[ale] computer controlled power switches

[John Mills]

Sean -

As some have said, X-10 components include on/off power-control modules,
and the 'firecracker' control transmitter which hangs on a DB-9 RS-232
port. (It has a pass-through mode so you're not supposed to lose the COM:  
port, but I haven't used that.) I got mine at Fry's, including the
'firecracker'. Radio Shace allegedly sells some X-10 peripherals, but I
never actually checked with them. I think you find them on Fry's web site 
under 'home security' or 'home automation'.

Also as suggested, I use 'bottlerocket' to send the control messages from
Linux. Windows manual software (read: screen GUI) is free, but the 
scheduling versions are not (nor even cheap, if I remember).

A couple of Google searchs will probably serve you well.

My setup works as follows:

1. Hourly a 'cron' script is invoked. If it can successfully 'ping' a 
well-known IP, connectivity is presumably OK, so it exits quietly, else

2. Absent a 'ping' reply, the script turns off power to the DSL modem, 
sleeps 30 seconds, then turns on power to the modem. A message is also 
logged reporting the event.

3. My mail-spooling computer (and _only_ the computer) is on a UPS of 
moderate capacity to ride through short outages (< ~1hr). This is because 
it has a pretty old disk drive that doesn't like cooling off and 
restarting (like me &8-).

This isn't totally bulletproof, but my lost-line events are now down to a
couple of times per year vs. ~monthly before I set this up.  Actually it's
not so much for my remote access, as to maintain Vonage phone service on
the same DSL modem when we're out of town. I have also had a H/W failure -
one of the switch modules died on me. My impression: the hardware is
marginal.

I also have a non-automatic script to cycle the DSL power when automatic
detection hasn't caught it.

Perhaps that will give him some ideas.

 - Mills

On Thu, 28 Dec 2006, Sean Kilpatrick wrote:

> Alers,
> I am forwarding a question from my son as his question is w-a-a-a-y
> beyond my knowledge base:
> 
> | the DSL modem locked again while I was on vacation.  Can you ask the Ale
> | list for suggestions for computer controlled power switches so I can
> | reboot the stupid thing via a shell script?
> 
> He is a senior programmer at AOL and uses Linux at home and work.
> 
> Sean