How To: Use your iPhone to control your home
The release of ThinkFlood’s RedEye universal remote convertor for the iPhone is a great little bit of kit, allowing you to control any gadget that receives an IR signal via your iPhone. But it’s not the only way to use your iPhone as a remote. Here is Tech Digest’s five favourite ways to control your home with the smartphone.
If you have Indigo Home Control automation software on your MAC, the iPhone or iPod touch can be used to control a whole load of things in your home. Lights, heating, sprinklers; all can be controlled from your smartphone, any where in the world. It’s pretty complex, but it’s one step closer to living like the Jetsons. Sadly, they still haven’t come up with a solution for the shock-horror moment when you realise you’ve left the iron on though.
iRa Pro security camera system
It sure isn’t cheap, but the iRa Pro is a comprehensive, professional level home surveillance controller in the palm of your hand. It has support for multiple simultaneous video sources on your iPhone, with intuitive touchscreen controls to better catch crooks in the middle of their nefarious deeds. That said, a £499.99 is price tag is daylight robbery.
onOne remote camera control
If you have a compatible Nikon or Canon DSLR, you can download the onOne app to control it. It’s a great feature for taking remote images from hard to get to places, though it’s let down by the need for a USB connection. It also lets you review images on your iPhone and set up customisable capture timers.
A pretty obvious but often overlooked iPhone function is its ability to be used as a remote for your PC or Mac’s iTunes collection. The free app lets you use your iPhone to search your library, select and control tracks and change volume settings from anywhere in the house.
