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Zeus Browser Applet(Pre-Release Information) |
Recently, we have been working on a Zeus Status and Control browser "applet." This applet will run in most popular browsers and provide access to the status display and optionally provide the ability to control devices via a web browser.
The current version of Zeus includes a pre-release version of the applet. We are including it with the current version so you can try it and offer comments and suggestions.
The Status and Control applet gives you the ability to control devices from any computer on a home network or remotely via the Internet. So, if you ever wished you could control Zeus from a different computer from where it's running, the Zeus browser applet will help.
You can also display the status of your automation devices on a personal web page so others can see the status of your house but not have the capability to control devices.
You can use the default web page we provide or customize many of the display options including:
These features give you the ability to control your automation devices from anywhere you have access to the Internet. They also give you the ability to set up your own personal web site and let other see what you've accomplished with your automation system.
Below is a screen shot of the Zeus Status and Control applet displaying the status of the Zeus Test House along with the control buttons to actually control devices remotely.
If you are interested in testing the Zeus applet, you can run it on a single computer or use a small home network to run it from other computers. If you have a good Internet connection, you can test the Zeus applet remotely from another location.
To test the Zeus applet on a single computer, you don't need anything more than you already need to run Zeus Home Control.
To test on a home network, you will need a small network with at least one additional computer. This second computer does not necessarily have to be a Windows PC. We have tested the Zeus applet successfully with Linux and Macintosh.
To test over the Internet, you will need some type of good "always-on" Internet connection like a cable modem or DSL. If you have a static IP Address that's even better but not a requirement. If you have a firewall, you will need to know how to configure it to allow access to two ports on the machine running Zeus and your Web Server.
If you have your own Web Server, it should work fine with Zeus and the Zeus applet. If you don't currently run a web server, you can probably get Personal Web Server from Microsoft, or you can download Apache, or you can use the mini-web server we provide.
We have recently added some Online Help for the new Zeus Browser feature. The Browser Interface Help page contains the information required for installing and configuring the Zeus Browser Interface.
If you're interested in trying the Zeus applet, visit the Zeus Download page and get the latest version of Zeus.