Twine – Home Automation for the Rest of Us

Home automation has never really become a mass-market product. Sure you’ll find boxes of gizmos in your local electronics store, but the odds are that they’re collecting dust and have a ‘price reduced’ sticker on them. The main reason for this is that they’re a) clunky to install b) clunky to use c) expensive and d) of limited capabilities. It’s not exactly a compelling mixture, I’m sure you’ll agree.

So ‘hurrah!’ then for Twine – the latest brilliant product to emerge from the mighty KickStarter project. This amazing little gadget combines wi-fi connectivity with internal and external sensors in a svelte case the size (and look) of a bar of soap. It is programmed through a very simple ‘If this – then that’ web interface that will enable even the most code-adverse of people to create some cool automations.

Twine incorporates a magnetic switch, moisture sensor and breakout board and can output to SMS, Twitter, Email or HTTP. Some of the possible uses for this combination includes telling you when the fridge door opens so you catch that bacon thief, letting you know when it’s raining so you can get the washing in, informing you that the garage is on fire. All of this programmed very simply from a point-and-click browser based interface. Twine’s available now, starting at a very reasonable $99, going up to $174 for the full-sensor version.