Version 7

So, what’s new in the HCA 7? Quite a lot!

With the recent development of Insteon and UPB, home automation has left the hobbyist arena and entered the mainstream. The reliability of these technologies and the affordability of Insteon make home automation available to everyone. Of course, HCA is leading the charge, making these new technologies accessible to everyone. HCA Version 7 has again brought simplicity to an otherwise "techno-nerd" environment. Providing near-100% reliability to home automation is just a few simple mouse clicks away with HCA V7.

But V7 does not stop there. Power users and advanced users alike will find the new remote control capabilities of the tightly-integrated HCA-IP products a breath of fresh air. HCA has been un-tethered!

SmartHome should take notice HCA V7 is the ticket to expanding their Insteon technologies into huge new markets - the average home user.

-- John G.

HCA 7 Top 30 changes:

Insteon! Support for the 2414U powerline interface for Insteon and X10 powerline access. Ability to send and query status from Insteon devices. Ability to receive Insteon keypad signals and use them as program triggers.
Support for the USB connected temp and humidity module from the Practical Design Group called the THUM, Hooks in to existing Temperature VP elements like the TempLinc.
Support for PIM based / generic UPB products. Added using the New Device Wizard by supplying the network id and device id. Very useful for the new generation of UPB devices that connect to the powerline via a UPB powerline interface.
Vista! HCA is now Vista compatible.
When creating a folder in the design pane a corresponding display is automatically created. Much easier to organize what you see in the display pane. Creating your own displays with icons from multiple folders is still supported.
Tab bar at the bottom of the display pane with a tab for each display for quick access to each display. Setting for each display for if it shows a tab or not.
Major changes to the Visual Scheduler. Much better in that it lets you configure the number and order of time bars. Now full access to all the schedule entry properties directly from the Visual Scheduler.
Improved popup menus. Much easier access to many commands.
New Alert Manager to handle events while HCA is running your design. Control what happens on common and unusual events. Events like receives of unknown X10 addresses, status polls that fail, weather observations failing, can now all be handled. Configured from the troubleshooter alerts tab.
New Text-to-speech VP element. Uses any installed text-to-speech provider and voice.
Multi-select in the design pane for devices, programs, groups, and controllers. Drag and drop a multiple selection into a folder to move them all from where they are now into the target folder.
Multi-select devices, programs, groups, and controllers in the design pane and drop them onto a display to create icons for each of them.
Multi-select icons in the display pane and drag them around to reposition them as a group.
Multi-select edit. The edit of one object creates a change log and applies that log to all the other members of the selection where it makes sense. Change common properties of more than one device, program, group, or controller with a single edit.
Multi-select actions: Multi-On, Multi-Off, Multi-Suspend, Multi-ShowLog.
Improved HCA Status dialog to see what's happening all at a glance.
Support for the latest generation of DXF producing drawing programs.
Improved hint system. Better hints at better times.
Support for latest generation of UPB and X10 devices. Updated parts file.
DXF preview on the layers selection tab / step. Much easier to work with DXF files and select the layers in a drawing you want to see.
New ability to add or remove backgrounds - DXF and picture - from an existing display.
Groups can now have X10, UPB, and Insteon members Previous versions of HCA limited this to X10 only.
Many changes to Automation objects. See User Guide Automation appendix.
Expressions in Compute and Compute Test elements improved. Inspector much more complete for expressions.
Show Log popup menu choice to quickly filter the log to show log entries for the selected object(s). Very useful technique when trying to isolate problems.
Folder and object names now checked for illegal characters. No name can have dash, left square bracket, or right square bracket. Previously HCA allowed this characters and this caused lots of problems when used in expressions.
Lock and Unlock icon placement menu picks. When locked, all the icon arrangement menu picks disabled as well as drag and drop to and within that display.
Weather database and Davis WeatherLink import bug fixes. METAR weather retrieval and decode problems fixed.
Many changes in support of controllers with a directly attached load. Better icon management and better ability to use that controller in Visual Programs and schedules.
Many problems with the Flag Inventory dialog now resolved.
And too many other changes, improvements, and fixes to keep the list to 30!

Fully updated HCA 7 documentation is available for download here.

HCA is available in four different flavors. You select the flavor you need for your needs.

Thank you for keeping HCA up-to-date with all the new hardware and powerline standards that are continually being developed and brought to market.

A lot of software vendors get burn-out of their product and stop improving and keeping it current. Especially when O/S change and an upgrade is needed.

You listen to your end-users and always try your best to modify or add features to HCA. I'm hoping to upgrade my system to Vista and my home automation hardware to Insteon over the course of the next couple of years.

I'll be staying with the best home automation software on the market HCA.

-- Tom C.

HCA Feature List:

	Uses with the Marrick LynX-10 (all models), LynX-PORT interfaces, UPB Powerline Interface Modules (PIM) from all UPB manufacturers, the SmartHome x10 PowerLinc, x10 PowerLinc Controller, USB Insteon PowerLinc Controller, HouseLinc, Magic Module, IRLinc, and the CM11 X10 interface.
	Runs on Windows Vista
	Fully compatible with the latest generation of UPB, Insteon, and X10 switches and modules.
	Works with any X10 controller - wired in or wireless remotes. If it receives powerline signals HCA can control it. If it generates powerline signals HCA can receive its commands and act upon them as you need.
	Start external Windows programs from a HCA program. Using external programs, HCA can send faxes, calls pagers, etc.
	Extensive power failure recovery features including schedule catch-up and running program continuation. Works on systems with or without uninterruptible power supplies using any of the supported interfaces.

	Many easy to follow Wizards that help guide you through each operation.
	Includes the Quick Start Wizard, a tutorial and home setup wizard. Gets you started in all areas of HCA within 30 minutes.

	No scripting language used. HCA programs (what other home automation software calls macros) are drawn using a simple drag and drop process.
	HCA programs are built from over 30 different operations including conditional testing (If-Then-Else). Switch schedules remotely, send X10 commands, even play WAV files or use text-to-speech on your computer.
	Start programs with the receipt of commands from X10, Insteon, or UPB keypads.Programs can test to see how they were started and take different actions in each case.
	Complete scheduling facilities. Schedule based upon weekdays, weekends, selected days, day of the month, or specific date. Times based upon a fixed time or sunrise and sunset plus or minus so many minutes. Devices, programs and groups can be scheduled.
	Any schedule entry can be set to happen at a slightly different time each day. Helps give your home a lived in look.
	Schedules created using either a Wizard or using a graphical time display and drag and drop.
	Select devices to add to your home from a comprehensive parts database.

Create groups of devices and programs controlled by one housecode and unitcode. Send an ON from a remote and they all come on. With all members of the group having different housecodes and unitcodes, UPB addresses, or Insteon addresses they can still be controlled and scheduled individually, or together by using the group.

No limits of the number of schedules, programs, devices, and groups in your home design.

Display your home floor plans using DXF or image files. DXF files are imported from all drawing programs that can write DXF - from inexpensive floor plan drawing programs all the way up to AutoCAD.

Complete logging facilities. Log all commands sent and/or received and when. HCA programs can also log the actions taken. View the log within HCA or export the log to database programs for detailed analysis.

	Complete comprehensive User Guide provided in PDF and WORD doc files.
	Works like a Windows program should. Complete clipboard and undo support. Right-click context menus, property sheets, wizards. Carefully designed and implemented. Not software written as an after-thought just to make the hardware work.
	Runs on all modern Windows versions: 95, 98, Millennium Edition, NT, 2000, XP Home or Pro, and Vista.
	Unlimited no cost technical support from the HCA web site and email.