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I´m looking for a good solution for home automation

12K views 24 replies 16 participants last post by  aartech 
#1 ·
Hello folks,

I'm building a house for me and my family, and i wanted to do something else like an inteligent house, and i hoped some of you guys could help me giving some opinions on whats the best solution for home automation considering cost-quality.

please reply, and cheers. :D
 
#2 ·
That's a big question - almost like asking what's the best form of transportation; the answer ranges from walking to jet pack depending on circumstances. There are cheap home automation solutions that you can do yourself and there are expensive ones that cost tens of thousands of dollars and require professional installation and programming.

I'd suggest you pay a visit to http://cocoontech.com/ to give you an idea of the breadth of products available - the forum in particular has a lot of info and is visited regularly by enthusiasts and some product reps.

For the 10,000' view of the technical side of things, check out the spreadsheet they maintain with info on the major technologies and vendors: HA Technology Comparison Spreadsheet
 
#3 ·
Exactly what are you looking for and how much are you willing to spend? Depending on what you want to do you could spend anywhere from a few thousand to north of $100k.

What do you want to control? Lighting? HVAC? Security system? Door locks? Home Theatre? Pool? Garage/gate doors? Fireplace? Audio/video distribution from one centralized point?

At the high end there is stuff like Crestron, moving down a bit is Control4. These companies both have dealer models where you have to go through a dealer for purchase and installation.
 
#5 ·
Cocoontech is a fabulous idea.. could also make your head spin. I would say that most people tend to end up with either Zwave or Insteon. Both have pros and cons and this is going to be a personal decision depending on what you're actually trying to do.

Maybe with some more details the folks around here can chime in with more guidance.
 
#7 ·
I have had a Control4 system for about 5 years. For the most part I am happy with it, but as a self-proclaimed geek I don't like the fact that I need a dealer to install any hardware, including drivers for something as simple as a new DVD player.

The other thing to keep in mind is that Control4 is much more cost effective than the likes of Crestron but a lowish end system would likely be around $10,000 for few controllers, a bunch of light switches, drivers, etc plus dealer installation and config costs.
 
#8 ·
I was in Vegas for Labour Day weekend and stayed at the Aria hotel (new hotel). It had Control4 and I thought it was awesome! Could control all the lights and both sheer and dark curtains right from the TV screen through the remote control. I will be moving into a new place in Apr. 2015 and I will definitely research it before I take possession to see what it would take to incorporate some of that stuff into the new place.
 
#9 ·
Control4 is a nice system, but I'm not sure I think I have a different concept of 'cost effective'. While researching decide if you want to be hands off (dealer does everything for you) or hands on, do-it-yourself style. Or a blend. Ask questions about ongoing maintenance costs or costs to make changes, and whether you can do that yourself.

Make yourself a list of what you must have, what you'd like to have and then see what makes sense to you.

Also have a look at options like Leviton HAI, Elk/Insteon, VERA/Zwave type kits while doing your research.
 
#10 ·
I looked at the Control4 and was pretty impressed at everything except the price. It was going to cost me about $4000 up front (I can't remember how much that included off hand) but the real kicker was a monthly service charge of something like $35/month (for email notifications and tie in with my security system).

I researched a little bit and found that the VeraLite for $179 did the same things that I wanted it for with zero monthly fees. Added on a bunch of Zwave components and a hook into my alarm panel which brought the total price up to $1500.

Still I ended up with a system that was a fraction of the price of Control4 and did everything I wanted (remote access through web/phone, email alerts, event triggers, etc) with no re-occurring costs. But I had to set it up and configure it myself (which was pretty easy) where as my security company would have setup the Control4. Still the cost difference was overwhelming.
 
#19 ·
@North_of_Calgary, which alarm system do you use with vera?

I'd suggest Vera for simple fast inexpensive start, but you are doing a new building, run wires and look into ELK M1 or OmniPro II or IIe.

Anything controlled by dealer will always be expensive and will give less control. no creston or control4 for me, I'd rather get ELK M1 or Omni Pro IIe.
XBMC for video and AirPlay/iTunes/XBMC for audio and video, VOIP.MS for home phone, acanac or teksavvy for internet, mix or Z-wave and insteon switches.
 
#11 ·
I am not sure why there would be a monthly fee other than if your dealer was going to charge you that. There is a subscription for 4Sight which is the remote access portion and email notifications but I don't think it is that high - but perhaps you were also paying the security company for some of their monitoring as part of that fee.

My biggest gripe with Control4 is the fact that you need a dealer to do everything. I am not so much of a DIYer to want to wire up my own light switches but I do like tinkering with the automation side of things and adding any new hardware to the system, which includes having C4 control stuff like your DVD player, requires a call to your dealer - although he can do a lot of that stuff remotely.

My system was installed about 5-6 years ago when there weren't as many options in this space. But today it is interesting to note that more and more devices can be controlled via smartphone/tablet apps. I just got new Hunter Douglas blinds installed and you can control them with an app. You can get an app to control your irrigation controller for many new irrigation controllers. You can get an App for the Nest t-stat. You can get another app to control your pool pump and heater. You can get an app to view your IP cameras. But who wants 10 different apps to control all sorts of different aspects of their house? It is far better to have it all in one place but other than stuff like Control4 and Crestron we are not there yet and those solutions are more for the very high end of the market and not for DIYers.
 
#12 ·
I am not sure why there would be a monthly fee other than if your dealer was going to charge you that. There is a subscription for 4Sight which is the remote access portion and email notifications but I don't think it is that high - but perhaps you were also paying the security company for some of their monitoring as part of that fee.
Yes it was for the email notifications. It was an add on to the home security monitoring package. I just went through my old emails with my quotes on the Conrtol4 and it was a $18/month add-on for external camera integration and anther $15 for the z-wave controller remote access and email alerts.

I couldn't believe that I needed to pay $18/month just to view my cameras. It would take the picture from the cameras through the Control4 which I then accessed through their website. They said the $18 was for that infrastructure. In the end I used the built-in webserver from the very same camera DVR, and then I could view them all on the web for free. Add the phone app for $1.99 (one time app purchase of course).

But the real kicker was $15 for the home automation and email alerting. I couldn't get over them essentially charging $15/month for a webserver and smtp relay. Searched around the web and that's when I found the VeraLite which has it's own built-in web server (which I can access for free) and which sends out smtp messages for free.

So I really did substitute a $4000 Control4 system with $18/month+$15/month fees for a $179 VeraLite with no fees and which I could completely customize myself.
 
#13 ·
I just started looking into this and the Vera seems to be the perfect solution for a DIY geek like myself. Even better that there's an Android application for the Vera system.

The big con about the whole system is the initial cost, and that just a 15A light switch is just shy of $100. For a 2 story house with a basement, this could get very expensive very fast.

What about Zwave - is it something that will be replaced in a few years by something better, thus rendering whatever costs you've invested in this technology obsolete so you have to drop another few thousand into the next big thing?
 
#14 ·
I just started looking into this and the Vera seems to be the perfect solution for a DIY geek like myself. Even better that there's an Android application for the Vera system.
There's a few different Android apps. Their own one isn't very good - I prefer one called Home Buddy.

The big con about the whole system is the initial cost, and that just a 15A light switch is just shy of $100. For a 2 story house with a basement, this could get very expensive very fast.
You probably don't want or need to put every light switch onto Z-wave. Probably just a couple key ones for safety and convenience.
 
#17 ·
For my 2c worth, if you enjoy setting it up for yourself, and don't want to spend too much money, I would recommend Insteon. You can start small (starter kit with two plug in modules for $150 and additonal light switches for approx $50 each) and grow the system as your imagination (and budget :)) permits.
 
#22 ·
Yes, it's pretty impressive what can be linked to/with smart technology, now. I just started incorporating some of this technology into my home over the past several weeks and am impressed. Most of it fits nicely in the category of 'things I never knew I always wanted.'

I've installed a few connected light switches, electrical outlet controls and a garage door monitor, so far. Neat stuff. We went with Insteon for the light switches and some of the outlet controls, Belkin (WeMo) for one outlet control, and Chamberlain (MyQ) for the garage door monitoring.
 
#23 ·
I automated my entire house using a Universal Devices (UDI) ISY-994i that controls Insteon, Zwave, and integrates seamlessly with Elk security systems and others. This controller makes the system very, very flexible and the support is better than anything you have ever seen.

Insteon devices are in the 40-60 dollar range and you can install/change/upgrade them yourself. Zwave is similar.

aartech.ca is the place when you price it all out.
 
#25 ·
As you're seeing, there are lots of great ideas and options. On the lower cost you have either Insteon+Insteon Hub or Insteon + ISY994i -- or Zwave with VeraLite or one of the HOmetroller boxes. All very expandable.

For alarm, DSC integrates with Veralite or Hometroller and definitely the M1Gold system mentioned earlier is a great option for a higher budget and integrates with Vera, Hometroller and ISY.

Word of caution on where you buy product. Many vendors have approved or more importantly 'unauthorized' sellers on their list. You have to ask why they would take the trouble to specifically list 'where not to buy' when you're making a purchase decision.

http://www.elkproducts.com/unauthorized.html

Of course I'm somewhat biased but ask around for feedback on support and you should get a clear picture.

Most of all, do your homework, ask questions, and have fun!
 
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