ControlThink Forums

I read the press release on ThinkRemote and I just have a few questions for now. How does it work? From my understanding ThinkRemote is a windows service. What features does this service offer and how are they used?

I wasn't going to bother upgrading to a media server powered by Vista, but the following ThinkRemote claim assumes that you've got it:

Change the music from the kitchen. Check the weather with your fridge magnet. Review stock performance by your bedside. The possibilities are limitless, since your PC is now a whole-home entertainment and information hub.

Microsoft claims that you can do all of that without turning on your PC, but I think the reality is that your computer is either on all the time, or it turns itself on at timed intervals.

If my computer is going to be on all the time, I'll be needing a beefier firewall, a disk-less design (SDD), and DC power from a float-charged battery.

I've seen XP, Win2000, and 2003 Servers that stay up for months at a time (with automatic updates OFF, of course), but sooner or later a power outage will occur and take something out, and most HDDs have managed to toast themselves within 8 to 10 years.  An integral part of a home should require no more maintenance than the kitchen plumbing.

 

gary,

With SideShow displays and remotes that have a local cache, your computer doesn't need to be on--but you will only get refreshed data when it is on, of course as you expected.  On the PC lid, a SideShow devices gets synced when the computer wakes up periodically--but with a remote it only gets synced when the remote is querying info and the PC is awake.  For the less expensive ThinkRemote-based remotes, you'll want to leave your PC on.  For some nicer ones coming to market in the future, you'll be able to just have them refresh when the PC is on if you'd like...

There are ThinkRemote features which work with XP as well--but SideShow is of course Vista-specific.

Chris

David

Basically the ThinkRemote service for the PC makes it so that standard Z-Wave remotes with screens can show SideShow content.  For our development kit, we're including the Sirius Conductor remotes--although in practice you'll get a remote made by a company like PiTech or CWTek and branded and sold by a major OEM.

The big news is that this means that $50 and $100 remotes/devices are possible in addition to the $200-$300 variety...

Chris