Recent content by Paco

BrianD: It's not that the drywall sub charges per cutout; however, when doing a takeoff from a set of plans, the contractor is naturally going to charge based on the time he estimates it will take to do the job. If he knows there will not be any cut-outs for switches, his price should be lower...

A little more on the cost issue: This is from UC Berkeley Center for the Built Environment: (I think he is talking about commercial buildings) "According to CBE research specialist Charles Huizenga, the cost of installing today's wired switches is approximately $150 to $200 per switch...

BrainD, regarding cost, I would bet it currently costs more than $50 to wire a switch -- even more for 3 and 4 way switches (same light, more switches). Consider: 1. Electrician to run the wire and wire the switch (30-45 minutes) 2. Extra drywall labor cost to cut out for the box 3. Labor to...

It seems like one big advantage of so-called mesh networks like Zigbee and Z-Wave is that there does not have to be any wiring to the switch as long as the device being controlled contains the appropriate circuitry. IOW, if I installed a dozen Zigbee or Z-Wave can lights in a room, then the...

I've been able to find many card and key-fob (RFID) sysems, but I haven't been able to find a system that allows entry by punching in a code on a pushbutton type device. In our current building, we use a card system. The doors unlock at 8:15am and lock at 5:30pm, M-F. No card is needed during...

No, this is for an office we're just finishing up. We want to eliminate keys -- hence the digital keypad. But we want the door to automatically unlock at 8:30am M-F and automatically lock at 5:30pm. IOW, a code would only be required in the evenings and on the weekends.

We're starting construction on a new home in Austin in November 2005. I have a background in software, but very little in controls. I've been following Zigbee and Z-Wave for awhile. It doesn't look like Zigbee products will be available in time, but I want to explore Z-Wave. I'm completely...

I'm trying to find a digital lockset that can be programmed to unlock and lock on certain days of the week and at specific times of the day. Does anyone have any suggestions? Paco