Teenage Phone Control

July 23, 2001 - Reed Rinn uses ActiveHome in his household to perform the very functional home-control applications such as turning on and off lights, conserving energy, and keeping track of his appliances, but he also uses ActiveHome to provide one unusual service.

Reed’s "Computer-controlled ActiveHome system turns our driveway and outdoor lights on and off at dusk and dawn to provide outdoor safety and security." It also "controls several of our indoor lights during the evening so that family members can move about the house at any time with adequate lighting." While they’re away, "ActiveHome turns these lights on and off in a way that makes our home appear to be ’lived-in’ and secure." But there’s that unusual application that we haven’t mentioned yet.

Reed has two teenagers in the family, and they each have their own telephone line with extensions in their rooms. Of course as any parent knows, this is a very good thing since teenagers take to the telephone like a puppy takes to slippers. No matter when you need the phone, the minute you pick up the receiver there’s going to be someone saying, "Dad, I’m on the phone." So getting that other line was a good idea. But the phone can also be very distracting. They’ve still got to get their work done, and since they’re so easily distracted, Reed says "We use ActiveHome to switch their phone line on and off to insure that they are not disturbed during study time or after they have gone to bed."

To add this feature to the phone, Reed says "We used an X10 Universal Module in series with the kid's phone line. We configured the Universal Module to provide a sustained switch closure depending on the on/off state of the module." Then Reed added a Remote Chime in the hallway near the kid's rooms. "We have programmed ActiveHome to ring the chime module 5 minutes before their phone line is turned off to provide them with enough warning." So, the chime will ring each evening just before study time, and "then the Universal Module turns off their phones 5 minutes later." The system turns their phones back on in the morning, and Reed has programmed the system to keep their phones turned on until a later hour on the weekends since they have a later curfew on weekends.

"The ActiveHome system has performed very well for us providing convenience and security for our family," Reed says. Now he knows that his teenage kids are getting their sleep, and that they’re getting enough time to do their schoolwork. However, keeping their grades up is entirely up to them. But at least we’re making it easier to keep those options open.

Send comments or feedback on this article to xzone@x10.com