HCA 10 Now Available

[KHarms]

Hello !

HCA has been continuously available for over 10 years. During that time we have strived to keep it up to date with new features and support for new hardware.

With version 10 we took a step back, pulled it all apart, and put it back together in a new way. We created an HCA Server application that loads and executes your design. Then from any computer on your network – or on the computer running the server – you can connect to the server with a client. And this is not some “dumbed down” read-only client. The client can show exactly the same interface as HCA has in the past and has the same capabilities. From the client you can modify the design, add and remove devices, schedule, create Insteon scenes, and add and modify programs. And the best part is that if you have more than one client connected, all are updated with your changes.

HCA was re-architected to create the Client-Server for several reasons. Since HCA needs to run 24/7, lots of users look for an unobtrusive means to do that. Downloading into an automation interface just doesn't work. It isn't powerful enough to run your design well and can\'t bridge technologies. We have recommended for some time now to use a low-end Windows box as the download target for HCA. With Client-Server you can hide that machine in a closet and administer it - with all the capabilities of HCA - from another computer in your home. Also, you can install HCA on a computer at work, or on your laptops, to access your design.

So we had this great client-server model and we had to ask ourselves: How could we leverage it into some more great features? We answered that question with the new Touch Screen Interface and also HCA for Android.

The new Touch Screen Interface is a simplified control-only interface that you can customize for your needs. It would make a great interface to use on that “family computer” so that everyone can control the home without any possibilities of changing the design. It is very easy to use and works great with a regular monitor and mouse.

Then we went one more step and created a native application for the hottest platform available now – the Motorola Droid and all the larger screen Android powered mobiles. This application works very similar to the Touch Screen Interface and can be configured in the same manner. Using your Droid you can connect to the server and control your home from anyplace you can connect to the internet.

And if that wasn’t good enough consider this: All these new features are in HCA Plus right “out of the box”. None are add-ons. All are included in the base price of HCA Plus! If you are a HCA 9 user then upgrading is easy with a special price. And if you are still using an older version of HCA and want to upgrade we have a special price for that as well.

Interested? Here is some additional information that goes into all these new features:

http://www.hcatech.com/index.php?sid=features&pid=feature_list

Thanks for supporting our development.

The HCA Team.

[skpnsf]

Sounds like a great new version. Any thoughts into an iPhone/iPad app?

[KHarms]

At this time there is no application specifically targeted at the iPad. The Web Component, introduced in version 8 and improved in versions 9 and 10, remains a full featured method to access a HCA installation remotely. The Web Component can be accessed via a browser on mobile and desktop platforms.

In a small company with less than unlimited development resources, we had to place a bet down on where the mobile market is heading. We put our bet down on Android. Only time will tell on the quality of this bet.

[dboyles]

I vote for a native iPhone app as well! I personally know a dozen people with iPhones. No one I know owns an Android...

[KHarms]

We have heard you. Really! But development isn't a democracy. The designers take into account lots of things when the decisions is made on hardware support and feature inclusion. It is often a tough call as everyone would like everything. But you can’t do everything. Thanks for your comments.

[dboyles]

That is unfortunate. Much like a democracy, I vote with my wallet.

[KHarms]

And we wouldn't have it any other way. We make a product that we think is pretty good. If it fits your needs than we love making the sale. If it doesn't fit your needs we are the first to suggest you purchase one of the other great software packages on the market. What we don’t do is to answer all feature requests with vague "We are working on that" sort of replies. To many companies sell futures. We don't.

[FWilde]

Maybe a solution can be a remote desktop application for the iPad.
Something like VNC or Teamviewer.

I'm thinking of installing one of these on my HCA server. With the viewer on any other computer or iPad you can start HCA in client mode on the remote computer and have full access to HCA.