Thanks for all the replies. I think I'm sold on the usefulness of the security/automation/lighting marriage (and, more importantly, the inability to easily get that marriage without an intermediary controller), but frankly, reading the installation manual linked above wasn't all that much help. It's probably very helpful during an installation (duh), but not all that helpful in the planning stage. With that in mind, on to my next set of questions...
- The Elk M1 Gold Starter Kit doesn't seem to include anything...useful. It includes things that are necessary, but not things that allow me to actually use it for anything clever out of the box. Is that a fair assessment?
- I'd like to be able to connect the Elk controller to my home network for remote programming; is that what the Ethernet Port Interface is for?
- I'm going to need a handful of keypads - probably a fancy one at the main point of entry/exit, and then a few arming stations at the various other doors. How do these connect? Ethernet wire? If so, am I correct in assuming I'll need one or more Data Bus Hubs?
- It looks like all of Elk's security system hardware is wireless (door & window contacts, motion sensors, etc.).
If using Elk's hardware, am I correct in assuming I'll need one or more Wireless Transceivers (in addition to the door & window sensors, motion sensors, etc.)?
- Can I use sensor hardware from another vendor? I'm thinking specifically of Scout here (www.scoutalarm.com), which is Zigbee-based. I know nothing about Zigbee other than how to spell it.
- If I can use hardware from another vendor, how do I get it to interface with the controller?
[*]The first non-security integration project I'll tackle will be lighting control, probably with the Simply Automated UPB switches. How do I interface the switches with the controller? In other words, if I wanted to duplicate your "when somebody rings the doorbell, notify the Elk, play a sound, trigger the camera, send a text, kick on the light" setup, what hardware does that require? (I realize the second question is a lot more involved than the first, but I figure you might as well explain it all to me now so I'll know what I'm getting into here.)
[*]Two other security-related issues I'll probably tackle early on are access control at the driveway gate, and garage door status and operation. I'm going to try to extend the Wifi coverage to the end of the driveway, and it would be nice to be able to do something like hit a button on an Elk keyfob to open the driveway gate, open the correct garage door (mine or my wife's depending on who pushed the button), turn on the garage and breezeway lights, disarm the security system, and turn on the mudroom and kitchen lights. The driveway gate should close automatically, and if somebody forgets to close the garage door, it should close after some period of inactivity. What kind of hardware is going to be required for this? Keyfob, wireless transceiver, anything else? Can the transceiver be mounted remotely (i.e. at the end of the driveway somewhere), or does it have to be co-located with the controller? Is there a better way to accomplish this?
[*]Next project will likely be some manner of HVAC integration. What kind of thermostats am I going to have to use? What about controller-side hardware?
Thanks again for taking the time to educate me, here.
EDIT: Totally forgot about smoke/CO2 detectors. What hardware will they require?