Home automation for a new build

[stephend]

I've been looking for a home automation system suitable for a new build, but all I can find are systems like X10 and Insteon which use plug in adapters and send the control signals over the power wire.  I'd like a system with a separate control wire with the switching bits built into the wall socket rather than external.  Do such systems exist?
There seems to be a 1-wire addressable switch available, but I can't find a ready made module with a relay suitable for switching home appliances - something like that would be ideal.

[Mike N.]

I've been looking for a home automation system suitable for a new build, but all I can find are systems like X10 and Insteon which use plug in adapters and send the control signals over the power wire.  I'd like a system with a separate control wire with the switching bits built into the wall socket rather than external.  Do such systems exist?
There seems to be a 1-wire addressable switch available, but I can't find a ready made module with a relay suitable for switching home appliances - something like that would be ideal.

I use one of these for switching various pumps,  fans and heaters. You need a meatier slave relay for heavier stuff.

Mike

http://www.hobby-boards.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=1553

[wyleu]

C-Bus is probably the most suitable of the various products on offer.

[MN]

When you say home automation what exactly are you looking to do?

[stephend]

When you say home automation what exactly are you looking to do?

Turn home appliances on and off: washing machine, TV, media center, computer, etc.  These should all be controlled from a single PC - and I'd prefer to run my own control software.

[stephend]

Mike, thanks for the link, that board looks appropriate for the shed or basement where there are many devices close together, so inserting relays won't be a problem. 

Wyleu, C-Bus looks the business if a little expensive.   I've got some reading to do

[Solal]

I think the Honeywell Hometronic system will  do what you want  but from what Ive read  its very expensive.

[wookey]

You might also want to look at Alertme - zigbee (wireless) based control/monitoring system which comes as nice idiot-proof package and (as these things go) not _too_ expensive.

And the Webbrick people have got some really nice ideas and kit too.

I'm using I2C for switching next to the controler, and 1-wire for remote switching. The only suitable board I've found is the hobby-boards one Mike showed, but I'm intending to make a pile of 1 or 2 channel simpler boards for pump/boiler/whatever switching because the hobby-boards stuff is too big. I'm also going to do a solid-state variant. This should happen _fairly_ soon because i have things that need switching, but that probably means Feb or March in practice.

There is lots of choice in this area - most of it is bloody expensive and varying degrees of proprietary. Modbus, KNX (merger of AHB/EIB, wired and wireless), Z-wave and some others mentioned above. Idranet was one that looked like good value so long as you don't mind being Windows-only. They seemed like sensible people.

[stephend]

I'm using I2C for switching next to the controler, and 1-wire for remote switching. The only suitable board I've found is the hobby-boards one Mike showed, but I'm intending to make a pile of 1 or 2 channel simpler boards for pump/boiler/whatever switching because the hobby-boards stuff is too big. I'm also going to do a solid-state variant. This should happen _fairly_ soon because i have things that need switching, but that probably means Feb or March in practice.

If you'd like to commercialize a 1/2 channel 1-wire switch I'll be your first customer
After some more googling I found X10 switches that can be mounted inside the wall sockets.  Any views on whether the X10 communication would be happy working on an off-grid power system?  The inverter I plan to use is pure sine wave - but I'm concerned that perhaps the X10 comms could be disrupted when the generator comes on.  The inverter (sma sunny island) also uses the AC line to communicate to sunny boy inverters - this might also interfere with X10...  any ideas?

[hiccup]

Hi all

Home Automation is my bread and butter. It's what I do when I get paid for it 

X10 is a strictly hobby only system that can occaisionally work on a really clean supply. It works by modulating the powerline. Off-grid (or on-grid for that matter) I'd forget any kind of powerline system.

CBus, EIB/KNX, etc are proprietary and expensive. You get locked in to using their modules which will quickly destroy any idea of a budget.

Wireless is OK for some things but if you need to get power to the thing you are controlling you are probably better off running wires for control.

In most of our projects we pick and choose the best solution for each thing we want to control with a firm idea in mind of how we are going to link it all together. In some cases that means AMX or Crestron at the core - again not a cheap solution.

Modbus is interesting and we use it quite a bit. Modbus is a protocol that runs over RS485 and ethernet and is great for distributed control and monitoring. Some Modbus gear is expensive because it is designed for industrial appliacation but the Barix Barionet/R6/X8 etc are quite affordable.

1-wire is also good but is more restricted in terms of distance - although adequate for most home applications. It can be suseptable to interference so better not use it to control anything too critical without taking precautions.


What really matters with Home Automation is reliability. The WAF/SAF (Wife/Spouse Acceptance Factor) will be severly diminished if you say "It will all be alright once I've rebooted the M$oft home server thingy". I never use M$oft OS on any part of an automation solution. The criteria for reliability is that it must be at least as reliable as a simple light switch!

So, for me that means control is typically done by custom software on embedded type systems with monitoring and supervision from Linux to provide fancy interfaces.

Hope this helps.

Hic!

[stephend]

Thanks Hic, the barionet stuff looks good.  Especially the fact that it uses open protocols.  The controller itself looks like it could be a fully fledged embedded linux system which could be very useful to the chaps interested in building their own solar pump controllers.
For HA, would you recommend any open source control software + UI ? 

[stephend]

Found what looks like an amazing bit of kit, supports ethernet and includes switching 8 loads at 240V 15A! http://www.digidave.co.uk/jshop/product.php?xProd=255&xSec=22
For less than a quarter the price of the barionet stuff.
They also have an interesting rack mount unit for controlling 8 devices also at 240V, 15A: http://www.digidave.co.uk/jshop/product.php?xProd=358&xSec=22

[wyleu]

Choice, it's a wonderful thing, n'est pas?

[Paulh_Boats]

stephend,

I think there might be a typo on that website. Here is the manufacturers website, loads of goodies including some powered by 12V which would be ideal for battery/inverter systems:

http://www.aviosys.com/ippower9258SX.htm

-Paul

[hiccup]

Hi all

The Aviosys stuff is interesting - I'm using a 4 port unit from them to control power to some of my NAS boxes. I looked at the 8 port Aviosys units but the programming is a bit limited.

The Barionet is an interesting beast. It does not run Linux - it's actually PIC based with a lantronix Xport for a network interface. The programming is done in a dialect of BASIC (BCL) with which you can implement almost any form of control. The R6 X8 and IO12 sit on a modbus bus and provide 6 relays, 8 io's (including 1 wire) or 12 io's respectively. The Barionet unit has a 1 wire port aswell.


Hic!