Lindy Mayfield wrote:

> I got a book called Build Your Own Smart Home for Christmas 2005.  Seems
> pretty cool.

Wow! good :)

> I lived in Germany then, and in Finland now.  I asked then, and every
> now and then I ask like in computer shops or other places if anyone
> knows anything about the technology.

Want to take a look at my home?
http://adpm.homeip.net

> Does anyone there know anything about X10 and smart homes or some
> European equivalent?  I did find something about some 2-wire bus wired
> into the home, but that's not very practical for me as I have no home
> (that I could install wiring into, that is (-: )

X10 for 220V (i.e. European) should exist somewhere.
I've been doing home automation as a hobby (IMO the market was not ready 
10 years ago and is not yet, though nowadays lots of cheap and 
not-power-hungry devices are available) for many years, and have used 
anything from relays on parallel port, to Z80-based boards, to current 
PIC based RS485 little devices.

I think home automation is real fun (consider lights, drapes, voice 
synthesis, audio/video remoting and volume auto-adjust, weather station, 
garden watering, anti-theft, answering machine at door-bell... and more) :)
so I'd suggest do jump in!

-- 
Ciao, Dario
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