Questions about the new HomeTroller SE

[donstephens]

How does this thing deal with scripts?

I assume that it is Linux based; is this correct?

Will there be an upgrade path? If I purchase the SE and later decide that I can't live without HSPro or HS3, is it possible?

Really a cool little box...

[Pete]

Doesn't look to be Linux based:

Specifications
•500 MHz CPU
•XP-embedded OS
•HSPRO embedded control software
•4 Gb Storage
•1 Gb RAM
•Ports: 2-USB, Mic, Audio, LAN, VGA, Mouse, Keyboard

[Michael McSharry]

Likely to be a lot of questions. The original announcement at the beginning of the year indicated that you could put as many plugins as you could squeeze into it.

For plugin development there does not appear the same welcome provided when HST moved from HS1 to HS2. The SE release was not preceeded with any information for developers. Ability to run under Mono is one known requirement, but I know that in the mcsSprinklers case there was much more to be done to have it run under Linux vs. Windows.

[heatvent]

Any chance there is a HS2/Pro to SE upgrade program?

[donstephens]

Thanks for pointing that out Pete. I have been thinking of following your Atom build, but I may take a serious look at this. Michael's comments about plugin developers doesn't look too promising. Guess we will see.

[rmasonjr]

Likely to be a lot of questions. The original announcement at the beginning of the year indicated that you could put as many plugins as you could squeeze into it.

For plugin development there does not appear the same welcome provided when HST moved from HS1 to HS2. The SE release was not preceeded with any information for developers. Ability to run under Mono is one known requirement, but I know that in the mcsSprinklers case there was much more to be done to have it run under Linux vs. Windows.

Wait - are you talking about the HomeTroller Mini? I think that was the only platform that was running Linux/Mono. This SE model looks to be a scaled-back HomeTroller with XP-embedded.

[Pete]

Don,

I wasn't the first to test HS on an Atom based CPU setup. There were quite a few users already running HS on the first gen Atom based CPU's out there. I always thought the faster the CPU / more memory the better HS would run. It then became an age thing.

I decided to give it a try when Ultrajones (Randy) mentioned the Shuttle Deal (Atom D510) around Christmas time. I tried it and was very impressed; even testing HS build on multiple MS Window OS's.

For the time being staying in the world of using an Atom based CPUs for HS. It's working well for me today. I guess a PicoITX D510 would work as well with a much smaller footprint if I wanted it to.

Is the Hometroller mini still scheduled to be released this summer?

[macromark]

The HomeTroller-SE is a new XPe controller which has the same functionality (minus a few ports) as the HomeTroller S3. It's also based on a smaller 500 MHz processor. The HomeTroller-Mini is planned as a Linux-mono unit and will ship near the end of this year.

Two different boxes.

[rmasonjr]

The HomeTroller-Mini is planned as a Linux-mono unit and will ship near the end of this year.

I guess I can wait a bit longer. Very much looking forward to the HT-Mini...

[chewie]

I guess I can wait a bit longer. Very much looking forward to the HT-Mini...

If you don't mind my asking, why?

[Michael McSharry]

The SE is essentially $300 of software licenses and $200 for hardware.
The mini is $200 of software and $100 for hardware
The mini has about twice the horsepower of the SE which for some will not make any difference. A snappy response is always nice for those that use the UI. The mini is uinx-based so there likely will be some limitations since the entire Windows environment that HS has evolved with will not be available. It will not be apparent for the HS core, but will be seen with all the extensions that have been attached to HS.
I dont recall the power specs, but I suspect the mini will be lower power. It is getting down to the level where it will not make that much difference as we can count wattage on on our fingers and toes.
The SE is available now. The mini continues to be available 6 months into the future where the future is December now rather than June when first announced.

[rjh]

Just some more clarification.

What has been posted is correct. The HomeTroller SE is similar to our other HomeTrollers in that it uses XP Embedded. This means it will run everything that our HS2 software and all our other controllers will run. However, it will probably not perform that well if it is loaded up with plug-ins due to the slower processor. It is low power, about 9 watts after it is booted. It uses the same HSProtect as the HomeTroller 3, however, we have enabled protection on the entire OS. The only folder that is not protected is the HS folder. This means all file system writes go to a memory overlay. This greatly speeds up the system so the boot time is about the same as the faster HomeTroller 3.

[rmasonjr]

If you don't mind my asking, why?

I love unix/linux and miss it greatly at work. The idea of homeseer running on the SheevaPlug is a novel idea, an impressive price point, and will make my wiring closet much more organized.

I'm a tinkerer at heart and love to play with this type of technology.

[Rotech]

Hello Guys

I have a question, sinces you can use your iPad with this device, can you use your on board mic on the iPad to activate evetnts......? I read that you can use your phone, but what about from your iPad?
.