Home automation - DIY

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Cienja

Cienja

Senior member
Aug 27, 2007
471
0
76
www.inconsistentbabble.com
Hi. I want to turn my lights on in the hallway from 2k miles away. I want to see the temperature and change it from wherever. I want to have home automation throughout. There seem to be new home automation companies popping up every week. I've watched the Belkin line primarily because of the name.

The "sets" available at Lowe's, Amazon, NewEgg, are just a few pieces for a huge price tag and with so many fish in the pond, there is no telling if the manufacturer you pick will be around in three years.

Do you use home automation tools? Who did you go with and why?

Thanks!
 
purbeast0

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,522
6,354
126
Greenman said:
Fixed that for you.

I'll never understand the fascination with stupid gadgets. Turn the fucking lights on when you get home.
Click to expand...

that's because you can't afford to do it without worrying about how much it costs.

it's far from a necessity, but it's convenient as shit (and totally uncessary, yes).

but if you can afford it, why not? it would be pretty sweet if you could pull up into your driveway and your house just knows you are home and turned on certain lights in your house isn't it?

haters gonna hate.

as far as automation goes, i only have automation in my home theater for turning my components on. i almost got some lights that i could control from my phone, but i haven't done that yet (nor do i know if i will do it, even though it's only like $70 for the panel i need). i use roomie remote to control everything and love it.
 
RossMAN

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
78,879
373
136
purbeast0 said:
that's because you can't afford to do it without worrying about how much it costs.

it's far from a necessity, but it's convenient as shit (and totally uncessary, yes).

but if you can afford it, why not? it would be pretty sweet if you could pull up into your driveway and your house just knows you are home and turned on certain lights in your house isn't it?

haters gonna hate.

as far as automation goes, i only have automation in my home theater for turning my components on. i almost got some lights that i could control from my phone, but i haven't done that yet (nor do i know if i will do it, even though it's only like $70 for the panel i need). i use roomie remote to control everything and love it.
Click to expand...

I always thought home automation was stupid and I would never have a genuine use for it. That is until I actually gave it a shot. A few months ago I bought a Wink hub + GE LED wireless controlled bulbs. Being able to turn your lights on/off at a set schedule or randomly from your living room, work or from another country is awesome. We've always wanted to be able to able to dim lights without installing a dimmer and now we can, each bulb is controlled via the Wink app (Wifi and cellular). The GE LED bulbs are awesome and reasonably priced, they even come in BR30 size for our recessed cans. We also have tripper sensors installed on windows and doors, whenever they're opened a notification is sent to our smartphones.

We just scratched the surface with lights and sensors, we haven't ventured into thermostat control, smart door locks, garage sensors, etc.

You can get started with home automation with a simple for under $100, search Amazon or HomeDepot for a Wink hub or SmartThings v2.

Read and take notes: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2390152
 
Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,003
13,488
126
www.anyf.ca
I'll be redoing my system with a raspberry pi some time. Currently I only automate my HVAC and monitor a few misc things like ac power and mouse traps. Using premade controller board for relays and temp sensors and arduino for rest. Connected to home automation server where the logic happens.

Been reading up a lot on electronics. May consider to market my system is once redesigned from ground up.

Not a fan of cloud based stuff. My system is lan only and I can VPN in to access it.
 
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Jeff7

Jeff7

Lifer
Jan 4, 2001
41,596
19
81
Greenman said:
Fixed that for you.

I'll never understand the fascination with stupid gadgets. Turn the fucking lights on when you get home.
Click to expand...
Says the person with a home computer and 15+ years of Internet forum membership.:whiste:
 
MarkXIX

MarkXIX

Platinum Member
Jan 3, 2010
2,642
1
71
Nest for HVAC and Philips Hue for bulbs. Both can be controlled over the internet.
 
boomerang

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
126
Here's what I want. I'd like to control a few lamps on a schedule I can set up that can be modified as needed over the internet. I'd also like to monitor the temperature over the internet but more importantly with alerts that I can set up.

I want these at a reasonable price and I want no ongoing fees associated with the devices.

I'm sure they are available I just need to do the research.
 
G

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
21,885
6,250
136
purbeast0 said:
that's because you can't afford to do it without worrying about how much it costs.

it's far from a necessity, but it's convenient as shit (and totally uncessary, yes).

but if you can afford it, why not? it would be pretty sweet if you could pull up into your driveway and your house just knows you are home and turned on certain lights in your house isn't it?

haters gonna hate.

as far as automation goes, i only have automation in my home theater for turning my components on. i almost got some lights that i could control from my phone, but i haven't done that yet (nor do i know if i will do it, even though it's only like $70 for the panel i need). i use roomie remote to control everything and love it.
Click to expand...

Cost has nothing to do with it, it's all about added complexity. I've remodeled a few homes with limited amounts of automation, and it always ends up the same. It's a neat new toy that everyone wants to play with for the first week and then it's ignored. The exception being a couple of fellows who go out of their way to create situations where the magic button on their smart phone saves the day.

I'll be interested in home automation when it can take out the garbage, mow the lawn, and wash my truck, anything less than that is bells and whistles.
 
G

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
21,885
6,250
136
Jeff7 said:
Says the person with a home computer and 15+ years of Internet forum membership.:whiste:
Click to expand...

A computer is a tool, tools are an entirely different matter. Tools perform a necessary function, or make a difficult task a lot easier. They allow me to be far more productive and multiply the amount of work I can do in a day. I own many thousands of dollars worth of tools and use every one of them.
 
R

rsd

Platinum Member
Dec 30, 2003
2,293
0
76
Surprised no one mentioned Z-wave. Not dirt cheap, but can buy various modules, thermostats, door locks and can control it via a variety of controllers (mi casa verde, homeseer etc). I control most of my lights, thermostats and some door locks via this using homeseer (runs on any pc basically) with z-wave usb controller.
 
Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
70,003
13,488
126
www.anyf.ca
boomerang said:
Here's what I want. I'd like to control a few lamps on a schedule I can set up that can be modified as needed over the internet. I'd also like to monitor the temperature over the internet but more importantly with alerts that I can set up.

I want these at a reasonable price and I want no ongoing fees associated with the devices.

I'm sure they are available I just need to do the research.
Click to expand...

That's basically how my hvac system works, I have different profiles that I can set for each day based on my work schedule.








Also have all sorts of monitoring stuff:






Right now the system is kinda a mess though as it started off small and just kept adding stuff and it was not planed out right. Will be redesigning it from ground up to make it easier to manage and add new sensors/controls. Going to use bitshift registers as well to add way more IO ports.

The DIN rails are just for distribution of power/cross connects, there's two boxes on a shelf behind that house an arduino and relay board (got it before I knew about arduino).




The nice thing with going fully custom like this is the possibilities are endless, you're not dealing with something proprietary or expensive and you're not relying on some 3rd party service, like a lot of the existing solutions out there.

Controlling lights is a bit tricky though on existing construction unless stuff is split off into different circuits then you can probably add contactors at the electrical panel or something. I'm not really that interested in controlling lights, me it's mostly hvac, maybe add christmas lights and car block heater plugs to this at some point as well. Though if ever I add indoor camera system controlling lights could be nice too so I can check up on the cat and stuff. :p
 
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MarkXIX

MarkXIX

Platinum Member
Jan 3, 2010
2,642
1
71
boomerang said:
Here's what I want. I'd like to control a few lamps on a schedule I can set up that can be modified as needed over the internet. I'd also like to monitor the temperature over the internet but more importantly with alerts that I can set up.

I want these at a reasonable price and I want no ongoing fees associated with the devices.

I'm sure they are available I just need to do the research.
Click to expand...

See my post right above yours.
 
R

richardycc

Diamond Member
Apr 29, 2001
5,719
1
81
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.

oh I already got a honeywell prestige thermostat for my 2nd floor few yrs ago, that was very expensive, and the reason I got the Lyric, I thought I could control both thermostats with the same app, but the Lyric has it own application, so that was unexpected, and that's why I didn't get the Nest and the room the Lyric is the formal dinning room, so I rarely go in that room, so Nest would not work that well for me.
 
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boomerang

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
126
MarkXIX said:
See my post right above yours.
Click to expand...
Thanks, but Nest is a no-go. I have a Carrier Infinity system and the Carrier branded thermostat I paired with it gives me a lot of functionality that I don't want to lose. The systems are pretty state of the art and their thermostat is the key to all that happening. I've talked of this before but a replacement thermostat from them that would allow me to monitor the temperature is mega-dollars as in it's not happening.

I will look into the Philips Hue but I had a hard-on for Philips for a long time and vowed never to buy a product of theirs again. Flaccidity is setting in though. :)
 
Cienja

Cienja

Senior member
Aug 27, 2007
471
0
76
www.inconsistentbabble.com
rsd said:
Surprised no one mentioned Z-wave. Not dirt cheap, but can buy various modules, thermostats, door locks and can control it via a variety of controllers (mi casa verde, homeseer etc). I control most of my lights, thermostats and some door locks via this using homeseer (runs on any pc basically) with z-wave usb controller.
Click to expand...

This is what I'm going with. It's spendy, so buy a couple switches this pay period, a couple of sockets next pay period, but I'm going to do it. It's a damn nice system.
 
Uppsala9496

Uppsala9496

Diamond Member
Nov 2, 2001
5,272
19
81
Any recommendations on Z-Wave thermostats and water sensors?

Need to install some monitoring devices at my summer house.
Have a burst water pipe that destroyed my bathroom, kitchen floor, living room floor and a bedroom floor. Only at the place on the weekends in the summer.
Don't want any more surprises in the spring, or neighbors calling saying my yard is flooded.

Repair work is starting next week.

I think the thermostat went bad (put brand new batteries in it in late October) which caused the heat not to go on which led to frozen pipes. This is the second homeowners claim in the past 5 years for burst pipes. Enough is enough.
 
R

richardycc

Diamond Member
Apr 29, 2001
5,719
1
81
Uppsala9496 said:
Any recommendations on Z-Wave thermostats and water sensors?

Need to install some monitoring devices at my summer house.
Have a burst water pipe that destroyed my bathroom, kitchen floor, living room floor and a bedroom floor. Only at the place on the weekends in the summer.
Don't want any more surprises in the spring, or neighbors calling saying my yard is flooded.

Repair work is starting next week.

I think the thermostat went bad (put brand new batteries in it in late October) which caused the heat not to go on which led to frozen pipes. This is the second homeowners claim in the past 5 years for burst pipes. Enough is enough.
Click to expand...

Don't have any recommendations, but for your situation, do not get the Honeywell Lyric. I have it, like it, but I won't trust it enough to install one in a vacation home that is miles away or anything mission critical. Honeywell say that Lyric doesn't need the C wire, but in order for it work perfectly and won't become non-responsive when the battery is low, it does need the C wire.
Maybe whatever thermostat you ended up getting, you should add the C wire your system, so you won't rely on the battery.
 
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