I am in the process of designing a home theater for my new house. Also, since I have about 10 remotes, I plan on eliminating the clutter with a Pronto.
I have been researching automated lighting options for the theater when it is built. In doing so, I happened upon some X10 info, and after reading all that is possible, I am hopelessly hooked on the concept of home automation.

My question of those of you who have experience on the subject is about which system to buy. I'd like to hear any comments you may have on these, or clarifications to what I might think is true about them...

I have been reading everything I can find on the 'net, and I seem to have narrowed it down in my mind to these 2 "value-priced" options. The Houselinc and the Ocelot. They both seem to do a lot for a small price. I realize that Homevision may be a favorite of others, but at about 3 times the cost, it might be a bit pricey for me.

Pros and cons as I see them:

Houselinc:
Pros:
Slick and easy programming interface
Ability to perform "scenes" with command groups
Powerful event scheduling (conditional programming)
Infrared output to control A/V equipment with built in IR blaster on unit, and plugs for emitters
Real time monitoring of module status
Expandable with breakout boxes for use of Probelinc's

Cons:
Is there enough memory?
No IR reciever? Only X10 input can be used for event triggers? (Not including scheduled events)
Only can send IR commands from internal database? Can't learn unique IR commands?

Ocelot:
Pros:
More Memory
Can receive IR commands or X10 inputs directly as event triggers
Can learn IR commands
Can perform scheduled tasks
Can perform conditional tasks
Expandable with extra modules
Can send IR command (through plug in emitter?)

Cons:
Harder to program
Can it do real time monitoring of X10 state? (with 2way modules of course)
Can events be conditional based on X10 states?
Would Probelinc's work with the Ocelot, or are there equivalent products?

Are there any other limitations to either one that I should consider? Is there anything that either of these can not do that will have me kicking myself later? I want to be able to program the Pronto to control virtually everything that can be controlled.

Is there an issue with the TW523 that these devices use for X10 interface? I read somewhere that there may be a limitation because of this module. Probably has something to do with 2 way functionality.

Any advice or first hand experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jeff

Boy have you done your homework! I had a Houselinc and it worked O.K. for me. I did run out of memory but I had it doing TONS of things and I don't think that anyone else would run into a memory problem unless they were crazy with the macros like me.

As far as the IR, you can get Smartlinc to burn a chip for you if you need one. This shouldn’t limit you though since there are almost all the codes available in the Houselinc.

As far as inputs, I use the IR543. You need to remember that you have 64 commands there. (On, Off, Bright and Dim x 16) I only used the on and the off commands because the dim and bright commands did not work to well as input triggers. That is 32 inputs IR commands that you can use to do things with your Pronto. That is more than enough for most applications.

Also, you can use the probes to do other things instead of monitor your A/V system. Use them to monitor whatever you want... Water sensors, Light sensors, motion sensors and on and on... The IR library has discrete codes so you don't need to monitor the equipment unless you wanted to use it as a variable in your programming.

It is easy to program and the command groups make it nice when you are repeating certain things like audio system on. You can add these command groups into several scenes to save yourself from having to reprogram them.

The monitor is nice because it allows you to see all that is going on.

I don't know too much about the Ocelot but it is harder to program. It seems that if you wanted to get more advanced, you can with this. The Houselinc does limit you and is not as expandable.

If you plan to do basic automation with not too many variables, you should be happy with the Houselinc. If you thought you might get a little advanced, go with the Ocelot.

You are correct about the Homevision... It is the mac-daddy but it does have a price.

Overall, you are correct on everything you listed so the decision should be your choice.

Chris
www.x10ideas.com

I can answer some of your questions about the Ocelot. I have had one for about six months and I will admit it can be a bit hard to program at times. This device was initially designed as an industrial controller using a ladder-type logic structure. It will do pretty much anything you can think of, it just may take a little effort to figure out how to program it. However, there is a pretty decent users group accessible by e-mail newsgroup that is very helpful and Adicon is constantly changing things per user request.

To answer your Con questions:
Yes, it can do real-time monitoring of X-10 states. The Ocelot has an internal state table for all X-10 house and unit codes recording if they are ON or OFF. It might remember what dim level they are at, but I am not sure about this. It detects the X-10 commands over the house wiring and updates its table accordingly.
Events can be conditioned on X10 states, or just about anything else you can think of. Time of day, internal timers, X-10 command sequences... You can look for a device being on, turning on, turning off, ...
The Ocelot is also expandable with additional boxes. There are many of these and the products are constantly expanding. You can get devices that function like the Probelinc's.

Don't forget about the Addicon Leopard touchscreens. From what I remember everyone on the web-site who got one of these fell in love with it. Having a wall mountable touchscreen to program and interface with the rest of your house sounds pretty cool.

For the best information, I would subscribe to the Ocelot mailing list and ask some of the guys on there. They can probably tell you what they have gotten it to do, and where they ran into problems.

Michael White

I have both a JDS TimeCommander Plus and an Ocelot. I've had the TC+ for years and it works without a hitch. The programming is very flexible and pretty easy. Albeit it is more expensive (about $800). The TimeCommander is less expensive and has all the x-10 and programming without the analog, digital and relay I/O. You can also add an IR Xpander and integrate it. These two are still much more than an Ocelot. I have the JDS running the whole house and I didn't want to mess with that functionality while integrating it to the HT.

I bought the Ocelot because it has all the functionality in one box IR,RS232 and X-10 and I could unplug it and mess with the theater control without disturbing the running-so-well home automation. At $120 street price it was an easy choice.

The Oce programming is a little clunky as others have mentioned however it does work and it may take some time to figure out how to do things. For example there is no DELAY(x mSecs) command. This is problematic when you're firing off many IR commands. Also, the Ocelot requires a long (1.3secs minimum) time delay before any command that you want it to recognize. It's also very slow to upload/download the IR database. The programming logic loads reasonably fast. Lastly if you plan on using the ASCII RS232 out function there is no way to save the strings after you download them. That is the Oce will save them but not on your PC. So if you want to edit string #2 and you have 50 in the Oce you will have retype all of them!

The last programming challenge that it a bit of pain is that you cannot name the variables or timers. You're stuck with "Variable #1" (now let's see...what was that variable for...). I keep extensive documentation of this stuff and for the HT it's not too bad but if you were to do a whole house HA...well I wouldn't. The JDS is much better even though JDS has NOT updated its software or firmware in years! (The JDS firmware will not support the new Leviton extended 16xxx series codes for example and the Ocelot does). I think JDS has stopped devlopment this product in favor of the Stargate.

So my philosphy is to keep it simple. Let the Oce do what it does best - HT control and the JDS is much better suited ot whole house automation.

If you want more info...just e-mail
Bob

Hi Bob,

I have had a JDS Stargate for a couple of years - like the box and the JDS keypad but think that WINEVM is a most dreadful program.

I recently read an article on programming the Ocelot and noticed the programming quirks that you mention plus one or two others. I understand that there are other compilers besides C-MAX that can be used for the Ocelot. Are you familiar with any, and if so, would you be so kind as to comment on them.

Thank you, Jim.

Jim,
If you think WinEVM is dreadful you haven't spent any time with C-MAX! There is an enormos amount of pointing and clicking that will give you a major pain in the arm. You can only see about 8 lines of code at a time and I've yet to produce a legible print out of the simple 160+ line program that I've written. By comparison WinEVM is a pleasure albeit still could be improved.

I have not looked into using any other software. The HT application I've written is relatively simple and I wanted to keep the costs down. Are there any free evaluation copies available? Let me know if you begin to work with an of them.

Bob

Thanks for the input on the products. In my reading over the weekend, I found that the Homeseer software package also supports the Ocelot. This would make using it a lot easier. Although, being an engineer, I'm not too worried about having to program the unit. It's just a nice convenience to have the software do as much of it as possible. I probably will go with the Ocelot, but now I'll try to find out what you can do with Homeseer in the mix.

I'm using a CPU-XA (similar to the Ocelot), and agree that the C-MAX software is not as flexible as I would like. SOmeone (sorry, I don't have the name handly) has written a compiler/decompiler for the Ocelot. It allows you to decompile your C-MAX program into a structured format. You can then edit it in your favorite text editor and then re-compile to C-MAX code to load into your controller. The structured format used by this program allows symbolic names for variables, timers, X-10 house/unit codes, IR codes, etc. It supports all of the Ocelot's functionality. You still have to become familiar with the ladder-logic used by the Ocelot, but it is MUCH easier to program using this compiler.

To find it, youi may want to start at the Future Standard web site and look for links to software.

Hi Robert,

Thanks for the info on C-MAX - anyone who would write a compiler that does not provide symbolic names should either be shot or, perhaps even better, forced to use the thing 8 hours a day :)

And, thanks to REWilson for the info on the precompiler/decompiler - too bad there is no provision for standard language features like functions and case statements so that it does not take a bezillion lines of code to accomplish a lot of similar tasks.

I really like the modular approach to hardware that ADICON (sp) has used but the somewhat weird programming used is slowing down my decision to get some of their products.

Cheers, Jim.

Coulld anyone with a houselinc walk me through getting extended codes to stick. They work but I am unable to then assign them to a button on the virtual remote.

Frank,

Have you read all of the Tech Tips from Smartlinc? If not, they are a must read for any Houselinc owner. Check them out here: [Link: smartlinc.com]

IF you can't get it after reading them, let me know and I will try to help. E-mail me at the above address if it will be before 6:00pm central or at [email protected] if after. I would love to help!

Chris
www.x10ideas.com

That address is incorrect if you want to contact me today. It is [email protected].

Sorry, I missed the "r" in the address.

Chris
www.x10ideas.com

Well after some trial and error I did get the keys to take the ext. codes. However I had to use the magic button and from what I read in the tips they never mention that. I am slow sometimes but the method suggested in the tips I could not make work. Do you know if they will burn a chip with tivo codes or do they just not exsist in the OFA library? I wish they would support a learn module at a reasonable cost.

They should burn a chip for you at no cost. I know they did for me.

Chris
www.x10ideas.com

Ok here is my convoluted method that works for me. Open the remote window,press A then B then C.
wait 2 sec then press 994, press the magic button enter the 3 digit extended code on the virtual keypad next press the button I wish to assign the code to. AFAIK the tech tip makes no mention of the magic button. Thanks for the offer