Geek House: 10 Hardware Hacking Projects for Around Home (ExtremeTech) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Marcia Press (Author) "X-10 home automation systems transmit signals over your house wiring, a difficult challenge because of noise and transmission problems inherent in using the wiring for..." (more)
Key Phrases: Anything Inventory, Basic Stamp, Vantage Pro (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

• From the garage to the living room, Geek House provides hackers with 10 PC-based hardware hacking projects that are not for the faint of heart!
• Taking the DIY mentality to a whole new level, this book teaches techies how to hack, customize, and modify everything-from their sprinkler systems to the temperature of their barbecues
• Adventurous readers will feast on such projects as installing a bar code inventory system for DVDs or CDs, converting RS232 to wireless, scheduling recording from any television in the house, and creating a remote control finder
• Companion Web site includes the custom software and source code needed to power these geeky creations

From the Back Cover

How smart is your house?

So your home's more like "ho-hum"? Don't wait for the techno-dwelling of tomorrow; do a little geek remodeling today. Make your TV turn itself down when the phone rings. Let your computer water the lawn. Install a kitchen PC that will automatically pull that award-winning sushi recipe off the Internet. And when you've finished these projects, we'll bet you'll be ready to create a few of your own.

Try one, try all

Covers what you'll need, where to find it, and how to build the project

1. X-10 under the hood
2. Wireless RS-232 link
3. Home television server
4. Security monitoring
5. TV mute on phone ring
6. Anything inventory
7. In-counter kitchen PC
8. Automated BBQ temperature control
9. Automated sprinkler control
10. Car PC

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (May 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764579568
• ISBN-13: 978-0764579561
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #159,566 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Project Frameworks and Ideas, May 3, 2005

By	Stuart Gardner "www.sdgardner.com" (Fair Lawn, NJ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is by the authors of PC Toys. The PC Toys projects are relatively easy to implement and spoon feed the reader all the material needed to complete the toys.

I think this is an excellent book. I'm very comfortable with software and coding, but not that great with electronics.

This book is more ambitious, provides good road maps for the different project areas, but the book is written with the intent of the reader branching out and developing their own solution. My interests are X-10 and Wireless based projects.

The companion website provides alot of source code that can be tweeked, or rewritten for your own particular project.

Negatives: not for beginers, could be insufficient for "experts". These statement may be contrary, but instructions lack detail for a complete novice. At the same time, if you have a particular interest in a given area, this book might not be providing you with anything new.

Check out the contents before buying to ensure your going to get a book that gives you the amount of detail you need. A look at the contents page and a quick skim should help decide if it is right for you.

If you liked PC toys, could manage the projects and want something more challenging the chances are you'll like this book. I think it's an excellent source of inspiration for projects.

7 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not realistic, August 5, 2005

By	J. Galvin - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm interested in X10 projects as well as other home automation projects throughout the house but I thought this book was a little out of tune to what you realistically would do. I was captured by measuring the temperature of a grill and adjusting the heat. This is showing you a control for a "smoker." Other items you can easily find on the internet such as X10 devices, sprinkler control, etc.