If properly configured, your 1-Wire network should be capable of handling over 100 slave devices. However, it takes a certain amount of time to poll each device. For most slave devices, the polling time is not critical and will not cause problems. For some applications, however, polling time will become more important. With motion detectors, for example, you may want to be sure your device polling intervals will be very short. If you plan to use a lot of motion detectors, you may want to put them on their own 1-Wire network so that the polling time is not slowed by other devices.

The final key piece of your 1-Wire network is the software that runs on your computer to control and monitor your devices. You will need to select the software that is best suited to your needs, whether that is home automation, weather monitoring, or something else altogether. We provide links to 1-Wire software for your convenience.

Do not be intimidated by any of this 1-Wire discussion. It is really quite easy to set up a basic 1- Wire network. You will just need a few simple components, and we have posted a series of pages containing basic instructions for installing a 1-Wire network using Hobby Boards components, starting with a 1-Wire Adaptor .

Once your basic network is established, you simply connect the devices of your choice, and off you go!

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