Home automation

[Adragontattoo]

I am curious to see if anyone has done much home automation at all? I have always been interested in wiring the house together so that it will run like the houses in the movies do, but at a fraction of the cost.

I am curious if anyone here has any interest in it as well, and what if anything you have done or plan to do.

[natewildes]

I've done a lot of research into it, and I hope you plan on spending a good $5,000 to do a full job, but that of course depends on how big your house is. I have my 4 solar panels, 2 solar water heaters, outdoor house lights and front terrace lights controlled through digital automation panel, and it cost me about $2,000 for the control panel, the hardware which connects to the lights/solar panels, and wiring when my house was built 5 years ago. Keep in mind that didn't include installation, which I did myself. The only other thing I would work into the system would be electrical units which always get left on; the shop lights in the basement which are always forgotten, bathroom fans etc etc. You can also have certain security systems worked into them, which is a plus for home owners insurance :) My big advice: DO A LOT OF RESEARCH and jump for the more reliable products, you want to get it right the first time, it'll save you a lot of time and effort in the long run!

[wun911]

As soon as I walk in the door I want my PC to turn on....

[Sleepy_Steve]

As soon as I walk in the door I want my PC to turn on....
Motion dector?

[Adragontattoo]

Nate where did you pick your stuff up from, or where is a good place to get info to start from?

I currently am thinking aout buying a condo in a secured building so I wont need too much in the way of solar panels etc (condo rules) but the stuff I am looking at doing is

Networked house (kitchen PC, MythTV, music server etc)
Replacing the Thermostat and possibly intergrating it (it is OLD and currently the termostat has mercury switches which I WILL keep if I replace it)
Basic home security Couple of cameras doing motion detection, glass break and door open sensors, as well as camera facing out the window
Possibly tying the fishtank in (monitor temp, water conditions etc).
configuring lights to automatially go on at night and off during the day (one lamp in the living room currently)
Not too much as there isnt a lot that I can do due to limited space and even less knowledge.
There is only so much I can do to

[freakdiablo]

For the networked house thing, why dont you try those routers that instead of using cat5 to connect eachother, they use the houses electrical system? never tried it myself, but the ones Ive seen claim to get standard 100mbps speeds.

[Adragontattoo]

I have been paying attention to those since they were first discussed openly awhile ago.

They have yet to overcome noise from other appliances and bridging the breaker box.

IF the two sides are on the same circuit then it usually isnt much of an issue but if they are split circuits it is a 50/50 gamble on speed or function.

[freakdiablo]

so basically, what your saying is, its not worth it unless you have the two adapters in the same room? well thats pointless. well, back on task, for the lights going on/off without you flipping a switch, they have timers for like $10 at radioshack.

[Adragontattoo]

yeah but a timer will obviously go on at 5pm and off at 6am or whatever, you can automate to alwys turn on at an exact time or you could have a light go on/off at randomish times (within 30-45 minutes or more).

[natewildes]

I got lucky and bought almost all of my supplies from a local contractor who didn't use them on mansion he was building, and the only other things I needed were common hardware like wiring and bulbs, so I picked them up at Home Depot and Lowes. Just googling "home automation" came up with dozens of stores, so there's certainly no shortage online. Just in the past month, Home Depot has started carrying basic automation stuff, usually meant to control one or two things and nothing more, but it's a good start for someone who has never done it before.
Good luck!

[Adragontattoo]

Well if I do decide to get into it, I think that I will probably use the server I just bought as the backend.

I need to do more research and also figure out what I do want/need/like before I get involved at all with parts ordering.

Advantage of a condo

Less Space
Potentially more secure to begin with

Disadvantage

Less space
Harder to secure/automate while still following the rules.

[Adragontattoo]

well looks like my plan may be working towards fruition!
http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/9197

http://www.cepro.com/news/editorial/16386.html

[Zintac]

Hello all,

Been playing with home automation for about 3 years now.

I'm Currently Working on getting my HIT+ and my CEDIA certification.

Right now i have some basic things done.

Using X-10 Powerhouse to control the lights (1/2 the house done)
I have 2 X-10 Remotes, 1 main 16 channel, and 1 Key chain fob (2 channel)

I also Have a 24 10/100 HUb thats going to be my Networking center pice.

As of yet, i still havent hooked things into my PC.

Mostly due to money, it's been a slow go at it

The next Biggest thing is going to be hard wiring the house for networking, Audio, Video, and Phone system.

That way with the wire in place it will be easy to do the rest of it when the time (and money) comes.

Zintac

[Just Some Dude]

We have a vacation place in the country and about 3 weeks after we got back from our honeymoon (~February), we got word that a pipe broke in the kitchen and the water was running for days. The kitchen was completely destroyed, floor... took it all out. I've been "modding" :D it all year and it's pretty much done ;).

I wired the whole place up with cat 5, rg6, speaker wire and telephone wire. I also installed something called the "water cop". It's an electronic controlled full port ball valve you install on your main water coming into the house. Then you put remote units with sensors on them where you think water will collect and it then sends a wireless signal to the valve which shuts it off. It also has a wall switch that you can press on and off to shut the water off. It works real well for me giving me some peace of mind. It can also be hooked up to various home automation systems. I'm starting to get my beak wet with home automation.

[Adragontattoo]

Yeah, I have already decided that when I buy, the first thing I am doing is putting a bunch of holes in the wall so that I can run Data/Voice/Video/controller cabling all over the place. If I buy a Condo it will be easier to an extent because it is a much smaller place.

I just need to save up the money for a downpayment and then figure out where I want to live/What I want to buy.

[Sleepy_Steve]

LOL move to PG, its cheaper than NOVA by far.
Just get good locks... And maybe some firearms.

I found drilling the right holes through the walls / floor is a lot easier before the drywall is up though... God how i hate drywall and all its dust.
/end random rant.

[Adragontattoo]

Yeah I know, I wish I could get in on some new construction. Hell I'd even offer to cable the place myself, and NO WAY am I moving into MD EVER...

[Sleepy_Steve]

Meh, both have thier merits... But you wont find much new construction in nova that wont kill the bank unless you go way the hell out into the dulles corridor.
Maybe im wrong, but it seems the realistate market out there is a lot more nuts than it is north of the beltway.

[Adragontattoo]

I used to live in the Dulles Corridor,

Reston, Great Falls, Sterling, Herndon, Ashburn, Manassas, Centreville, and Oakton are all the places in NoVa that I have lived. Prices out there are almost as bad if not worse then closer in any more. Besides the 30+ mile commute I would have each way.

[Sleepy_Steve]

I will not bash VA.I will not bash VA.I will not bash VA.I will not bash VA.I will not bash VA.I will not bash VA.I will not bash VA.I will not bash VA.I will not bash VA.I will not bash VA.I will not bash VA.I will not bash VA.I will not bash VA.I will not bash VA.I will not bash VA.I will not bash VA.

OK, urges suppressed.

[Adragontattoo]

Shall we duel??

*slaps Steve across the face with a trout*

[Sleepy_Steve]

I'll sick a bald eagle on you fish monger!!!!!

Other than the lower cost of living, and the gun friendly additude.... i really dont see what the big draw in VA is. I mean VABC has some pretty crap hours. MD i can get booze at 3am on sunday morning!!! And lets not get me started on VA's anti speed nazi's called the state police. Forgiving as they are to me, thier inforcement patterns and lack of legal radar dectors really dont work well with my heavy footed driving. How about air. Thats right, VA has a clean air problem. I dont trust air i cant see.

/end rant of fun
So what was so bad about MD??

[Adragontattoo]

lets see here, you have Baltimore, and PG county and well you used to own DC (want it back btw?? No one else wants it). Your drivers are all mouth breathing inbreds that cant seem to keep a continuous flow of traffic going EVER ESPECIALLY if there is a Bridge or Merging Interstate involved(70&270, WWB). The fact that your police can pull you over at any time they choose and do a roadside safety check of your vehicle.

Shall I continue?

/throws trout at Steve and runs back across the border.... NYAAAH NYAHH HAHAHAHAHAHA *runs away*

[Sleepy_Steve]

Ahh, well i can do 30 over in MD before its anytihng more than a mere 2pt violation, where as there are places in VA where 15 over is a felony - a speed that wont get me stoped at all in MD. Yeah, our drivers are crap, and i have yet to find more than one or two guys in MD on par with me. But i drive at late night, and i drive fast... i could care less what issues we have with rush hour. You just have to be aggressive and make your own space on the road in MD. We fixed baltimore... kinda, well except for that heroin epidemic thing. And frankly we could probably manage and corrupt DC a lot faster and more effiently than the current system which is merly the illusion of home rule. Oh yeah and lets not forget we have BOTH football teams playing in our state. Whats VA have? A trip into PG to catch a game. As for the saftey of PG and Bal'more, I am proud of our murder rate, at least they either shoot straight or know enough to use a knife instead.

Road side saftey checks are for 3 things: Ricers, Drunks, and ppl with drugs.
It does not affect me.
I enjoy nothing more than doing 80+ on a back road, passing a cop in the other direction... and knowing for a fact that i will never get a ticket for that. I love PG.

So the eagle went for the fish...
This hawk will go for YOU haahhaa.
It certainly put 1 inch tallons all the way into my dads hand.
Oh god if i had taken a picture of his face then.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b24/sleepysteve72/n6225613_23438.jpg

[Adragontattoo]

waiting for an answer but I may have a link soon to some home automation sweetness!

I know there is a good chance I will be buying one or two of these.