pete_c
Guru
Personally; then I would wire for everything and then some and then chases. Go with the software; baby steps a bit at a time.
Note too resilience / redundancy pieces for your software automation dependencies.
As mentioned earlier relating to C4; its a drop in solution you would pay for. We have one friend that has C4 in a contractor spec home that she bought.
Initially it was the learning curve not having to utilize home automation ever in her life. Then it was a constant updating of hardware over a period of a couple of years which drained her pocketbook; as she had to pay for the hardware and service. I think she is OK today with it. She did disconnect the HVAC stuff, kept the lighting and the multimedia stuff. Not sure what her monthly service costs are. Personally thinking you will be paying a lot for only a bit of automation with a base C4 package (relatively speaking).
I did have a look at a local Crestron automation "store" nearby where I live. I walked in and let them do the "shock and awe" thing with variety of customized and automated rooms. I asked if they could do this and that; they said they could. Personally it all looked a bit dated to me.
To keep up with the new automation stuff; the above mentioned companies have been playing "catch up"; but still very dependent on a closed system that is a bit antiquated by today's standards. Their deal making is a bit slower now as they do not really have the monies at their disposal as the newer "big stick players have". IE: Apple, Microsoft, Google, big box stores, ISP's. This is only my opinion though.
That said today the above two solutions work; at a price relatively speaking.
This is what I did and it was a learning process mostly relating to playing with automation stuff.....I do not know where I did right or wrong...I just did whatever and whenever I felt like doing it.
I started in the late 1970's with X10 automation. I was always a tinkerer. In the 1980's I did purchase a combo security panel with X10 automation and text to speech; it was simple with only keypads as consoles. Never failed me and worked fine until I sold the home. I left the panel there along with the instruction manual. In the late 1990's / early 2000's started fresh with automation. One new home, new construction contractor built home. Part of the home package included the security alarm wiring and your basic television / telephone wiring. I made changes to the base moving the central wiring location to the middle of the home rather than using a walk in closet. That and the contractor let me wire up the rest of the low voltage stuff. I did more video, audio, network et al cabling. I did play a bit with the central wiring closet. A couple of years later went to using an HAI OPII panel and a Leviton wiring panel and just put everything in the two panels. Its been a few years and the automation there has remained / confined to just the Leviton OPII panel and whatever "do whats" are connected to it.
2nd home (sandbox) went initially to automation software that I was using in the late 1990's (Homeseer). The home was prewired for only telephone using cat5e cabling. I slowly added rest of the low voltage wiring. I also added a Leviton OPII panel here and continued to utilize the automation software. Today I use both. Relating to lighting technology settled on UPB but also have in place still today X10, Insteon, Z-Wave and Zigbee (playing) in software and the panel today talks UPB, X10 and Z-Wave. I am using both today (HAI stuff included Omnitouch legacy and Omnitouch new screens). The software is connected to some 20 plus hardware devices. The base lighting, HVAC and audio hardware is connected to the panel; set and forget methodology while the software is really not doing basic stuff but rather complimenting the hardware and then some. IE: I have remote temperature / humidity sensors on the HAI OPII panel. It wasn't enough such that I added 1-wire networks to the software and it's looking at many more sensors. I got into that whole sprinkling the lawn thing over the years and went from the Rainbird ESP system in the sprinkler box to using two Rain8nets. Originally managed serially by the software automation moved everything to a little mini pogoplug that fits inside of the old rainbird can running in linux today it talks to the two Rain8nets and added one 1-wire network to it plus its getting data from the Davis Weather Station. It was a bit of a fun project. It can be controlled via the automation controller but mostly its just managed via the web interface on the network and touchscreen nearby. Concurrent to the Leviton HAI touchscreens (in the wall) added a few more in the wall touchscreens then went to tabletop touchscreens which are literally in every room of the home. I do not need them; rather I just like playing with them such that I have added now some 20 to the software automation pieces.
Over the years I have added bits and pieces of automation to play and left the Leviton HAI panel automation to manage stuff I don't pay attention much too anymore which I consider the heartbeat of the home; the software / text to speech stuff and hardware connected do much different types of automation and allows me to play in my automation sandbox; but its a hobby. WAF plays a big part. Here too while concurrently updating rooms doing whatever (painting, floors, et al) I have updated the automation pieces in the rooms. It takes a longer time frame; but it works relating to the whole WAF factor. In FL while doing some updating to the HA (well on a ladder, climbing into the attic, adding this or that) I have asked wife to just go shopping for a few hours; worked for me. (this is only what I did though). Many trips to FL though were solo and it was time to chill out and relax by doing automation stuff to keep me busy and watch the ocean the rest of the time. (one home I just use the automation and it works fine and the other house I play with the automation )
BTW that whole cell phone remote connectivity stuff is old today to me and not really considered automation. Downloading weather maps from NOAA satellites rather that easy internet access these days is more stuff I consider automation today. That is me.
Today "playing" with the oldest ZoneMinder box; 5-6 years old; appears to be losing a drive. That said it is in pieces and I am not wanting to work or spend time with it. It is running today on Ubuntu 14.X and it still runs fine. The fix will be to just utilize Gparted and image the working copy over to a new drive. Maybe 30 minutes of my time and mostly fixing it myself cuz its fun.
Other folks (on this forum) would prefer just to start from scratch and buy a new box; easier in one way but you would still have to wait for it.
Note too resilience / redundancy pieces for your software automation dependencies.
As mentioned earlier relating to C4; its a drop in solution you would pay for. We have one friend that has C4 in a contractor spec home that she bought.
Initially it was the learning curve not having to utilize home automation ever in her life. Then it was a constant updating of hardware over a period of a couple of years which drained her pocketbook; as she had to pay for the hardware and service. I think she is OK today with it. She did disconnect the HVAC stuff, kept the lighting and the multimedia stuff. Not sure what her monthly service costs are. Personally thinking you will be paying a lot for only a bit of automation with a base C4 package (relatively speaking).
I did have a look at a local Crestron automation "store" nearby where I live. I walked in and let them do the "shock and awe" thing with variety of customized and automated rooms. I asked if they could do this and that; they said they could. Personally it all looked a bit dated to me.
To keep up with the new automation stuff; the above mentioned companies have been playing "catch up"; but still very dependent on a closed system that is a bit antiquated by today's standards. Their deal making is a bit slower now as they do not really have the monies at their disposal as the newer "big stick players have". IE: Apple, Microsoft, Google, big box stores, ISP's. This is only my opinion though.
That said today the above two solutions work; at a price relatively speaking.
This is what I did and it was a learning process mostly relating to playing with automation stuff.....I do not know where I did right or wrong...I just did whatever and whenever I felt like doing it.
I started in the late 1970's with X10 automation. I was always a tinkerer. In the 1980's I did purchase a combo security panel with X10 automation and text to speech; it was simple with only keypads as consoles. Never failed me and worked fine until I sold the home. I left the panel there along with the instruction manual. In the late 1990's / early 2000's started fresh with automation. One new home, new construction contractor built home. Part of the home package included the security alarm wiring and your basic television / telephone wiring. I made changes to the base moving the central wiring location to the middle of the home rather than using a walk in closet. That and the contractor let me wire up the rest of the low voltage stuff. I did more video, audio, network et al cabling. I did play a bit with the central wiring closet. A couple of years later went to using an HAI OPII panel and a Leviton wiring panel and just put everything in the two panels. Its been a few years and the automation there has remained / confined to just the Leviton OPII panel and whatever "do whats" are connected to it.
2nd home (sandbox) went initially to automation software that I was using in the late 1990's (Homeseer). The home was prewired for only telephone using cat5e cabling. I slowly added rest of the low voltage wiring. I also added a Leviton OPII panel here and continued to utilize the automation software. Today I use both. Relating to lighting technology settled on UPB but also have in place still today X10, Insteon, Z-Wave and Zigbee (playing) in software and the panel today talks UPB, X10 and Z-Wave. I am using both today (HAI stuff included Omnitouch legacy and Omnitouch new screens). The software is connected to some 20 plus hardware devices. The base lighting, HVAC and audio hardware is connected to the panel; set and forget methodology while the software is really not doing basic stuff but rather complimenting the hardware and then some. IE: I have remote temperature / humidity sensors on the HAI OPII panel. It wasn't enough such that I added 1-wire networks to the software and it's looking at many more sensors. I got into that whole sprinkling the lawn thing over the years and went from the Rainbird ESP system in the sprinkler box to using two Rain8nets. Originally managed serially by the software automation moved everything to a little mini pogoplug that fits inside of the old rainbird can running in linux today it talks to the two Rain8nets and added one 1-wire network to it plus its getting data from the Davis Weather Station. It was a bit of a fun project. It can be controlled via the automation controller but mostly its just managed via the web interface on the network and touchscreen nearby. Concurrent to the Leviton HAI touchscreens (in the wall) added a few more in the wall touchscreens then went to tabletop touchscreens which are literally in every room of the home. I do not need them; rather I just like playing with them such that I have added now some 20 to the software automation pieces.
Over the years I have added bits and pieces of automation to play and left the Leviton HAI panel automation to manage stuff I don't pay attention much too anymore which I consider the heartbeat of the home; the software / text to speech stuff and hardware connected do much different types of automation and allows me to play in my automation sandbox; but its a hobby. WAF plays a big part. Here too while concurrently updating rooms doing whatever (painting, floors, et al) I have updated the automation pieces in the rooms. It takes a longer time frame; but it works relating to the whole WAF factor. In FL while doing some updating to the HA (well on a ladder, climbing into the attic, adding this or that) I have asked wife to just go shopping for a few hours; worked for me. (this is only what I did though). Many trips to FL though were solo and it was time to chill out and relax by doing automation stuff to keep me busy and watch the ocean the rest of the time. (one home I just use the automation and it works fine and the other house I play with the automation )
BTW that whole cell phone remote connectivity stuff is old today to me and not really considered automation. Downloading weather maps from NOAA satellites rather that easy internet access these days is more stuff I consider automation today. That is me.
Today "playing" with the oldest ZoneMinder box; 5-6 years old; appears to be losing a drive. That said it is in pieces and I am not wanting to work or spend time with it. It is running today on Ubuntu 14.X and it still runs fine. The fix will be to just utilize Gparted and image the working copy over to a new drive. Maybe 30 minutes of my time and mostly fixing it myself cuz its fun.
Other folks (on this forum) would prefer just to start from scratch and buy a new box; easier in one way but you would still have to wait for it.