I'm an IT guy with a DIY background and very interested in Home Automation, but just getting into it. We're doing a lower level renovation in a 25 year old home, and it's a good time to retro-wire the rest of the house with cat5e/6, for network devices and RG-6 for some video distribution, and I wanted to do some lighting automation and possibly Home Theater automation as well with this project. I was referred to the HAI system by a knowledgeable friend (who did his own great HA summary spreadsheet by the way).
He's suggesting the HAI Lumina Pro would be great for my needs, and I'm trying to validate a few use cases I have before jumping in. I have a few questions related to this so I've created this thread to capture them all.
A. HVAC
I see lots of people talk about multiple thermostats with their HAI systems, and the Omni and Lumina Pro controllers support a ridiculous number of them, but few seem to mention whether they have zoned systems or multiple HVAC units, so I'm confused about what these thermostats are controlling. What does a system like HAI give you except remote control and some ability to do conditional control based on the temperature - e.g. temperature automation?
1) Since our furnace (single stage gas and AC) and ducting was previously zoned, I've been looking at Honeywell Truezone system for a three zone installation. I'm trying to understand whether the HAI system would perform as a zone controller with the thermostats, or if you'd still have to get the TrueZone zone controller itself, in addition to zone dampers and other pieces of equipment. I can understand that HAI or other Zwave thermostats could be used and these could interface with Truezone system, but in that case I assume the Truezone controller would contain all the conditional logic to actually operate the zone control HVAC system. I can't see HAI being able to perform all the functions of the Zone control system without a lot of programming (e.g. Control the zone dampers, and reading the discharge air temp sensor, is one thing but knowing how to program all the resulting behaviour and management of dampers seems harder.) But if you could do this, it would save between $200 and $400 on the Honeywell zone controller...
So are others using HAI just for remote control of temperature in zoned systems, or is it actually controlling the furnace and AC, along with damper control in order to afford true integration and control with HVAC? And if the latter, is this programming available somewhere so that I can avoid spending on two controller?
2) The Honeywell has wired and wireless thermostats which allow you to place them more easily without running retrofit wiring, which already exists in our previously zoned system, but I might like to place the thermostats in other locations. Would the Zwave thermostats still need to connect to the furnace and A/C (or the zone controllers depending on answers to the above question) using a four or five wire cable, or are they somehow wireless as well? (I mean other than the interaction with the Lumina Pro controller).
3) Since the Honeywell system has it's own ability for remote control and web-based interface (ipad, android), and the Lumina Pro does too, what are the advantages of hooking up with the Lumina, over keeping separate control with the Honeywell system? What are other people doing with this? Why would I want my thermostats hooked into the Lumina Pro, if the TrueZone zone controller is really managing the HVAC stuff? What do you gain?
B. Lighting
I was originally very interested in the Lutron RadioRa2 system for lighting because I thought the wall switches and scene controller devices looked really slick and professional - a step above the seemingly less polished nature of the HAI and like systems.... but I know this is quite subjective. So I'm wanting to take advantage of UPB and HIC(?) powerline switches, but am also interested in some Z-Wave scene controllers I see out there, in addition to the HAI 6 button one.
1) Will all z-Wave scene controllers be compatible with the HAI Lumina Pro, or are scene controllers (and the house status switch and the room switch) different than the typical load switches? ? I have it in my head that they may be somewhat proprietary, whereas the switches and devices that control loads are more interchangeable. I can see how I'd be wrong, but in my reading of the spec, I can't get it figured out.
2) How does Z-wave work for scene control - is all the programming store in the scene controller unit, or stored in the Lumina pro and all that is just transmitted to the scene controller? I understand you have to add a PIM to do Z Wave, but if Z-Wave scene controllers work with different devices, what ones typically work well?
I may have additional questions as I go - thanks for any help in advance.
Choots
He's suggesting the HAI Lumina Pro would be great for my needs, and I'm trying to validate a few use cases I have before jumping in. I have a few questions related to this so I've created this thread to capture them all.
A. HVAC
I see lots of people talk about multiple thermostats with their HAI systems, and the Omni and Lumina Pro controllers support a ridiculous number of them, but few seem to mention whether they have zoned systems or multiple HVAC units, so I'm confused about what these thermostats are controlling. What does a system like HAI give you except remote control and some ability to do conditional control based on the temperature - e.g. temperature automation?
1) Since our furnace (single stage gas and AC) and ducting was previously zoned, I've been looking at Honeywell Truezone system for a three zone installation. I'm trying to understand whether the HAI system would perform as a zone controller with the thermostats, or if you'd still have to get the TrueZone zone controller itself, in addition to zone dampers and other pieces of equipment. I can understand that HAI or other Zwave thermostats could be used and these could interface with Truezone system, but in that case I assume the Truezone controller would contain all the conditional logic to actually operate the zone control HVAC system. I can't see HAI being able to perform all the functions of the Zone control system without a lot of programming (e.g. Control the zone dampers, and reading the discharge air temp sensor, is one thing but knowing how to program all the resulting behaviour and management of dampers seems harder.) But if you could do this, it would save between $200 and $400 on the Honeywell zone controller...
So are others using HAI just for remote control of temperature in zoned systems, or is it actually controlling the furnace and AC, along with damper control in order to afford true integration and control with HVAC? And if the latter, is this programming available somewhere so that I can avoid spending on two controller?
2) The Honeywell has wired and wireless thermostats which allow you to place them more easily without running retrofit wiring, which already exists in our previously zoned system, but I might like to place the thermostats in other locations. Would the Zwave thermostats still need to connect to the furnace and A/C (or the zone controllers depending on answers to the above question) using a four or five wire cable, or are they somehow wireless as well? (I mean other than the interaction with the Lumina Pro controller).
3) Since the Honeywell system has it's own ability for remote control and web-based interface (ipad, android), and the Lumina Pro does too, what are the advantages of hooking up with the Lumina, over keeping separate control with the Honeywell system? What are other people doing with this? Why would I want my thermostats hooked into the Lumina Pro, if the TrueZone zone controller is really managing the HVAC stuff? What do you gain?
B. Lighting
I was originally very interested in the Lutron RadioRa2 system for lighting because I thought the wall switches and scene controller devices looked really slick and professional - a step above the seemingly less polished nature of the HAI and like systems.... but I know this is quite subjective. So I'm wanting to take advantage of UPB and HIC(?) powerline switches, but am also interested in some Z-Wave scene controllers I see out there, in addition to the HAI 6 button one.
1) Will all z-Wave scene controllers be compatible with the HAI Lumina Pro, or are scene controllers (and the house status switch and the room switch) different than the typical load switches? ? I have it in my head that they may be somewhat proprietary, whereas the switches and devices that control loads are more interchangeable. I can see how I'd be wrong, but in my reading of the spec, I can't get it figured out.
2) How does Z-wave work for scene control - is all the programming store in the scene controller unit, or stored in the Lumina pro and all that is just transmitted to the scene controller? I understand you have to add a PIM to do Z Wave, but if Z-Wave scene controllers work with different devices, what ones typically work well?
I may have additional questions as I go - thanks for any help in advance.
Choots