I don't have time to understand Home automation yet but....

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#1594442 18-Jul-2016 12:33

Talkiet:

OK then... updated request... Say I wanted to dip my toe in the water before I move, what do I need foe Openhab? I'm thinking...

- Raspberry Pi with a 7" touchscreen

- Z-wave USB controller?

- a couple of z-wave inwall relays (to provide smarts - control and state detection) to existing lights or sockets

- a couple of sensors (Is someone in the hall?)

- can I get an IR emitter to turn stuff on?

My chosen POC would be to have something that...

"Press a button on the touchscreen and the projector turns on, the amp turns on, the screen drops (via existing 12V trigger from projector) and the lights for the room turn off after 30 seconds"

By the sound of is this should be relatively simple and not require significant rewiring - just putting the relays in the light switches?

Cheers - N

Some projectors, TV's etc can be controlled by LAN, consider that when buying

Just wondering, do you use android or iOS?

Talkiet

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#1594446 18-Jul-2016 12:40

Yabanize:

Talkiet:

OK then... updated request... Say I wanted to dip my toe in the water before I move, what do I need foe Openhab? I'm thinking...

- Raspberry Pi with a 7" touchscreen

- Z-wave USB controller?

- a couple of z-wave inwall relays (to provide smarts - control and state detection) to existing lights or sockets

- a couple of sensors (Is someone in the hall?)

- can I get an IR emitter to turn stuff on?

My chosen POC would be to have something that...

"Press a button on the touchscreen and the projector turns on, the amp turns on, the screen drops (via existing 12V trigger from projector) and the lights for the room turn off after 30 seconds"

By the sound of is this should be relatively simple and not require significant rewiring - just putting the relays in the light switches?

Cheers - N

Some projectors, TV's etc can be controlled by LAN, consider that when buying

Just wondering, do you use android or iOS?

Android for me. My projector isn't network connectable but I am big into my Harmony so looks like the Harmony Hub is the way to go... I think I'll have to order this damn stuff and have a play :-) Is there a good local place for the Zwave stuff?

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

SumnerBoy

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#1594447 18-Jul-2016 12:42

Active Automation is worth a look (that is who I sold all my stock to when I shut down Smart Things NZ). They have a pretty good range and are good to deal with IME.

RUKI

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#1594504 18-Jul-2016 14:22

Would advise to consider planning/provisions for other related things like:

Solar Panels;

Battery Storage (e.g. Tesla Power Wall is only connected to the wall and there are some strict specs about where you can attach it);

EV charging (currently you would need 16A socket and that is not your normal AC outlet);

Wireless (induction) charging of your future EV;

Anything to assist pets (cats & dogs);

Outdoor Voice Anouncements to the expected or unwanted visitors - remotely controlled;

Reminders or ways to check remotely if you had turned that appliance (e.g. coffee machine) off or not?

Anything which seems easy to do now but would help you around your place when you are 90 years old...

olivernz

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#1594522 18-Jul-2016 15:11

I wouldn't bother with Z-Wave too much. Just look at the ESP8266 projects. They all just use plain WiFi.
Yes, OpenHAB is an option but there are others too. I'd also suggest looking at Node-Red and MQTT (my weapon of choice although I haven't yet managed to solve my UI to my satisfaction though). Also look at this guy's posts... http://tech.scargill.net/

Also like the idea with teh EV and solar stuff. Would definitely plan it in. Especially when selecting choices for hot water.

SumnerBoy

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#1594528 18-Jul-2016 15:18

Z-Wave is great is you want an out-of-the-box solution. The mesh networking works really well if you have a larger house and need nodes that are a long way from the Z-Stick (I have this scenario and the mesh stuff works really very well once setup). Also, the in-wall modules are very small (Fibaro are the smallest) so when retrofitting they are very hard to beat in terms of size and squeezing them inside your flush boxes.

I personally think for retrofit there is not much else out there that can beat Z-Wave (but then again I have invested quite a bit in it!). They are hidden completely from the end user (i.e. behind the wall switches), the wall switches still work as per normal and will work if the Z-Wave controller is down, and you are not tied into any one vendor - there are more and more players getting involved with Z-Wave. Same goes for some of the sensors, the Fibaro motion sensor is very small/discrete (size of a golf ball). Easy to stick it in the corner of a room and barely notice it (especially after disabling the LED). The battery life on them is very good as well - so again, excellent for retrofitting where you didn't run power/CAT6 to every place you want a motion/temp/light sensor now.

But for a new build, then yes there are definitely cheaper and better approaches.

mdf

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#1594529 18-Jul-2016 15:21

Anyone using Blynk to drive things? Seems popular on quite a few projects I've found online.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

SumnerBoy

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#1594530 18-Jul-2016 15:22

Not I, try to avoid cloud based platforms at any cost ;).

olivernz

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#1594583 18-Jul-2016 16:37

Blync got a little expensive. But probably the best looking and has advantage that you can have a local server (but still have to pay).
It's not easy finding the right thing to drive your UI.

SumnerBoy

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#1594585 18-Jul-2016 16:38

Didn't realise you could run a local server. It is a nice UI.

richms

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#1594675 18-Jul-2016 18:41

If you are paying then the chance of it sticking around is better

Richard rich.ms

Talkiet

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#1599220 26-Jul-2016 20:32

So... I have ordered some stuff to stitch together and see if I can make it work...

- Raspberry Pi 3 B (plus case, PSU)

- Aeon ZStick Gen5 USB Z-Wave controller

- Z-Wave Wireless Micro Smart Dimmer 2nd Edition

- Z-Wave Wireless Multisensor 6 in 1 (Motion, Temp, Light, Humidity, Vibration, UV sensor)

- Wireless Smart Switch 2nd Edition lighting control for home automation (Z-Wave controlled plug)

- Amazon Echo(!)

I'll start with OpenHAB and see if that works for me or if I'll ditch that and go for a more off the shelf Z-Wave controller. The Vera stuff looks good but what's the harm in having a Pi3 around?

I know there will be some issues with the Echo but the youtube video was just so neat and I needed a reasonable Bluetooth speaker anyway :-)

Have I missed anything off here to start with? This is just going to be a proof of concept to see if I can stitch it all together - although I will have the light dimmer installed, I'll also get it removed when I move.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

SumnerBoy

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#1599221 26-Jul-2016 20:34

You won't regret the Echo - it works very well with openHAB too, via the HA-Bridge. A bit of work getting it all setup but then you can control anything integrated with openHAB, "Alexa, turn on Sky TV", "Alexa, turn on the coffee machine". Even the wife loves it, we use it many times every day, no exaggeration.

mdf

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#1599223 26-Jul-2016 20:39

How well does the Echo work in NZ? I had a brief look at it but some of the hacks necessary to get it work here raised a bit of a barrier.

Talkiet

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#1599225 26-Jul-2016 20:40

SumnerBoy:

You won't regret the Echo - it works very well with openHAB too, via the HA-Bridge. A bit of work getting it all setup but then you can control anything integrated with openHAB, "Alexa, turn on Sky TV", "Alexa, turn on the coffee machine". Even the wife loves it, we use it many times every day, no exaggeration.

Yeah, it was the youtube videos of the openHAB integration I saw that pushed me over the edge on that... It just occurred to me though that I have missed out one important element and you can probably recommend what I should do, given so far my system looks like what I think you have...

I currently have a Harmony One and activities set up to "Watch TV", "Kodi on Projector" etc... I'd like to say.. "Alexa, turn on the Projector" and have the following happen

- Lights in the lounge dim to off (easy)

- Curtains autoclose (again, easy if I spec the right curtains and motors - but it's optional for the POC)

- [something] kick off the "Kodi on Projector" activity

That last one is the question... Do I have to get a Harmony Hub and integrate that way?

Also, how about having the Harmony remote activity button kick off the lights and curtains? Is that something the Hub can do as well or do I need an IR sensor on the Pi/Z-wave network and OpenHAB config to pick up that signal - letting the Harmony turn on the Projector, amp, screen etc, and controlling the lights and curtains via Z-Wave components?

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

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