Hi from Cologne - HA interest came with Almond+, but where to start?

[obscurus]

Hi there!
 
I'm very much interested in HA and keen on learning stuff especially about zigbee and z-wave.
I recently backed the Almond+ project - that's where it all started!
Unfortunately I have so far quite little experience with that and would be very thankful for handy hints about where to start.
This site is quite overwhelming...

 

[electron]

hi, welcome to CT!
 
Almond+ is only supporting Z-Wave & ZigBee out of the box, so your options are limited (but I wouldn't be surprised if someone created a KNX driver, or one for the many other protocols in use in Europe).
 
Z-Wave is probably the best choice, you can find a list of Z-Wave devices available in Europe here.
 
I would probably start with a few appliance modules (allowing you to automate plug-in devices such as table lamps, etc), and a thermostat or door lock, just to see how you like the tech.  Keep in mind that Z-Wave is a mesh network, meaning in order to bridge longer distances, you would need multiple 'hops/devices'.
 
If you have specific questions, don't hesitate to start a new thread, so we can focus on 1 topic at a time.

 

[obscurus]

Thank you Dan for your thoughts and info to my introduction! I'm really surprised (and pleased) that you (as the admin) take your time to answer to newbies!
 
Yesterday I read "your" transcript with Ram_Securifi about the Almond+ from 02/22/2013, very interesting and promising!
 
I must admit that I backed their development-kit which includes some sensors/actuators to get started.
I really want to get into it!
Several times I thought about going for HA, but I was quite reluctant paying e.g. one and a half grand for an adhoco.H1 (central unit) using zigbee.
I bet this can be done with the Almond+ and its' support for zigbee as well.
OK, probably a little naive, but anyway...
 
If you or somebody else who's probably reading might share a good link of comparing technologies in HA? Especially Z-Wave "vs." ZigBee? This is not meant as an annoying reheated debate on principles, but as a good and hopefully unbiased overview.
Although Z-Wave has its own far reaching universe of components, they're not compatible. As far as I understood there are two different frequencies used in the US and Europe. Therefore it would be useless for me to try to communicate with imported US components. This is sad because "your" components are far less expensive and widely available.
 
The little market penetration of zigbee results in high prices as well I'd say.
 
Although zigbee is the "more" open technology, their network typology has a single point of failure what Z-Wave with its mesh doesn't have.
 
I'd really like to make an informed decision and delve into one of these technologies (first).
I'd love to help somehow spread one of these HA technologies with inexpensive sensors (in the beginning). HA should be easy and affordable. I think the first step could be the integration like the Almond+ does with its easy touch-integration.
Too ambitious this vision? Yeah, maybe. But why not trying it?
It seems CT could be a good starting point to gather information and work on this. 

 

[electron]

Admin really means 'janitor', I help keep the place running, but that's it
 
As for Z-Wave vs ZigBee, ZigBee is a mesh network as well.  You can find a good FAQ (which addresses some Z-Wave questions) here.
 
Even here, ZigBee isn't that popular yet (really expensive, and while there are devices on the market now, they are still hard to find, plus selection is limited).
 
What about the KNX/C-Bus/KlikAanKlikUit/A10/Bye Bye Standby hardware?  Are any of them popular in Germany?  At this point, it might be easier/cheaper to get a driver commissioned for the most common platform in use over there.

 

[obscurus]

This site is huge and runs by itself in terms of participation & interaction.
But in terms of administration - the bigger, the delicate...
Facilitating the service and mitigating against threats (contingencies) is key! Thanks for this!!! But I bet you hear this all the time.
 
Thanks for the FAQ-link! I was aware of that one, but I think sites of "owners/producers" are always biased.
Regarding technology - ZigBee is a mesh network as well, yes, but it has (to my understanding) one coordinator which binds the devices and saves the binding addresses (for the indirect method) in its local RAM. If this coordinator fails, the whole system fails (if not set up that a router will take the coordinators place) = single point of failure.
 
Thanks again for redirecting attention to the other standards, but in my perception the most common standard would be KNX. The other ones have their geographic or application area focus. Therefore (in my opinion) not being that universally attractive/useful.
I think the british Bye Bye Standby comes close to the point being affordable and applicable. I think this is due to governmental facilitation into that direction of SMART homes. But in my opinion they could (heavily) improve their design.

 

[electron]

One other platform I totally forgot about is INSTEON.  They started shipping to Europe last year if I am not mistaken.  Do you have access to that hardware?
 
Also, what would you like to automate?  This requirement alone might force you to stick with a more expensive platform.