Documenting the Home Automation Technology in Quadomated

Well..I figured out like everything else...there's no 1 perfect solution!
  • If HTD keypads could control sources and pass metadata I would choose their system. I like the local source options, intercom, and pricing. But they do not currently pass metadata from 3rd party sources (and they do not have their own sources) or allow control of sources (although they do pass IR) through the keypad. They have a serial interface but no one has written drivers yet for it that i can find.
  • Russound does not have a local source option at all but i like their keypads. Not a lot of info out there but seems there could be longevity issues but who knows.
  • Nuvo seems to get the best keypad, power, and control points but you have to get their musicport (extra 2K). Nuvo's local source option is cludgy and only available in the corresponding zone. Your basically sharing speakers in that scenario vs really having your local source plugged into the WHA.
  • Sonos is out due to the lack of ability to have keypads, limited library size, and not really made for centralized distribution.
  • HiFi2 would be a good choice its very comparable to HTD same weaknesses though on source control and metadata. It only has intercom at HAI touchscreens though.
I really wanted the WHA system to be self contained and just pass info to the keypads/touchpads. But the decision comes down to...if you get a HA system like Eleve or CQC then you just need an amp and sound cards. But then you HAVE to have the HA system running, and if its down your WHA is down.

I think the right answer for now is Nuvo. I really really want to get HTD for the intercom and local source benefits, but I am not willing to buy on the hope of a driver from CQC or Elve or HS or whatever you choose. This is one of those times I wish I was a programmer! To handle the local source (mainly TV's) issue i may just go with video distribution. Then the sources are all centralized as well.
 
Wow Bal,

Looks like you’ve definitely done your research and are in exactly the same place where I am at. Only thing is my research has been so spread out over the past 12 months there is no way I could have possibly detailed it all down like you just did. Thanks for the summary! Certainly refreshes my mind about all the silliness which is whole home audio. Either the price is astronomical or it doesn’t do what I need.

For me, the price is just to much for the Nuvo system and I can get most of what I’d like from the software/soundcard setup. The plan is to always have my home automation server running anyways, so I don’t see that as a big drawback, and by going this route I can buy a couple of the $200 Google Nexus 7 tablets and have whole house control with nice pretty metadata/graphics wherever I have one of these sitting on the table/installed on the wall. Should be a pretty slick solution minus the local source control, but that is low on the list for my integration.

Still looking around a bit more just to make sure I’m not missing anything, but so far that’s where all roads are leading… Either CQC or Elve and probably a used Speakercraft BB865 or BB1265 amplifier off of eBay for a few hundred bucks. With a few keypads and the amplifier, should do everything I’d like for a quarter of the price or less of the Nuvo.

Thoughts?
 
That's on my list of options...the catch for me is I need immediate use for WAF and I am not sure I could produce that with a HA system immediately. Developing the screens etc is going to be a real challenge.. And I am having a tough time figuring out how that scenerio will allow streaming radio and pandora with control.
 
The problem with integrating AV and home automation is that AV innovation in products far outpaces that in HA. If you want to be on the cutting age with AV equipment, you'll have major challenges incorporating all that in your HA system. And creating nice screens for your tablets is always a time consuming task. Luckily with the advent of smartphones many apps are available almost instantly after a new piece of AV gadget is released. Not all of them are great or bug-free of course, but at least there is potential that it will be fixed in nearby horizon. After trying to develop my own interfaces for many years and never been satisfied with them I recently found that using 3d party apps on iPhones and iPads works amazingly well. I have OP2 as my HA controller and haiku app to access all of its functions. If you are not a mac person, you could do this via snaplink, but that app is less sophisticated. My whole house audio is connected to OP, so I have full control of the zones as well. Two of the zones that provide variable output are connected to my Denon AVR-3313CI receiver. Then I use the app for denon to control my theater and master bedroom zones, and also have access to pandora, internet radio and music server via denon airplay from any zone (using denon as a source). Denon has a serial port as well, so I can control some of its basic functions from the automation controller via prolink (useful for sceens). If you have a software controller, you can access a lot more functions, and even get the metadata from it. All my TVs are of the same brand and have a serial port, so they are also controlled by the prolink and are accessible from haiku, but the main way of contol is via buttons (macros). Then there are a few appleTVs with their own app. My next project is to add control of hdmi matrix which has a serial port; that will complete my AV system integration, at least until the next technology hit.
 
That's on my list of options...the catch for me is I need immediate use for WAF and I am not sure I could produce that with a HA system immediately. Developing the screens etc is going to be a real challenge.. And I am having a tough time figuring out how that scenerio will allow streaming radio and pandora with control.

Definitely not immediately, I've been messing around with the whole software solution for what seems like months, and I'm starting to get something close, but still not all the way there. Both CQC and Elve do some great things, but they definitely take plenty of work and tinkering to pull everything together into a nice/seamless interface.
 
Home Automation - Wire Naming Convention

The wire naming convention I adapted from a lengthy thread here on Cocoontech, using input and advice from many of you, particularly a member named Bucko. In this write up you'll read all the details about the wire naming convention I used to keep everything straight in Quadomated. Now if only my labels would stop falling off the damn wires!
 
Anderson Casement Window – 24 VDC Electric Motor Automation

The electric window operators in Quadomated are probably one of the coolest/most innovative things we integrated into the HAI OmniPro. By using 2 relays, a 12 VDC to 24 VDC Step-up Converter, and hacking apart an Anderson electric window operator we were able to make a pretty seamless system that is extremely easy for me to operate. Check it out! Lots of pictures of the integration and all the components/wiring that were used throughout.
 
Yes, those are really cool, I have several and they are perfect things for automation tasks, like venting the house when outside is cooled after a hot day. Mine are using the Andersen supplied transformer, it was economical enough as it powers multiple windows, and the relays are used to control the command center instead of the motors. Good to know how to do it differently in case the Andersen thing fails. We also have Velux electric skylights, have you got any?
 
Hey that's interesting, how did you control the command center? Wire the buttons through a normally open relay or do they provide an easier way to do this? Also, by using the command center does it have any additional intelligence/safeties to keep you from trying to shut the windows when they're already closed?
 
Chassmain,

Thinking back to your post in #17 regarding a WHA system using a computer and multiple sound cards. In that scenario, have you worked out a way to also have intercom? Thanks and continue the posts...I'm enjoying them and they are informative, especially the viewpoints on living life to its fullest.

Oh yeah, I had a question. I shared in another post about how my wife helps me with drywall and generally cleaning up after my messes projects. So who have you recruited to wire up all these fabulous gizmos for you?

David
 
Hey David,

Still need to set aside some real time/brainpower to get the Whole Home Audio setup figured out. I'm tossing around changing out a few of my amplifiers to make the home theater experience better, and then have a secondary low powered amplifier with many channels to hit my other zones. Trying to figure out if I really need a specialized WHA multizone processor, or if when I upgrade my home theater processor the additional Zone 2/3 output will be enough for my needs. Haven't even thought about an intercom system at all, and doubt that is something in my future. I have a camera at the front door, and that should pretty much provide me all the information I need about letting people in.

As far as the awesome dude who's been helping me, I had to look around for quite a while, try out a few different people, until I found an old IT/ engineering college buddy who lives up in the area and is totally into this automation stuff/helping make my world easier. It's been a learning process for both of us figuring out how to integrate/get all this stuff to work, but we've been having a great time and it's really made our friendship closer. Still lots of things would like to accomplish, but we're definitely getting there one Wednesday night every week. Yet again another example of having awesome/great people in my life.

Appreciate you following along and all the input you've provided. Hope I can keep giving you guys a good perspective on technology/life.

Thanks again for everything,
-Mike
 
Integrating Somfy ILT Electric Shade with HAI OmniPro

Wow! That one was a doozy! All the crazy research, fun, chasing nonexistent technical documentation, finding obscure software that went into integrating my Somfy ILT2 Electric Roller Shade Motors into my HAI Omnipro II. Now that I've got all the documents telling me what to do and the software to find the address of the motors, set the limits, etc. this would be a piece of cake! Hope this helps someone out there with their home automation/electric blind needs. Still a lot more I need to write, but this'll get you going.
 
Looks like you had some challenges but overcame them. Nice job and nice savings! Thanks for sharing.

David
 
Thanks David, it was definitely a pain until I found all the documentation/software, but now that I've got that it would be a piece of cake to add another couple, 10, or 100 automated shades into my house!
 
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