I am at the beginning stages of my home automation project, I have not decided on what all to get yet but have some ideas. I want to automate my whole house, so far I have purchased 6 1000 rolls of cat 6 and enough speaker wire to do the house. I am going to be using a closet "in the laundry room" to install racks etc. I have been doing tons of reading and although I am not sure of what I want, I know what would not work for me. Control 4 will not work for me, crestron will not work for me either as the learning curve seems to be steep. So I have been considering HAI and ELk for security and maybe CQC to tie all in.
I am not sure how this all works, I am hoping to get recommendations based on what I want.
1- I want complete video distribution, 2 dish network receivers, cable, blue ray player, xbox 360, some kind of media player. What video switcher should I been looking at? I think I will be using component more than hdmi "my dishnetwork receiver has never worked with hdmi
2- I want audio distribution for the whole house, total of 9 to 10 zones. One zone will have surround, I recently purchased the Denon 3808CI I want to be able to use it, it says that it can do multiple zones, can I integrate the multiple zones into an audio switcher? What audio switcher should I been looking at? I checked nuvo grand concerto but not sure if this is what I need. I would like to have wireless touch pads in each bedroom, do i need the music keypads with nuvo? Will this keypad be able to access mp3 songs stored in a drive?
3- what do I need at my closet, what kind of panels to put the wires? who sells affordable racks?
4- for lighting I think I will use lutron.
I know there are many questions here, please help me!
My advice - be patient, enjoy the work, and the learning process.
You can use zone 2 of the 3808 for distributed audio - it's what I'm currently using for 7 zones, through an impedance matching speaker selector box, using old in-wall volume controls. It's worked well for a couple years, but now I've purchased a Nuvo Grand Concerto that I'm in the middle of installing. I particularly like streaming internet radio through the Denon, which I will lose with the Nuvo GC (hopefully I'll get this ~Jan with a Nuvo Music Port firmware upgrade).
I'm also going to use Lutron for lighting - RadioRa2 vs. HomeWorks QS, in a few selected rooms in the house, plus exterior lights.
I'm still undecided on the Elk M1 vs. HAI OPII - I'll decide when I'm ready to install. The dozen or so zones of distributed audio will keep me busy for the next few months. Then, it's lighting, and then security. Maybe the OPIII or M2 will be out by then - who knows.
In 2-3 years, I'll look at whole house control, for the multiple subsystems. CQC would be perfect for me.
Buy a cheap used 19" 4-post rack on Craigslist or ebay. Take your time, it will take a while to install your cabling.
Russound C-Series may be a good option for distributed audio and distributed video, though I haven't heard of anyone on CT using it for video.
I wouldn't call this a 'home automation project', if I were you. Break it down into multiple projects, as it will take a good year (or more) to learn the basics, choose your equipment, and get it installed. Steep learning curves ahead - I'm trying to choose proven methods to limit frustrations. Avoid the exciting 'bleeding edge' of new stuff (unless you're into that).
Access to the back of the rack is a necessity, get one on wheels or one that slides.
You'll need an enclosure, or piece of plywood, on the closet wall, for the security controller and associated modules/devices.
Buy your ticket, enjoy the ride, and welcome to CT.
Buyer beware - expensive hobby.
Neurorad
I don't get it. Is your perceived problem in programming on the Nuvo side? Surely not the Denon. While the 4308's IR blind spot is ridiculously long (supposed to have been corrected via firmware update), all the commends are discrete. From an IR control standpoint (which is what the Nuvo would use), it's stupid easy. Of course, I strongly dislike the Nuvo line and thus have VERY limited exposure to the programming interface (I wanted to puke when I saw how they use a separate "dongle" for IR input, dumb)You can absolutely use the Denon as a source (at least I don't see why not).
Programming the Nuvo for the AVR may be tricky, but I think it's done commonly. Sharing the AVR with the home theater (only using zone 2 as a source for the Nuvo) will be more challenging, as the Denon AVR's are...tricky, as I'm sure you are now aware.
The 4308 is a great AVR, for home theater. If you just want to run DA speakers directly from zone 2, it's fantastic. It's not really meant to be a source for a multisource DA system. I don't think it would be worth the programming frustrations.
You can absolutely use the Denon as a source (at least I don't see why not).
The biggest drawback is that you won't see the station/song/artist info (metadata) at the keypads. If you just tune into 1 or 2 internet radio stations all the time, I don't see it as a big deal, especially if you have a PC nearby with the playlist, for when you have to know the name of a song.
Programming the Nuvo for the AVR may be tricky, but I think it's done commonly. Sharing the AVR with the home theater (only using zone 2 as a source for the Nuvo) will be more challenging, as the Denon AVR's are...tricky, as I'm sure you are now aware.
I think it will be a lot easier to use Nuvo component for sources - try the 4308 for a year, see how it goes.
There are literally more than 20 different major audio distribution systems that you could consider.
You said you want wireless 'touchpads' in each room, for audio. The wireless Nuvo keypads are pretty expensive - I'm considering only 1. You should check out Sonos - metadata on the wireless touchscreen keypads (CR200, $350 MSRP), and use a charging cradle. One of the more affordable solutions. The Nuvo GC portable keypads are $800 MSRP. Even though you'll save a ton of money installing yourself, the hardwire prices really add up.
The 4308 is a great AVR, for home theater. If you just want to run DA speakers directly from zone 2, it's fantastic. It's not really meant to be a source for a multisource DA system. I don't think it would be worth the programming frustrations.
It's kind of unusual that you bought your cable first, but it seems like you bought the right stuff, for most distributed audio systems (except Sonos ). Is the speaker cable you purchased in-wall rated (CL-2)?
I don't get it. Is your perceived problem in programming on the Nuvo side? Surely not the Denon. While the 4308's IR blind spot is ridiculously long (supposed to have been corrected via firmware update), all the commends are discrete. From an IR control standpoint (which is what the Nuvo would use), it's stupid easy. Of course, I strongly dislike the Nuvo line and thus have VERY limited exposure to the programming interface (I wanted to puke when I saw how they use a separate "dongle" for IR input, dumb)You can absolutely use the Denon as a source (at least I don't see why not).
Programming the Nuvo for the AVR may be tricky, but I think it's done commonly. Sharing the AVR with the home theater (only using zone 2 as a source for the Nuvo) will be more challenging, as the Denon AVR's are...tricky, as I'm sure you are now aware.
The 4308 is a great AVR, for home theater. If you just want to run DA speakers directly from zone 2, it's fantastic. It's not really meant to be a source for a multisource DA system. I don't think it would be worth the programming frustrations.