Steve
Senior Member
Like anything else in life, there are multiple ways to skin the cat. It's been discussed alot and people have strong feeling about all the different methods, but I'll try to sum them up for you in a 1000 foot view.dbinaz said:
There are essentially 3 approaches to home control and automation - hardware/panel/embedded systems based, PC/Software based or a combination of the 2. An example of the first approach would be an Elk M1 by itself. An example of the second would be a pc running something like CQC, Mainlobby, Homeseer, Powerhome, etc (lots of others). The third is obviously a combination, say the Elk M1 AND CQC.
The approach you choose will be based on your goals, skill level and personal preference.
Many people, including myself, prefer a hardware panel/embedded system type of device as a primary source of control. The primary advantage being reliability of the hardware and lack of configuration/maintenance of an operating system. The negative to this approach are the systems are mostly going to be proprietary and they are limited to what hardware is built and what you can squeeze into usually limited firmware space. Cost (at least initial outlay) is also usually higher depending on what you choose and the complexity of the system.
Others prefer the software approach. For this you typically use a pc (preferably dedicated) and a software package. The advantage to this is your configurabilty. You can also add more RAM or HD space easily and it is vastly easier to change a software package than to create a hardware device or change firmware. The main disadvantage to this approach is you are depending on a pc as your backbone and thats where it gets touchy and personal. Some will argue you can build an ultra reliable stripped down pc that will run forever untouched whereas others use a standard pc and have difficulty with keeping the OS stable and virus/spyware free. I believe if you have a good technical/IT background, you can build a good reliable pc, but most people will not or do not go to the pains necessary to make the pc robust and reliable. Also harddrives are inherently more unreliable than a silicon chip and while some are better than others, they all fail eventually. Heat and noise can also be factors in running a pc. Once you have the pc setup, you need the software. That has been covered all over the place and wholly depends on your wants, needs and budget. But whatever you choose will run on the pc and be setup with appropriate components.
Then, there is a combination of the above. That is my approach. Even though I am technically competent in IT, I prefer to have a simple hardware based platform I don't need to muck with. I use the Elk M1G as my primary platform to do basically as much as I can and all my 'mission critical' stuff like lighting, HVAC, controlling garage door, and obviously security. But as with any hardware based system, its not going to do everything. Things like Text to Speech, phone interfacing (CID), full A/V theater control, etc are usually not present. So you can supplement the hardware with a pc and software to fill in the blanks. Since the software will be mainly for fluff type stuff (except if you rely on it for your primary touch panels) you can get by without killing yourself configuring a pc, or perhaps even sharing resources. I still use a dedicated pc, but its not as 'tweaked' as it would be if it was my ultimate primary system. And yes, there will be some overlap. You may be able to control lighting either through the hardware or software. But if you are using a combo based system I personally think it is better to use the hardware whenever possible as your primary control method, and use the software to complement and provide the functionality the hardware approach does not provide. Just be sure to choose a software package that has a driver/plug-in or some other method of robust interaction with your hardware system. I believe a combination approach gives you the ultimate in control and flexibility.
So there is no right or wrong or 'best' approach. It depends on your personal factors like wants, needs and budget. No one system is going to provide it all, although some come close.
Then there is the issue of security. Do you get a panel that does security AND automation like the Elk or HAI, or do you get separate hardware components like a Caddx security system couple with a automation controller like the Stargate. Again there are pros and cons - all in one, integrated, same manufacturer, or separate, best of all worlds both more complex (due to different manufacturers, etc). Then there are sort of hybrids like the Cortexa system that uses a separate security system and a linux based embedded system and software. It similar to the above but has the advantage of the 'pc' and software being from the same manufacturer.
I hope that helped more than confused and I apologize for the length and I know this is repetitive or common knowledge for many.
