The Pulse home automation controller

Home automation is one area where the end result is definitely a lot more exciting than the stuff that gets you there (except to those that actually make the stuff, of course). Case in point, the Pulse Controller, the result of a partnership between startup Aspalis SAS with Navicom. While a select few will no doubt be interested to know that it supports both the KNX / EIB and Z-Wave protocols (with addition protocol support planned -- ZigBee, perhaps?) and packs more processing power than most desktop computers did way back when, most will probably simply be satisfied when they can tuck the little box away and control their lights, window blinds, and other network-connected devices from a touchscreen, handheld, or personal computer. In addition to going after the residential market, Aspalis is also hoping the hospitality industry will come on board, though there's no indication when it'll be available or how much it'll cost.

[Matt @ Nov 29th 2006 10:37PM]

hey engadget how come you never post any articals i submit i would so love it and my life would be compleate. is there like a format they gotta be in cause i have submited like 10 things and none have been posted.


ohhh now no one can brag that they got first post cause its no longer open

[Stephen @ Nov 30th 2006 12:24AM]

Well, first off all, spelling "articles" correctly might be a good start, as well as punctuation, capitalization - well really a basic understanding of the English language whatsoever.

More on topic: this looks like a nice piece of hardware, however I just think that it is ridiculous the amount of money/effort people will put in to avoid raising the blinds or flipping the light switch. It is just natural to me - when I come home I turn on the lights. It really isn't that difficult.

[James @ Nov 30th 2006 1:40AM]

No, doing things manually isn't difficult at all (that's what most of us do now). But I think what would be neat is when you hit "Watch a Movie" on your Harmony remote, and then the AV gear turns on, lights dim, and blinds close. Or something like that. I'm not sure why the lights will be on and require the blinds to be closed (suggesting it's daylight).

Or maybe you can make even cooler by having two couches facing each other in the living room. When you hit the button, one couch rotates around to face the projection screen that's automatically lowering. And then a rising coffee table with built-in microwave and fridge starts the popcorn and pours drinks based on verbal commands. One day...

[Stephen @ Nov 30th 2006 8:21AM]

I can see how that would be nifty (that's right, nifty), but America is already one of the most obese nations in the world, if not the single most. I still don't think it'll kill people to get up and turn off their own darn lights and lower their own blinds. Walking is good for you.

I can see how it could have a market for disabled people, but that is not where the excitement tends to come from.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Nov 30th 2006 2:33AM]

This thing has RS-232 and it means that I could possibly hook this up to my home theater reciever adn when I turn it on it could automaticly dimm the lights, close the blinds, and pull the curtains away from the screen.

[Kevin @ Nov 30th 2006 9:01AM]

Having zero connectivity to the worlds most common automation protocols (DeviceNet, ControlNet, Profibus) will just make this thing harder to integrate into a home environment. Pick up a used Allen Bradley Micrologix PLC (Ethernet AND RS-232) from eBay and save yourself the 1 grand this thing is going to cost.

[SuperChuck @ Nov 30th 2006 9:30AM]

I've been into home automation for about 8 years now... In the end, it's not all that exciting.

These days, I mostly use home automation to turn the fishtank light on in the morning and off at night. Ah, and sometimes to turn the Christmas tree on in the morning.

[Dave @ Nov 30th 2006 11:02PM]

I think that a great deal of what home automation controllers offer is for when you're *not* home. Randomized lights, automatic blinds to save energy, being able to check on status of secondary properties, alerts for power outages, floods, etc. They can track the calendar and daylight savings time. There's quite a bit that doesn't involve dimming the lights to watch a movie. But I like that too.

[MrTea @ Dec 1st 2006 5:25AM]

Well I for one really enjoy setting up and using my HA stuff.

In the morning, I wake up to a random song from my music collection. When the song finishes, my favourite radio station comes on (or, at the moment because I'm English and it's the Ashes, I have that coming on instead).

Meanwhile the bedside light comes on, dimmed at first, then gets brighter, followed by the main light.

The coffee machine downstairs switches on automatically, if I don't feel like getting out of the bed, the smell of fresh coffee usually helps.

At night, if we get out of bed to go to the loo, a dimmed light comes on to show the way.

Also, it can save electricity, when I walk around my house, lights come on, but then go off again after a period of time if no-one is in the room. Great if (like me) you always forget to turn lights off.