Hi Everybody.
I'm venturing into the world of home automation(ish). As this is my first venture, I would like to get the opinions of those who have journeyed before me. I have 2 houses in which I'm installing some semblance of home automation.
The first is a vacation home. It's approximately 2,000 sq ft, and it's a ranch home with one floor and a finished basement. I have attic access. We've had pipes freeze, and now I'm paranoid. Also, our neighbors had a break-in. Again, paranoia.
My plan is as follows:
I am planning on using an Omni IIe for my automation panel. The closet in the back of the office is oddly shaped. If you open the bifold doors, you look straight at a normal looking closet, but if you look to the right of the end of the rectangular area, there's a tall, square shaped area. It's not good for much. However, it has shelves and is approximately the width of most A/V equipment. I was planning on putting the automation equipment in there. I'd drill up into the attic so I could run wires from this area to the rest of the first floor. As for the basement, I'm at a loss. Since we live on a hill, and there's an exterior door from the basement into a non-locking garage (the overhead doors lock slots are busted and the exterior lock is rusted), I probably have to overcome this deficiency. Since there is only this door, one large window and 4 smaller windows, I suppose I could go wireless. However, I'm not sure I'm going to be contacting the windows anyway.
Regardless, here are my goals.
The second is my primary residence. It's approximately 2,500 sq ft, and it's a 2 story home with a finished basement (basement is only under the original house, there's a crawl space under the new parts). I have attic access. Here, I want to combine security (this is a higher crime-rate neighborhood than the vacataion home) with convenience.
My plan is as follows:
I am planning on using an Omni IIe for my automation panel (unless someone tells me I'd want an OmniPro for here). I also want to use CQC at this house. I want it to be convenient in house. Therefore, I want to be able to create nice touch interfaces that operate on my ethernet network. The equipment will be housed in the basement in a storage closet. Main wiring obstacles will be anything that needs to get to the first floor area under the new house and from the basement to the attic. I'm considering going through the garage with those. We have an attached garage (unfinished) and the peak extends beyond the top plate of the first floor wall. I could drill in at the top into one of the cavities and then run wires up through a hole drilled in the top plate of the second floor wall. Then, to reach the basement, there are holes that lead from the bottom of the garage wall (the house's first floor is about 2 feet above ground level) into the crawl space under the family room and kitchen). Let me know if you think there's an easier way or if you have tips on running wires up insulated walls.
Regardless, here are my goals.
Some general questions:
Contacts. I need to know a lot about contacts.
Kwikset Locks. Does anyone know prices and where to buy online?
Also, I'd appreciate any criticism/advice on any of the plans I have.
I'm venturing into the world of home automation(ish). As this is my first venture, I would like to get the opinions of those who have journeyed before me. I have 2 houses in which I'm installing some semblance of home automation.
The first is a vacation home. It's approximately 2,000 sq ft, and it's a ranch home with one floor and a finished basement. I have attic access. We've had pipes freeze, and now I'm paranoid. Also, our neighbors had a break-in. Again, paranoia.
My plan is as follows:
I am planning on using an Omni IIe for my automation panel. The closet in the back of the office is oddly shaped. If you open the bifold doors, you look straight at a normal looking closet, but if you look to the right of the end of the rectangular area, there's a tall, square shaped area. It's not good for much. However, it has shelves and is approximately the width of most A/V equipment. I was planning on putting the automation equipment in there. I'd drill up into the attic so I could run wires from this area to the rest of the first floor. As for the basement, I'm at a loss. Since we live on a hill, and there's an exterior door from the basement into a non-locking garage (the overhead doors lock slots are busted and the exterior lock is rusted), I probably have to overcome this deficiency. Since there is only this door, one large window and 4 smaller windows, I suppose I could go wireless. However, I'm not sure I'm going to be contacting the windows anyway.
Regardless, here are my goals.
- Audio Distribution - I'll be doing this with a Russound CA6.4 which I purchased on eBay for ~$50. I'll be running 4 zones. 1 for the deck, 1 for the office, 1 for the basement (again, at a loss), and 1 for the great room. In the great room, there are 3 areas, but they're not separated enough to warrant independent zones. I want to run 3 pairs of speakers (kitchen, dining, family). Does anyone know of a good amplifier to split one pair of speaker wire into 3 pairs? I'll be using volume control sliders in the walls to control individual volume of the areas. Also, for sources. I am considering putting an Apple iPod dock in the kitchen, and running RCA from it to the back to the closet so I can easily swap iPods near the primary listening zones (deck/great room). I also probably want a radio tuner, but I'm less concerned about that. I have a spare desktop (considering CQC if I want to implement strong local control in the future. Right now I'm worried about remote monitoring/audio) and I have a slight interest in loading that with my tunes and running it to the stereo, but I'm not sure how I'd handle remote control from the zones.
- Security - I'd be utilizing the Omni IIe for this. I want to at least contact the doors. I'm unsure using wired vs. wireless. I'd want cost effective, unobtrusive wireless contacts. However, I can't seem to find these. Anyone have input on this? However, if I do wired, I would not wire the windows.
- HVAC - I'm thinking of using an OmniStat. I think that's the best way to integrate without using automation software like CQC to go serial. I'd wire it through the attic. I want to monitor indoor temperature remotely (IE get an email if it drops out of a certain range) and also be able to turn on the heat if I go there in the winter or turn on the AC if I go in the summer. That way I can save energy while I'm not there but be comfortable as soon as I walk through the door.
- Lighting - UPB. I'm not looking for amazing control, perhaps just some lighting timers. However, few of my rooms have ceiling lights (I may have to change this anyway, I like ceiling fans and open windows when weather permits).
- Phone/Ethernet - Well, little to do with automation, but since we're talking wiring, I want to run a magicJack from the closet to the wall jack in the kitchen to have a "land line". Also, right now my network hardware is in an awkward location behind the TV in the family room. I believe my cable comes into the attic on the east wall and runs down that same wall to the cable outlet behind that wall. Nothing uses Ethernet in that area. I can split the cable in the attic if possible and run it back to the office so that when we get an LCD TV, we can wall mount it without being as worried about clutter.
The second is my primary residence. It's approximately 2,500 sq ft, and it's a 2 story home with a finished basement (basement is only under the original house, there's a crawl space under the new parts). I have attic access. Here, I want to combine security (this is a higher crime-rate neighborhood than the vacataion home) with convenience.
My plan is as follows:
I am planning on using an Omni IIe for my automation panel (unless someone tells me I'd want an OmniPro for here). I also want to use CQC at this house. I want it to be convenient in house. Therefore, I want to be able to create nice touch interfaces that operate on my ethernet network. The equipment will be housed in the basement in a storage closet. Main wiring obstacles will be anything that needs to get to the first floor area under the new house and from the basement to the attic. I'm considering going through the garage with those. We have an attached garage (unfinished) and the peak extends beyond the top plate of the first floor wall. I could drill in at the top into one of the cavities and then run wires up through a hole drilled in the top plate of the second floor wall. Then, to reach the basement, there are holes that lead from the bottom of the garage wall (the house's first floor is about 2 feet above ground level) into the crawl space under the family room and kitchen). Let me know if you think there's an easier way or if you have tips on running wires up insulated walls.
Regardless, here are my goals.
- Security - I'd be utilizing the Omni for this. I want to contact at least the first floor. I am considering finding a security company to install the contacts for me.
- HVAC - I am looking at RCS options to connect to the CQC server. I like this because my furnace is in the basement, so I won't have to find a way to run wires up to the thermostat because their unit connects to the existing thermostat wire. The purpose is to do the reverse of my vacation home. When I come home from there, adjust the thermostat. Also, my current analog thermostat is falling apart, so I figure if I was going to replace digital, may as well spend a few bucks and go RS-232.
- Lighting - I'm thinking UPB again. I want to use my existing Logitech Harmony Remotes to control the lights. For this, I was thinking of using an IR to X10 transciever, then an X10 interface module on the Omni, then some programming logic, then a UPB PIM to send the command to the lights. I don't want to pay big for Radio RA. I don't have the ability to wire for a hardwired tech. I wouldn't automate all my lights. Mainly those in rooms where I want to watch TV (and have a Harmony), especially the theater in the basement.
- Access Control - I'm looking at the Kwikset SmartCode with HomeConnect. I want to set up my locks so that they auto-engage whenever the doors are closed. This way, my kids don't have to worry about their keys when walking home from school (they forget frequently). Also, I don't have to worry about my wife not setting the alarm and leaving the doors unlocked. She likes to believe that this is the same neighborhood it was when she grew up in it. Unfortunately, it's not. Even if she doesn't set the alarm, physical security can work as a deterrent. My kids like to leave the doors unlocked when they leave so they don't need keys or because their siblings don't have keys with them. This way, the doors are locked and always locked.
- AV Distribution - I'm not sure. I don't really have any idea how I'd handle wire speakers into the ceiling. I don't think I'd use it either. I don't entertain at this house often. We'll see if I like it in my vacation house. I've considered component video distribution, but since I've got U-Verse, I don't know what I'd want to share across all TVs (except for coolness factor, and I'd probably need a new remote to interface with RS-232 Matrix switches).
Some general questions:
Contacts. I need to know a lot about contacts.
Kwikset Locks. Does anyone know prices and where to buy online?
Also, I'd appreciate any criticism/advice on any of the plans I have.