Interesting uses of home automation

[IVB]

I'm not sure what you do for work or if you are interested in relocation, but there is a home automation company here in Sarasota, FL looking for a web developer and a Java programmer.  They are called Clare Controls .  I know one or two people who work there, but I haven't kept in close contact with them.  If you're interested, I'll try to make a connection for you.
 
I don't really know much about the company, but it looks like they do some things very similar to what most of us do and discuss here.  Every so often I toy with the idea of tossing them a resume, but I'm really happy where I am now.
 
What do you do for work?  I design embedded control systems (both hardware and software) for marine engines and other related boat systems.
 
Edited to add - I'm jealous of your sabbatical!

 
I was a techie forever, which is why I think i'm so opposed to coding now
 
For the last 15 years i've been a management consultant. I  help mid and large size companies course correct technology initiatives that went off the rails, or start them so they don't go off the rails. I went independent 3 years ago although that translated into "never take time off because of the lost billing". I calculated my bill rate based on working 10 months per year, but when you have clients willing to pay you 52 weeks/year its really hard for me with tons of loans and growing up lower middle class to say no. I even put in 23 hours last Thanksgiving in Hawaii while family swam in the pool!
 
Thanks for the offer, though, very nice of you.

 

[tmbrown97]

IVB - been there... took the break then eased back in, then went in too far... I'm about 80% out now and looking forward to a few months to recharge again before refocusing.  It's been the best experience though and through these breaks I've been able to refocus and come out so much further ahead. Good luck on the next round!
 
Now back to the OT:

• I have a bathroom where the physical wiring makes no sense.  Using UPB I was able to make the switches make sense, regardless of what they were physically wired to; ie: the closest switch is technically wired to the fan, but it turns on the primary light.  In addition, a cheap X10 motion sensor manages the lights automatically so my younger kids who are potty trained before they're tall enough to reach the switch can use the bathroom without me having to get up each time.
• My kids' rooms are all together with their own foyer and bathroom.  If they open their doors past bedtime, it not only beeps all the keypads, it turns on the lights in their bathroom and then fades them out once they go back to bed.  Again - due to reach issues.
• Exterior lights are automatic based on sunset... but once in a while you get home at a weird hour (returning from a vacation; garage doors are disabled) or a friend leaves late...  A ring of the doorbell or opening the door makes the lights outside turn on so you can see what you're doing.
• Any activity in the garage turns on or extends the timer on the overhead lights.  Those lights in the openers are useless.
• Not quite automating, but when the outside temperature drops below the interior temperature AND the house is set to cool, all the thermostats in the house start flashing a red light... this is to indicate that we should open some windows and kick on the whole house fan instead to save money.
• Not my house, but a project I assisted on...  one of the most expensive vacation houses in Hawaii surrounded by water features, infinity pools, etc... we integrated a weather station into the home automation system and hooked it into the pool controls so that if the wind picked up, the infinity edge pumps stopped to prevent water from sheeting off.

 
I like Pete's term above... many people confuse automation for "alternative manual control"... and to be honest, I'm fine with the fact that much of what I do is just that... but lets call it what it is.
 
As horribly cliche as it sounds, the options are only limited by imagination (well, and time to implement!).  There's a lot more I could or would like to do... as time goes on though I drift away.

 

[SteveInNorCal]

I'm using my ELK M1G to turn on interior house lights about 20 min before sunset. I'd like to be able to add compensation for cloudy days -- turn lights on 40 min before sunset on cloudy days. Does anybody have any ideas on how to measure "cloudiness" and adjust the time setting?
 
I've got a "SolarSync" sensor on my Hunter sprinkler controller that measures solar insolation / temp / rainfall and adjusts the irrigation run time for calculated evapotranspiration (less water when plants aren't thirsty).

 

[innomationindia]

We are innomationindia.in and we are new in this forum. All members have posted nice post in this query.

 

[drvnbysound]

Steve,
 
I am not sure if they will provide the granularity that you are looking for but cloud detection sensors exist. Here are a couple that I found; both have relay outputs that could tie into an Elk zone:
 
http://www.cyanogen.com/fix.php
 
http://www.auroraeurotech.com/CloudSensor.php
 
I am not sure of what make/model, but I have a co-worker who uses one with his personal observatory. I've put in a request before posting this, and waiting on his response. I'll update this post when I find out.

 

[Desert_AIP]

I recently renovated my laundry room and added an IR beam sensor across the doorway into the laundry room from the house.
Since this is also the room where the cat box is the door is always open.
 
I have had a ceiling mounted occupancy sensor in there for a number of years.
I had to fashion a paper shield to mask part of the lens so simply walking past the laundry room without entering didn't trip the sensor and turn on lights.
Also the cats were constantly turning them on when they used the box so I had to add some code at night and in Away mode not to turn on the lights.
 
I installed the IR beam about 4 feet off the ground. 
So now the cat's can't trip it, allowing me to remove those code blocks.
And it tripping it from walking by has no action, so I removed the paper shield improving it's sensitivity.
 
Now the IR beam, or opening the door from the garage, turns on the laundry room lights and the occupancy sensor turns them off.
 
The cats still trip the occupancy sensor.
So I also added a code block when the occupancy sensor turns off to run the exhaust fan for 5 minutes.
 
So now when the cats use the box they automatically turn on the fan themselves after they leave.

 

[Desert_AIP]

I'm installing Zigbee locks in my outbuildings, I already have Zigbee outlets in each one that work well and will act as hubs.
So now when I arm the alarm the locks will close and lock automatically so I don't have to go out and lock them manually if I left them unlocked.

 

[Desert_AIP]

I can view my IP Cameras on my TV via an RPi and the RPi also does CEC control of the TV to switch it to the RPi input automatically. 
I just need the system to send a signal (haven't decided if I want to use a physical relay as an input or an HTTP post to the RPi) to send the command to the TV.
I'll trigger off my incoming driveway sensor to switch over automatically. 
I do that now on my touchscreens.

 

[niedejb]

-Driveway alarm triggers the tv to show the ip camera pointed at the driveway, waits 20s and then switches back.

-Washer and dryer send texts when finished

-Zwave door sensors send me texts whenever I'm not home and they are triggered. Let's me know when contractors/cleaning folks are coming and going.

 

[picta]

Starting roomba vacuum when house is un-occupied and stopping it/returning to base when someone enters the room. Reminder to empty it out when bin is full