Nairalanders,

merry Xmas and happy nU year in advance.Please help me out with my project.My project topic is PC control automation of home appliances, the sofware and interfacing aspect


thank you.

Why would you want to use a PC to automate your home in a country where power is scarce?

google BMS- building management systems.

Seun:

Why would you want to use a PC to automate your home in a country where power is scarce?

its a frigging project for christ sake,  the guy didnt say he wants to install it in his house ,  he just wants to write a project on the topic ,  the fact that there is no light doesnt mean  u shouldnt learn such things ,  he might not live in Nigeria for ever and one day he might go somewhere where the knowledge would be needed

http://www.codeproject.com/KB/cs/control_e_appliances.aspx

http://www.pcremotecontrol.com/

hope that helps ,

good luck

Projects are supposed to be useful.

Seun:

Projects are supposed to be useful.

, and should not be limited by ur physical circumstance some of the bigest inventions were made when pple doubted their usefullness to the society , u write project about what u have a passion for, the guy obviously has a passion for what he wants to wtite about, that passion would drive him to greater invention , allowing the situation in Nigeria to dampen his reason and spirit would be a recipe for failure and under achivement , damn! tell me pple didnt try to dis courage u when u wanted to build Nairaland at a time when most Nigerians didnt have light or Internet connection or Computer or were computer literate or even had an idea about what a forum is or how it is used, but u did and the rest is history , the young mahns project is very relivant in this world which is a global village, dont limit what is useful to the boundary of Nigeria or the cloud of our limited infrastructure , he just might have sumtin up his up in his head which the whole world would benefit ,

If your project isn't useful in Nigeria, it's useless. People abroad already have these things.

Seun:

If your project isn't useful in Nigeria, it's useless.  People abroad already have these things.

Thank God u don't decide such things , and u sure do have a Broad* mind for someone that create sumtin as awesome as Nairaland ,  am sure if 5 years ago someone had post about needed help on how to create ATM machines in Nigeria your reponse would have been 

Why would you want to use an ATM machines  in a country where power is scarce?

thank God u didnt have a say in that too cus we would still have been in the dark ages of banking , 

i for one would love to control my tv,lights,pumping machine etc from my pc ,  and if there is no light i would swicth to manual ,  but wait minute home appliances even need light to work ,  so i guess if we are to follow your superior way of reasonings then we should not even buy home appliances ,  in a country where there is no lights abi , thank God we know better , 

@geebow work on your project bro ,  and if u are able to develop it ,  am sure a lot of people wouldnt mind having it in their homes ,  if appliancies need lights to work ,  its not s sin for sumtin that could control them from a computer to also need light ,  if the former is widly used in Nigera then the latter too would be embraced

smart homes

Brother,
I must confess to u and pls dont take it personal but ur project is senseless!!! and dont even think u might need it here in the western world. PC Control`Home Appliances Oh God have mercy!!! who gave u tht project to write on? Wht does he expect from u? setup some kind of Radio, TV, Microwave, Washing Machine, DVD Player, etc all in one Control Software? Or probabaly write some kind of imaginary story on how it might work Wht exactly do u want to do Place "LAN" or maybe "WLAN" on ur TV to ur PC (which is definitely not possible) Turn ur Computer ON to switch ON/OFF ur TV, Radio or probably increase the volume . Dude, if thts really ur Final year project, i must tell u right now tht u've definitely visited the wrong school. And also tell whoever gave u tht project to get a new job. U should be writing projects on Power Supply, ways to generate cheap, sufficient and efficient power supply for selfuse or Nationwide, not "PC Control Automation Of Home Appliances". and its not about being useful, its about not making sense!!! I'm sorry to have taken it this far but its senseless.

Martins00:

Brother,
I must confess to u and please don't take it personal but your project is senseless!!! and don't even think u might need it here in the western world. PC Control`Home Appliances Oh God have mercy!!! who gave u that project to write on? Wht does he expect from u? setup some kind of Radio, TV, Microwave, Washing Machine, DVD Player, etc all in one Control Software? Or probabaly write some kind of imaginary story on how it might work Wht exactly do u want to do Place "LAN" or maybe "WLAN" on your TV to your PC (which is definitely not possible) Turn your Computer ON to switch ON/OFF your TV, Radio or probably increase the volume . Dude, if thts really your Final year project, i must tell u right now that u've definitely visited the wrong school. And also tell whoever gave u that project to get a new job. You should be writing projects on Power Supply, ways to generate cheap, sufficient and efficient power supply for selfuse or Nationwide, not "PC Control Automation Of Home Appliances". and its not about being useful, its about not making sense!!! I'm sorry to have taken it this far but its senseless.

after reading ur post , i found it difficult to digest the fact that u come from this century , maybe u came here from the 19th century using a time machine , or perhaps u are a relic or a lost tribe from God knows where , WHAT IS SOOOO IMPOSSIBLE about using ur PC to AUTOMATE home appliances , mahn u need to read more and get out more , today the margin btw computer and everyday appliances is fading by the seconds , as far back as 2006 i could control my T.V,DVD,CD DESK from my symbian s60 Smart phone , in case u dont know what that is , its a Nokia phone and an old one for that , today on every OS , Vista and Linux is what is called a media center , which is meant to be the center point of all ur media needs at home , me for one my lappy is connected to a flat screen monitor , and to external speakers , we i would easily control my Media needs without leaving my computer screen, everything being made now are becoming smart , fridges,light bulbs,house cooling/heating systems , their are all coming with chips to make them respond to external control and in the age of wirless tech , the roles of wires would still very remote in our everyday lives, so what is impossible or useless about developing technology to make it easy to have a level of control over home appliances , u can use a mobile phone to control many home devices as far back as 3 years ago,

u want him to write about how to make cheap energy for homes , fine that is usefull but check the project archive of many schools u would we over 1 millions project talking about solar /wind/coal and how to harness them to produce energy, so dis guy wants to be different and write about something which would be gold mine in the nearest future , what is wrong in that,

Dude, Wht do u need "smart home" for when u've got no electricity to power it. Why are u speaking from imagination The schools in Nigeria only teach u the theoritical, unrealistic and imaginative parts of IT. Of course i know there are smart homes. But i dont have to turn my Computer ON to turn my TV OFF when my TV is less than 1m away from me. we still have problems of Power supply and its not getting any better. We say we have Mechatronical engineers but no has built a simple AC Generator. Why cos they only f**kin read what they dont understand. Dude, I'm an Informatics student here in Germany. I have seen Hi-Tech at its best!!! No developed country jokes with its power supply because thts where IT started from and thts where it should start from. ok Nowatimes Generators are being driven by Atomic Energy which has a high Efficiency rate (power output/ power input). Nigeria's major problem is still Power and ths wht should be written on not f**ckin "PC Control Automation Of Home Appliances". How much energy do u need turn ON/OFF ur TV I'm pretty sure the cyber-cafe u are browsing right now have their Generator turned on behind. An average Nigerian cant even think of buying a car and u want "Smart home"!!! If there is anyone living in stone age then its u "bigrovar"!!!

me for one my lappy is connected to a flat screen monitor , and to external speakers , we i would easily control my Media needs without leaving my computer screen, everything being made now are becoming smart , fridges,light bulbs,house cooling/heating systems , their are all coming with chips to make them respond to external control and in the age of wirless tech , the roles of wires would still very remote in our everyday lives, so what is impossible or useless about developing technology to make it easy to have a level of control over home appliances , u can use a mobile phone to control many home devices as far back as 3 years ago,

U can as well tell me ur Microwave, fridge, and bulb is connected to ur lappy . NiGgA, u can tell tht to my Dog he might believe u. Tell me sth New.

Projects are meant to be prototypes
Projects are also meant to solve some local problems (not universal problems) and work in our own peculiar environments
Smart homes can work in Nigeria and there are some smart homes in Nigeria.

People who use smarthomes already have backups, so public power supply is not the problem

In Nigeria, you can have a centralised control system (Home Controller) to integrate the following:
- Lighting 
- Power change-over system
- Remote & IR
- Phones & Intercoms
- Security Systems
- Window, Door, Gate burglary systems
- Motion Detectors
- Safety
- Video Surveillance
- Multi-Room Video
- Multi-Room Audio
- Home Monitoring
- Home Networking   
- And many more

So the project is not useless
The fact that you already have these facilities, means that power (mains & backup) is already available
The power required for a central controller will be small compared to power required to drive the systems mentioned above.

The project should be focussed to our peculiar local environment and give room for future enhancement and integration
This is a control engineering project not a power supply project

man check my post , if u have the time , pls check all my post here , i have never felt the urge to call sum1 with a contrary view to mine daft , but urs is the closest i ever came to doing that , u feel because i connect my pc to an external monitor, and i have external speakers connected , that its sooo impossibe that only ur Dog can believe me , all i can say is that dont rule out the fact that some Dogs do out smart their owners , and the fact that u dont believe something is possible , shows more of the limitation of ur exposure than anything else , like i said read more , go out more , u really need to broaden ur horizon , in ur sUPERIOR way of thinking , because power suppler is bad , then every project in schools should be about how to create cheap power alternatives , hmmm every one of them , and no one should write about such things as "irrelivant as PC HOME AUTOMATION" now if u hear some where that a Nigerian developed a device that could be uised to automate a house and its being hailed as a break thru , u would say , "mehn we have tanlent in this country" this guy had a talent and he wants to see it thru , all u can do is push him down and call it useless just becus ur hrizon is very limited, when i was in secondary school i know a guy who was working on ho w to make a robot , and he made a primitive one that uses a remote , it was made of old cans of inseticide, rotor and sone improvised materials , it was very primitive but he did and made it work , well the guy never went to sci class becus he was not encouraged , he stutied art , today i have not see him since we left secondary sch, and i have not heard about him since, perphaps if Nigerians encourage our own science brians , that guy would not have gone into oblivion

U talk like some kind of programmed robot!!! "

Projects are also meant to solve some local problems (not universal problems) and work in our own peculiar environments
Smart homes can work in Nigeria and there are some smart homes in Nigeria

".
The smart homes in Nigeria weren't built by Nigerians. were they

In Nigeria, you can have a centralised control system (Home Controller) to integrate the following:
- Lighting  
- Power change-over system
- Remote & IR
- Phones & Intercoms
- Security Systems
- Window, Door, Gate burglary systems
- Motion Detectors
- Safety
- Video Surveillance
- Multi-Room Video
- Multi-Room Audio
- Home Monitoring
- Home Networking  

Each of this sh*t u wrote here needs to be Electrically powered. And if u think the Generators (so called backups) tht runs every second dont have effect on the environment, then u would have to get back to school.  Or dont u write projects on "Global Warming" or "Noise Pollution"? Talking about prototypes, u call this b**tch (PC Control Automation Of Home Appliances) a prototype? Another mans Technology! Wht exactly do u understand by the word "prototype"?
Do u find any sense in wht u wrote here?

The fact that you already have these facilities, means that power (mains & backup) is already available
The power required for a central controller will be small compared to power required to drive the systems mentioned above.

I'm ready to support anyone on Nairaland with informations to my knowledge about meaningful projects. The Federal Government of Nigeria dont understand the whole principle and logistics involving generation of efficient and affordable Electrical Energy thts the reason we still dont have Electricity. Its not about privatising (loosing National Income to private people). U cant just give contracts to some people to take over or build plants when u dont even understand how a simple AC Generator works let alone transferring the energy.
U need to understand principles before taking up a project. This b**tch (PC Control Automation Of Home Appliances) is meaningless!!!

Same thing applies to u "bigrovar"

Mehn am surprised pple still reason this way , Power is a Constant problem in Nig, Its been a problem since i was born , i have never experienced a 3 day in my whole life without a power cut, yet that didnt stop me and millions of Nigerians from Buying ,T.v set,DVDs,PC, fridges,mircrowaves, the very thing that the young man here hope to control with his pc uses light , did u get that let me repeat , THE VERY THING U CONTROL WITH UR PC USES LIGHT, if the power problem did stop me from buying a tv,dvd,fridge and all , it wount stop me using my pc to control them when eventaually nepa brings light and there work , go to alaba the electronic business is a boom business in nigeria , so is the computer market , no sooner do i put a post of a lappy for sale do i strat getting offers on phone , pple are living their lives and have known how to adapt with nepa , having a system to coontrol basic appliances is not an out of this world possibility in ngeria , i know pple who connect their dstv to their lappy and use it to record movies , its not for everybody , definitely not for the poor , but that does not mean it is not relivant , its not a crime to be rich, so what if he hopes to setup a company that provide that can of service in Nig do are u saying he wont suceed, oh well i guess we see things differently

@ Martins00
This is the problem with some half baked Nigerians abroad
Little knowledge, half educated , ignorant and arrogant
The smart home was built by Nigerians, works and adapted to our peculiar suitations!

We are talking about control system not pollution!
The guy who wants to control these systems, already has them, so power supply is not the problem he wants to solve.
He wants to solve control problem, not power or pollution problems.
There are many projects in these fields. You do not want a control engineer to start solving power supply or pollution problems. Do you?

With the so called knowledge you assume you have, you are un-employable in Nigeria!
You can start your own business, but because of the limited knowledge you have, you will not succeed, there are better and more intelligent competitions locally
So, my advice is, just stay abroad and get employment. Nigeria does not need your un-educated expertise

I wouldnt even employ you as a trainee engineer, with this rubbish you have just written
Because you don't even understand the problem! And if you don't understand the problem, how can you profer solution? We are not trying to solve power problems here

You do not apply a German Solution to a Nigerian problem.
Stop deluding yourself
You must think Nigerians are stupid!
There are smart Nigerians out here and they are self employed!

PS: I do not want this to degenerate into a slagging match!
Talk about the project at hand!

With the so called knowledge you assume you have, you are un-employable in Nigeria!
I wouldnt even employ you as a trainee engineer, with this rubbish you have just written.

Are u f**kin crazy? do u know how many people tht earn their living working for me there in Lagos? u sound disgusting i must confess!!

"I wouldnt even employ u as a trainee engineer"

Do know how much i spend on Electric Generator monthly there to keep my business going? just because i have to. and u are f**kin talkin abt smart homes being built by nigerians

U employ me . Are u employed with the peanuts u make, I can only say thanks i'm self-employed. I take care of myself and my extended family and we are all satisfied!

You do not apply a German Solution to a Nigerian problem.

Why do Nigerians prefer electrical appliances or cars made in Germany to Chinese products or maybe "Nigerian products"? U talk as if Nigeria has any products or services it exports worldwide relating to IT or maybe "Smart homes". The software and so called "Smarthomes" used in Banks, NGOs,homes etc werent made in Nigeria. The only thing Nigeria can boast of right now are Half-educated and arrogant people like u (oldie), Armed robbers, corrupt bastards in government, Yahoo boyz alias 419, etc.

I wont even advise anyone to work for u thts if u are self-employed.

@ oldie please dont reply this , guy , opinions are like ASS Holes cus everybody have them , his post has done enough justice to him

~dOnT~tEaCh~A~pIg~To~SiNg~

the poster asked for help in his project & not 'reasons' why he shuldnt do his project! I hope somebody understands that !!

There is onething u dont get! U've got no meaningful opinion. I've read all ur posts, there is no sense in them. U (bigrovar) dont even worth sharing ur opinion here.
Like u said, ur post speaks for u.

i know people who connect their dstv to their lappy and use it to record movies , its not for everybody ,  definitely not for the poor ,  but that does not mean it is not relivant ,  its not a crime to be rich, so what if he hopes to setup a company that provide that can of service in Nig do are u saying he wont suceed,  oh well i guess we see things differently

Whats new in tht recording live movies, is it a Nigerian technology?

opinions are like ASS Holes cus everybody have them

wht does "opinion" have to do with "assholes"? U cant even express urself, ! See how smart u are.

dragnet:

~dOnT~tEaCh~A~pIg~To~SiNg~

the poster asked for help in his project & not 'reasons' why he shuldnt do his project! I hope somebody understands that !!

u shouldnt be suprised , this is what happens when mothers let their kids play around with computers too much ,

I did not know I was arguing with a 22 year old kid!trader
No need to waste my time

I did not know I was arguing with a 22 year old kid!

Sharing ur opinion with a 22yr old is wht u call "arguing"? Thats one of the same problem we still have in Nigeria ("Oldies" are allowed to share opinions and younger ones just have to wait until they get as stupid as "Oldies". Discrimination when it comes to age.

trader

I dont know wht u(oldie) do for living, but u certainly must be a Top Bank Manager in Nigeria to earn as much as i do. People as old as you are make their living working for me.

No need to waste my time

Its a typical Nigerian saying when one starts thinking cowardly "No need to waste my time"

this is what happens when mothers let their kids play around with computers too much

ur opinion speaks for u! U are just like the "younger ones" still being childish.

SAD ,
IN FORUMS OVERSEAS, WHEN YOU POST FOR HELP IN THE IT SECTION, YOU GET HELP. UNLESS THE STUFF U ARE TRYING TO DO IS DAMN NEAR IMPOSSIBLE, YOU ARE SURE NOT TO GET AWAY WITH NO FOR AN ANSWER. BUT COME TO THE MOST POPULAR FORUM IN NIGERIA, THE ADMIN HIMSELF IS BUSY BLAMING THE POOR LAD FOR CHOOSING A "USELESS" PROJECT TOPIC BECAUSE THAT IS HIS OWN OPINION AND COS HE SAID SO, THE PROJECT MUST END!

WELL, I AM NOT SURPRISED. I HAVE EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR ATTITUDE SHOWN TO ME WHILE I WAS TRYING OUT SOMETHING NEW. GOT BANNED COS OF THAT. SEEMS NEW INNOVATION IS NOT WELCOME HERE. ONLY "FREE" BROWSING AND ALL WHAT NOT ARE WELCOME HERE.

---

NOW MY DEAR GEEBOW,

PC AUTOMATION IS A VERY INTERESTING AND CHALLENGING PROJECT, BUT FEAR NOT , I HAVE DESIGNED SUCH A SYSTEM AND HAVE EVEN ATTACHED A PROTOTYPE OF THE SAMPLE CUSTOM MADE COMPUTER CONTROLLED ADAPTER WHICH CONTROLS THE APPLIANCES PLUGGED TO IT.


TWO THINGS ARE INVOLVED,
THE HARDWARE CIRCUIT THAT WILL BE USED TO CONTROL THE APPLIANCES

AND THE SOFTWARE THAT WILL IN TURN ALLOW THE COMPUTER TO CONTROL THE SOFTWARE.

FOR MORE INFO CONTACT ME @ SWEETPAWN AT GMAIL DOT COM,

OH, BY THE WAY . . . HAPPY NEW YEAR!

SHOULD WE LIMIT OUR INTELLIGENCE TO THE CONDITION OF OF OUR MISERABLE COUNTRY?!!!

BECOS THERE IS NO LIGHT, NO INTERNET EVERY WHERE, SLOW NETWORK, BOMB BLASTS, HIGH FUEL PRICE AND BLA , BLA, BLA I SHOULD THEREFORE THINK LIKE A STONE AGED MAN? HOW WILL I BE INSPIRED TO CHANGE MY COUNTRY? SHOULD I KILL MY IMAGINATION?

WHEN THE LANDER BROTHERS WANTED TO FLY, PEOPLE, LIKE THIS SITE OWNERS, TAUGHT THAT WAS A VERY USELESS IDEA. WE ALREADY HAVE CARS AND TRAINS AND SHIPS SO WHAT IS THE USE OF FLYING, THEY SAID, ARE YOU ANGELS?

NOW IF ONLY I COULD LOOK AT THOSE PEOPLE'S FACES TODAY

PLS DO NOT DISCOURAGE ANY ONE'S IDEA. ONLY POINT OUT THE CHALLENGES AND SHOW SUPPORT. WHO KNOWS, TOMORROW HE/SHE COULD USE THAT IDEA TO FLY!