Smart Home & Home Automation discussion thread

[Kaido]

Now we just need to see hardware.. think we will see any this year?

Nah. I'd imagine we'll see more stuff after the iWatch is released. The iWatch makes a lot of sense as a smarthome controller, actually. I have a Wink system at home and it's a small hassle to pull out my iPhone, slide to unlock, find & open the app, select which thing I want to control (like a light), and then activate it. A wrist-mounted controller would make things really easy & low-resistance for quick access.

 

[Kaido]

Avi-on battery-powered Bluetooth light switch: (neat crowdfunding project)

http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/21/avi-on-dimmer-switch/

It can be used to control a number of GE-branded Bluetooth devices, like its Smart Bulbs and indoor and outdoor plugs. The system doesn't require a hub, and Avi-on claims the switch's battery will last "multi-years." If you do want to use a smartphone instead, the company also has iOS and Android apps, with features like timers, scheduling and smart device grouping.

I've been enjoying my Lutron Caseta gear, which comes with a Pico remote, which can be used either as a remote-control, or as a wireless wallswitch with a plate, which is really convenient if you don't want to re-wire your house to add more switches.

 

[CAL7]

Avi-on battery-powered Bluetooth light switch: (neat crowdfunding project)

http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/21/avi-on-dimmer-switch/



I've been enjoying my Lutron Caseta gear, which comes with a Pico remote, which can be used either as a remote-control, or as a wireless wallswitch with a plate, which is really convenient if you don't want to re-wire your house to add more switches.

Kaido- Thanks for the thread and your many updates. Last month you talked of integrating Caseta switches with Wink. How'd it go? Did you control any shades or blinds? If not, would your testing lead you to believe Wink could work with Caseta to control blinds?

 

[EightySix Four]

Anyone know an any zigbee or z-wave pushbuttons? I have a bridge (Almond+) that I'd like to set them up on to turn on and off individual Philips Hue bulbs.

 

[Kaido]

Kaido- Thanks for the thread and your many updates. Last month you talked of integrating Caseta switches with Wink. How'd it go? Did you control any shades or blinds? If not, would your testing lead you to believe Wink could work with Caseta to control blinds?

Thanks, glad you like it! We actually have a separate thread for Wink over here:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2390152

The Caseta equipment has been performing very well; Lutron has a long history of reliable wireless lighting technology. Wink has had a few glitches (some cloud server downtime, in particular), but it's good for the price. I believe you can layer commands onto the Caseta Pico remotes through the Robots feature in the Wink app, although I haven't tried yet. Oddly enough, you can't program the Pico directly for anything other than Lutron gear in the Wink app, which is strange because the Pico remote pairs to the ClearConnect transmitter in the Wink Hub for command relays, rather than directly to the Caseta outlet, so it should be a simple matter of programming, but it's not!

As far as I know, the only Wink-compatible blinds available right now are the ones that are Somfy-based, such as Bali blinds. Somfy uses RTS (Radio Technology Somfy), which seems to be the standard for integrating motorized blinds. There is a Zwave adapter available ($330), which I believe is the piece needed to talk to Wink. The catch is that the cheapest motorized RTS blind is around $330 (for the basic cellular models in the default small size), so it's pretty easy to spend a few thousand on motorized blinds (or tens of thousands if you want to get really nice blinds & drapes!). I ended up going with some $89 manual shades instead

 

[Kaido]

Anyone know an any zigbee or z-wave pushbuttons? I have a bridge (Almond+) that I'd like to set them up on to turn on and off individual Philips Hue bulbs.

Possible option here:

http://forum.securifi.com/index.php?topic=1770.0

$45 on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Evolve-LSM-15-.../dp/B008OF8CC6

 

[Kaido]

Amazon Echo unveiled:

http://www.amazon.com/oc/echo

Invitation-only currently; $199 (or $99 for Prime members). It's basically a microphone/speaker tube for your room that has something like Siri with Google Search in it. It has voice recognition from across the room. Neat. I signed up!

 

[Kaido]

You know, I thought Echo was a dumb idea, but the more I think about it, the more it actually makes sense. For starters, easy whole-house audio - for Prime members, the cost is the same as an Airport Express ($99) & everything is packaged up nicely for you. Plus Amazon Prime gives you lots of music to listen to, so for a $99 annual fee, you get an awful lot of benefits along with that.

Plus, just being able to speak & have it do stuff will make it so much more convenient to use than a phone. As soon as a thought crosses your mind, you just talk to the Echo & it gets your information for you, jots down a calendar entry, sets a timer, whatever. And especially if Amazon decides to get into the home automation market, that's a killer feature - control anything in your house from any room in your house using just your voice, no picking up hardware required!

This fills a big void - microphones everywhere (#tinfoilhat). Now there's no resistance if you want to know something or "save" something - write a note, send a message, set a timer, do some basic math (like the tsp to Tbps conversion they mention), whatever. Have it read the news outloud while you're cooking breakfast, or kick off a podcast when you go to bed.

This is going to be huge.

 

[Kneedragger]

You know, I thought Echo was a dumb idea, but the more I think about it, the more it actually makes sense. For starters, easy whole-house audio - for Prime members, the cost is the same as an Airport Express ($99) & everything is packaged up nicely for you. Plus Amazon Prime gives you lots of music to listen to, so for a $99 annual fee, you get an awful lot of benefits along with that.

Plus, just being able to speak & have it do stuff will make it so much more convenient to use than a phone. As soon as a thought crosses your mind, you just talk to the Echo & it gets your information for you, jots down a calendar entry, sets a timer, whatever. And especially if Amazon decides to get into the home automation market, that's a killer feature - control anything in your house from any room in your house using just your voice, no picking up hardware required!

This fills a big void - microphones everywhere (#tinfoilhat). Now there's no resistance if you want to know something or "save" something - write a note, send a message, set a timer, do some basic math (like the tsp to Tbps conversion they mention), whatever. Have it read the news outloud while you're cooking breakfast, or kick off a podcast when you go to bed.

This is going to be huge.

Hey where are you seeing whole house audio info? I don't see any in the feature list. Not a bad idea at all. I like where they are going with this..

 

[notposting]

Nice project writeup here: http://thesmarthome.ca/

Note: this thread is called out, ha.



Re: Amazon Echo -- I don't trust it, heh. My first thought was finding packages on the doorstep from Amazon. "Honey, did you order this?" "No, but we did talk about it the other ni-" -awkward silence and glances at the Echo-

 

[Kaido]

Hey where are you seeing whole house audio info? I don't see any in the feature list. Not a bad idea at all. I like where they are going with this..

Right from their website. It's a wireless speaker:

Music: Listen to your Amazon Music Library, Prime Music, TuneIn, and iHeartRadio.

Bluetooth-enabled: Stream your favorite music services like Spotify, iTunes, and Pandora from your phone or tablet.

So it can stream via Wifi or Bluetooth. Put one in each room, voila...music all over your house. Amazon gives you a bunch of music with Amazon Prime as well. I think the only question mark is whether you can stream to multiple units at the same time like Sonos or Airfoil does.

 

[iivuch]

I am a computer programmer, but new to home automation. I need an advise on what set of hardware should I purchase for my project. Here is a brief description of what I wish to achieve.

I wish to start with heating control. Currently we have a combination boiler with a single thermostat for the whole house. I wish to be able to set temperature for each room individually.

My ideal scenario is this - please advise if it is possible and what makes and hardware I will need:

The central heating thermostat will be replaced by a simple WiFi controlled On-Off switch. A home server computer will control this over WiFi. I would like to program the control algorithm myself. So I need preferably an OpenSource API. Then each room will have a WiFi temp. sensor which will be sending current temperature to the home server. Each radiator will have a WiFi valve which will also be controlled by the home server.

The advantage of using WiFi as a medium is that it is scalable - I can start with one or two rooms and gradually add more sensors. At a later stage I would like to add to the system lights control and sensors, doors and windows open-shut sensor, indoor and outdoor motion detectors and home security system. All of them will be controlled by the home server which I will program myself.

if Wifi is not possible for all of the above, then I can replace sensors and valves with RF versions and a hub that I can control by API. It needs to be scalable and accepting mutiple sensors and control mechanisms or I may need multiple hubs for multiple systems.

The home server that I refer to above is a standard Windows (or Linux) computer.

Any advise would be more than helpful.
Thanks!

 

[Kaido]

I am a computer programmer, but new to home automation. I need an advise on what set of hardware should I purchase for my project. Here is a brief description of what I wish to achieve.

I wish to start with heating control. Currently we have a combination boiler with a single thermostat for the whole house. I wish to be able to set temperature for each room individually.

My ideal scenario is this - please advise if it is possible and what makes and hardware I will need:

The central heating thermostat will be replaced by a simple WiFi controlled On-Off switch. A home server computer will control this over WiFi. I would like to program the control algorithm myself. So I need preferably an OpenSource API. Then each room will have a WiFi temp. sensor which will be sending current temperature to the home server. Each radiator will have a WiFi valve which will also be controlled by the home server.

The advantage of using WiFi as a medium is that it is scalable - I can start with one or two rooms and gradually add more sensors. At a later stage I would like to add to the system lights control and sensors, doors and windows open-shut sensor, indoor and outdoor motion detectors and home security system. All of them will be controlled by the home server which I will program myself.

if Wifi is not possible for all of the above, then I can replace sensors and valves with RF versions and a hub that I can control by API. It needs to be scalable and accepting mutiple sensors and control mechanisms or I may need multiple hubs for multiple systems.

The home server that I refer to above is a standard Windows (or Linux) computer.

Any advise would be more than helpful.
Thanks!

If you're really into DIY & programming, then start out by checking out Mister House - a fully open-source, cross-platform, computer-based home automation system:

http://misterhouse.sourceforge.net/

Most people who go the DIY route use existing communication standards like Zwave, since there's over 1,000 products that already use it. Everspring makes a wireless temperature probe with Zwave built-in:

http://www.smarthome.com/everspring-st814-z-wave-temperature-humidity-sensor.html

If you want something a little more advanced with more baked-in features, Danfoss (international brand) makes a radiator thermostat:

http://www.living.danfoss.eu/

Their Living Connect series does wireless temperature control:

http://www.living.danfoss.eu/#/-i-living-connect-i-/

If you want to go super hardcore with DIY (programming etc.), Arduino is probably the best way to go for you, and that offers Wifi control. If you google "Arduino thermostat" or "Arduino radiator", there are tons of projects on the net like these ones:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Introducing-Climaduino-The-Arduino-Based-Thermosta/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChBBe8hBxOY

Here's some DIY resources for you:

https://www.adafruit.com/

https://www.sparkfun.com/

http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/

http://www.thingiverse.com/

http://www.shapeways.com/

http://www.arduino.cc/

It's kind of a time vs. money thing. You can buy something pre-made off the shelf, but you'll pay for it. Or you can DIY, but you'll pay through your time & effort. Just depends on how you want to approach it - low-budget, high-budget, tinker-for-fun, etc.

 

[Kaido]

Also the VeraLite Zwave controller is available for just $99 shipped right now:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2408557

 

[iivuch]

Kaido,

Wow - thanks a lot. I will go through the links. Zwave looks like the right thing, but I am also considering the Audrino / Raspberry Pi route. I shall probably need a whole cluster of those, but at least they are cheap

Kind regards

 

[Kaido]

Been doing some digging on smarthome microphones & intercom systems. First up is the Nucleus Intercom:

https://nucleusintercom.com/

It's basically a modern version of an intercom system. Due out in Q2 of 2015, it's a color, on-wall touchscreen with camera & microphone. It's activated via a keyword or by simply tapping the picture of the rooms you want to call. There's also a mobile app & the ability to call other houses, so you can call Grandma easily. The camera includes a sliding privacy screen. Pre-order price is $150 with lifetime premium service (premium adds remote video, mobile app video, voice activation, motion detection, and music player). It can also connect to other smarthome devices, such as lamps.

Then there's the Aether streaming cone: ($400)

https://www.aether.com/

Engadget has a good overview: (scroll down for video)

http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/20/irl-aether-cone-speaker/

It has some really cool control functionality, including touch & turn, as well as voice activation & Airplay support, plus a cool design.

There's also the Ubi voice-controlled house computer: ($300)

http://www.theubi.com/

I think that with Amazon's backing, the Echo is going to be the one to get, especially if they open up the API so that say your Wink Hub can talk to it for home automation control.

 

[Kaido]

Kaido,

Wow - thanks a lot. I will go through the links. Zwave looks like the right thing, but I am also considering the Audrino / Raspberry Pi route. I shall probably need a whole cluster of those, but at least they are cheap

Kind regards

Yeah, it all depends on the route you want to go. One of my hangups is the Mitsubishi Mr. Slim mini-split ductless system (electric room heater/cooler). I really like the system, but there's not an easy way to control each unit individually without buying the commercial controller, which is not user-friendly. I've thought about building an interface board for it, but I'd really rather have something that is off-the-shelf & works 100%.

There are all kinds of ways to do control, however. If you have a whole-house system, you can even buy smart vents like this one that works off Zwave control:

http://www.smarthome.com/econet-ev1...lled-air-vent-6-inches-x-12-inches-white.html

Keen Home is also working on a similar unit:

http://www.keenhome.io/

It'd be cool if there was a standardized system for adding smarts to things - smart vents, pushbuttons & scheduling hubs, radiator controllers, that sort of thing. There's not a full suite available on the market quite yet, however. I have a Wink Hub & I'm hoping they'll come out with some products like that, especially since they just launched a really neat $80 smart thermostat that has a lot of integration with other things in their ecosystem, like a smartphone app & wireless pushbutton controllers & temperature/humidity sensors that you can put in every room.

 

[Kaido]

Another voice control system called Ivee:

http://www.helloivee.com/

http://www.cnet.com/products/ivee-sleek/

$200 and works with Nest, WeMo, Smart Things, Hue, Iris, and Staples Connect.

 

[Kaido]

Updated the OP with a voice control sub-topic section under "11. Music, Home Theater, and Voice Control" now that we have Echo, Nucleus, Ivee, Ubi, etc.

It will be interesting to see how Siri, Now, and Cortana compete, especially with all of the smartwatch & smartband technologies coming out. I foresee smart bracelets being a key player in home automation systems - I like the idea of whole-house voice control (which can be done via a standalone unit like Amazon's Echo, or via a wrist-mounted microphone like the Apple Watch), but I also think a quick-access menu on a touchscreen strapped to your wrist would be the fastest way to get commands send - no misunderstanding of your voice, and you can save shortcuts to do things like change the temperature, send music to different rooms, etc.

 

[Kaido]

I also added some other bits & pieces to the OP, stuff like BriskHeat's SpeedTrace heating cable: ("never have frozen pipes again!")

http://www.speedtraceheating.com/

Bylin also has a pipe heating system:

http://www.bylinusa.com/pipe_heat_trace/pipe.html

Definitely interesting in (1) seeing more solutions like this, and (2) seeing this stuff get universal adapters into smarthome systems for controlling functionality. It'd be neat to see more of these systems take off as "free" power systems get more universally accepted (so you can actually run them without breaking the bank), like solar panels. Here's a good article about solar panel performance in the snow:

http://homeenergypros.lbl.gov/profiles/blogs/what-happens-when-you-get-snow-on-solar-panels

Bylin also has some other cool systems like roof ice melting systems (no more icicles!) & sidewalk/driveway ice melting systems:

http://www.bylinusa.com/roof_ice_melt/RIM.html

http://www.bylinusa.com/snow_melt/snowmelt.html

Warmly Yours has some as well:

https://www.warmlyyours.com/en-US/snow-melting

It'd be cool to combine that with an outdoor heating system so you could grill & eat outside even when it's cold. Outdoor fireplaces are starting to get pretty common & there are things like infrared outdoor ceiling heaters to keep warm:

http://infratech-usa.com/

I grill outside all winter long (family tradition to grill on the first snowfall of the year!), so those would be welcome additions to the outdoor deck.

 

[Kaido]

Great read behind the Nucleus Intercom:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-jason-miller/innovative-rabbi-invents_b_6154164.html

This product will be awesome for keeping an eye on elderly relatives.

 

[Kaido]

Looks like Zmodo has joined the smarthome fray: (they make budget security DVR & camera gear)

http://www.zmodo.com/smart-home.html

3 products:

1. Wifi doorbell
2. Plug-in power adapter (on/off, scheduling, and power monitoring)
3. Dropcam-style security camera

The EZCam is available now for $120:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/zmodo-ez...&skuId=9163026

 

[RossMAN]

Looks like Zmodo has joined the smarthome fray: (they make budget security DVR & camera gear)

http://www.zmodo.com/smart-home.html

3 products:

1. Wifi doorbell
2. Plug-in power adapter (on/off, scheduling, and power monitoring)
3. Dropcam-style security camera

The EZCam is available now for $120:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/zmodo-ez...&skuId=9163026

Thanks, I'm seriously considering the EZCam but wish it were $20 - $30 cheaper.

How is it different than your typical $80 Foscam?

 

[Kaido]

Thanks, I'm seriously considering the EZCam but wish it were $20 - $30 cheaper.

How is it different than your typical $80 Foscam?

Same, just wish it was cheaper. $89 would be killer for sure :thumbsup:

So right now the market leader is Dropcam, which has a 1080p Pro model for $199 with a cloud recording service (monthly fee). Outdoor enclosures are available from Dropcases if you really want to use it as an indoor/outdoor security system. Simplicam offers a similar product at a reduced cost, albiet 720p, but it has stuff like facial recognition so that pets don't set it off. Also the Piper is out now for $199, which might be worth checking out for you:

https://getpiper.com/howitworks/

Now Zmodo has entered the standalone wireless camera market. Compared to the Foscam, it's a lot smaller physically, which looks nicer in the house. It has local recording (via MicroSD card), plus the usual features (2-way audio, WPS pairing, etc.). Here's a very basic intro video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OiqQq8Mpqo

What works best for you is based on what your goals are. Some starter questions include:

1. Do you want to use them outdoors, or indoors only?

2. Do you want to record?

a. If so, just to one camera? (onboard memory chip) To a DVR? (dedicated box or computer) To the cloud? (using a service like Dropcam or Simplicam)
b. How far back do you want to record - a day, a month?
c. Do you want it to record 24/7, or just on motion detection?

3. How many cameras do you want? For example, you can buy a DVR kit with a 500gb hard drive & 8 wired indoor/outdoor IR cameras for under $350:

http://www.amazon.com/Defender-Senti.../dp/B009LIPKS4

4. Do you want wireless or wired cameras? Note that wireless still need power, so you'll still need an outlet nearby (or an extension cord). Also note that wired can be PoE (Power over Ethernet, so you just have to run a single cable for power & data).

5. Do you want pan/tilt? Zoom? Foscam has a new camera out that has all 3:

http://foscam.us/products/foscam-fi9826w-black-megapixel-wireless-ip-camera.html

6. Do you want easy setup? A lot of cameras are coming out with smartphone QR scanning for easy pairing now:

http://foscam.us/products/foscam-fi9826p-black-megapixel-wireless-ip-camera.html

7. Is size a concern? Do you need a pinhole camera? Small camera like an EZcam? Size doesn't matter, like a Foscam?

So, it all depends on what you want to do. I'm personally not a big fan of recurring monthly fees, so I don't really like things like the Dropcam service. I also don't place a large amount of trust in cloud services (re: Target, Home Depot, iCloud, etc.), so keeping recordings of my home in the cloud doesn't exactly excite me all that much, particularly since it's a security issue. DVR's are pretty nice - I've setup models like the cheapo Zmodo bundles with good results. It's basically like a Tivo (you can setup smartphone apps & remote access to view away from home) & some of them let you add up to like 16 cameras, plus you get control over data storage without having to pay monthly or annual fees.

I don't really know what I want yet. I like the idea of having cameras everywhere, especially if I'm away from home - like if a smoke alarm went off, it'd be cool to peek into each room to see what's going on, or keep an eye on the kids, or whatever, but I also don't like the idea of being recorded 24/7, especially given how easily things are hacked these days. I really like the Nucleus Intercom idea - a wall-mounted camera that has a sliding privacy cover. If you go on vacation, you can use them for security cameras, but the rest of the time when you're home, you can just slide the cover over to ensure there's no issue (primarily psychological, of course - haha).

 

[RossMAN]

1. Do you want to use them outdoors, or indoors only?

Indoors initially. Then wired to front door and side yard and finally backyard wireless/battery powered like this with outdoor shel.

2. Do you want to record?

a. If so, just to one camera? (onboard memory chip) To a DVR? (dedicated box or computer) To the cloud? (using a service like Dropcam or Simplicam)
b. How far back do you want to record - a day, a month?
c. Do you want it to record 24/7, or just on motion detection?

3. How many cameras do you want? For example, you can buy a DVR kit with a 500gb hard drive & 8 wired indoor/outdoor IR cameras for under $350:

http://www.amazon.com/Defender-Senti.../dp/B009LIPKS4

Yes, listed in order:
1) Locally either HTPC on 24/7 or NAS or both?
2) Cloud
3) SDcard

4. Do you want wireless or wired cameras? Note that wireless still need power, so you'll still need an outlet nearby (or an extension cord). Also note that wired can be PoE (Power over Ethernet, so you just have to run a single cable for power & data).

Initially wireless but maybe eventually PoE for reliability.

5. Do you want pan/tilt? Zoom? Foscam has a new camera out that has all 3:

http://foscam.us/products/foscam-fi9826w-black-megapixel-wireless-ip-camera.html

Assuming a wide field of view I don't think I'll need pan and tilt. If it comes to that I'll probably have to upgrade to the next level something in the $250 - $350 range.

6. Do you want easy setup? A lot of cameras are coming out with smartphone QR scanning for easy pairing now:

http://foscam.us/products/foscam-fi9826p-black-megapixel-wireless-ip-camera.html

Assuming I find a "set it and forget it" product, I don't mind an intermediate to advanced level setup.

7. Is size a concern? Do you need a pinhole camera? Small camera like an EZcam? Size doesn't matter, like a Foscam?

For indoors size or color don't really matter,. For the outdoors I'd probably need something at least weatherproof and maybe spray paint it, I dunno I'm just winging it right now.

So, it all depends on what you want to do. I'm personally not a big fan of recurring monthly fees, so I don't really like things like the Dropcam service. I also don't place a large amount of trust in cloud services (re: Target, Home Depot, iCloud, etc.), so keeping recordings of my home in the cloud doesn't exactly excite me all that much, particularly since it's a security issue. DVR's are pretty nice - I've setup models like the cheapo Zmodo bundles with good results. It's basically like a Tivo (you can setup smartphone apps & remote access to view away from home) & some of them let you add up to like 16 cameras, plus you get control over data storage without having to pay monthly or annual fees.

I don't really know what I want yet. I like the idea of having cameras everywhere, especially if I'm away from home - like if a smoke alarm went off, it'd be cool to peek into each room to see what's going on, or keep an eye on the kids, or whatever, but I also don't like the idea of being recorded 24/7, especially given how easily things are hacked these days. I really like the Nucleus Intercom idea - a wall-mounted camera that has a sliding privacy cover. If you go on vacation, you can use them for security cameras, but the rest of the time when you're home, you can just slide the cover over to ensure there's no issue (primarily psychological, of course - haha).

I'm also not a big fan of recurring fees and my stuff floating around in the cloud.

Speaking of privacy I wonder how you deal with that while you're at home, would obviously like something that is fully automated.

Currently I'm leaning towards the EZCam (local BestBuy return - huge perk) or this.