10 years ago, I bought an installed an Elk M1G with the goal of using it for a security panel and UPB integration for HA. Kids & life got in the way and HA never happened. Fast forward 10+ years, and I find myself looking at starting up an HA project again. At the moment, my M1G is just doing plain vanilla security, with a bunch of external door/window contacts and a few motion detectors inside the house. I also have an Ecobee3 with a few temp sensors. Otherwise, nothing of note.
I've been reading up on different options/etc and not sure where I should focus my approach, or which tech to choose. I see that Thread is the new pony in the game, but can't find any devices that are Thread compatible. In 2008, ZWave/Zigbee/UPB were still much in their infancy but they have definitely matured since then.
I'm also leaning prob towards a Homeseer instance although I see that a lot of ppl are using ISY as controllers.
My overall goals:
- indoor lighting controls (to start with, basic rules just for controlling lights when out of the house, etc)
- outdoor lighting (turn on and off automatically, trigger extra lights when someone approaches a part of the house, etc)
- patio lighting and music controls? (not quite sure what I can do with this)
- temp controls (responding to external temp sensor)
- eventually integrate with some forms of IP cameras (not sure where to go with that one either, but definitely will want to start looking at IP cameras for security)
Given my "wish" list, which pony should I pick in today's race? Is Zigbee still experiencing a lot of conflicts? Is Insteon still an up-to-date tech? At the time, I liked Insteon for using dual-mesh networks and being able to fall-back on power lines as a bus, but don't know if that is still a relevant issue today. Is ZWave the wave of the present/future?
I also have some concerns that not all my outlets have a neutral wire; how easy can I get around that issue with any of these techs?
Thanks for any insights that can be shared!
Eric
I've been reading up on different options/etc and not sure where I should focus my approach, or which tech to choose. I see that Thread is the new pony in the game, but can't find any devices that are Thread compatible. In 2008, ZWave/Zigbee/UPB were still much in their infancy but they have definitely matured since then.
I'm also leaning prob towards a Homeseer instance although I see that a lot of ppl are using ISY as controllers.
My overall goals:
- indoor lighting controls (to start with, basic rules just for controlling lights when out of the house, etc)
- outdoor lighting (turn on and off automatically, trigger extra lights when someone approaches a part of the house, etc)
- patio lighting and music controls? (not quite sure what I can do with this)
- temp controls (responding to external temp sensor)
- eventually integrate with some forms of IP cameras (not sure where to go with that one either, but definitely will want to start looking at IP cameras for security)
Given my "wish" list, which pony should I pick in today's race? Is Zigbee still experiencing a lot of conflicts? Is Insteon still an up-to-date tech? At the time, I liked Insteon for using dual-mesh networks and being able to fall-back on power lines as a bus, but don't know if that is still a relevant issue today. Is ZWave the wave of the present/future?
I also have some concerns that not all my outlets have a neutral wire; how easy can I get around that issue with any of these techs?
Thanks for any insights that can be shared!
Eric