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Solution of the Week
Turn Your Holiday Lights On and Off Automatically
| | | The Problem | |
You've worked hard at setting up your holiday lighting display. You want your friends and neighbors to enjoy your handiwork. But then the inevitable happens: You forget to turn them on. Or worse, you forget to turn them off and end up wasting electricity during late-night hours or during the day.
But you can eliminate those headaches by automating your holiday lights. With a few simple products, you can have lights turn on and off at preset times or even automatically when the sun goes down (with an automatic turn-off after any amount of time you choose). Best of all, you can have your holiday lights up and running in just half an hour or less!
| | | Turn Lights On Automatically At Specific Times | |
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If you're not going to be home at dusk, your neighbors can still enjoy your holiday display. Plug the lights to be controlled in ApplianceLinc V2 modules, and you won't need to push any buttons to turn them on if you connect an INSTEON PowerLinc Controller V2 USB to your PC. This powerline interface lets you program on and off times using the free Smarthome Manager Timer software. You don't even need to leave your computer running for this system to work!
| | | Set Up an X10 Mini Timer | |
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You can also set up a timed lighting system without a PC on the premises. The first thing you'll need is an X10 Mini Timer. It works just like an ordinary alarm clock, except that at a designated time, it can signal any X10 receiver to turn your holiday lights on or off.
To set up the X10 Mini Timer, follow these steps:
- Plug the X10 Mini Timer into any convenient AC outlet.
- Take a small screwdriver or X10 Code Wheel and set the unit's X10 house code (represented by the letters A-P) by slowly turning the small house code dial on the top. It doesn't matter which house code you choose, although it is recommended that you avoid house code "A." That's the default setting and therefore the one most likely to encounter interference.
- Set the current time.
| | | Connect Lights to ApplianceLinc | |
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Set up your holiday lights the way you normally would, and then plug them into ApplianceLinc V2™ modules. You'll need one ApplianceLinc module for every major grouping of lights (make sure you don't exceed the number of connected strings recommended by the holiday light manufacturer).
Next, you'll need to give each ApplianceLinc an X10 address, consisting of the house code you set the X10 Mini Timer to and a unit code (represented by the numbers 1-8).
To set the X10 address on the ApplianceLinc, follow these steps:
- Plug the ApplianceLinc into any outlet
- Press and hold the ApplianceLinc set button for five seconds
- Within 30 seconds, press any numbered button on the X10 Mini Timer (1-8) to assign it that unit code
- Press the "ON" button corresponding to that number
You're now done connecting all the components. The final step is to program the ON time and OFF time for each group of lights you have programmed. This step takes just a few minutes and is no more difficult than setting your alarm clock.
| | | Optional Turn-On at Dusk | |
If you would rather have your lights turn on at dusk instead of at a pre-programmed time, simply add the optional X10 Photocell Mini Controller. This unit plugs into any outlet in the home and sends the X10 ON signal when its built-in light sensor detects the absence of ambient light.
Place the X10 Photocell Mini Controller on a windowsill or other area where it can detect natural light levels, and program it to send the X10 ON signal instead of the X10 Mini Timer. You'll still want to use the X10 Mini Timer to send the OFF signal at any time you choose.
| | | Holiday Lights | |
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