HEYU 2.0 Beta6.2 review

HEYU is a text-based program for remotely controlling lights and appliances in the home or office. HEYU project is made available

License: Freeware File size: 317K Developer: Charles Sullivan

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HEYU is a text-based program for remotely controlling lights and appliances in the home or office.

HEYU project is made available under a free and open source license. Heyu uses the CM11A computer interface to send X10 control signals over the AC power lines to modules which can turn On, Off, or Dim attached lamps or appliances.

It can store a schedule of timed events in the CM11A memory for execution when the computer is turned off or disconnected. Heyu can also use an optional CM17A interface to transmit X10 RF signals.

Here are some key features of "HEYU":
Highly configurable and able to transmit and receive any X10 signal supported by the CM11A.
Monitor and/or log all X10 signals on the power line.
Maintain a record of the state (On, Off, Dim level) of modules based on received or transmitted X10 signals. A variety of different lamp and appliance module types are supported as well as a few specialty modules like RCS-compatible thermostats and remote thermometers.
Execute scripts or commands based on received or transmitted X10 signals and the recorded states of modules.
Upload schedules of timed events and macros to the CM11A memory for operation without a computer.
Events may be scheduled for execution at local clock times or relative to the times of daily Dawn or Dusk.
Schedules may be uploaded for the calendar year, or alternatively for a period beginning on the current date and extending a year into the future.
Event dates and times are automatically adjusted for Leap Years and periods of Standard and Daylight Time.
Control multiple CM11A interfaces connected to different serial ports on the same computer.
With an optional CM17A device, transmit X10 RF signals to a transceiver for conversion to power line signals (possibly on a separate branch of the AC line), or to an X10 RF receiver connected to a different computer. Any RF signal supported by the CM17A may be transmitted.
Operating Systems
Heyu is developed and maintained under Linux. Compile options for Mac OS X (Darwin), FreeBSD, NetBSD, SunOS/Solaris, SCO Unix, AIX, NextStep, and OSF have been implemented with the aid of the Heyu User Community.

Hardware

The CM11A is manufactured by X-10 (USA) Inc and sold as such and as part of their CK11A ActiveHome kit, and also as the IBM HD11 Home Director. It plugs into an AC socket and connects to the computer via an RS232 serial port. (A USB-Serial adapter can be used for computers which don't have an RS232 port.) It has a clock with battery backup and a 1 KB non-volatile memory for stored timers and macros. Compatible 230 Volt devices are sold outside North America as various CM11x models; in the UK as the CM12U.
Heyu also supports the CM10A (IBM HD16), an older device similar to the CM11A but without clock or battery backup, and marketed as an early version of the IBM Home Director.
For users in North America, Heyu optionally integrates support for the X-10 CM17A "Firecracker", a small serial dongle which transmits X10 RF signals. (The CM11A and CM17A coexist on the same serial port - no additional port is required.)
Heyu does NOT support the X-10 CP290 interface, the Smarthome PowerLinc 1132B interface, or any USB-only interface like the X-10 CM15A "ActiveHome Pro".

What's New in This Release:
A compilation failure which occurred under the FreeBSD and Mac OS X operating systems has been fixed, along with a couple of minor bugs.