Quick Start Guide


Not patient?  Then I won't test your patience with more of my nonsense and just get down to business.

When you first start Home Domination, it will display a demo mode window.  If you don't want to see this dialog anymore, all you have to do is click the Buy Now button, purchase Home Domination, then click the Enter Code button to enter the code you get once you've purchased.  But don't worry, you've got 30 days to mess around with everything before you need to take this leap.  Just hit OK to continue if you're not yet convinced that you want to own such a fine product.

 

After this, it will display the following message to ask you if you want to load the sample control file (sample.xic).  I would recommend this because there are lots of examples that show you what Home Domination can do, and you change it to fit your situation.  If you modify the sample file and save it, it will ask for the file name to use, so the original file will still be in the Sample directory where you installed Home Domination (usually it is in C:\Program Files\Home Domination\Sample\sample.xic).  

If you don't want to load the sample file, you can start a brand new one of your own by clicking cancel when it asks the above question.  It will continue to ask that on startup until you save your first file.  After that, it will always load the last control file you used.

Next, you will be asked to choose a computer interface to use.

You can pick and choose the devices that you have installed on your computer.  You can click Device Setup to see a more detailed list of devices and let you set things up a little more.  You can get to this by clicking the Setup button on the main screen also.

Which brings me to the main event...the main control window!

  

The main control window is where all the action is.  The log tab will show you everything that's happening.  The Switches tab is where you can monitor and change the status of switches or add, change or remove switches.  Changing the check box will actually turn the light on or off.  The Sensors tab is just like the Switches tab except this is used to monitor sensors.  Switches and Sensors can both be set up to control or monitor the same X10 code.  

The Macro tab is where you can monitor macros or create them.  A macro consists of one or more triggers, and one or more actions that it does when the macro is triggered.  You can do some really amazing things with macros, and once you get used to them, you'll wonder how you were ever able to turn on a light without them.

The Modes tab is where you can add modes that can affect numerous macros.  For instance, you could have a party mode, where some macros would be triggered that would entertain your guests, and some other macros, like the normal bedtime macros, could be disabled when that mode is active.  Each macro can be set up to be active or inactive for certain modes, or if it works the same no matter what, you simply don't bother with modes.

The Video tabs are used to display live video, and it also allows you to take snapshots, take video clips, use a Ninja to move the camera around, or display snapshots or video clips.  To add a video source, you'll need to click the Setup button, then click the Video button.

To save your control file, click the Setup button, then click the Save button.

There's lots more fun to be had.  The help for the main control window should help you through it.  If you can't find the help you need here, you're more than welcome to email support@homedomination.com or better yet, just click the Email Support button.  Email support is free!


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