I've written a few times about Engen, our home automation solution. This area is often referred to as Internet of Things or IoT.
Engen runs on Windows, Linux, or Mac. It has a programmable interface and also runs a web server so that it can be controlled by a web app.
We began more than a year ago now. The initial goal was to build a lighting system that was simple and reliable. This stage we reached six months ago. I've used it in my home for longer than that, and I switched to running it on the JRiver IdPi when we added Engen to it. It's an essential part of our home now.
Several months ago, we branched off from lighting to do sensors and meters, so we can now display temperature, humidity, light, etc. We can sense things like dampness and whether the garage door is open.
We added scheduling that relies on MC.
We've begun working on automation, so that rules can be set for when actions occur. For example, a set of lights might come on when the owner's car enters the garage, or outdoor lighting might be turned on and off at a certain time.
We plan to add the ability to play background music at certain times of day.
We're working on
IFTTT integration.