Putting together a reliable and cheap automated system

[Flipsy]

Hi everyone,

I really need your help. It is quite hard to get information about all the automation devices, but as I see you are well informed about the topic.
I have read that Z-wave is much more reliable, than x10 and any other devices, so I would choose to make a system with z-wave products.
I want to control all my devices by my android tablet and android phone and also my wifes Iphone.
I also don't want to run a PC all the time, so what other controller would you than suggest, which is a cheap solution and communicates with all the z-wave devices.
If we could put together a whole system here, it would be the greatest.

I want to control lighting, thermostats, door lock, security system, cameras and media center.
How should I start? what android sofware do you suggest? what controller do you suggest? how do I install devices and give them commands (like:if motion is, turn light on)? If you have suggestions on devices, what brand and type would best suit the system, would be brilliant.

Thank you very much for your help!!

 

[sic0048]

I think you are going to find that the software options for home automation are less expensive than hardware controller options. Luckily today there are plenty of low power devices out there that are also pretty inexpensive. Look at the Atom processor devices out there. You can generally get barebone dual core systems for less than $200 (even after adding RAM). They also don't take a lot of power to run, so your operating expenses will be low too.

 

[elvisimprsntr]

In any engineering endeavor there is an old adage. Good, fast(time), cheap. You can't have all three. Pick the two attributes you want and you won't get the last.

Software solutions have a low entry point, but when you consider the cost of running a computer 24/7 and the reliability of Windows you may want to look at a dedicated embedded controller.

I personally prefer the universal devices isy99x series of controllers.

 

[wuench]

If ZWave is the way you want to go, then look into the Vera

 

[tmbrown97]

Software solutions have a low entry point, but when you consider the cost of running a computer 24/7 and the reliability of Windows you may want to look at a dedicated embedded controller.

Not to start the OS flame wars, but if you set up a windows computer on a low powered atom or similar small footprint PC, the cost to run it will be close to that of an appliance; and the point of the "reliability of Windows" is just absurd. Set up the machine once and set it up properly and it'll run for 10+ years until hardware takes it out. Windows only dies when people do stupid things with it and mess up the installation. Don't screw with it and it won't screw with you.

Reminds me of one manufacturing client I work with - they have an app that has never been ported forward (well I just re-wrote it in c#) - only runs on Windows 95; it's sitting on an IBM Thinkpad. It's been sitting in the same office running the same application for 17 years without fail. It's not connected to the internet and nobody is browsing facebook or letting their kids download smiley central on it. And, Windows continues to work just fine. If billions of people ran Linux and the app repositories were cluttered with falsely named programs and packages designed to trick you into installing viruses, then Linux would have the reputation that Windows does today. And just for the record, I'm typing this from OSX so I'm not just a Windows guy - I use all three OSs each for what they're best for.