Home Automation DIY - share yours

FatBoySlim

FatBoySlim

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Been investigating DIY home automation, some really cool projects out there.
Just wanted to enquire as to who has done any of these projects and what kit did you use?
 
I've purchased a Wink Hub, with plans to use it to monitor various things around the house. Mostly for statistical purposes, initially. e.g. How much electricity are we currently using, what is the temperature and humidity in the kids bedrooms, etc.

Need to set up OpenHAB, though, I suspect, to get something decent.
 
Hadnt seen the WinkHub until now, cost effective and works with quite a lot of compatible devices, thanks RoganDawes, defo bookmarking this.
 
I build all my own stuff.. at the moment busy with automating the curtains.
 
I have a Clipsal C-Bus system that I use for:

  • Controlling all lighting circuits. All lighting circuits are virtual so I can do things like designate a switch as a dimmer and use it to control all lights that are part of the circuit "dining-room", create scenes (when I press the designated switch it will turn on the dining-room light, turn off the lights in the sitting room and dim the lights in the kitchen), etc.;
  • Controlling the swimming pool motor according to the schedule;
  • Controlling the geysers according to the schedule;
  • Controlling the under-floor heating according to the schedule. This has some tuning e.g. one can't turn on the under-floor heating in summer, ditto the guest bedroom unless the system has been told that there guests, etc.
The system was used to control (open/close automatically) some electric blinds. I say was: I had to replace the controller with the new "improved" model that was anything but ...

I also have a Russound multi-room sound system.
 
rrh said:
I have a Clipsal C-Bus system that I use for:

  • Controlling all lighting circuits. All lighting circuits are virtual so I can do things like designate a switch as a dimmer and use it to control all lights that are part of the circuit "dining-room", create scenes (when I press the designated switch it will turn on the dining-room light, turn off the lights in the sitting room and dim the lights in the kitchen), etc.;
  • Controlling the swimming pool motor according to the schedule;
  • Controlling the geysers according to the schedule;
  • Controlling the under-floor heating according to the schedule. This has some tuning e.g. one can't turn on the under-floor heating in summer, ditto the guest bedroom unless the system has been told that there guests, etc.
The system was used to control (open/close automatically) some electric blinds. I say was: I had to replace the controller with the new "improved" model that was anything but ...

I also have a Russound multi-room sound system.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a pricey setup
 
ajv said:
Sounds like a pricey setup
Click to expand...

It is now <sigh>

Schneider purchased Clipsal and doubled/tripled the prices.

Being in IT I designed the system & programmed it myself, thereby (a) saving a fortune and (b) amazing Clipsal, who insist that one requires specialist C-BUS training courses - NOT
 
I don't have a big budget for this type of toys so I'm messing around with what I have.

1) I have a cheapie Pick'nPay camera hooked up to a usb DVR plugged into an old netbook running Motion. When there are movement a message gets published to a MQTT broker with the url to the video.

2) On the same netbook I have a script that logs into my ADSL router and checks my DHCP leases every 15seconds, If there are a new lease it will publish a MQTT message with the IP and the device/owner name (I have a lookup that relates the mac address of the device to a person). So if someone is at my house when I'm not there and their phone/tablet/laptop or whatever connects to my wifi I will get notified. So if they have their phone configured to automatically connect to my wifi they won't even know that I know they are there ;).

In future I will connect an Arduino to my alarm to publish MQTT messages when the zones change.
 
rrh said:
I have a Clipsal C-Bus system that I use for:

  • Controlling all lighting circuits. All lighting circuits are virtual so I can do things like designate a switch as a dimmer and use it to control all lights that are part of the circuit "dining-room", create scenes (when I press the designated switch it will turn on the dining-room light, turn off the lights in the sitting room and dim the lights in the kitchen), etc.;
  • Controlling the swimming pool motor according to the schedule;
  • Controlling the geysers according to the schedule;
  • Controlling the under-floor heating according to the schedule. This has some tuning e.g. one can't turn on the under-floor heating in summer, ditto the guest bedroom unless the system has been told that there guests, etc.
The system was used to control (open/close automatically) some electric blinds. I say was: I had to replace the controller with the new "improved" model that was anything but ...

I also have a Russound multi-room sound system.
Click to expand...

I have seen one of these systems in a home a architect friend of mine designed, WOW, just wow, this is pretty much as high end as can be when it comes to home automation systems, they control almost every aspect of the home with wall panels and smartphones.

I don't want to know what set up cost you.
 
Thor187 said:
I have seen one of these systems in a home a architect friend of mine designed, WOW, just wow, this is pretty much as high end as can be when it comes to home automation systems, they control almost every aspect of the home with wall panels and smartphones.

I don't want to know what set up cost you.
Click to expand...

A Crestron (or similar) can go for over R1 million - and there are quite a lot of them around.

My system cost about R40,000 ten years ago, but then I don't have touch-screens :)
 
rrh said:
A Crestron (or similar) can go for over R1 million - and there are quite a lot of them around.

My system cost about R40,000 ten years ago, but then I don't have touch-screens :)
Click to expand...

Jip was thinking in that ball park. Their system was around 120K with the panels in the wall etc.

Amazing time to live in but first I need to make enough monies for a Mac first.
 
The amounts posted in this thread are truly scary... :cry:
 
rrh said:
It is now <sigh>

Schneider purchased Clipsal and doubled/tripled the prices.

Being in IT I designed the system & programmed it myself, thereby (a) saving a fortune and (b) amazing Clipsal, who insist that one requires specialist C-BUS training courses - NOT
Click to expand...

What size is your DB board? My parents in law have a C-BUS system and the DB is huge, every switch in the house has a relay.
 
I have price list for Control4, rated one of the better home automation systems of late, a decent kitout is R100k+.
In the DIY space, SmartThings and Wink are pretty awesome and the pricing is damn good. Smarththings was bought by Samsung in 2014, this is a good space to watch.
 
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