Here’s some popular home automation packages which use rules in some fashion. We would argue that rules would be THE way to automate your home almost entirely. Let’s see how these packages stack up:
A more comprehensive list of related software is found on our Automation Software List: Event Driven/IOT/Workflow/Rule Engines list.
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http://www.openhab.org
This is a neat tool that includes rules-based processing of events, so that’s a plus. It’s a command and control type setup rather than context based UI like Nebri. In other words, the UI is setup to be more of a remote rather than help you administer the rules. This is a active and important project in the category.
http://www.opensourceautomation.com/
Not far off from OpenHab in terms of focus, and not as popular. Looks like it has a tun of promise though.
http://wosh.sourceforge.net/
A ANSI C++ framework for creating home automation applications. Cool idea, I like the angle. However, it’s not very high level. The automation environment is basically summed up in this feature: Cron and Automation services, providing support for basic every-day tasks. The rules have to be setup in XML also. It’s a neat angle, but it’s not meant to provide a simple user experience on the web for automating your home.
http://www.domogik.org
This is an interesting application, with a Linux and Andriod specific packages available. It’s a XPL based home automation server. It also supports Teleinfo, x10, plcbus, mirror, ipx800, Onewire, and has a web interface.
http://misterhouse.sourceforge.net/
This is a cool project. It’s based on Perl, and allows you to program rules and logic while interfacing with all your home devices. The main downsides are its complexity and lack of a hosted solution. But the user library and array of supported devices is impressive.
A big difference between these types of tools and NebriOS is they way they choose to position the rest of the world. Lets say you wanted to build a small website that allowed visitors to open the front gate your castle mansion. You could do that, and then interface to OpenHab for example. Alternatively, Nebri would allow you to write one small rule and form to complete your shared entry form. In other words, home automation tools are nice silos, where Nebri is a generic line blurring, boundary busting rules engine. It’s an environment that doesn’t also have rules, but is based completely on rules.
Luckily Fernando, one of our Nebri developers, is pumped to automate his home with Nebri. We will have a report back as we combine Raspberry Pi’s and Nebri to create a home automation juggernaut. I don’t know that it would be a better remote control than the purpose made apps, so don’t expect that, but I am interested to see how quickly we can accomplish all this once we start.