I am using this automation system at my home. Project consist of Arduino bluetooth and a J2ME mobile phone. It is possible to control illumination system from phone, manually from light switches and automatically by light intensity also you could be informed about the temperature any room and also consist of a security system that informs the user by sms.
Look at the video at
http://www.globli.com/arduinobt.html
As someone who has dabbled with (and daydreamed quite alot about) home automation I must say, this is pretty cool! I have never had access to proper bluetooth equipment (don't have Arduino BT, haven't bothered learning using BT on computer) but I have used php+Visual Basic to make christmas lights and the like that can be controlled online. This allowed me to have a proper, graphical website as well as a very small text-only site for cellphone control pr GRPS. I also had homemade "aluminum foil and duct-tape" switches in some doors, which the host computer kept a log of. The log was of course viewable online, and came in very handy for prooving that my nosy little sister snuk into my old room while I was at work. 
My neighbour was pretty impressed when I told her to look at my old bedroom window, then pulled out my cellphone and started remoting the christsmas lights in the window.
However, there is one serious problem standing in the way of me automating my apartment. Wireing! While hooking a computer controlled relay up to 12V christmas lights is piece of cake, and adding proper relays to an outlet-splitter is very much a possiblility, how do I control the hard-wired stuff? I don't own the apartment I live in, and even if I did, pulling down walls to install wireing and electronics is at best impractical. Besides, one needs to be a certified electrician working for a certified company to do legal installations/modifications on a mains wireing system. =/
Anyways, very cool stuff! If you have any thought on how to get this into "real world", please share!
I am using this system at my home, i have done also the circuit for controlling 220V equipments, it doesn't need relays as i hate their rumor, i have done it it with thyristor. The only disadvantage is that it is needed to extend new lines at home or if the existing electrical system uses "step by step fuses" (i am not sure about this term in english language but in italian it stands for "interrutori passo a passo"), it is not needed to extend new wires. I will publish my work here as soon as i will get free time.
That would be great! Now, I know that I could run wires throughout my livingspace and just put relays, solid-state relays, etc. in place of the light switches. However, the madamme would proooobably not be a huge fan of not having working light switches. Eheh.. :
How did you wire things up? I mean, the only truly practical solution I can come up with is having 2 wire pairs running to every switch. One pair to control the action (ssr, thyristor, whatever) and one pair connected to an impuse button that tells the Arduino to toggle the light in question. I could of course go with this solution but I don't like doing something unless I have it perfectly mapped out in my head! 4 wires to every switch sounds like such overkill, and of course there is the whole issue with mounting the relay properly in place of the old switch as well as getting the new button in place without it looking like crap. (for my part, having a radio-shack type electronics button on the wall wouldn't be a big deal, but again, the misses prooobably wouldn't be crazy about anything that is too visible :P)
My system also works manually, i mean you could controll by phone or from light switches, every switch needs 2 wires to converge at the point were Arduino is placed, also 2 wires from any lamp need to converge at the same point. If you need more info. feel free to write.
Yeah, you have gone the way I am thinking? Two wires to whatever needs to be controlled, and also two seperate wires to a switch that tells the Arduino to toggle the light/appliance on and off?
Did you use phone wire for this wireing? It has 4 pairs, if I remember correctly.. Also, how did you do this in a manner that looks (lacking a better word) pretty? =P
I kinda started thinking about making some sort of relay flip-flop to control the light. If the circut gets a pulse from the Arduino, it toggles on/off, but it can also be toggled on/off using the regular light switch. Thing is, I want to be able to switch the lights on and off even if (by some odd chance) the Arduino should stop doing it's job.
For this, there is the old cross-switch cabeling. Not sure if that's the correct english term, but it's basically where you have two switches to control one light. It doesn't matter which switch you flip (or what position the switch is in), the light will go from on to off, or from off to on either way. But alás, that plan has the very weak point of not supplying the Arduino with info on wether the light is on or off. =/
Hi Rigerm,
can you please provide me/us the info on how you've done your home automation system?
Anche in italiano va benissimo (anzi...anche meglio!)
Looks great! A (detailed if possible 
) explanation would be appreciated!
best regards,
Till
Hello
In a few few days i'll publish something about my project.
i'm at the same stage in my planning. how about some sort of bus system? but that would be very costly per switch, as it involves intelligent switches.
maybe x10 is a suitable remote system. theres a x10 library for the arduino and the switches are very cheap, like this one here on ebay.
http://tinyurl.com/6kofl2
x10 for arduino http://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/X10
It would be great if we work together to find a solution for a bus system although the switches are expensive, i don't know if you are interested in this project?
Yeh its great man...I was hoping if i could get the codings and circuits so that i can implement too...pliz help
Yes i'll post everything during this week. thanx
Thanks man..
Looking forward to it.
Anyone notice the scary resemblance to brazerk? (those of you who are old enough to have played it. ;))
"Kill the intruder"