Subject: From: Date:

Potential ECS Newbie with lots of questions Mitch Schwenk Thu, 28 Jan 1999 19:02:14 -0800

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I am looking to use ECS as my `brains' for apartment currently matched
with a CM11a to interface to X10.

I have 3 major questions:

1) From what I understand is that ECS can act like an answering machine.

 However:
    Can you have mulitple mailboxes?
    Can you check each box remotly?  How secure is this?
    At home?
    Sometime we like to call screen.  Can it play all audio via
soundblaster if we let ECS answer? (Including voice prompt and what the
other person is recording?)
    I don't see a list of supported modems anywhere?  One know of a good
cheap modem?  I don't have any modems, just ISDN and ADSL stuff (soon).
<smile>
    Can ECS `multi-task' in that it can be answering the phone while
performing other events?


2) I am also looking to extend the capabilities for digital I/O, analog
I/O, and IR.
    Which equipment would you suggest for this?  I will be first using
IR to control stero, TV, VCR, etc.  The I/O won't be until later.

3) Also, I want to be able to control X10 or set off ECS events via web
page interface from either Intranet or Internet.  I know about the
security risks going over internet.  I like the idea of having the
`brains' in one room and I can just load up netscape to perform certain
functions from another room or from the internet.

I was wondering if there is some sort of interface for perl or PHP3 to
talk directly or indirectly to ECS <as long as it gets the job done and
is reliable>.

Just FYI:
  I will be using a lowly 486 for all of this.  I think it should be
able to handle the requirements of these tasks.  It will be running ECS
and all needed web server goop as well.

I just want to try to grasp where ECS's limits are.  These are the main
concerns that I have right now.

If anyone can offer suggestions, FAQ's, howto's, mail lists, whatever,
please advise.  Thanks.

-Mitch

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