Have my media follow me

To automatically detect when you enter a room, you need a device that can detect your presence. This can be done using Bluetooth mobile phones used as Orbiters, coupled with Bluetooth Dongles on the Media Directors. You could also use other mechanisms like RFID cards.

Otherwise, manually execute the 'follow-me' procedures, as explained below.

How to set it up

• Create an event handler to trigger the "Follow_Me" events.

For example if you add iButton sensors throughout the house and give each user an iButton (about $2), you could add an event handler that picks up the iButton's "Presence Detected" event and in turn triggers a Follow_Me event. Whenever a user enters the room, he touches his iButton in the reader. Lights, media, etc. would follow him there.

How to use it

You must enable "follow me" yourself.

• Hold down the "MEDIA" button on your mobile phone orbiter (or Web pad, PDA, or on-screen Orbiter).
• Select your user, go to the media floorplan, and touch the "F" button.
• When the "F" appears on the phone (or is shown on the Orbiter with a cross over it) then "follow me" is active.

You can also enable follow me for lighting, climate, telecom and security in the same way.

When it is enabled for media, the media you start will follow you into any rooms that has a detector (such as a Bluetooth dongle). Your media will resume where it left off whenever possible, but some media players may not support this feature.

You can also manually change the room on any Orbiter.

• The follow-me settings are individual to each user. You can enable or disable follow me for only the user selected.

See also

• Follow Me

Programmer's guide

The Bluetooth dongle devices in the house continually report the phone's MAC addresse and signal strength with the Mobile_orbiter_detected event. The Orbiter_Plugin intercepts these events. When it determines a user has moved, it triggers events for the follow-me mode that is enabled (like Follow_Me_Lighting, or Follow_Me_Media). You can create another device that detects and trigger the same event.