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Can I turn a horizontal PC vertically?

I need a way to turn on my PC remotely so I can use the home media features of the TiVo while away from the computer.

  • The TiVo is upstairs, the computer downstairs. Is there a product (or hack) that will let me turn on my PC remotely so I can use the home media features of the TiVo without lugging my lazy ass downstairs to turn on the PC? (More Inside) I don't think "wake on LAN" would work since the TiVo just looks for currently available servers. My PC has remotes for the ATI AIW card and the sound card, but they only work when the PC is on and the services are loaded, they don't deal with power-on. I don't want to leave the PC on all the time (or on stand-by) because it seems wasteful and it also heats up my basement computer room. What I need is a little clicker, like a remote car starter. Just a single button I can click to turn my PC on from upstairs. Something that could go in-line between the keyboard and the PC so, when pressed, would work just as if a key was pressed on the keyboard, bringing the PC to life. Obviously, there's no line-of-site so IR wouldn't work. I suppose I could connect something to the power button and run some wire through the floor but there has to be an easier, and wireless, way. I checked thinkgeek.com, my usual source for toys like this, but didn't come up with anything. I don't care if it's an "on-only" device, though it would be super-cool if I could turn the PC off as well. With all the home media devices available today I suspect this isn't a unique situation, someone must have an answer. I also vaguely remember a similar ask.me question but my search terms have turned up nothing.

  • Answer:

    Have you looked at http://www.smarthome.com/?

bondcliff at Ask.Metafilter.Com Visit the source

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There's also something called Wake-on-Ring which wakes the PC when the modem detects a ring. If you had an extra phone line you could just hook that up and call it from your main line or cell phone. You could probably also rig something up to send the 'ring' voltage over an otherwise unused line. Or you could carefully open up your firewall to allow a Wake-on-LAN packet through from some particular source on the Internet. Then you just need a way to trigger that. e.g., if you have a cell phone with a web browser you could submit a form on your web server to trigger the packet. Those are just some out-there ideas, though. The X10-type solution already mentioned is almost certainly better. To my mind the best solution to this problem is just to leave the PC on and set it up so it's using a minimal amount of power. With the hard drive spun down and CPU idle you should be able to get it down to 30-40 watts. I don't think that's enough to break the bank, destroy the environment, or really heat up the room (would a 40 watt lightbulb heat up the room significantly?) But of course that's not what you asked, so never mind.

mcguirk

Radio Shack also used to have a really simple radio- controlled on-off switch with a remote, and probably still does.

kindall

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