http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3066565/any-smart-things-in-your-build

:)

As a computer scientist - I say KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid.

I think prewiring for coax (tv), ethernet, wired alarm systems, lighting system, door answering (with camera), and exterior cameras (good cameras (crappy cameras will defeat the whole purpose), with good resolution, the cameras may have to have 120v near by (in the attic). Have a PC that records the camera history.

Have a separate closet where the wires / modems / alarm panel are mounted (use plywood for that wall - it's stronger/easier to mount these devices) . It should have it's own breaker, maybe a UPS.

The wires should be labeled.

The entire setup should be documented - MAC addresses of modems, admin names, user id's, options setup in the devices, support url's, serial numbers, version numbers, etc - someone should do a through Word doc with screen shots.

Lighting systems are really nice - especially for big rooms - you can control 'scenes' in a room - turn everything on (clean) or off when you leave the room.

I would have 1" dead bolts - all keyed the same, on all the doors - including the garage access door (steel door) to the home. Locking knobs are useless. Make sure they use 4" - 5" screws and a strike plate into the double studs. Same for the hinge side. I have Medeco locks and cylinders. Always keep your doors locked - even when you are at home.

There are 'low voltage' companies that specialize in this. Ask your contractor.

We don't have traditional 'anything' - so we are focusing on home automation. I don't expect to have a single lightswitch in the house - but will be controlling everything with low voltage / home automation / iPods or iPads - either in the room or mounted to the wall. We will also likely run fiberoptic cable instead of low voltage. Using the iPads / iPods seem to be the "easiest" as they can simply be replaced as necessary and not using a custom solution from the specific nome automation company. Also - Apple continues to make their HomeKit development tools available and expect more and more items to be easily controlled via iOS.

We are not running cable or cat6 or phone or security. We're pretty much going all wireless. There simply seems to be less and less of a need for anything wired. (Of course we'll have outlets.)

We are also doing a whole house generator so we'll always have power.

@jann: "We will also likely run fiberoptic cable instead of low voltage. "

You don't know what you're talking about - fiber would be for broadband internet - not the other devices.

" I don't expect to have a single lightswitch in the house"

Where do you think the logic / physical interface is to the device is stored? What about a child? a visitor?

Wireless alarm system - criminal breaks in - rips wireless panel off wall - stomps on it. Done.

You can provide some low voltage power over fiber optic. the home automation guys have a solution. (I will verify to make sure that is what they discussed)

Visitors will adapt. And there will be some motion sensors / timers for things like bathrooms that will eliminate the need for some of the learning. things like bedside lamps will be conventional. Overall the house will have a lot of daylighting. Night lighting themes will provide things like safe passage lighting. And kids will figure this out before any adult... LOL

I have 2 gates, 4 dogs, and european triple pane casement windows and Passivhouse certified doors with 13+ locking points. I am pretty well not worried about the break in.

jann: "you can provide some low voltage power over fiber optic. "

Open your mouth - and prove you don't know what you're talking about. Electricity does not flow over fiber optic cable. Also, there is nothing 'special' about fiber optic. It has a use - for high speed digital communication. Not for a light switch.

I would like to know the make and model of the systems you are using.

There have been quite a few automation systems in the past. None of them have grabbed a market share (not even 0.1%). What happens is that some company embraces a system, installs some, then there is no growth in the business, and they drift away. Then when you need support.... well....

Otherwise it's a fantasy in your head.

Dear pleasant man - I will ask my home automation person - it is possible that I misunderstood - but I didn't think so. it's possible that the only thing it would do is provide the data back to the main control unit for lighting control - but I didn't think we would be running 2 cables to each room - as we were trying to simplify the installation. Perhaps they have an integrated low voltage power and fiber cable in a single bundle and thus I misunderstood. I'll check on it and get back - a very simply google search is showing that you CAN run power over fiber - low voltage.

I don't know why you need to be so nasty. Home automation makes sense for my situation, as does wireless, as I don't have standard 2x4 walls and easy access inside the walls.

And I realize that there's risk going with HA - but like I said - it makes sense in my application.

Have a nice day.

I'm not 'so nasty' - It's just not right to give misinformation to others.

Also the lights still need 120v. The control circuit could be low volt.

Mrs insistence - firber optic cables do not carry current. They are made of a plastic substance - not a conductor.

Don't feel free to spew your completely incorrect info.

http://www.gizmag.com/hybrid-data-power-optical-cable/21335/

http://lasermotive.com/products/power-over-fiber/

http://optics.org/news/4/5/1

http://fiberopticlink.com/Products/Power_Over_Fiber/PoF_main.html

While I erred in my application / availability of this for my HA - it's happening.

And I am well aware that the lights need 120v - they are much easier to deal with, being "above" in my open loft type area, as well as needing power for outlets (being fed down low. the low voltage controllers will only feed back to the main control module and won't have the 120v going through them like a normal switch - like how most HA stuff works.

Nasty.

If you read about the power conversion (from the light) it is minuscule - I would guess less than millivolts. Not something to supply steady current.

again - not ready for prime time and I erred. but ya gotta start somewhere. and - it exists.

We would love to rough-in for future scene control light switches. We probably won't have it in the budget to add right away, but want to ready the house now that walls are open to add after the build. We are not sure how to pre-wire for this future add-on and find the information for DIYers is limited. Anyone know of good websites/books to help those who want to DIY their own low voltage wiring? We prefer to go wired vs wireless. Any opinions out there as to good wired scene lighting controls? I don't want to turn my lights on and off from a phone or ipad. I prefer actual scene buttons in the wall vs remotes or other hand held devices.

Carol

You need to select a system - it will dictate what kind of wiring you need. Mine needs an 'extra' wire (12/3 - instead of 12/2). I have Lightolier - each light has it's own intelligent switch, and then they are attached to a master, and the masters can be attached... will it dim LED's, incandescents, etc

You would pre-wire for that system.

I would look for a 'professional' system - (I wouldn't buy stuff from Home Depot, etc) Google lighting systems for homes.

I can see a smart security system, but otherwise... I'm turning my lights on and off by the old-fashioned manual method. Perhaps I don't want to forget how? Oh, PS, I've never purchased an electric can opener, nor an electric knife for carving the turkey, either.

I've been into this home automation stuff off and on for more than 10 years. I had old X10 systems I configured myself. Now I have some wireless light control integrated w/ Amazon's Alexa and with my iPhone.

IMO, it is WAY too unreliable to have as your only source of control of your lights. None of these systems are perfect or ever work the way that is expected 100 percent of the time and eventually they all end up being a major aggravation as you have to trouble shoot and deal with non-responsive systems, etc.

But to each his own :)

My worry would be that much of it would be outdated by something newer in the future, too.

Yeah, I agree. I mean, people in the 80s were all about those built-in intercoms. And they're just something else to break.

I don't have any problem with light switches or blinds.

I'm not interested in a home security system. Has anyone seen that commercial where the bank's being robbed, and the woman says to the guy in the uniform, "Aren't you going to do something?" and he replies, "Oh, no, I'm not a security guard. I'm a security monitor. I just tell you if there's a robbery. There's a robbery."

IMO, it is WAY too unreliable to have as your only source of
control of your lights. None of these systems are perfect or ever work
the way that is expected 100 percent of the time and eventually they all
end up being a major aggravation as you have to trouble shoot and deal
with non-responsive systems, etc.

So why pay for something known to be unreliable and aggravating?

Re: Lighting scene controls: Gerard O'Driscoll (author of several Smart Home books) recommended Centralite as a good wired system. He said it was better value and just as reliable as Lutron's lighiting scene control system. So, we hope to spend some time researching the requirements of Centralite and aim to rough in for that system.

Carol

beagles,

I know from reading this forum that the lighting in your home is well layered with many special lighting touches. If you could do it again, would you just have long banks of light switches to control your lights rather than any Smart systems?

Carol

Incidentally, I don't have either long banks of light switches nor lighting control.

I have very minimal lighting control in my FL house (i.e. two lamps controlled by Alexa and my phone) just because it is a novelty/ fun and it was not expensive to do this.

In my PA house, we have motion sensors and door jam switches on pantry & all closets, and we also have all of our in-cabinet lighting on low tech basic timers that you turn manually to set the time.

Other than that, we have antique chandeliers which work off old-fashioned light switches. The most switches we have is 3 on a lighting bank and we used decorative plate covers so it looks fine.

We do have iPads in the walls in two places but they are for control of the music system.

I thought for a long time about doing automation for lights b/c as I've said, I've been into various home automation projects over the years. I decided against it.

First of all, I didn't see the use in spending the money when it literally takes no effort to switch a light switch.

The bigger reason, though, was because I don't trust the systems to always be reliable, not to be overly complicated and not to become outdated. A light switch will work today, tomorrow, next year and in 50 years. It will also work every time to turn on the light and turn it off. I don't need to give a class to my housekeeper or visitors just so they can turn on the light, and when my in-laws house sit/ dog sit, they don't have to call me every 15 minutes to see how to turn on the living room light. I cannot say the same for any automatic system I've ever had.

In our old FL house, we took out the must-have intercom which was the thing at the time. The annoyance and cost of that process soured me on doing a lot of stuff that could become outdated since we plan to stay in our house forever. The electronic / automated pool controls in our FL house and my experiences with automation in the past also just soured me on things that have to be programmed and that can suffer tech failures.

Sorry- long answer!

I feel like the odd person out as I don't have any smart features built in my home.

I may wire for outdoor cameras to sync with my smartphone at most just to watch the kids in the backyard and at the driveway.

For whatever reason I want my home to be simple and somewhat free of electronics. Get enough of that at work.

I researched for almost a year and decided to go with Control4 for HA. I know it's not for everyone since you end up being reliant on a dealer but a very well designed system will allow for full control over multiple types of home products. We are installing 16 cameras around the house, have the garage doors and the the electronic lock to the mud room on control, ecobee thermostats with multiple room sensors, automated screens for the back patio, audio distribution to 12 zones, video distribution to all tvs, but no lighting yet. I thought we would live in the house for several months in order to know which switches get the most use before we controlled them. It took them a week to run all the low voltage, mainly cat6.

No high tech stuff here. The 'smart' features of our new house consist of tight, strong construction, excellent insulation, quality windows, and all LED lighting. We tried a smart switch for our front light in FL. It was frustrating for us older folks to program, lost it's programming from time to time, which required getting out the instructions cuz we couldn't remember from the last time, and a lightning strike took out the thing. I guess my age is showing, but I hate to have to program something that I can just turn on or off with a switch.

That being said, I will likely be installing a wireless security system. We'll probably only use it when we are away. As for a criminal stomping the thing, you hide the transmitter so that it keeps sending the signal after the crook has wasted his time on the control panel. Besides, just by breaking in, he has set off the system, and if it is monitored, they're gonna take action.

nexiahome.com. $10/month (+equipment). Love it.

Beagles,

Thanks for your detailed answer. You have given me something to think about. It must have been the cabinet lights on timers that made me think you had lighting controls.

Carol

Someone brought up "banks of switches". Here's how it works if the intelligence is built into the switch:

First off, it's very practical for rooms that have many independent lights. For instance our master bath has these lights: mirror sconces, can light by toilet, can light in shower, can light in alcove with make-up mirror. Each one of these lights has it's own switch, near the point of use. They are all tied back to the master by the door - so when you walk out of the room, just press OFF.

Our kitchen is very large - it has 7 'lighting areas' - this includes under cabinet low voltage lighting. Here again the switches are located where you use the light. When you sit down to eat, you can select a dining scene that you have pre-programmed. At each end of the kitchen we have a double box - a master, and a switch for the main overhead light. It's really nice to walk out of the kitchen and press OFF,

Most of the switches are dimmers, and have a set-point. However, if you are using it to control an outlet, you may want the switch to be just on/off. You don't want a dimmer switch where you would plug in a vacuum cleaner!