General Touch Panel

[DJK]

Hi all,

I'm looking for whole house automation and am trying to avoid seperate touchscreens for each system (security, lights, audio, etc.).
Right now leaning towards ELK M1 for security, C-Bus for centralized lighting, CQC for control software and running sound through sound cards. It's a big house, new construction, so I've already ruled out wireless and plan to run boatloads of cable.

How does one avoid having multiple touchscreens for multiple systems. I look at the screenshot of the ELK-TS07 and it's got a "lighting" button. CQC and main lobby have security, lighting, etc. buttons.

Can someone recommend a good way for a single touchscreen to control all 3+ systems?

My guess is that you have to decide how much you want to depend on your PC for system control. What's the concensus? Include a separate control panel for security and lighting somewhere as a backup, and then use the PC as the "Master" controller for all the other systems? Integrate something like an ELK-TS07 or Clipsal Touch Screen to control the other systems?

Don

 

[IVB]

UMPCs like my used $160 Fujitsu 3400 (amateur-ish construction), a new $500 ELO tablet, or a more expensive setup, with CQC presenting the UI for all of them is the only way to go. The Elk can still be the controlling hardware for the back-end so you're not relying on a PC for everything, and the CQC bit can handle the advanced rules and UI.

 

[Rupp]

You could chose to use a product that would integrate your Security, HA, and all other aspects like HomeSeer and thus only have one point of entry to all of your desperate systems.

 

[electron]

I use my Elk TS07 to control my security system, all my lights/devices, control/view my cameras and more, all without a PC. It also supports the Russound whole house audio equipment in case you are interested in doing that. Of course, a PC based touchscreen running something like CQC would be much more flexible (and you could control the design), but I am pretty happy with my TS07 so far.

Hi all,

I'm looking for whole house automation and am trying to avoid seperate touchscreens for each system (security, lights, audio, etc.).
Right now leaning towards ELK M1 for security, C-Bus for centralized lighting, CQC for control software and running sound through sound cards. It's a big house, new construction, so I've already ruled out wireless and plan to run boatloads of cable.

How does one avoid having multiple touchscreens for multiple systems. I look at the screenshot of the ELK-TS07 and it's got a "lighting" button. CQC and main lobby have security, lighting, etc. buttons.

Can someone recommend a good way for a single touchscreen to control all 3+ systems?

My guess is that you have to decide how much you want to depend on your PC for system control. What's the concensus? Include a separate control panel for security and lighting somewhere as a backup, and then use the PC as the "Master" controller for all the other systems? Integrate something like an ELK-TS07 or Clipsal Touch Screen to control the other systems?

Don

 

[dublin00]

What about using a few of those TouchTronix (formerly RedRadio) panels with something like CQC on a very small PC?

Does CQC even support the TouchTronix touch screens? Just curious.

 

[sic0048]

Does CQC even support the TouchTronix touch screens? Just curious.

Yes. I am not sure that anyone has actually done it, but it is a supported device.

 

[DJK]

Man, a million decisions every step of the way in this process :unsure: I don't know what I would do without the collective knowledge of everybody on this forum. Many hours of reading GREAT ideas.

Looks like a PC based solution gives flexibility, low cost at the expese of complexity and lower reliability. I guess I should go with "cheap", backup controls for the security, central lights, and then use the PC as the primary interface. Does this make it easier for adding Voice Recognition later on, since the command scripting is the same, but the user interface is changed?

TouchTronix touch screens look pretty good.

 

[Rupp]

Does this make it easier for adding Voice Recognition later on, since the command scripting is the same, but the user interface is changed?

Voice control is easily added as long as the automation software you choose has this option. Voice Recognition and Text To Speech is handled via an app called "Speaker App" for HomeSeer and this can be installed on any PC in the house or even at work. I use the speaker app to here all TTS announcements during the day at work this way. I get callerID, email, security, and all other TTS messages as they happen.

 

[WayneW]

Voice control is easily added as long as the automation software you choose has this option.

Technically correct, but a major oversimplification. Voice control is a difficult thing to achieve in a real world multi room environment, but that is a whole different thread.

 

[dublin00]

TouchTronix touch screens look pretty good.

Btw, rumors on the internet say that TouchTronix is about to release a new version of the 12" UTMA. No idea how soon that is. Anybody heard anything?

 

[IVB]

What about using a few of those TouchTronix (formerly RedRadio) panels with something like CQC on a very small PC?

Does CQC even support the TouchTronix touch screens? Just curious.

Yeah; IIRC, robasharoy is the forum handle of the CQC'er who uses them. I know he was looking at them, and it's someone in his part of the US who bought.

$1200 is too rich for my blood though.

 

[kayemsi]

TouchTronix touch screens look pretty good.

Btw, rumors on the internet say that TouchTronix is about to release a new version of the 12" UTMA. No idea how soon that is. Anybody heard anything?

I sopke with one of their sales guys recently to get info on the power requirements and was told that in a few weeks they were releasing a version that you could connect directly to house power (had the power convertor built in) versus the current model that comes with a DC adapter (which you could extend with 18/2 wire back to the central closet and plug into a UPS). This seemed to be the only difference.

 

[upstatemike]

You could choose to use a product that would integrate your Security, HA, and all other aspects like HomeSeer and thus only have one point of entry to all of your disperate systems.

I have also been struggling to find a universal touch screen solution and have not yet found an answer. One of the challenges of using a product like Homeseer or CQC or Mainlobby is that you first need to integrate your stuff into that product which can be frustrating because no single product supports everything (Homeseer does come close).

I am wondering if this is level of complexity is really needed at the touch screen level? Most of the things I would care about; Slimserver, Stargate. Elk M1, IP Cameras, etc each already have perfectly usable web interfaces. Why can't a screen just provide a simple menu to point to the various links and then let the individual product interface take over from there? Is it a matter of mapping the active areas on the touch screen to the controls on the different product interfaces? Or could you take this approach and only worry about integrating those things into the HA system that required some interactive logic?