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Version 3.5 is free for all
Version 3.0 Users!
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- Since many consumers are looking to expand the capabilities
of the HAL software for specific purposes unique to their own
circumstances, Home Automated Living has developed HALi
as a tool to extend the events and methods within the HAL software.
By using HALi a developer can add features not yet realized
in the HAL software.
- HAL can launch external applications at startup thereby allowing
third party developers using HALi, a facility to simulateanously
initialize their application when HAL starts up.
- Access and control HAL from a web browser from anywhere
in the world!
- Use a PDA or Tablet PC as a whole-house wireless remote control.
- Easily navigate the HomeNet screens just as you would any other
website. Control devices, listen to voice messages, view
Schedules, run House Modes, Room Scenes, and Grouped Tasks (macros)
-- do it all with just a click of the mouse!
- Protect your system by requiring a password to access HomeNet.
- HAL HomeNet supports additional browsers such as Netscape, Mozila,
PocketPC 2003
Smart Telephony
Features Requires Caller ID
on the phone line. A HAL-compatible
modem is recommended.
- Ring Tone: Users can select a telephone ring tone
to be played when the phone rings (once for each ring).
- Caller Announcement, Caller Validation, and Call
Screening
- CID Announce: Customizable
announcement of Caller ID information when the phone rings.
- CID Validation: Match
the Caller ID number in the HAL Directory (CID Lookup) and
announce a message specific to that caller (e.g. the name
and location they are calling from).
- Repeat Announcement: Customize
announcement to play once or "until answered".
- Call Screening: With
the customizable CID Announce, the user can hear who is calling
and choose to let HAL handle the call. Additionally,
family members can more easily determine for whom the call
is intended.
- Call Intercept: Save time by letting HAL automatically
handle unidentified or unwanted calls. You may customize
how HAL is to handle each type of call based on the Caller ID
information.
- Call Elimination: HAL can detect unwanted calls
and play a Special Information Tone (SIT) which will help eliminate
telemarketers by attempting to automatically place you on their
"do not call" list, hence reducing the number of calls
received over time since they won't call back.
HAL's customizable call elimination, unlike other solutions, provides
maximum flexibility to help eliminate telemarketers without annoying
other callers.
- Enable based on time of day:
Predictive dialers usually make calls between 8 a.m.
and 9 p.m. Enabling call elimination only during these
hours helps to reduce the chance of playing annoying messages
to wanted callers.
- CID Validation: With
HAL's CID caller validation (CID Lookup), HAL can validate
callers in your address book and not play annoying tones and
messages for those callers.
- Call Blocking: Users can add any telephone number
to a "Blocked Caller" list. When a Blocked Caller
calls, a custom message can be played. Additionally, the
call can be routed to a specific mailbox for unwanted callers
or HAL can hang up automatically.
- Call Actions and Routing: HAL will allow you to
take specific action based on the type of incoming call.
- Customize a different action
for each type of Caller ID identified (Anonymous/Private,
Unavailable, etc.).
- Route each type of incoming
call to a specified mailbox.
- Identify unwanted calls and
automatically hang up.
- Customize CID Validation (CID
Lookup): Users can have calls which are identified in
the HAL Directory routed to a specific family member's mailbox.
- Full integration and categorization of devices types:
Manage all of your devices with easy-to-use locations. Now
all devices are created from one screen, including sensors.
- Devices created based on categories, such as appliances,
infrared devices, thermostats, lighting, etc.
Go to the Feature Comparison
Chart for information on which types of devices are available
in each product.
- Automatic configuration of devices: Select the
type and model number of the device you want to use and HAL will
set the properties for that device automatically.
- Full status monitoring for devices: This includes
status monitoring for two-way devices as well as keeping track
of standard X10 switches by monitoring the X10 signals and devices
that HAL controls (lights, appliances, sensors, etc.).
- Device Naming: Name devices and sensors independent
of their location adn device type. For instance, you could
name a light that's in the living room as "Art Deco".
- More way to view and organize your devices: Organize,
sort, and view by Category, Name, Room or Location, Address, or
Status. For instance, you could sort by "Art Deco"
(name), living room (location), or light (device type).
- Resize HAL screens: The Automation Setup,
System Monitor, and Messages screens can now be
resized by clicking the maximize button at the top-right corner
of the screen or by dragging the lower-right corner of the screen.
- Create automation faster and easier with new copy-and-paste
support for Actions, Conditions, and Schedules.
- Search for devices faster and easier using Find/Find
Next in Grouped Tasks, House Modes, If/Then Situations,
and Room Scenes.
- Device list/inventory: Print a list of all the
devices you've created in HAL.
- View history logs by category: Now you can filter
the information in the log files by category, such as "Modes
and Scenes", "Schedules", etc.
Custom Support
for More Devices and Adapters See
the Interfaces page for more
information about these manufacturers.
- AOL 9.0 is now supported
- HAL Support for Ademco security panels: VISTA-128BP, VISTA-128FBP,
VISTA-250BP, VISTA-250FBP.
- Support for dual setpoints with RCS TX16B thermostat (HAL2000
only)
- Leviton two-way reporting devices
- SmartHome.com two-way reporting devices
- Lightolier two-way reporting devices
- SmartHome.com PowerLinc USB Adapter
- RCS Model TR15 (serial) thermostat (HAL2000
only)
- HSP/Aegis Controllers 1000, 1500, and 3000 (HAL2000
only)
- HMS OnQ 800 (HAL2000 only)
- ZWave devices / ACT HomePro Controller
- Apex Destiny 6100 Security System
- Holec / Xanura X10 Interface (Europe)
- Support for HALdvc beta (Digital Video Center)
Easier
Customization and More Automation Controls
- New Home Automated Living "devices" -- Counters
and Variables -- added to the Device Wizard screen (added
as HAL sensors).
- Custom event logs allow you to view a history of your
home's activities. Use the default Custom Event Log or create
your own text files to create as many reports as you want.
- Better energy management: (HAL2000
only) HAL now supports text-to-speech (TTS) information
codes for thermostats. HAL can report the temperature, mode,
set point, and fan as part of any TTS action, E-mail notification,
or custom report. Custom reporting helps you manage your
energy usage by monitoring the temperature of the house. Schedule
a TTS action to write a custom report log every hour to see when
the temperature changes the most.
More Access to
Devices and Information
- Device-specific voice access: You now have the
option to decide whether a specific device, mode, or scene can
be controlled by voice. For instance, if you have a Grouped
Task that runs a specific set of actions every night when you
go to bed, you can disable voice access to the Grouped Task so
that no one in your family can run the Grouped Task by mistake.
This way the Grouped Task can only be run as an action in
a Mode, Schedule, or other Task.
- Ask for the status of more devices (even sensors) by
voice, including standard X10 devices, two-way devices, sensors,
relays, Counters, Variables, etc.
- Verbally or automatically update Internet information:
Update your Internet information whenever you want wherever
you are. New syntax allows you to update all of the Internet
topics or just a specific topic (stocks, waether, etc.) by voice.
An action screen has also been added so that the update can be
done as an action in a Mode, Schedule, or Task.
- Sunrise/Sunset commands: Now you can ask HAL when
sunrise or sunset will occur.
- Enable/Disable microphone and/or telephone speech engines:
Disable one or both speech engines if you communicate
with HAL using one of those methods. For instance, if you
use house phones to talk to HAL but don't use microphones, then
you can disable the microphone speech engine. (Disabling
a speech engine will save on system resources.)
HALdmc Feature Additions
and Improvements
- Change the order of songs in a song list by right-clicking
on a song (when the song list is loaded in the Current Song
List field) and selecting the appropriate action.
- New actions for the HALdmc added.
- HAL now reports the number of items in each category
(artist, album, genre, year) after it scans for music.
- Added an option to have HAL automatically go into the
Music context mode when you get its attention, so that
you can immediately give commands to the DMC, instead of having
to say "Open Music" first.
- ID3v2 song information tags are now supported.
- Create a book of your music selections: Print music
lists based on custom song lists or all the songs in the system.
- Added advanced options for controlling DSS music, CD
changers and other external audio sources by creating "Advanced"
song lists, which can be used in If/Then Situations. HAL2000
only
HALvoices Feature Additions
and Improvements
- Greatly improved clarity of punctuation: Provides
an even more natural-sounding voice.
- Faster response via speakers and telephone
- Added support for U.K. English version of HALvoices (requires
purchase of U.K. English verison of HALvoices).
- Added HALvoices text-to-speech (TTS) "Behavior Codes"
More Advanced
Automation Controls
- Status of appliances, lights, and other devices used as
conditions (Trigger Events and Secondary Conditions) in If/Then
Situations.
- Added and improved HAL "devices" -- HAL Timers,
HAL Variables, HAL Counters, run programs in actions, etc.
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New actions available in the Action
Wizard screen.
- Device-specific voice access: You now have the
option to decide whether a specific device, mode, or scene can
be controlled by voice. For instance, if you have a Grouped
Task that runs through a specific set of actions every night when
you go to bed, you can disable voice access to the Grouped Task
so that no one in your family runs the Grouped Task by mistake.
This way the Grouped Task can only be run as an action in
a Mode, Schedule, or other Task.
- Use the Custom Event Log or create your own text files
to keep track of your home's activities.
- Faster processing of If/Then Situations (Rules)
- Faster voice mail notifications: HAL will now convert
recorded WAV messages to 6.5 mono WMA format before forwarding
the message as E-mail. This creates smaller file sizes and
faster notifications.
- Silent prompt action: A "silent prompt"
option has been added to the Set Listen Mode action in the Action
Wizard screen. If the option is enabled, then running
this action will silently put HAL into listening mode (it won't
say "Yes?" or "How may I help you?"). For
instance, you can set up HAL so that when you enter the house,
it will announce the number of voicemail messages, read the latest
stock quotes, turn on the kitchen lights, and then silently enter
listening mode so that you can give it a command, such as telling
it to play your voice messages.
- History logging on a per device basis: Select only
the devices and information you want to track.
- More logging options: Detailed technical log information
can now be separated to show technical information (like X10 data)
separate from other logged information.
- Text-to-speech (TTS) reading of text files: Added
ability to have HAL read from a text file (.txt file extension)
as an action in a Mode, Schedule, or Task. Now you can write
your own custom programs to write to a text file that HAL will
read. The text file can also include informative text-to-speech
codes (<time>, <weather today>, etc.).
- Added more HAL text-to-speech codes:
- Counter codes
- Sunrise/sunset codes
- Thermostat codes HAL2000 only
- Variable codes
- New HTML format makes it easier to navigate and find
the information you need.
- Easy links to information for many topics.
- Extensive cross-referencing makes related information
easy to get to.
- A "Quick Reference Syntax Guide" has been added
to the HAL program group.
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