Home automation - DIY

[nickbits]

For temp, I have a Trane Comfortlink II thermostat. I hooks up to Nexia for home automation.

It also required a Trane relay panel because it is a 3 wire communicating stat and I just had the typical relay wires. Bonus with that is I never have to hear the stat's relays "click on". I hate that noise for some reason. But if you're not comfortable rewiring your furnace control board, probably not the best option.

I have no idea what they cost since my brother got it for me for free.

 

[Uppsala9496]

Appreciate the input. I'll have to drive up this weekend to take a look at the wiring from the furnace. I think it is only 3 wires, so that is going to limit things.

 

[DrPizza]

I've just installed a Honeywell Lyric smart thermostat, it works very well, not sure why there are so many bad reviews or complaints out there. I got an used one from Amazon warehouse, so it was a return for under $150, great deal. the cheapest wifi thermostat is about $99. I love the geofencing feature. anyway, I also installed a garage opener ($248)with MyQ technology last month, and I added their light switch ($31), and now I can open and close my garage door, turn on and off the porch light from anywhere with my smartphone. I don't think these are that expensive and I am not breaking the bank to get these features. if you just want to turn on and off one light, you can just get the Chamberlain CIGBU MYQ Internet Gateway without the garage opener ($50) and the Chamberlain WSLCEV Remote Control Light Switch and get this done for under $100. But you might as well get the whole garage opener that has everything for $248. Chamberlain should be around for a long time, so is Honeywell.

I can understand needing the ability to turn on and off the porch light from "anywhere" - "anywhere being while you're walking toward your porch with an armful of groceries or something at night. But, I'm stumped as to why you would need to turn on the porch lights from any location that couldn't be served with a simple motion detector? The garage door - I've had at least one garage for the past 25 years. I can't recall a time when I've ever needed to open it and I wasn't right in front of it. I'm not saying there isn't a reason for having that ability; I just can't think of one.

I'm looking forward to doing some automation at home; my wife always kills about $200 worth of hanging baskets each summer. And if she doesn't kill them, they end up half dead by the end of our vacations anyway from not being watered regularly. So, I'm planning on setting up some sprayers that are turned on when it's sensed that the water is too dry. I add this because the first paragraph makes me seem anti-automation, and I'm not; I just wouldn't automate things that don't make sense to be automated.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Lawn sprinklers is something I'd like to do at some point. Can't really justify the cost of the materials for the 2ish months of use it would get but it would be fun to have. Trick is finding universal sprinkler heads though. It looks like they don't just connect straight to 1/2 copper/pex but have special threaded fittings that arn't really standardized. Unless it's NPT thread, but all the sites I found that were selling them did not specify that.

Would want a permanently installed air compressor as well so the lines can be blown out automatically based on temperature. That way I could use it all summer long and not worry about having to winterise it in August when the overnight temps drop below zero.

I have a strip of lawn I've been trying to regrow for like 2 years. To get grass to germinate you pretty much have to be on top of it and always keep it wet and when you work that's hard to do.

 

[skyking]

I can understand needing the ability to turn on and off the porch light from "anywhere" - "anywhere being while you're walking toward your porch with an armful of groceries or something at night. But, I'm stumped as to why you would need to turn on the porch lights from any location that couldn't be served with a simple motion detector? The garage door - I've had at least one garage for the past 25 years. I can't recall a time when I've ever needed to open it and I wasn't right in front of it. I'm not saying there isn't a reason for having that ability; I just can't think of one.

I'm looking forward to doing some automation at home; my wife always kills about $200 worth of hanging baskets each summer. And if she doesn't kill them, they end up half dead by the end of our vacations anyway from not being watered regularly. So, I'm planning on setting up some sprayers that are turned on when it's sensed that the water is too dry. I add this because the first paragraph makes me seem anti-automation, and I'm not; I just wouldn't automate things that don't make sense to be automated.

here is what we did. it took a few days of trial and error to set it right.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Orbit-1-Port-Single-Dial-Timer-62056/100126132

Plus drip kit.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/DIG-Drip-Irrigation-Watering-Kit-G77AS/100120911

Adjust the how much and how often till it is reasonably right for the season. We took off for weeks in the heat and grew tomatoes with this combo. The earth boxes would need water twice a day in the hot times, not a problem.
They got a big spigot type nozzle, and the hanging pots were sized accordingly. easy to change nozzle size.
Kit comes with a screen to keep things clean.

 

[DrPizza]

here is what we did. it took a few days of trial and error to set it right.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Orbit-1-Port-Single-Dial-Timer-62056/100126132

Plus drip kit.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/DIG-Drip-Irrigation-Watering-Kit-G77AS/100120911

Adjust the how much and how often till it is reasonably right for the season. We took off for weeks in the heat and grew tomatoes with this combo. The earth boxes would need water twice a day in the hot times, not a problem.
They got a big spigot type nozzle, and the hanging pots were sized accordingly. easy to change nozzle size.
Kit comes with a screen to keep things clean.

Sweet! Thanks! I'll get a couple of those. Watch out chickens - your water is going to get flushed out full blast twice a day for 2 minutes. (Chickens make a mess in their water, and I have to dump it and refill it at least once per day. I'll grow something just outside of where their water pan is - something that likes a lot of fresh fertilizer.

 

[richardycc]

I can understand needing the ability to turn on and off the porch light from "anywhere" - "anywhere being while you're walking toward your porch with an armful of groceries or something at night. But, I'm stumped as to why you would need to turn on the porch lights from any location that couldn't be served with a simple motion detector? The garage door - I've had at least one garage for the past 25 years. I can't recall a time when I've ever needed to open it and I wasn't right in front of it. I'm not saying there isn't a reason for having that ability; I just can't think of one.

I'm looking forward to doing some automation at home; my wife always kills about $200 worth of hanging baskets each summer. And if she doesn't kill them, they end up half dead by the end of our vacations anyway from not being watered regularly. So, I'm planning on setting up some sprayers that are turned on when it's sensed that the water is too dry. I add this because the first paragraph makes me seem anti-automation, and I'm not; I just wouldn't automate things that don't make sense to be automated.

'because I can.' ok you want better excuses? how about you come home late one night, as you are driving up to the home, and all of the sudden you think you see something moving in your front porch. With my smart porch light, now I can turn the light on from inside my car, ready to drive away if there is an axe murderer waiting for you.

2nd excuse, you are away on vacation, with my smart porch light, I can turn it on and off randomly every night to make it look like someone is still inside the room. potential burglary averted, life is good!

 

[Cienja]

Sprinkler automation is a must for me. I didn't even think of that.

We use culinary water (unfiltered, dirty water) for our sprinkler systems. We still have the hoses on the house supplying clean water when needed. The dirty culinary water will ruin a car's paint job due to hard water spots, which I'm told cannot be "fixed." It's hard water to begin with, and I have a rainbird at the top and bottom of the driveway, so the overspray hits the car parked on that side of the driveway. The sun baking it in, and the paint job is ruined.

Point being, I turn my sprinklers on manually (when a car isn't parked on that side of the driveway.) I also want to turn on a section that is obviously dry and needs to be adjusted, I can turn on that section while I'm standing there. I don't have to go to the garage, set manual, 5 min, start, then haul ass to the backyard. That's the kind of automation I think is cool and it saves time (and car paint.)

 

[Cienja]

I'm looking forward to doing some automation at home; my wife always kills about $200 worth of hanging baskets each summer. And if she doesn't kill them, they end up half dead by the end of our vacations anyway from not being watered regularly.

Ha! Same here! $200 is about right as well We swear we're going to water every day, which we do, until something happens and they can't be watered for two days at 90F+ they are toast. No coming back without looking like it died and is alive again, but barely hanging on. I'm absolutely going to do the automated sprinkler system and run the tubing to water the hanging stuff.

 

[skyking]

It is just a simple as those links. works well.

 

[Kaido]

Sprinkler automation is a must for me. I didn't even think of that.

Best system imo:

http://www.eveirrigation.com/

Due out soon. If you need something now instead:

https://www.rach.io/

 

[edro]

I am a little worried about all the wireless signals inside my house.
All the LED and CFL bulbs use high frequencies and everything now how wifi.

We are going from a few radio devices to dozens.
I know they are all low power levels, but when you have 50 of them, it makes you wonder.

 

[Drako]

I am a little worried about all the wireless signals inside my house.
All the LED and CFL bulbs use high frequencies and everything now how wifi.

We are going from a few radio devices to dozens.
I know they are all low power levels, but when you have 50 of them, it makes you wonder.

Are you Chuck McGill?

 

[Red Squirrel]

I am a little worried about all the wireless signals inside my house.
All the LED and CFL bulbs use high frequencies and everything now how wifi.

We are going from a few radio devices to dozens.
I know they are all low power levels, but when you have 50 of them, it makes you wonder.

TBH I try to avoid wireless too, mostly because I don't want to manage all those batteries and there is always the potential for hacking even though it may be low with proper security. We all know what the NSA is capable of these days, however. While I'm not too worried about what the effects of wireless signals is, I don't like introducing more than I have to. There is actually quite a lot of stuff in the air that you can pickup with just an oscilloscope probe not connected to anything, kind of interesting actually.

All my automation and monitoring stuff is wired. I don't have that much stuff at the moment though.
1: HVAC control with 6 sensors: return, supply, living room(main one I usually go by), hallway, server room, outside.
2: Monitoring sensors: AC power, backup battery voltage, mouse traps, server room hydrogen level (for batteries). I have a lot more sensors in mind such as fridge and freezer but been redesigning my system so it's easier to expand on and more modular so not adding anything yet. All my stuff uses off the shelf stuff that you can get at Digikey or similar sites. I want to play around with i2C it looks like it has lot of potential as lot of devices speak it and you can put more than one on same bus.

My alarm system (non custom) is wireless though, but if I was to do it over again I probably would have gone the DIY route and wired.

I'd like to add security cameras at one point too. You definitely want to go wired on that, and not wireless, and not cloud based either.

 

[tsiunltdus]

Definitely go with a company that has been around for years. Like Chamberlain or Honeywell. Not that they couldn't go out of business but chances are less likely.

 

[Cienja]

Best system imo:

http://www.eveirrigation.com/

Due out soon. If you need something now instead:

https://www.rach.io/

Thank you!