I have a dream...

IVB

Senior Member
I have a dream. Granted, it's a pretty lame dream considering what others dream about, but it's my dream.

My dream is that I build out a fully functional smart-home that makes a tangible impact in my wife's life, oh, and let's me embarass my buddy who spent $150K outfitting his house to do the same and is doing not much more than my $5K system.

##%^#*.

My dream just caused me to put in an order for the Elk M1, doorbell ring detector, external temp sensor. I'm also looking at covert cameras to mount inside my front door and in the nanny-cam areas. And IR door locks. and RFID. and trigger events based on caller ID. and SMS integration. and lighting. and motion sensors. and smoke detector integration with the speakers. Perhaps an external weather station so I can turn off irrigation when it's raining or about to rain. Perhaps something with VR. And I have barely scratched the surface with my media distribution - would you belive that I'm so sheltered that there's only 1 EDTV in my house, and no HDTV's at all? And there's only 4 audio zones wired?

G'Lord. I need to take some sleeping pills that stop me from dreaming. Or hit the lottery, so I can do this fulltime without worrying about paying the bills.
 
It is very hard to accomplish all of this when you are just starting out. We have been getting many posts here on CocoonTech where people want this "all glorious" integrated smart home with lighting control, security system, voice announcements, caller ID/phone integration, climate controls/ventilation systems, whole house audio and video distribution, touch screen/client PC's/handhelds, RF remote controls/sensors, video surveillance/recording etc... either in a new home or an existing home.

They want all these systems to seamlessly integrate together and have a software interface that looks great, is easily distributed/available in the house, and can be accessed remotely via the internet.

They want to do this all themselves because they can't find anyone in the professional arena who knows how to incorporate ALL of this functionality.

Well, if there is one thing I have learned it is you really have to get your feet wet with a few core products and see the pros and cons of how easy/difficult it is to integrate them and make functional. This includes all the hands on components necessary to incorporate these systems as well (wiring, soldering, using a multimeter, etc...).

I fear that without this (or at least some) background, many of these people are going to be disappointed and bogged down with the complexity of what they are trying to do.

Of course everyone's skill and capability levels are different. I also don't want to sound negative with this post. I'm just stating that no matter how much research one does, you can't replace it with basic skills and hands on experience that I feel should be obtained before taking on a major project such as fully automating a home all at once.

This was actually one of the reasons for starting CocoonTech! To help people find the knowledge and skills so they could start incorporating automation and security systems themselves. We are here to help, and are fortunate to have MANY experienced members who are also helpful. But please, start out with one project at a time and let your success be measured in small steps instead of a potential future "unveiling" of your fully automated home.
(BSR steps down from soapbox during wild applause!)
 
Some of this has been discussed before...are you in it for the fun of building it or are you mostly after the final result? I think that most of the people who take the time to regularly come to this forum (myself included) are members of the "fun of building" club. I have been slowly automating my own home for the past 6 years and some project lengths are measured in months. I have spent about 5 months building a thermostat interface! Mind you, this is the most fun I get out of it.

The thing about the buddy who spent $150k (or whatever) is that he was after the final result. That is certainly not wrong in itself. Most of us here who have cars only want them for transportation, yet there are probably 10 times more car nut forums and products then there are home automation sites. If your dream is to "build" the ultimate system (as opposed to just owning it) and then taking pride in the process, then this is the place to do it and share your enthusiasm. I personally derive a great deal of pleasure in having someone ask me a technical question and then getting feedback that it solved his problem.

The best way to get a fully automated house is to tackle it one system at a time. Start with something like security or lighting and take the time to really master it, then move on to the next project. This is less discouraging then having a bunch of half-finished subsystems that just barely work together.
 
Not to be wishy washy, but I take fun in working at something that produces a tangible impact.

I've already got whole house mzone/msource media distribution, HVAC control, drape control, self-installed wallmount touchscreen, control via cellphone PDA, RF/IR remote control throughout house, all coordinated via a common UI. As soon as I get a free weekend, i'll run the wiring for the RAIN8 irrigation, which shouldn't take much time to also pull in.

If I can implement caller-id, security integration, & camera surveillance in the 2-3 month timeframe, i'll be happy.

After that, i'll tackle the lighting, IR door locks, and RFID.

Then I can move on to the really cool stuff ;)
 
IVB,
Why IR door locks. If your going with RFID then you may want to consider controlling your locks with the RFID and electric strikes.
 
IVB,

Backing Rupps comment... I've been controlling Door locks via RFID for nearly a year. It's been flawless as well as one of the most convienent features of my HA install.

Paul
 
Rupp said:
IVB,
Why IR door locks. If your going with RFID then you may want to consider controlling your locks with the RFID and electric strikes.
Hmm - I didn't even think about electric strikes. Thanks for the tip.
 
IVB,

This is how I control my doors, with the strikes. Easy to install and I use the Caddx wireless keychains to control it.
 
BSR wrote
It is very hard to accomplish all of this when you are just starting out. We -----EDIT----- ALL of this functionality.
You forgot to mention that they want all that for $5k. Not going to happen. While many of us are CHEAP (yes, I mean you Rupp), the hobby itself is NOT cheap. Doing a DIY install will save a lot of money over your neighbors $150K, but it's still going to cost a bit more than $5k. Just the alarm portion alone adds up. One M1 Gold + 5 keypads + 30 motion detectors + 10 smoke detectors + 7 heat detectors + 4 CO detectors + 3 LP detectors + mucho contacts, and you've already taken a good bite out of that $5k.
 
holy cow - 30 motion detectors? 10 smoke detectors?

I live in Oakland. My house is only 1650 sqft, and only has 9 rooms total. Plus, I only need the one keypad as i'm putting in Fujitsu 3400's in target locations, and controlling it via CQC.

But yes, i hear you about the budget. I may exceed the $5K, but not by that much. [ok, maybe $10K]. But heck, i used to spend $1000/month in bars, this HA stuff is a bargain!
 
I just want to say: Good Luck with your dream. It's a good one :)

Well, might be nice to have it be a bit purer of heart, but hey, a good dream regardless.

You've definitely got a nice start so far.
 
jlehnert said:
You forgot to mention that they want all that for $5k. Not going to happen. While many of us are CHEAP (yes, I mean you Rupp), the hobby itself is NOT cheap. Doing a DIY install will save a lot of money over your neighbors $150K, but it's still going to cost a bit more than $5k. Just the alarm portion alone adds up. One M1 Gold + 5 keypads + 30 motion detectors + 10 smoke detectors + 7 heat detectors + 4 CO detectors + 3 LP detectors + mucho contacts, and you've already taken a good bite out of that $5k.
Hmmm. I'm beginning to see what you mean here.

I'm only a week into the Elk, already ordered another $400 of sensors, now that I understand what the Elk is capable of, I can see why smoke/heat/CO sensors would be a good idea.

On the upside, this is much more functionality than I thought was doable, on the downside it's going to be that much more time to set it up correctly.
 
tech-home said:
IVB,

This is how I control my doors, with the strikes. Easy to install and I use the Caddx wireless keychains to control it.
Can you please provide links to the door strikes etc. so that we can see what you are using. I have the GE wireless setup completed with my elk.

regards,
 
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