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Originally posted by: Fausto1
/smacks forehead

How could I forget? Three words: Secret Pr0n Vault. Hide it behind a door diguised as a bookcase or something. 😀
Click to expand...

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
- Terminate all of this in a small, well-ventilated room in the house. Door must operate via switch behind bookcase, pullable lamp over fireplace, or something similarily cool. 🙂 Inside aforementioned room, you stash your router, switch, servers, etc.
Click to expand...

Well, I thought I had all the possibilities covered. Guess not. 😛
Though "secret pr0n vault" does technically fall under both "server" and "etc"

- M4H
 
as for your main home theater, build a home theater PC and use DVI digital out to a rear projection LCD projector (or front projection if you don't have room)... this way you can put the computer as far away as you want (Reasonably) without super thick cable.
 
Originally posted by: Fausto1
/smacks forehead

How could I forget? Three words: Secret Pr0n Vault. Hide it behind a door diguised as a bookcase or something. 😀
Click to expand...


That would be called my "Study". Only I would have access to it.


 
Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Originally posted by: CPA
This is great thanks.

Here is something I forgot to mention: My Widescreen is HDTV (Mitsu brand). RG-6 still the way to go, or something better? I will be using DTV and a HD antenea to get the signal. Now if TIVO and DTV would get the manufacturers (Sony oare you listening?) to make a HD Directv/TIVO box top.
Click to expand...

Well, if it's HDTV then get some good quality (read - not overpriced Monster Cable!) component video cables, as short as possible. Your TV and box should both handle it if they're HDTV compliant. 🙂 If you plan to ever get cable internet or use an old VCR, it never hurts to have RG-6 coming out of the walls though. Just don't make it as frequent of a drop as the Cat5e.

Beau - Holy crap. :Q Where do you plan to get the money for this über-house? 😕

- M4H
Click to expand...


So run the component cable from the dish to the box, then from the box to the TV? I thought it only had to go from the box to the TV?


The conduit drops are a great idea.

Beau, that is a little too price, probably, but I'll look into something similar but on a smaller scale.

 
I think all of you people telling him to get Cat5e for networking are crazy.

He did say Home of the Future. Cat5e is hardly future... I would think 802.11a would be more like future 😛 Phone + cable in every room would be nice.

Hooked up to your HDtv should be a computer multimedia center. But tuck it away so you dont have to see it or hear it.

Beau had a cool idea for the recipe's in the kitchen. I really like that idea, that is cool🙂 You could just put a flat panel in your kitchen flush mounted into the wall, that would be pretty sweet.

The number 1 thing I have always wanted in my house is an elevator. It is so nice to have. My friend's one is kinda cool, but it is 15/10 on the coolness scale 😀

Spac3d
 
Hey, what a coincidence. While at lunch, I overheard a couple guys discussing automated stuff for homes, but didn't hear specifics. This peaked my curiosity. I'm currently out of work, and this might be the type of niche I could fit into. From design to installation and maintenance, there's a whole untapped field there! I have NO IDEA what is available or what the current market is for this stuff, but I'm going to poke around. I'll post what I find here to give you a head start. I'll have piles of links once I begin the search.

I think we'll both find that the interface between computer and devices being controlled will be the biggest issue. I'm going to concentrate on whoever is setting the standard for this interface today. Otherwise you'll end up with a proprietary system that will be hard to repair years from now.

More later...

Edit: The NEW Way to Wire Homes It's Canadian, but gives you an idea of what's out there.

In a nutshell, you'll want Telephone, Cable, Internet, Electrical, Plumbing & Heating all tied together. Might want to monitor things like refrigerator, leak detection as well as CO2 and smoke detectors, which can sound alarms. Hah, that brings up the security and emergency system too. How about the sprinkler system and heated driveway? Gotta think of all the details now, before you break ground, right?

How about electrically operated blinds, at least for the entertainment room? It would be nice to flip one switch and have the room go into movie viewing mode. That would also automatically start the popcorn machine in the kitchen, of course! 😉
 
Originally posted by: CPA

Beau, that is a little too price, probably, but I'll look into something similar but on a smaller scale.
Click to expand...

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Beau - Holy crap. :Q Where do you plan to get the money for this über-house? 😕

- M4H
Click to expand...


Actually, I don't know that it'd be all *THAT* expensive -- assuming you'd do the programming and labor yourself. Basically the cost of a few PC's, some software, and some actuators. Of course, it's a lot more expensive than a cook book and some light switches.
 
Originally posted by: Ornery
Hey, what a coincidence. While at lunch, I overheard a couple guys discussing automated stuff for homes, but didn't hear specifics. This peaked my curiosity. I'm currently out of work, and this might be the type of niche I could fit into. From design to installation and maintenance, there's a whole untapped field there! I have NO IDEA what is available or what the current market is for this stuff, but I'm going to poke around. I'll post what I find here to give you a head start. I'll have piles of links once I begin the search.

I think we'll both find that the interface between computer and devices being controlled will be the biggest issue. I'm going to concentrate on whoever is setting the standard for this interface today. Otherwise you'll end up with a proprietary system that will be hard to repair years from now.

More later...
Click to expand...

I had this idea years ago first when I was building my home, then later thought of it as a business opportunity. I'd love to have everything controlled from a central server with terminals and connections to devices all over the house. The biggest problem is interfacing with devices that weren't meant to be controlled by an external computer. I haven't done a lot of research into it lately, so I have no idea how far things have progressed.

Oh, and as far as the wireless, I'd still have a wireless port so it's an option, but I'd still run copper. I wouldn't want to be locked into wireless.
 
In my opinion, you should not go with wireless internet inside your home. For one, since I work from home sometimes, a wireless network compromises security. My company has special requirements if we run WiFi from home. Big no-no.

Just set up jacks in every room (like phone jacks in walls) and lead them to your router all in 1 place. My new house (closing in t-minus 6 days, has this already done - WOOHOO).
 
Originally posted by: Beau
Actually, I don't know that it'd be all *THAT* expensive -- assuming you'd do the programming and labor yourself. Basically the cost of a few PC's, some software, and some actuators. Of course, it's a lot more expensive than a cook book and some light switches.
Click to expand...

10" touchscreens in each wall, and plasma picture frames?
rolleye.gif


Actually, you could probably cannibalize a bunch of iPaq IA-1's for that.

Crap, now you've got me thinking. Look what you've done.

I'm sending you my CC bill. 😀

- M4H
 
Originally posted by: CPA
Originally posted by: Fausto1
/smacks forehead

How could I forget? Three words: Secret Pr0n Vault. Hide it behind a door diguised as a bookcase or something. 😀
Click to expand...


That would be called my "Study". Only I would have access to it.
Click to expand...

Have them rig up something a la the 21 club's booze vault. Throughout prohibition, no booze was ever found during raids.

-PAB
 
Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Originally posted by: Beau
Actually, I don't know that it'd be all *THAT* expensive -- assuming you'd do the programming and labor yourself. Basically the cost of a few PC's, some software, and some actuators. Of course, it's a lot more expensive than a cook book and some light switches.
Click to expand...

10" touchscreens in each wall, and plasma picture frames?
rolleye.gif


Actually, you could probably cannibalize a bunch of iPaq IA-1's for that.

Crap, now you've got me thinking. Look what you've done.

I'm sending you my CC bill. 😀

- M4H
Click to expand...

Go ahead, I'll just write down the number and send it back 😉 😀
 
Originally posted by: Ornery
Hey, what a coincidence. While at lunch, I overheard a couple guys discussing automated stuff for homes, but didn't hear specifics. This peaked my curiosity. I'm currently out of work, and this might be the type of niche I could fit into. From design to installation and maintenance, there's a whole untapped field there! I have NO IDEA what is available or what the current market is for this stuff, but I'm going to poke around. I'll post what I find here to give you a head start. I'll have piles of links once I begin the search.

I think we'll both find that the interface between computer and devices being controlled will be the biggest issue. I'm going to concentrate on whoever is setting the standard for this interface today. Otherwise you'll end up with a proprietary system that will be hard to repair years from now.

More later...

Edit: The NEW Way to Wire Homes It's Canadian, but gives you an idea of what's out there.

In a nutshell, you'll want Telephone, Cable, Internet, Electrical, Plumbing & Heating all tied together. Might want to monitor things like refrigerator, leak detection as well as CO2 and smoke detectors, which can sound alarms. Hah, that brings up the security and emergency system too. How about the sprinkler system and heated driveway? Gotta think of all the details now, before you break ground, right?

How about electrically operated blinds, at least for the entertainment room? It would be nice to flip one switch and have the room go into movie viewing mode. That would also automatically start the popcorn machine in the kitchen, of course! 😉
Click to expand...



Went to that site and it seemed interesting, though it doesn't look like the have a product on the market yet.
 
Originally posted by: Beau
Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Originally posted by: Beau
Actually, I don't know that it'd be all *THAT* expensive -- assuming you'd do the programming and labor yourself. Basically the cost of a few PC's, some software, and some actuators. Of course, it's a lot more expensive than a cook book and some light switches.
Click to expand...

10" touchscreens in each wall, and plasma picture frames?
rolleye.gif


Actually, you could probably cannibalize a bunch of iPaq IA-1's for that.

Crap, now you've got me thinking. Look what you've done.

I'm sending you my CC bill. 😀

- M4H
Click to expand...

Go ahead, I'll just write down the number and send it back 😉 😀
Click to expand...

Why would you want a duplicate of your own number is beyond me ... 😕 😉

Well, that solves my billing problems. 😀

- M4H
 
If I were designing the home, I would want everything to plug in (phones, audio, video, appliances, touch screens, audio sensors for voice commands, dimming moldules, computers) via ethernet. Get rid of this proprietary coax for video, simple phone wire for phones, etc.
 
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Still poking around, but I thought I'd bring this to your attention before I forget.
 
If you're leery of having wireless connectivity, why not go with fiber instead of copper?

Personally, I would have at least one 802.11a WAP in the house, and a Bluetooth WAP as well (just to cover all the bases).

It's still highly recommended that you use RG-6 with DTV, from the dish to the satellite receiver.

I agree that conduit is a great idea. As well as a central location where everything terminates.

I would go one step further with this central location. I would have everything rack mounted in this room, including all of your computer/LAN equipment, security system, and home theater equipment (provided your home theater room is adjacent). Just make sure it's well ventilated and secure.

You might also want to look into an "Infinite Baffle" subwoofer setup, if you're a basshead.

SmartHome is a good place to get more ideas...
 
I third/fourth the conduit idea .... running cables is smart .. but running conduits is smarter. I think X10 sends some Higher-End home automation products, LCDs that control lights etc ... from what I recall they all run on Cat5. But of course i would be wrong. But the best way to "Future-Proof" your house would be to ensure that if you wanted to run a cable from any two points in the house, it would be simple. Also ... try to write these all down on a blue-print somewhere. My dad did the intelligent thing when we remodeled, and even though he knew nothing about technology, he ran conduit as far as the eye can see. Unfortunately we have NO idea where any of it goes, comes out ... (sometimes the contractor would run conduit to a wall ... then put a cabinet over it. So I have no idea where anything goes.
 
My ideas:

  • Recipe server - whoever suggested this, it's a very very smart idea. If you can get a cheap desktop (from WalMart or some similar entity) without a monitor, buy it and load Linux. Buy a touchscreen monitor if it's feasible. If not, buy a flat-panel Then, using Apache and mySQL on the local machine only, load something like
    Crisoftricette. It will store all your recipes in a database and it's basically cool as all hell.
  • Definitely string CAT5e to all rooms in the house. I'm not huge on wireless, and nothing's easier than plugging into a wall jack and being good to go. Maybe get a WAP if you've got the money and aren't too worried about security.
  • Speaker wire in all common rooms. If you have a 'server closet,' use an old linux box running Samba as an mp3 server and hook it up to broadcast to the speakers. Nothing's cooler than having music on in ALL rooms in the house. If you're really wanting to get fancy, see if you can get something to let you choose which rooms the music goes to. However, that could get pricey.
  • Coax and phone in every room. 'Nuff said.
  • When you get the router and hubs and stuff, spend wisely. If you're going to be living in this house for a long time, invest in some quality equipment. It's expandable and your transfer speeds will reflect your investment.
Good luck.
 
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