VoxCommando

Help and Support (Using VoxCommando) => Vera Home Automation Controller => Topic started by: Svu79 on September 15, 2013, 10:21:39 PM

Title: Home automation
Post by: Svu79 on September 15, 2013, 10:21:39 PM
Hello

New here and was just introduced to home automation. Hoping someone here can help me with this exact set up http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KaHOpmKnc4o

Is Vox commando controlling veralite as well?  What is the remote used in the video?  What apps for the tablet and phone? Where is the voice coming from? Thanks!

Title: Re: Home automation
Post by: nime5ter on September 15, 2013, 10:51:07 PM
Welcome to the forum.

Did you watch the video demo on a computer, or only on a mobile device? If only on a mobile, you may want to watch again on a computer. The video includes annotations that answer many of the questions you're asking above. Unfortunately, annotations don't display on youtube if you're watching on a mobile device.

VoxCommando is communicating with the VeraLite using the Vera plugin for VoxCommando: http://voxcommando.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Plugin_Vera

As per the video annotations, there is a specially developed Android app for VoxCommando called VoxWav: http://voxwav.wikispaces.com/VoxWav+Home

The remote control device is the Amulet from Amulet devices: http://www.amuletdevices.com/

The voice is coming from the Windows computer that is running VoxCommando (albeit through stereo speakers). This is known as text-to-speech (TTS). Windows machines typically come with a couple TTS voices, but it's also possible to buy voices, some of which are much more natural-sounding than the built-in voices. In VoxCommando, one can tell the computer to issue TTS announcements in response to specific commands.

If you're new to home automation, building a system that does what is demonstrated in the video is probably something to aspire to, rather than something to try to accomplish right off the bat. But maybe some other folks here can recommend a good place to start.
Title: Re: Home automation
Post by: nime5ter on September 15, 2013, 11:15:42 PM
I just double-checked the youtube video description. James writes there that the TTS voice used is Bridget UK from Neospeech: http://www.neospeech.com/