Auto-Follow Me?

[Armor Gnome]

I just played around with Follow-Me for the first time and wow, THAT is something I want to show off to friends!  With a single button press I can send music from my room to the kitchen squeezebox.  As I add more media directors the Follow-Me features will be even nicer.

As smooth as it is to tap room on the main orbiter page, I am curious about how this can be made completely button-less and automagical.

If I understand correctly, and please provide me the details otherwise, there was once a working automatic follow-me function based on the strength of a carried bluetooth transmitter such as a mobile phone and the nearest media director.  I believe I read that this feature is no longer supported as the author stopped ... (something).  I also believe that currently there is no way with bluetooth devices for my home to distinguish which room I am in automatically?

Not being familiar with Follow-Me or bluetooth technology details I like would like to request some information so that I can investigate some possibilities and possibly posting in the Help Wanted Section for someone to write some necessary features in.

What I want to achieve:
Automatic Follow-Me of media and updates as I move between rooms. -cell phone seems easiest but carrying an Orbiter is an option
Intelligent (well conceived) logic that differentiates between me and my roommate.
Intelligent (well conceived) rules about over-riding media playback of follow-me when I enter a room my roommate is already in.

Ideas on Implementation:
Can class 3 Bluetooth devices be strung around an area via USB?  I am sure somewhere I can buy a case of extremely poor quality bluetooth dongles that only have the 1m connection range.   In an area such as a kitchen I could place several of these tiny dongles under counter-top ledges.  For HomeTheater / Living room areas I could place them between couch cushions etc...

Based on PIR detection (x-10, Z-Wave, etc) most of my sensors and I imagine most everyones are serving a security purpose or for control of lighting devices.  For my personal Follow-Me rules or anyone else who perhaps lives alone or has a SWMBO who doesn't want Follow-Me a special security/lighting setting could exist to allow for Follow-me.  If I am listed as at-home (not armed, not entertaining, not sleeping) then make each area with PIR or recent motion my active room?

As I described the above setting I have higher hopes of getting this working although unfortunately using that method I am sure my roommate would quickly get annoyed at my new automagic detection and of course, the ability to override his media with my own haha.

I am interested in other's ideas and configurations along these lines though.  Since follow me is already a single button press feature once "F" on floorplan is active, I cant help but think there might exist a way to make it automagic.
 

[hari]

follow me works best with a fiire gyration (follow me button) or a mobile orbiter via bluetooth (either symbian or java phone). You can also get some active rfid tokens with reader devices and add some code, that would be leet ;-)

[davegravy]

Where are you thinking of placing these usb bluetooth transmitters exactly? In the walls, ON the walls, or somewhere else?

Have you thought about the spherical reception pattern and depending on where you place these how it might be possible to confuse someone in Room A as being in Room B?

[hari]

they're meant to be attached to the MDs

[Armor Gnome]

Have you thought about the spherical reception pattern

... It sounds like we may have found an expert!  No I haven't considered that but it gives me additional information to research. Thanks.

Where are you thinking of placing these usb bluetooth transmitters exactly?

As hari said, they will be connected to the local MD and for placement I was considering "my chair" type placement. 

In our home we have laid claim to certain seating arrangements mostly without verbalizing them.  On the couch I like the right side when facing the TV.  When hanging out at the card table in the foyer, the same thing is true I just naturally go to "my" chair.  I can use this to my benefit by taking a thin USB line off the local MD and adding a low power Bluetooth dongle under the table near my position.  The Home Theater room already has a USB-UIRT on a usb extension cable above and behind the couch, I could place a Bluetooth dongle there also.

Even with the Fiire Remote (which if I knew a source I would do cartwheels and then buy 4) and the mobile orbiter it sounds like the process still involves input from the user stating check where I am now and then update follow me with media to this room.  Maybe with RF and rfid readers I can add some kind of auto feature.  Once I nail down the best tech and find some hardware I would then be willing to send some of it along with $ to a developer to help me iron the details.

An older friend of mine from back in Arizona has been doing one form of HA or another since the 70s.  He has built a lot of his own devices and incorporated the large majority of it under Windows systems.  His vehicle is set up with a transmitter as is his wife's,  based on logic the home responds differently when he pulls into and parks in the garage.  I will contact him and ask him about his hardware, though I do remember him saying that he had problems with personal rf devices and found it easier to transmit from the vehicle...

[JaseP]

Bluetooth adapters can be had for under $2 US, if you don't mind that they all have the same MAC address (and can't be changed, either);
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/super-mini-bluetooth-2-0-adapter-dongle-vista-compatible-11866

I have a small handful of the ones in the link above. USB extension cables would cost you more than they do...

[cfernandes]

beware of this cheap bluetooth , many do not work with wiimote and symbian phones,
just my two cents

[hari]

If you always sit on "your chair" I'd recommend to fit an EnOcean pressure sensor into it :-) It will emit an unique ID and you can handle the event with the event handler. Look at these as an example: http://www.sensocasa.de/Schalter-und-Taster/Sonderschalter/Funk-Drucksensor-zum-Einbau-in-Sitzmoebel::267.html

ps: they don't use wires or batteries

[JaseP]

beware of this cheap bluetooth , many do not work with wiimote and symbian phones,
just my two cents

Yeah, they're definitely inferior, but if you are only using them to detect Bluetooth, ... well,... Let's put it this way,... you can't go that wrong for $2...

[murcel]

follow me works best with a fiire gyration (follow me button) or a mobile orbiter via bluetooth (either symbian or java phone). You can also get some active rfid tokens with reader devices and add some code, that would be leet ;-)

Hari, did anybody ever tested those rfid hardware? I mean, isn't that the best alternativ to mobile orbiter (btw, who is still using those symbian phone?)

[Armor Gnome]

If you always sit on "your chair" I'd recommend to fit an EnOcean pressure sensor into it :-) It will emit an unique ID and you can handle the event with the event handler. Look at these as an example: http://www.sensocasa.de/Schalter-und-Taster/Sonderschalter/Funk-Drucksensor-zum-Einbau-in-Sitzmoebel::267.html

ps: they don't use wires or batteries

I like the idea.  It's simple and if I can find an English site with information about those and EnOcean then I may try it.  For the purpose of making this a feature others may be able to use though in a more general manner I am still looking to get my hands on some rfid readers.  I will post my findings once I have some.

[JaseP]

Try running the website through Google Translate.

[davegravy]

... It sounds like we may have found an expert!  No I haven't considered that but it gives me additional information to research. Thanks.

Not at all. If you're just plugging these into your MDs, and don't mind having detection limited to the chair sitting area then I don't think you need to worry about this. More of a concern if you're going for a room-wide approach.

[hari]

Hari, did anybody ever tested those rfid hardware? I mean, isn't that the best alternativ to mobile orbiter (btw, who is still using those symbian phone?)

you need active rfid tokens, the passive ones are too limted regarding the range.

[murcel]

Do you have some sources for that?