ConnectedHome - Using .NET Services (Part of Azure Services Platform) Overview: ConnectedHome is a home automation suite of applications written in C# to:
- Monitor status of devices at home from a PC
- Control lights, devices etc.
- Expose these over web via .NET Services
How I did it ?
- First I had installed sensors, x10 powerline switches etc. and was able to turn off/on lights, devices via remote control.
- Installed the x10 USB interface ActiveHomePro, so I can watch and control the devices from a PC
- Now I wanted to control the devices from any PC/laptop in the house via my own application so I get flexibility of controlling variety of devices.
- So I wrote a WCF service that talks to ActiveHomePro passing the commands it receives
- To talk to the WCF service I added a Windows Client GUI app - my goal is that this application will become the central point which talks not only to X10 devices but to many sorts of devices such as take instant pictures from WebCams, control media center remotely to name a few.
- Now I wanted to monitor and control the devices from work or from any place outside of my house
- I just did a minor tweak to the WCF Service to expose the service running at my home to the Cloud via .NET Services.
- I can now run my client app from any place in the world, talk to my service running inside my home - without worrying about NAT, behind the router etc. - .NET Services takes care of everything for me. To learn more about .NET Services ServiceBus feature please visit http://www.microsoft.com/azure/servicebus.mspx
The Diagram:  Technologies Used:
- C#, WCF - Windows Communication Foundation, .NET Services (part of Azure Services Platform)
- Home Automation: X10 devices, ActiveHomePro SDK to control X10 devices from C# code.
More in future:
- WebCam Streaming via .NET Services
- Media Center Integration
- Lego Mindstorms or simillar robot remote control
- CarPC integration
- Workflow integration
Links: .NET ServicesWindows Communication Foundation WCFActive Home Pro
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