On May 26th we here at Mile High Automation found ourselves in the middle of an epic hail storm. At 2pm the sky opened up and unleased about 12 inches of hail ranging from pea sized to baseball sized chunks of ice. The storm was unrelenting as it battered our building, the landscape, and our cars.  The hail shredded gutters, pounded roofs, and destroyed plants. Anyone with a vehicle parked outside was shocked to discover the damage.  

Dented Cars

Pulverized Plants

Huge Chunks of Hail

Not Even the MHA Install Truck was Spared

home automation, hail damage

Posted in General

Put Control of Your Home in the Palm of Your Hand

Snap-Link Mobile puts control of all home functions in the palm of your hand! Simply click on the HAI logo that appears on your Smartphone/PDA and you have instant access to your Snap-Link Mobile home control page. From there you can:  

-Conveniently control individual lights, turn off all lights in the home or room, dim lights or adjust preset lighting scenes

-View real time video of surveillance cameras - see your front door, pool, boat dock, etc. (Requires appropriate cellular provider plan and cameras)

-Conserve energy by adjusting heating and cooling and view humidity and outdoor temperatures

-Arm or disarm the alarm, view a security log to monitor activity of housekeepers, nannies, etc.

-Control your Whole Home Audio system. Select music source and adjust volume levels in individual rooms or the whole house

Snap-Link Mobile is designed specifically for a mobile device with a Touchscreen, navigation key, or scroll wheel. It tunnels directly into the HAI home control system through a secure AES encrypted connection.

Easy Access to Monitor and Control Your Home

Whether you're at the office, in a coffee shop, or on vacation, you can check and adjust lights, security, temperatures, webcams, and more using Snap-Link.

Snap-Link software is sold on an USB key that plugs into any computer to monitor and control lights, security, temperatures, and webcams over the Internet.

Snap-Link is easy to use and easy to setup because it is self-contained on the USB drive. All you have to do is plug the USB Drive into any computer and Snap-Link becomes available. There is no installation of the program, and when you are finished you just unplug the drive and leave no residue of the application on the computer.

Now that we have laid a foundation of home automation lets discuss its advances. Electricity is no longer an exciting innovation and it is something that we generally take for granted. It is also hard to be enthusiastic about using a record player or even the telephone because by today’s standards they are relics of the past. So what did the people of the early to mid-Twentieth Century consider modernizations?  For the second part of the Evolution of Home Automation series we will discuss the advances and changes the home went through during this time in Home Automation History.

With the emergence of a new century, home-owners began to demand more from their home. No longer satisfied with a single light bulb hanging in the kitchen or cold running water flowing from the faucet, the American people wanted more.  With the growth of the middle and upper class people began to want the latest gadgets and regarded them as status symbols. This new era in home automation saw more advancement in entertainment than in practical use. Amid the change in the economic status of the middle class technology was beginning to impress the public with its advances.

The twentieth century was a time of great technological advances and home automation was no exception.  A significant change in the home came with the introduction of the water heater.  Bathing and washing became effortless.  These, of course, were luxuries reserved for the upper class but as we have learned, most home automation advances begin as a luxury items and eventually become a necessities. This is the nature of home automation.

More importantly, American’s were interested in entertainment, which was satisfied with the introduction of the television into the home in the late 1940s. Not many families had a television set at the time, but it quickly became a coveted item in the following decades. Not long after the introduction of the family owned television came the introduction of cable TV, bringing more channels into the home. TV had become an even bigger part of home entertainment. Technology was advancing at a rate faster than anyone had seen, but it was no match for the degree in which technology advances today. It wasn’t until the late 1940’s that another invention of entertainment came about: the video game.  These games simulated a missile firing at a target, exciting stuff for the 1940’s crowd.   

Technology was just beginning to change the lives of families; nothing exemplifies that more than the invention of the TV dinner.  The simple convenience of preparing a quick meal to enjoy in front of the television was novel to families of the 1950s. Suddenly their lifestyles were changing according to the technology in their homes.  This was just the beginning of transformation the home was about to go through.

The late 50s and 60s brought advancements that would have a tremendous effect on not only the home but our lives.  The computer, probably the most significant technological advancement, was in its beginning stages.  While these early models weren’t initially in the home their creation paved the way for modern home automation. Now think about the exciting advancements yet to come in home automation.  That is what we will discuss in the next article in the Evolution of Home Automation series. We have only laid a foundation for the home automation industry. This early era of home automation paved the way for all the modern conveniences that we enjoy today.

Check out our Squidoo page for more home automation information!

Mile High Automation, DIY home automation, Evolution of Home Automation

Posted in General

Home Automation, Inc. (HAI), leading manufacturer of integrated security and home automation products since 1985, announced they are now shipping the HAI UPBT Split-Phase Repeater and the HAI UPBT Three-Phase Repeater for inclusion in the HAI Lighting Control (HLC) product suite.  Like all components in the HLC product line, these are easy to install and retrofittable into existing structures.

The HAI UPB Split-Phase Repeater (HAI part number 39A00-2) enhances the communication reliability between UPB devices by taking UPB messages transmitted on one phase (leg) of a 120/240VAC split-phase electrical system and strongly repeating them on to the other phase (leg).  This product is primarily designed for split phase residential locations.

The HAI UPB Three-Phase Repeater (HAI part number 39A00-3) enables communication between UPB devices on a three-phase 120/208VAC delta-wye, 60Hz electrical system.  The main purpose of the Three-Phase Repeater is to transfer UPB multi-packet messages transmitted on one phase (leg) of the electrical system and strongly repeating them on to the other phases (legs) to ensure proper communication.  The Three-Phase Repeater is perfect for 3-phase environments including offices, condominiums, and additional small businesses and apartments. 

"The Split Phase Repeater is an invaluable tool in installations with extreme noise, attenuation, or other issues on the powerline," explains Jay McLellan, HAI President.  "And the Three-Phase Repeater provides dealers with new installation opportunities for HLC in buildings with three-phase electrical systems."

Mile High Automation has 1000's of HAI's UPB devices installed all over the country and have never had problems with their communication. We look forward to utilizing these new phase couplers for future home automation installations. The Split-Phase Repeater and the Three-Phase Repeater will make a strong network even stronger.

home automation, DIY home automation, HAI, Three-Phase Repeater, Split-Phase Reteater

Posted in HAI

Home Automation is the practice of automating household appliances and entertainment systems in residential homes through sometimes complex installation methods.  Is that clear enough for you?  We didn’t think so. So what is home automation and how has it evolved through the decades?

Wall-mounted Aquavista aquariums look like HDTVs stuck on one channel

What looks like an HDTV with an aquarium screen saver mounted on the wall is actually a real aquarium! Aquavista is a company that makes “panoramic wall aquariums,” aquariums that are insert wholly into your wall.  These stylish aquariums feature a programmable LCD touchscreen panel to control all the functions of the tank and keep your fresh water tropical fish alive. Not only is this aquarium stylish, it’s low maintenance; it features an automatic feeder, filtration, and water heater. 

Here at Mile High Automation we love to blur the line between technology and home décor.  But if it were up to us we would just use a wall mounted TV to display the aquarium, or a fireplace, or some artwork…. But maybe we’re just overly passionate about our toys….

home automation, Mile High Automation, Aquavista, wall mounted tv, aquariums

Posted in General

 HAI announces the addition of Metal Faceplates for OmniTouch 5.7e in gold, silver, and black.

 These metal (anodized aluminum) faceplates are a fantastic upgrade option for the OmniTouch 5.7 and 5.7e touchscreens. They feature a brushed steel appearance, an interior bezel that is rounded instead of squared, and a speaker grid with small circles as opposed to horizontal lines. The metal faceplates are heavier than plastic and no longer display any logos for a sleek appearance.

HAI’s plastic faceplate versions are still available in Almond, Ivory, Light Almond, Black, White, and Silver, and both plastic and metal versions work in-wall or in conjunction with HAI’s table top stand.                   

Mile High Automation carries the full HAI product line and is excited to add these sleek new faceplates to our product roster! 

HAI, metal faceplates, home automation, Mile High Automatio, OmniTouch 5.7e, OmniTouch

Posted in HAI

After nearly a year of designing, building, testing, and perfecting our movie server systems, they are almost ready to leave our office and make take center stage for “movie night” in homes all over the country.

Mile High Automation created the nJoy line of movie servers to allow clients to watch any movie, in any format, anywhere in the house. While we are not the first company to offer these systems, our nJoy server will store 5 times as many movies as the competition while costing half the price.

The nJoy DVD Movie Server loads and stores your DVD and Blu-Ray collections and presents them on a beautiful user interface directly on your TV.  Now all your movies can be stored all in one place with access as easy as clicking a remote.  Browse your library alphabetically, by genre, or release date; the choice is yours. 

The nJoy server offers full meta-data and DVD cover art, so browsing through your collection is easy and fun.  The nJoy stores and catalogs up to 1000 DVDs.  So no more searching through shelves and shelves of movies looking for the right one, the nJoy Movie Server streamlines the process so you don’t even need to get off the couch.

 We are currently accepting pre-orders for our initial release which is slated for June 15^th.  If you are interested please give us a call!

As Featured on ArticleCity.com and ArticleGeek.com!

nJoy Movie Server, Movie Server, Mile High Automation, home automation

Posted in nJoy Movie Servers