Appliance Control: Making Things Do Stuff - Smart Home Automation with Linux and Raspberry Pi - page 15

Sundowner Dusk/Dawn Controller (SD7233/SD533)
On the surface, this appears like the standard mini controller earlier, wired to the mains, with control for eight devices,
along with “all lights on”/“all units off ” and brightness control. However, it also includes a light sensor that will switch
on a predetermined group of lights when it gets dark and turn them off when it's light again. These brightness settings
can be tuned with a little trial and error, although with dusk and dawn changing throughout the year, this can't
necessarily be used as a natural wake-up call.
Mini Timer (MT10U)
This device, shown in Figure 1-8 , solves the dusk-'til-dawn problem by using a timer rather than a sensor. This allows
you to control up to eight light or appliance modules but lets you preprogram only four of them, making them turn
on or off (up to) twice a day. This allows you to mimic a “lived-in” feel for the house. Furthermore, it includes a
randomize option, which will vary the programmed times by 30 minutes to give a “ human lived-in” feel. This device
can also double as an alarm clock.
Figure 1-8. The MT10U, 55 × 150 × 110mm
Both this and the previous device alleviate the need for a computer server, because they can send out
predetermined messages according to (simple) logic.
Maxi Controller (SC2800)
This device, although designed as part of a security system (MS9780), can also provide full wired control of all X10
devices in the house and is shown in Figure 1-9 . Although it doesn't have any timing functionality, it does have a
telephone socket that allows you to dial in from outside and switch lights on or off (by entering the unit code using a
Touch-Tone phone, followed by either the * or # key, respectively).