Any Home Automation Gurus out there?

[SoCal Gunner]

An internet search for Home Automation brings up many results, but little in the way of useful guides. I understand that the simple concept is greatly complicated by the different technologies and numerous manufacturers. After countless pages of spam under the disguise of how-to's or guides and many home automation outlet store pages, I've come here hoping my fellow forum members can get me on the right track.

What I want to do now:

• I want to be able to control lights, including automated scenes for when I'm away.
• I want to be able to remotely control my home thermostat and program different profiles.
• I want to be able to remotely view my door lock status and lock/unlock remotely.
• I want to be able to view a couple of cameras, perhaps one in and one outside the home.

What I may want to do in the future:

• Develop a deeper home security level by adding motion sensors, a dialer, and recording video feeds.
• Expand control to other areas like irrigation.
• Learn about other things people are doing and have found beneficial.

Which Format? I'm open to suggestions, but I'm leaning towards z-wave because of the wireless capability, number of products and manufacturers, more current than x10, and home user pricing looks to be lower than some others. If you have any thoughts on why z-wave is the way to go or why it isn't, I'd love to hear them. Note: I have Verizon FiOS and am using their ActionTec router.

Controller - I guess it all starts here, but this is where I get lost! I'm leaning towards a physical controller unit, even though I have several computers laying around. The idea of having a physical interface appeals to me for ease of use and from what I've read, any computer would have to be on 24/7 to keep the home automation network up, right? I would like to be able to interface remotely via smart phone and/or computer.

Thermostat - This looks to be the most complicated item - so many out there, talk of c-wires, Wi-Fi vs RF, compatibility and programming issues. Any advice here is greatly appreciated.

Door Locks - Schlage seems like the most popular choice here, but I've read good things about the Yale unit and my home is currently outfitted with Kwikset locks.

Lighting controllers - These look much simpler and I may combine straight up outlet replacements with wall-wart style plug ins. Any recommended brands or features I should look for?

Cameras - Another instance of so many options and manufacturers. Any recommendations on quality cameras and what to look for as far as resolution, frame rate, etc would be helpful. Zoom/Pan/Tilt might be something to consider, but they do get pricey. For now, any outdoor camera would need to be wireless and even then I have to find a way to get power to it.



Thanks for taking the time to look this over. I look forward to your feedback.

[Twystd1]

PM "five.five-six" He is in the OC.
He knows a lot about those systems as well as installing them. He also has a electrical contractors license.

Conversely.
If you are In Orange County or South LA county. You can call Joe Guercio at 714.396.364seven. He does those installs as well.

Both of these men are good at their craft. I known them both for over 20 years.

I suggest talking to at least 3 contractors that have done a lot of this kind of work.

Then trust your gut about who to use. And get REFERENCES.... That is very important...!!!!!!!!!!!!

Twystd1

[five.five-six]

I have my hands full at the moment, but I would recommend using a stand alone controller. Think what happens if you try and leave a PC on for months on end. consider that you will be depending on this for reliable operation for years on end. Don't try and save a few hundred bucks on a controller. As far as wireless operation, everyone offers it these days, even Crestron as acquiesced. Take a look at HAI, they are a nice happy medium between Crestron and X10.

[SoCal Gunner]

I looked at HAI and it looks like they are geared towards contractors/installers (when I clicked "consumer", it linked me to nearby installers).

How about some DIY stuff in the likes of mi casa verde? If not them, any other recommendations for a part geek DIYer?

[SoCal Gunner]

Looking into this, I don't want to throw money away by starting a simple system just to get a lighting scene going for when I'm away, only to find out I need to upgrade to a whole new system when I try to add features.

It also looks to me that to get the most out of the systems, some stuff just needs to be wired. I know the smoke alarms in my house are wired together and are "alarm system ready". To get a (non cellular) dialer, you need to drop a phone line too. So I might look to have the work done by a pro.

[canuck870]

I'm an engineer by training and installed Insteon gear throughout my house and use a Mac Mini running Indigo's controller software. Lights, sensors, thermostats are all pretty easy to program and keep going as the logic is distributed. Sprinkler is driven by Indigo and has failed a few times when the Mac is rebooted.

The cameras I have I access independently. PM me if you want to chat and get more details.

[jmlivingston]

I've done a little Insteon, not near as much as my house is capable of doing. If you're around OC then the place to go is Smarthome. They seem to be the big retailer for home automation and their offices and retails store are located in Irvine.

[Rand B. Wilson]

Pretty sure Insteon can do everything you want to do. I just got a small Smarthome unit a few months ago and have installed several controllers around the house.
For the thermostat it was easier (and prettier) to install a couple of Nest units.

[Toddzilla]

Just installed a zwave system using the MiCasaVerde Vera3 lite controller at $180. Hooked up a couple of Intermatic switches (CA3000) and outlets (CA3500) which were $99 for 6 pieces. I can control the system with a web browser or the free iPhone app. Works well. I have one automated scene that turns on the front porch light at dusk (changing automatically based on the date) and turns off at 11pm. I can lock and unlock the front door remotely. I get notified when each kid uses their personal code and if wrong passcode attempts are tried.