Hello Everyone!
I am new to the forums and very happy I have found this place. It seems like this is a great community with very knowledgeable and helpful members!
I am also new to home automation and would like to get my feet wet. I have spent a great deal of time researching different technologies and unfortunately have found a lot of my searching resulted in outdated information. At this point I am still not sure what HA technology best suits my needs. I am hoping if I provide you with some details maybe someone will be able to help point me in the right direction.
I live in a 2600 sq ft home. The home is over a 100 years old, however all electrical wiring was updated within the past 10 years (however I have not pulled any switches or receptacles to confirm exactly how things are wired, check grounding, etc). Eventually I plan to finish another 800 sq ft in the basement of the home. Right now I am looking for simple HA solutions that will eventually help make my home more energy efficient. Of course there is the "coolness" and "tweaking becomes addictive" reasons to automate, but to start I will keep things basic.
1.) I would like basic lighting control (on/off). I have replaced a large number of bulbs with non-dimming CFLs. As of now I have no interest in creating specific scenes, dimming, etc. In general I would like to eventually implement the following:
3-Way Lights - 7 (14 switches)
Regular Lights - 8
Outdoor Lights - 4 (must be able to operate in cold northeast winters)
I may eventually look into dimming and scene options, but only for a room or two. The vast majority of my lighting needs only requires on/off control.
2.) I would like basic appliance control. My children are extremely good at turning on anything that uses electricity and not so good about turning things off. I would like to be able to control some of the outlets that have TVs and other power consuming electronics plugged into them. Not to mention it would be a nice feature for discipline - i.e. I can turn off bedroom TVs at any time (at least until they learn to plug in elsewhere!)
Possible Future Additions:
1.) Eventually I would like to work into heating and cooling controls. My house has 5 primary zones for heating. From what I have seen 5 quality HA enabled thermostats would require a decent investment that may take some time to pay for themselves. Depending how things work with my lighting and alliance controls I will potentially implement HVAC controls in the future.
2.) Motion detection to control lighting.
Ideally I would like to be able to use my computer or phone to access my home server (or controller) to see check the status of the lights, receptacles, etc. I do have a technical background and enjoy working with technology. I have experience with scripting, macros, networking, etc. and am confident I can setup remote access to most any system I implement.
I have been leaning toward Z-Wave or UPB solutions, but some of the most recent information I have found indicates problems and the possibility that vendors are no longer supporting the Z-Wave protocol. As far as light switches and receptacles what brands would you suggests? I have been looking at several types (Leviton, GE, etc)?
Would anyone like to take the time to provide me with your insight? I am anxious to hear any feedback, suggestions and experiences you may have.
I am new to the forums and very happy I have found this place. It seems like this is a great community with very knowledgeable and helpful members!
I am also new to home automation and would like to get my feet wet. I have spent a great deal of time researching different technologies and unfortunately have found a lot of my searching resulted in outdated information. At this point I am still not sure what HA technology best suits my needs. I am hoping if I provide you with some details maybe someone will be able to help point me in the right direction.
I live in a 2600 sq ft home. The home is over a 100 years old, however all electrical wiring was updated within the past 10 years (however I have not pulled any switches or receptacles to confirm exactly how things are wired, check grounding, etc). Eventually I plan to finish another 800 sq ft in the basement of the home. Right now I am looking for simple HA solutions that will eventually help make my home more energy efficient. Of course there is the "coolness" and "tweaking becomes addictive" reasons to automate, but to start I will keep things basic.
1.) I would like basic lighting control (on/off). I have replaced a large number of bulbs with non-dimming CFLs. As of now I have no interest in creating specific scenes, dimming, etc. In general I would like to eventually implement the following:
3-Way Lights - 7 (14 switches)
Regular Lights - 8
Outdoor Lights - 4 (must be able to operate in cold northeast winters)
I may eventually look into dimming and scene options, but only for a room or two. The vast majority of my lighting needs only requires on/off control.
2.) I would like basic appliance control. My children are extremely good at turning on anything that uses electricity and not so good about turning things off. I would like to be able to control some of the outlets that have TVs and other power consuming electronics plugged into them. Not to mention it would be a nice feature for discipline - i.e. I can turn off bedroom TVs at any time (at least until they learn to plug in elsewhere!)
Possible Future Additions:
1.) Eventually I would like to work into heating and cooling controls. My house has 5 primary zones for heating. From what I have seen 5 quality HA enabled thermostats would require a decent investment that may take some time to pay for themselves. Depending how things work with my lighting and alliance controls I will potentially implement HVAC controls in the future.
2.) Motion detection to control lighting.
Ideally I would like to be able to use my computer or phone to access my home server (or controller) to see check the status of the lights, receptacles, etc. I do have a technical background and enjoy working with technology. I have experience with scripting, macros, networking, etc. and am confident I can setup remote access to most any system I implement.
I have been leaning toward Z-Wave or UPB solutions, but some of the most recent information I have found indicates problems and the possibility that vendors are no longer supporting the Z-Wave protocol. As far as light switches and receptacles what brands would you suggests? I have been looking at several types (Leviton, GE, etc)?
Would anyone like to take the time to provide me with your insight? I am anxious to hear any feedback, suggestions and experiences you may have.
