BeagleBone Home Automation

This book seems to attempt to start at the basics and work its way up through the depths of electronics and hardware to achieve _something_ with which the reader can utilize as a skill set to implement their own home automation system. With that, it falls short in a number of ways:1. It assumes that you have familiarity with programming in python and that you have some experience with Java on the Android platform, and that you're wielding a BeagleBone Black, not a BeagleBone.2. While it makes assumptions that you don't know anything about the BeagleBone Black, Linux, electricity, schematics, or electronic terminology, it does approach offensive with the level of detail that it goes into when it's not quite necessary. It's hit and miss though, so you would be ill advised to use this book as an intro to anything.3. The examples provided, and often, even the chapters themselves seem to veer quite far from the context or path of the learning material. One example of this is how the book covers in great detail the implementation of a pretty useless custom TCP/IP network protocol. If you want to do such a thing, buy a book on that topic and do it right.4. In contrast, things that should be in the book often aren't. The last couple of chapters talked about the importance of securing the network protocol that you implement so that 3rd parties can't connect, hijack, or otherwise monitor your home on your behalf. The last paragraph of the book *spoiler alert!* suggests that you continue with the author's suggestions by implementing something yourself.5. The book doesn't really cover home automation. I couldn't so much as turn on a light after following the content. In fact, I would say that it barely covered the Beaglebone Black.The implementations and examples in the book are, simply put, terrible. Here's a few reasons why:1. All of the networking library is built using functions, and not a one is a part of a class. The author has no idea what he's doing in what may be the easiest programming language to learn, ever.2. There is absolutely no reason that a person attempting home automation should be implementing their own network stack; this material could easily account for about 1/2 of the book.3. The Beaglebone comes with cloud9, which could be used to setup a secure socket server or an HTTPS web server, something that is much more functional and easier than having to use the twisted framework in python (which the author should have used if he insists on using python). Then you could cut out the whole section on developing your own Android app, and just browse to your home computer using tried-and-true protocols that aren't difficult to debug.4. There are some simple circuits for reading variable resistors and such, but they seem almost like they're copied directly from any number of the Arduino books in circulation. Any one of them would certainly be a better source.5. The author doesn't really position the Beaglebone as a home automation device. There doesn't seem to be any solid reason why you wouldn't just use an old computer and an Arduino.If you would like to learn about BeagleBone and home automation, I would recommend one of the following books by the same publisher:"Building a Home Security System with BeagleBone" - Don't be put off by the small size of this book, the author, a "hardware guy," does a great job of packing a lot of useful information into a tiny space. Though the book is security-focused (as I personally feel that home automation should be) he still covers a lot of ground that equally applies to home automation, even entertaining the idea of controlling your lawn sprinklers from half-way around the globe with your mobile phone."BeagleBone Robotic Projects" - This is a great book that covers a lot of ground in a lot of detail. Though it's specific to robotics, home automation isn't really any different. If you already know a lot, this book is still a great reference book that details implementations for sensory, motor controls, programming, etc. This book could also show you how to take things to the next level in home automation with voice commands, voice responses, computer vision, etc. If you combined this a kinect camera, and you will have a complete smart home.I'll be leaving reviews for these other books shortly.

ok

Good

This book does not cover home automation as in x10 or any z-wave. The title is a bit misleading in that context

Too basic book!

Very good book. I would recommend this to all hobbyist. Who wishes to be more familiar about new devices. Yet to come

After reading this book and working through a number of the chapters, I have mixed feelings. While this book caters to my knowledge and skills pretty well, I see it as more of a cookbook/reference type collection of semi-related tasks. The absolute beginner will probably be frustrated by their lack of Linux and networking proficiency, but the advanced user might be frustrated by a verbose level of explanation occasionally. Additionally, this really should be titled as a BeagleBone Black book.I think the most satisfied readers will fall somewhere in the middle of a spectrum of experience and knowledge. For many readers, definitions and concepts may need to be learned elsewhere. Even so, I found myself asking the question "Why do it that way?" more than once.It's a hard task to create a one-size-fits-all solution to teaching specialized technological concepts. I would like to see the chapters reorganized to allow for easier skimming over known concepts and increasingly advanced material as the chapter progresses. I found myself starting with the chapter summaries and working backwards to better understand a chapter. I really like a lesson plan approach to learning/teaching, and I think this material would benefit from that strategy.This book has been valuable during the course of my home automation project (an Internet-controlled dog feeder), and the answers I still seek might be inside it. But it's impossible to know what you don't know. The primary resources I have used, however, are freely available tutorials on the web. But I like books, and this one has a place on my (e)shelf.

Disclaimer: I was given a reviewer's copy of 'BeagleBone Home Automation'. The fact that I was given a copy of this book has in no way influenced my review.BeagleBone Home Automation by Juha Lumme didn't live up to what I thought the book should be.While I liked the book as an overall book on how you can work with the BeagleBone Black, it didn't seem to cover home automation. It does give lots of ideas that you can build out though. Juha also provides a fair amount of python code for running on the server and an Android based Java application as well.The reason for the low rating is that I was hoping to see how to integrate the BeagleBone system into the house so you could use it to dim/brighten lights or raise/lower shades based on inputs fed into the system, but that was missing.I did like chapter 6 which walks you through building an Android app to interface with the BeagleBone remotely. Being able to connect and control the BeagleBone when connected via the internet was a nice addition to the book.If you want a good introduction to using BeagleBone with some accessories, this is a good book. If you want to build a home automation system, this will give you ideas on how to start things out, but doesn't finish the process in my opinion.

As a beginner hobbyist. Fond ot challenging but difficult to put down. Amazed at the capabilities

Was O.K.