New home owner...where is a good place to start?

Mellman

New Member
I just purchased my first home! Woohoo! The home is 20 years old, so obviously things like home automation weren't taken into consideration when building it. It was however a custom built home and the AC ducting is quite complex (not efficient in my eyes)

I love the concept of home automation...but honestly after reading the forum posts for the past few days I see all kinds of different systems...and I am lost to the point where too much information is bad!

Where do I start? Is there some kind of guide or synopsis somewhere here (or elsewhere) that can give me some kind of overview into what different systems are out there, how things work, and what can and cannot play nicely?

My end result goal is to have a completely automated house at some point, from lights, ac/window blinds, AV, to anything else that may come down the road. of course I am only 24 right now...so that end goal won't need to be reached immediately.

I know I will have a lot of reading ahead of me and I"m certain i'll be asking questions specific to my setup. I have a computer background, and am a 100% DIYer so I'll be doing everything I can from pulling wires to writing code. Hopefully there are fellow DIYer's like myself out there so I'm not too crazy :)

Thanks!
 
Start with fire protection then general security, getting those two done will gain you much knowledge. In the end they will become a functional part as inputs for a greater system.

Run Cat5 everywhere.
 
Big huge tasks always intimidate me so much that I can't ever get even started on them....so I have to break it into smaller, tangible bites. What I'd do is define a very small, finite capability and then work towards implementing that. So it could be:

1) I want to hear a chime when the front door is opened.

And then once you've worked towards that, or accomplish that, it could be:

2) I want the chime to only occur when I'm home. Otherwise I want it to be a loud siren.

etc.

Or if distributed audio was your desire, that'd also be a good place to start.

1) I want to be able to play different kinds of media in the master bedroom through ceiling speakers.

to
2) I want to be able to control the volume and play/pause of media playing through the ....etc etc.

That's what I'D do anyway...I don't think there is an overall guide except the always recommended Wiring your house guide
 
Like the others said, I would recommend starting with smaller projects and always keep the end goal to get them integrated in mind. For example, if you decide that you want to get a programmable thermostat to automatically turn off the HVAC when you leave and turn it on shortly before you come home, you could get a decent programmable thermostat for $60 or $80 or you could get a good communicating thermostat for $200+. You might not be able to use the communicating functions now, but later on when you get something to run your home you'll be able to integrate that thermostat with your system.

That said, you might want to start with deciding what you want the backbone of your system to be. You'll need something to control it all and some of your choices for different parts will be determined by what will be running your system. Personally I use HomeSeer and I've been very happy with it, but I know that there are a lot of other choices used by other members here. Do some research and see what you think will fit your needs. HomeSeer and a lot of the other software packages offer 30 day trial versions so you can see how they will work for you. Even if you don't purchase your system now, it will be good to know what you want so you can make purchases that will work with it.

Good luck,
Brett
 
I just broke ground on my house. Here are a few of the products I intend to use:

CQC from Charmed Quark Systems
ELK M1G
Extron matrix switch (used, off Ebay, $168.00)
Nuvo Grand Concerto

A little different approach than mentioned above, but if you start reading about the above mentioned products, you will have learned a lot. This is what I did, and it sounds like you and I have similar backgrounds. Cocoontech and AVS Forum reading can certainly occupy you for weeks without you ever posting once. Search is your friend.

EDIT: by the way my anticipated DIY cost is literally $100K or more less than a local integrator quoted me. Of course, I haven't actually STARTED yet.... .

EDITEDIT: by the way my anticipated DIY cost is literally $100K+ less than a local integrator quoted me. Of course, I haven't actually STARTED yet.... .
 
I just broke ground on my house. Here are a few of the products I intend to use:

CQC from Charmed Quark Systems
ELK M1G
Extron matrix switch (used, off Ebay, $168.00)
Nuvo Grand Concerto

A little different approach than mentioned above, but if you start reading about the above mentioned products, you will have learned a lot. This is what I did, and it sounds like you and I have similar backgrounds. Cocoontech and AVS Forum reading can certainly occupy you for weeks without you ever posting once. Search is your friend.

EDIT: by the way my anticipated DIY cost is literally $100K or more less than a local integrator quoted me. Of course, I haven't actually STARTED yet.... .
100K? Maybe you should try HomeSeer it's a lot cheaper than that :)

Most users get started automating Christmas lights and move up from there. Start small and study large.
 
Exactly. Start small. My adventure started with the simple function of controlling my porch light. Timers were always off, and light sensors were problematic. Next thing I know, I'm knee deep in it!

I started with X10 and started to move towards Insteon. I'm about 90%+ with Insteon now.

Read all that you can and make the best choice for your needs.
 
My recommendation is to not start. Ok, just kidding, but seriously, once you do you will be hooked and there will be no such thing as an 'end'. Especially as an IT guys and diy'er you will forever play with and expand the system. But as mentioned already, start with the very basics. Break your 'system' down into various pieces, like ' Core', 'Lighting', 'Irrigation', etc, etc. Concentrate on the core and get that in place, then you can hit the other areas. For the core you will essentially choose between a hardware panel like Elk or HAI which is a security system and automation panel all in one, or you can go the route of something like a Cortexa system with a separate security system, or you could go with a software/pc solution like Homeseer. If you need security anyway, I recommend something like the Elk M1G as your core. Then look at your other stuff to integrate with it. But take it slow in manageable pieces and don't try to do everything at once. Just have fun with it, if it becomes 'work' because stuff doesn't want to work right (like using x10 :) then you will lose your appreciation for the hobby.
 
Dude, you're 24! My advice is: Step away from the HA timesuck, drink as much as possible, sleep with as many women as possible, never ask their last name, avoid asking first names unless absolutely necessary. Don't forget that that priority #1 is to have a good story the next day. If you have to choose between the hot blonde who's a ditz and the homely brunnette that's Steven Spielberg's niece that's got Transformers schwag at home to make life interesting, go for the brunnette. You can always turn off the lights and pretend she's Mikaela Banes.

But I guess hanging out in the forums and reading up on other people's systems is a good way to learn about HA if you don't want to listen to that. I've got some links in my sig that might help.
 
I just broke ground on my house. Here are a few of the
EDIT: by the way my anticipated DIY cost is literally $100K or more less than a local integrator quoted me. Of course, I haven't actually STARTED yet.... .
100K? Maybe you should try HomeSeer it's a lot cheaper than that :)

Hehe...Ace had an unfortunate lack of punctuation in his sentence that made it difficult to grasp what he was saying until you read it a few times...it would probably have come across better with:

"EDIT: by the way my anticipated DIY cost is literally $100K (or more) less than a local integrator quoted me."

translation: He's saving a buttload of money going the DIY route instead of installed professionally. Money that IVB would suggest blowing on beer and women instead, but that's a different take on HA. :)
 
Hehe...Ace had an unfortunate lack of punctuation in his sentence that made it difficult to grasp what he was saying until you read it a few times... . <snip>. .

. . translation: He's saving a buttload of money going the DIY route instead of installed professionally. Money that IVB would suggest blowing on beer and women instead, but that's a different take on HA. :)

Thanks. I edited the edit!
 
Money that IVB would suggest blowing on beer and women instead, but that's a different take on HA. :)

I am compelled to repeat the old joke:
Spend only half on wine, women, & song. Blow the other half...

LOL thanks for all the info guys!

I certainly expect to start with small projects but my main concern is the big picture and making sure whatever I do now, will be compatible with whatever i end up doing later. Obviously I know you can't 100% future proof something...but if i'm looking into light automation, i want to make sure it'll be compatible with whatever central core system i go with down the road.

I have some experience with X10 stuff...and I've never really been impressed with it. It doesn't always seem to work, and it just seems...clunky i guess is the word i'd use. I'll definitely look into homeseer and check out some links in the sigs.

And who says I can't spend money on HA AND find the ladies? I can just automate the marvin gaye, wine bar, and turnstyle bed to all power up when i hit a button before coming into the house with the women ;)
 
Don't worry a WHOLE lot about making all the right choices at this point. Every single person who has ever been involved with HA even for a little bit has a closet full of hardware that they ended up not wanting or using...it's just part of the process. And then you get to sell it to the other newcomers! :)
 
i think its smart to consider the end goal before starting - what you *think* your ideal system would do

if you start small and expand, you might get locked into a product line that does not have some device types (like a motion sensor) - that product line might eat other powerline signals so you can't use other product lines with it

my advice is to read, read and read more

most importantly - never inflict insteon on anyone
 
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