Home automation : Businesses in NZ?

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dylandylandylan

75 posts

Master Geek

#113638 22-Jan-2013 23:02

Are there many people that do this kind of thing in NZ?
I'm talking wireless light switches via a internet GUI (sort of like a router GUI)
etc etc.

TechSol

274 posts

Ultimate Geek

Technical Solutions Aust

#749288 23-Jan-2013 08:46

There are quite a few (definitely in the main centers) and we are one such company.

But it all comes down to which systems an installer is interested in using, as to what they would be willing to install.

gzt

11330 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#749315 23-Jan-2013 09:25

I keep a list of NZ distributors and NZ retailers for home automation systems. It may be of interest.

Btw, the list does not cover installers specifically but I would be happy to add anyone that wants to be there for a particular system if that system provides energy monitoring capability. The page does not get a huge number of hits but probably helps a little with google pagerank for linked sites.

Signature goes here.

lxsw20

2400 posts

Uber Geek

#749325 23-Jan-2013 09:30

I'm guessing this vairys hugly but what would a typical home automation install consist of - IE Lights/HVAC/AV etc and what would the average cost be for say a 4 bedroom house.

Very open quesiton I know....

PDAMan

159 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

#749350 23-Jan-2013 09:58

Many thanks for sharing that gzt. We, Imersia http://imersianz.wordpress.com/ are actively working in the M2M business and connecting to and controlling sensors in and around the home, as well as sensors around sustainability are part of that program. Your website will be helpful for us to make contact with others in the industry.

Luigi
Helping companies with location based problem solving, blogs and social media
SolomoConsulting
Find me on LinkedIn
Blog http://luigicappel.wordpress.com
Check out my songwriting

TechSol

274 posts

Ultimate Geek

Technical Solutions Aust

#749368 23-Jan-2013 10:18

lxsw20: I'm guessing this vairys hugly but what would a typical home automation install consist of - IE Lights/HVAC/AV etc and what would the average cost be for say a 4 bedroom house.

Very open quesiton I know....

Extremely open ended.... at a stab in the dark it would typically include lighting AV HVAC and any other control such as gates, irrigation, security etc

4 bedroom house... best guess between $20k -100k and upwards if you want to go crazy.

dylandylandylan

75 posts

Master Geek

#749527 23-Jan-2013 13:20

Thanks guys. I'm very interested in the home automation industry and how different things interact with each other. I'd love to know if it was possible to retrofit other electronic appliances, say washing machines etc, by implementing a board of some sort in the actual system.

~Dylan

PDAMan

159 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

#749556 23-Jan-2013 14:05

The simple answer is yes, but there are lots of considerations including safety, security and practicality. If an appliance is designed to support remote control and communication, then it is relatively easy, if not, then you need to tread with caution and make sure you use experienced people to make it work for you.

If your old stove started up because it received a signal meant for your air conditioning and stayed on for a week while you were overseas on holiday you might come home to a pile of ashes where your home used to be. I've seen a few discussions here on Geekzone about DIY projects that didn't quite work out.

Luigi
Helping companies with location based problem solving, blogs and social media
SolomoConsulting
Find me on LinkedIn
Blog http://luigicappel.wordpress.com
Check out my songwriting

rossmnz

507 posts

Ultimate Geek

#749560 23-Jan-2013 14:12

Check out these guys

http://radionetmonitoring.co.nz/

their solution incorporates vodafones sites and uses 3G/GSM to monitor and adjust everything you can think of in the house.

Eg you wire the radionet box into your power lines and you were going to the batch, one hour away you can turn on the heat pump, lighting, spa etc etc all via iPhone application.

Very cool.

The force is strong with this one!

Fibaro

11 posts

Geek

#749907 23-Jan-2013 22:46

Staying within the FUG for this forum I will limit this post to vague examples but we are completing large scale home automation projects in Auckland for much less than $20k - most retro fitted. Features including:

Complete Lighting automation with user specified sections and areas for "all on" or "all off" commands
Dimmers (LED friendly can be product/driver specific) or simple on off
On/off control for HVAC
Garage door control
Alarm integration (including arm/disarm/breach push notifications to your phone provided you have an internet connection)
IP Camera integration and mobile monitoring
GPS location (smartphone) based scene or device activation (i.e. turn outdoor lights on to 100% if user x arrives within 200m of home after sunset)

+ More

Latest project is a 6 bedroom new build with full lighting, alarm, camera and various energy efficiency elements (Alarm status based appliance standby shut down etc)

5 Day install (after the electricians had signed off) essentially retrofitted less than $16K including install and basic programming

We have completed smaller scale entry level projects which can be expanded later for less than $4K installed

Happy to answer any commercially based enquiries privately and publicly respond to general enquiries about the new standards in wireless automation hitting NZ and Australia...

And the continually developing system features were previewed at CES earlier this month. I can't post links but anyone familiar with engadget will be able to find it by searching Fibaro in their CES interviews

khull

1245 posts

Uber Geek

#749936 23-Jan-2013 23:37

I am swapping out our light switches with wifi capable switches when it gets released in March. Already own power plugs that hook up to our router that let you set schedules and rules.

I've also ordered LED lights that are wifi and bluetooth capable, again controlled via a smartphone. Proximity sensors with the phone mean turning on/off when you we are in the hallway will be a thing of the past.

While you can get IR/motion sensors to the switch but I would rather have schedules and integration with services like ifttt. Being able to turn devices on and off remotely over the internet is a must.

As a side note, we have smart meters installed by the power company. I see that with our TV, amp, hdmi switches, and surround sound on standby chews up about 0.003kWh and at approx 25 cents per unit, it makes no sense trying to make an impact to the power bill from an automation perspective.

richms

23281 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#749945 23-Jan-2013 23:56

Yeah, the biggest vampire power usage I have here is the UPS's at 10-40w a pop just doing nothing but keeping the batteries full.

I have had a look at some of the zwave modules, have heard of people putting them behind lightswitches and power points, but really that just leaves a redundant switch on the wall, and is not going to work with 3-4 or more way switching like in loungerooms etc.

When I remodel downstairs I am probably going to go with cbus if there isnt anything else comparable around by then. zwave uses 2.4Ghz which is an instant turnoff for me, prefer wired.

Richard rich.ms

Fibaro

11 posts

Geek

#749950 24-Jan-2013 00:13

There are various inaccuracies to your comment.

I fail to see how the module behind the switch leaves the switch redundant? Particularly as the switch becomes an interface to the module so the switch still works as it should. And in some cases becomes a manual control for dimming (if changed out for a momentary mechanism i.e push dim) or triggers associated modules to switch at the same time (if configured to do so). The power point does have this impact but the availability of products with the extra switch in the middle overcomes this issue as that switch interfaces to the module which, if switched off does cut the power to the outlet

We have single modules which work with 2 way or intermediate switches... I.e one dimmer module responds to commands from any number of switches to the same load

Z-wave in NZ and Australia is on 921.42MhZ.. A reasonably unclouded frequency as per the focus of Z-wave and therefore varying frequencies around the world. Zigbee is on 2.4 which you maybe confused with