Here's a good way to make a lazy man's job easier!


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"Computerizing your lights
by Associated Press

12/13/2004

SALINAS, Calif. (AP) - It's a chore that can quickly chill the warmth of the holiday season: Trudging outside each winter night to unplug the lights, deflate the blowup snowman and shut off the rest of the outdoor extravaganza. If you don't want to leave everything on all the time and pad the electric company's profits there's now a relatively inexpensive way of remotely controlling the power without having to rewire the house.
X10 Wireless Technology - yes, the same company that pioneered annoying pop-under ads on the Web - sells a $99 kit called ActiveHome Pro that includes three circuit-switching modules that plug into electrical outlets and are controlled from either a PC or hand-held remotes. If you don't mind some minor annoyances with the software and can get past the company's hard sell, it's an effective way to show off your inner geek - and stay warm.

Actually, a PC isn't even required: The included remotes do the same thing from within about 100 feet of the controller box. But a computer is needed to take advantage of the advanced features. The software can set up timers, including a nifty setting that turns lights on or off at dusk. As dusk changes, so does the time that the lights turn on.

The system can easily be used beyond outdoor holiday lights, of course. Lights could be programmed to switch on when someone walks through a hallway - even at reduced power if it's late at night. Appliances like coffee pots and crock pots can be set to turn on at certain times. And then there's burglar-deterrence, although there are plug-in timers that do that much more cheaply. "