and modules that you have installed. Again, you can find these on eBay for around $10.
Finally, you'll need a switch, lamp or appliance module for each item you want to control. These range in price depending on what you're trying to control. The simple push button switches I used to control my incandescent lights can be found for around $13 on eBay. Switches for fluorescent lights -- around $17.
I've personally dealt with Big John's Place on eBay. He seems to specialize in X10 stuff.
Currently available for your Android smartphone or tablet, this app allows you to interact with your home automation server from anywhere you have access to the internet. It will request the configuration you've set up on your home automation server, display a list of zones and devices and allow you to turn them on/off and even dim and brighten the lights which are capable of it. The app is available in the Android Market in two flavors: a free, ad supported version and an ad free version which costs a couple dollars.