Using a Logitech Harmony Hub to remotely control an old person’s television

My mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and is being maintained in her home with the help of carers who visit her twice a day and family members who visit her on a less frequent basis. More and more she is having trouble operating her television and is struggling to figure out how to fix things when they don’t work the way she expects them to. In this post I describe how I use a Logitech Harmony Hub to remotely control my mother’s television. Continue reading “Using a Logitech Harmony Hub to remotely control an old person’s television”

Home Assistant and Harmony Hub – the ultimate Skype Solution for the Elderly?

If you are a regular reader of this blog you will know that I’ve been trying to automate the Skype Solution for the Elderly  that I’ve been building for my elderly mother who has Alzheimers. I want to be able to call her from my own home using Skype and a Mini PC installed in her house will automatically answer the call and switch my mother’s television to the correct HDMI input so that she can see and hear me. Continue reading “Home Assistant and Harmony Hub – the ultimate Skype Solution for the Elderly?”

Automating Skype for the Elderly using Harmony Hub and IFTTT

I recently wrote a post about a trial to automate the Skype Solution for the Elderly that I was building. My aim was to find a solution that enabled a person to make a Skype call to an elderly relative and remotely control their television to play the audio and display the video. The trial was very successful and worked brilliantly for me with my mother who has Alzheimers. However,   Continue reading “Automating Skype for the Elderly using Harmony Hub and IFTTT”

My Smart Home – Smart Heating Control

Smart Heating Controls

I’ve been gradually adding smart technology to our home over the last few years. This has been driven mainly by a desire to improve the comfort and security of its occupants. However, I’ve also managed to reduce the gas and electricity bills in the process. This is my first post describing the smart home technologies I have implemented so far and focuses on Smart Heating Control. Continue reading “My Smart Home – Smart Heating Control”

Using Powerline Networking to Optimise Home Broadband and WiFi Performance

I recently switched my broadband supplier from Sky Fibre to BT Infinity 1. I now get 51Mbps downloads coming into the house and 10Mbps upstream. As BT streams its premium TV channels over the internet, I decided to do everything possible to make sure the maximum download speed is available to every device in the house. I would also like to be well positioned to take advantage of 4K (Ultra HD) broadcasts when I upgrade my television equipment. Continue reading “Using Powerline Networking to Optimise Home Broadband and WiFi Performance”