The Home Automation Tech Takeover

Home automation has gradually become more and more prevalent over the last few years. We all love our WiFi-enabled coffee makers and auto-hook up Bluetooth speakers – but what else is out there? Here’s a list of some of the (in my opinion) most notable home automation and tech products that can (you guessed it!) interface with LabVIEW.

Phillips Hue: 

The Phillips Hue is a smart light that connects to an app on your phone through WiFi. It allows you to control the brightness, hue of whites, colors and power switch of the light from your phone. Phillips offers a few different bulbs with varying price ranges – white and color, just white, and three generations to choose from.

It has a welcoming accessory and additional product lineup that, above all, excites our inner geek:

  • Phillips Hue Motion Sensor
  • Phillips Hue Dimmer switch
  • Phillips Hue LED Strip (yes…a dream come true)

And a number of other lamps, lights and little button accessories. As mentioned above, the Phillips Hue can interface with LabVIEW. Follow our LabVIEW MakerHub tutorials, and download our pre-made Hue VIs on the LabVIEW 2014 VI package manager. 

Nest Thermostat: 

Nest is a WiFi-enabled, smart thermostat that learns your schedule and can be controlled by your phone. Tell it when you wake up in the morning and it’ll make sure your home is comfortable and warm to wake up to, while it lowers the temperature at night to save on heating costs. It knows when you’re gone and when you’ll get back, and adjusts the temperature of your home accordingly.

You can monitor and adjust the temperature of your home from away – too. As long as you have WiFi, Nest will listen.

LabVIEW MakerHub has tutorials on how to interface Nest with the LabVIEW API. You can download Nest control VI’s from LabVIEW 2014 VI Package Manager.

Kinect One:

An accessory for the Xbox One, the Kinect can be used as a motion control or voice control for the Xbox One. It is constantly watching and listening, so even when your Xbox or TV is off, just say “Xbox turn on” and the Kinect will do the job.

The LabVIEW API ties the Kinect into the home automation by taking in color, depth, infrared and skeletal information from what the Kinect sees. How will you use this? Watch our tutorials on how to get started and download the Kinect VIs from the LabVIEW VI Package Manager.

Other great tech products that can interface with the LabVIEW API:

Comment below and tell us what you will develop with these home automation products using LabVIEW.

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