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I'm starting to read up on Home Automation. I am just creating this thread so I have a place to record my thoughts.
I plan on integrating some home automation concepts into my new house. That means I have a bit of time between now and construction to get everything right.
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First, I've only been researching this for a couple of days. But so far I've selected Z-Wave based technology, as it uses 900mhz which is superior in my case of solid concrete walls. Z-Wave seems to also have the most market traction, so it works out well for me on all fronts.
Other systems include ZigBee, X10, Insteon -- and many more. ZigBee uses 2.4ghz which is less ideal in my environment due to all the concrete. X10 is old school. Insteon seems to have current products but little adoption when compared to Z-Wave.
Anyway, I feel good at this stage focusing my efforts on Z-Wave.
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I've ordered Amazon Echo and a set of two Phillips Hue lights to arrive on a friends container coming in end of November. This is just a quick foray into all this, and will allow me to play around for a bit in this rental house while still designing the bigger system for the new house.
The Echo just enables always-on voice commands. I plan to integrate it with openHAB. Through openHAB, I can control Kodi (formerly XBMC), which is my media center for all TV content in my house.
I plan to write some routines that let me quickly see which new favorite shows have new episodes, or some nightly "relax" routines to just play the newest Daily Show, for example.
The Phillips Hue lights are just quick shortcuts to allow lighting control by remote, while still keeping the physical switch operational. This way I can be in bed and just say "Alexa, turn out all the lights" and it will be done. Or when watching a movie I can set the scene automatically and reduce the brightness to 25% for example.
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Here is the general concept I am shooting for with the new house:
- Proximity location, so system knows when I am home (phone is on wifi, or GPS)
- When I am arriving home after being away and it is after dark, turn on all exterior lights down my road and entrance gate
- Valves for the primary/secondary water pumps, pool filters, propane, etc so they can be remotely controlled
- Smart electric meter to monitor in real-time the kwh usage
- Scheduled one-time verbal commands "At 6pm today, turn the sprinklers on"
- Security with smart-locks, keyless entry into house
- Security system, master bedroom will have a wall panel and panic button, turns all lights inside and out to maximum and sounds alarms, calls police, sends text messages, sends whatsapp messages, etc all with single button
- In-wall control center in a couple locations in the house, to quickly control everything in the house on a larger touch display
All of this can be accomplished based on what I've already read. And all without monthly maintenance costs or service fees.
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Here is a great thread on openHAB that talks about building your own dashboard (for use in a wall-mount control center) using dashing.io (another open source framework)
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Forgot to mention some other security related objectives
- Real-time sensors throughout property, can set lights and send notifications to me anywhere
- Security cam integration, show me real-time or historical video
- Front gate intercom/doorbell system, answer doorbell anywhere in the world with two-way communication and video
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In this video, they talk about Samsung Smartthings, which is Z-Wave based but Samsung's brand of products.
This guy created some rules that demonstrate some of what you can do, but he didn't do anything very complex because he was limited by his hub (Smartthings).
openHAB is a million times more powerful with a full scripting language.
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This video shows a few extra things including sprinklers, blinds control, AV scripting, etc
For those of you that have Harmony remotes, the idea is similar only far more powerful, and using an input device like your phone, tablet, or Amazon Echo (Alexa) you can issue voice commands for complex scripts.
For example "Alexa, play movie Wall Street" and then openHAB can create a scene that:
- Dims lights
- Closes shutters/blinds
- Turns on TV, receiver
- Queue movie on Kodi
- etc etc
I agree. The Apple standard will most likely ultimately end up being a closed system for non-tech types aka IoT for Dummies. Google's standard will probably be more open, but ultimately designed to focus on their Nest product line. Sounds like the way you are going will be most powerful for someone with tech skillz...
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Windows 10 Pro includes Hyper-V, so today I created a quick Debian virtual machine and will use this as my openHAB server. I could use something like Raspberry Pi or one of the NUC's I have laying around, but this was easiest. This workstation is on 24/7 and has BBU.
I really like all the smart led bulbs that are out. I have a couple of ilumi first gen bulbs and will get some more when their second gen. ones are released. ilumi The World's Smartest LED Smartbulb with Bluetooth LE there is nice app for your smart phone also.
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Yeah the smart bulbs are the easiest way to implement automation. Other methods require modifying the switch in the wall, or outlets/receptacles in the wall.
I'm still a ways off with the new construction in my home, so I am hoping the extra time will see continued improvement in the receptacles.
Some of them already offer load monitoring for wall outlets, so you can see the load per socket. I'd also like to have some of them with USB type C connectors built-in for easy charging without a brick/adapter. These are available today, but only with older USB connectors. Type-C is the future.
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We installed a Control4 system for about 5 years now and are very happy with it. We have all our entertainment equipment (8 TVs, 2 DVRs, Blue Ray, 2 Apple TVs, XBox, Wii, Amps & Digital Music Player), Speakers in every room, most of our lights inside and outside, our security system, two door bells, some external camera's, in home ethernet network and internet connections, and our wifi all connected in. You can also have automated door locks, garage doors, shutters and much more but we didn't do that. It can be controlled by their remotes, their tablets/touchscreens, but also any computer, laptop and phone with their app on it. I gotta say its really nice to be sitting on the couch watching TV and to grab you iphone and switch on/off anything in the house in seconds.
It's quiet clever how it works. For example unlike a conventional light switch, the light switches are actually two separate components. The first is the button/switch that you press and the second is the electrical connection that makes and breaks the circuit. While they are contained in the same fixture they work separately. So when you press the switch, it actually sends a message to the control box saying 'somebody just pressed this switch'. The control box then processes that information and responds. So in this example the control box knows when 'somebody presses this switch' we need to switch the light on, so it sends a message back to the light switch, telling it to complete the electrical circuit so that the light comes on. All pretty obvious but the beauty is that you can program anything you want. Some of our light switches when 'double tapped' switch on different sets of lights than when single tapped. In every room with a TV there is a light/dimmer switch that when held up (or down) increases the volume on the TV, and if tapped three times switchs the TV on (or off). We have keypad's in certain rooms where a single touch to a button can perform multiple functions. For example one of the buttons on the keypad in my bedroom is our 'good night button'. When you press that button, it switches off all the TVs and speakers, switches of all the lights and activates the alarm. You probably laughed when read above that our door bells are on the system. That's actually a very nice feature because you can program which rooms hear the door bell/get the audible alert. You can also have it so that TVs automatically pause and switch to a camera view of the door but we didn't do that.
Control4 is a dealer installed system rather than a DIY system. The good thing about that is that it's more reliable, the downside is that it's more expensive. The other downside, and the one thing I don't like, is that your dealer and not you has control of the system. I can not change anything, I have to get my dealer to log on and make the changes for me. Thankfully if its nothing major my dealer considers it maintenance and doesn't charge me, but adding a new component, buying a new TV etc, does involve some programming.
Cost is not surprisingly dependent upon what and how much you want to automate. The most expensive component in my system was not the automation devices themselves but an 8x8 HDMI Matrix Switch (8 inputs, 8 Ethernet outputs, with 8 Ethernet/HDMI converters for the TV end, allowing you to watch any input on any devicem and most importantly all at the same time) to do all the video switching. Unfortunately that component has had issues now on two separate occasions. Not only do I need the dealer to come out to trouble shoot it, but while there's a problem none of the TV's work in the entire house and there's no jury rigging the system.
Some pictures...
(one of those Cisco box's is a Cisco RV016 Multi-WAN VPN Router which allows me to have multiple internet connections and not lose my trading systems if one of the connections goes down. The others are just Ethernet switches. There's also a Cisco wireless router in another room that is hard wired back to here.)
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Do you use any proximity type devices, like GPS or wi-fi location, to do something like automatically turn on the lights as you get home?
Can you go into a little more detail on the security system? I'm having difficulty trying to plan a proper security system. I need lots of motion detectors, but also need them to not be set off by my dogs which is a problem. I don't plan on them inside the house, but outside and with clear line of sight of possible entry areas.
The problem with cameras, for me, is that the area is so large I don't think it's likely I can cover all of it. And second, I would need so many cameras to have useful resolution, it would be ridiculous. So the plan is some cameras along the main entry road and front gate, but motion sensors inside the property walls to detect anyone trying to come over the wall.
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@Blash any ideas how I can create an IFTTT rule so that when I wake up on the 1st, Alexa reminds me to xyz? I was hoping IFTTT could detect when I'm up by looking at my cell phone activity (or screen on after xx am)
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@Blash I'm trying to figure out how to save some podcasts or stations from tunein to a favorites or a playlist, for example CNBC fast money and Bloomberg radio.
Right now I have to either memorize the exact name or use the app to browse to it
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I use the iPhone Calendar app to remind me of things similar which is linked to my Google Calendar and Alexa reads from my Google Calendar. So my iPhone alerts me of my events/appt and we ask "Alexa what's on the Calendar?"
Ron
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An Australian accent Rocks bro! Australia Rocks! We have friends that about 4.5 years ago just up and moved their family to just outside Sydney chat with them on Viber all the time. There is voice training and that can be done with Amazon Echo for example so don't hesitate if you are interested.
Ron
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...My calamity is My providence, outwardly it is fire and vengeance, but inwardly it is light and mercy...
The steed of this Valley is pain; and if there be no pain this journey will never end.
Buy Low And Sell High (read left to right or right to left....lol)
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I use the Amazon Music app on this iPhone so Alexa can play from what is in my Amazon Music after asking no problem. Not exactly sure regarding station just yet.
Ron
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...My calamity is My providence, outwardly it is fire and vengeance, but inwardly it is light and mercy...
The steed of this Valley is pain; and if there be no pain this journey will never end.
Buy Low And Sell High (read left to right or right to left....lol)
In the end, none of the voice assistants earned a report card that would make a strict parent proud. Here’s how they stacked up in terms of grade-point averages out of 4.0.
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Seriously I use all 4 of the above. All 4 of us in our family use Siri on our Apple devices. We use Amazon Echo (we have 2) most just because it's right in the kitchen which can be used from anywhere on the first floor save the office and pantry and in the master bath. One of its greatest strengths is the massive library of music availability by simply asking, spelling for the 8 and 9 yr old and us, wiki articles, the weather and turning on the lights. I use Google and Cortana in the office at my desk have the least experience with Cortana but so far it's turning out to be the hardest to use for me.
Ron
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...My calamity is My providence, outwardly it is fire and vengeance, but inwardly it is light and mercy...
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My doorbells are actually hard wired back to the system (which is no help sorry). But I will say we really really like having the doorbells on the system. Once on the system they have access to the audio switch and then you can program what rooms get the notification etc etc. You can also program your TVs to switch to the camera if you have them. Very helpful if you are somewhere in the house (or garden) and wouldn't hear a traditional doorbell.
On a similar but slightly different tangent saw commercials for ring.com recently for the first time.
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Thanks so much for the info sounds cool!
I checked out SkyBell, Aeon Labs and Ring the night before I posted wondering what others are doing. So far to me they all seems cheapo. I do not want just something double sided taped or screwed to my house z-wave or not.
Here is what my current doorbell is like:
I have yet to pull off the front plate, but will soon, and see how much room there is behind it. My current thought is to stick a motion sensing z-wave camera with two way audio in there if I can and just front get the whole doorbell idea all together. Maybe something like this [URL][D-Link POE Business Outdoor HD Day/Night Network Surveillance Camera with mydlink-Enabled (DCS-2310L) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0092KZA0E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_N2W6wbHK1GHK6/URL]
For example UPS never even knocks much less rings the bell but this way any motion will set it off. Ideas????
Ron
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The steed of this Valley is pain; and if there be no pain this journey will never end.
Buy Low And Sell High (read left to right or right to left....lol)
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I finally had a few minutes...
I bought Samsung SmartThings v2 hub on Amazon a few months ago and brought it from the States, along with five or six GE smart in-wall switches, some motion sensors, a front entry lock, and other stuff.
This week I had a few minutes and installed the switches in the wall.
First impressions, I really like SmartThings. Setup was painless using my phone. Discovered the first few switches easily, everything worked.
Second impressions -- range can be an issue inside a two-floor house with rebar/concrete (as is popular here, but rarely popular in the States).
I knew range would be an issue before I bought the stuff. Z-wave uses a 900mhz protocol which is generally better at range than 2.4ghz, but slower. Which is fine for this type of device. Z-wave is a mesh network, so that each device has the capability to relay commands to its neighbors in a mesh configuration.
This means that the hub itself doesn't need direct communication to ever device on the network, so long as there is a path to follow it can communicate by relay.
The first position I placed the hub worked fine for upstairs devices, but couldn't reliably communicate with the downstairs switches. I installed switches at the top of the staircase and the bottom, so it literally is as close as I could make two of the relay devices in the stairwell, but they don't seem to be able to communicate with each other even though they are about 5 meters apart diagonally (through concrete and rebar).
One obvious solution would be to have a hub upstairs, and one downstairs. And yes, that would allow devices to connect to a 'local' hub. But the issue is with issuing smart commands, for example a downstairs motion sensor couldn't trigger any upstairs lights if they are on different hubs.
I am still going to try and move the hub around and see if I can make it work. Unfortunately, not much time right now so may be a while... and second, this rent house (and all houses here for the most part) have the bare minimum electrical wall outlets. So options are extremely limited on where I can position the hub. Many rooms don't have power on three out of four walls for example, so it's amazingly annoying.
Will update later... but I definitely give a thumbs up so far if you are in a situation where there is no rebar involved.
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Installing my second wave of z-wave "stuff" tomorrow. Waiting on the SmartThings 2nd gen hub from Amazon which comes tomorrow. Already received 3 door sensors (these are super cool and the only ones I would even consider), 3 sensors for motion, light, temperature and humidity, a siren (also cool when used with a Smartapps device handler) and 2 z-wave garage openers. These openers I'm excited I found because I priced out buying the relays and wireless components separately about a year ago and what I found totaled $185/door. With these kits it was $150.00 for both.
Stay tuned......
Ron
...My calamity is My providence, outwardly it is fire and vengeance, but inwardly it is light and mercy...
The steed of this Valley is pain; and if there be no pain this journey will never end.
Buy Low And Sell High (read left to right or right to left....lol)
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Some issue with Comcast in my area has my internet in and out last night and this morning. Just what I don't want when setting up more Z-wave stuff....lol... I will want til tomorrow.
Ron
...My calamity is My providence, outwardly it is fire and vengeance, but inwardly it is light and mercy...
The steed of this Valley is pain; and if there be no pain this journey will never end.
Buy Low And Sell High (read left to right or right to left....lol)
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Comcast is pretty good most of the time, but I run through periods where 2-3 times a day it appears to drop the signal for about 10 seconds. Unfortunately this causes everything with a heartbeat to think it's disconnected. I've been onto comcast about it dozens of times over the years but unless you get somebody who really knows what they are talking about your wasting your time. Their customer service has severly detiorated now that you can only talk to people who only follow sciprts. Then as suddenly as the problem started, it goes all perfect again. I have Comcast & Uverse in the house, unfortunately a 10-15 second break like that, isn't enough for the dual WAN to switch over.
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