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Started By
Message
re: Home automation : where do I start?
Posted on 1/31/17 at 2:28 pm to notbilly
Posted on 1/31/17 at 2:28 pm to notbilly
I'd say it starts around $600 for the base model Control 4. I want to say I have the middle model that is around $1000.
I'm controlling the Xbox, Blu-ray, Apple TV, Firestick, and a Heos Link all with my Control 4 remote. I do have to use the xbox controller to do anything after the initial power on, but I CAN power it on from the remote, without needing the Xbox controller.
When researching your options, look at what devices you will be hooking up, and make sure your main "control" unit is capable of handling, say more than 5 components, or you will end up having to upgrade down the road due to lack of spots to hook up new stuff.
Make you a plan. Say this year you get the music and movies hooked up. Next year, add the A/C and maybe some lighting through your house.
My plan for this year is to add another music zone outside, and get my A/C up and running on the Control 4.
I'm controlling the Xbox, Blu-ray, Apple TV, Firestick, and a Heos Link all with my Control 4 remote. I do have to use the xbox controller to do anything after the initial power on, but I CAN power it on from the remote, without needing the Xbox controller.
When researching your options, look at what devices you will be hooking up, and make sure your main "control" unit is capable of handling, say more than 5 components, or you will end up having to upgrade down the road due to lack of spots to hook up new stuff.
Make you a plan. Say this year you get the music and movies hooked up. Next year, add the A/C and maybe some lighting through your house.
My plan for this year is to add another music zone outside, and get my A/C up and running on the Control 4.
1
Posted on 1/31/17 at 5:35 pm to notbilly
Wink has surely improved since your last experience. Having said that I went with Smartthings.
Smartthings is aimed a bit more to a techy crowd. It's an open platform so you can do a bit more with it than wink.
I started my setup by trying to fix frustrations around my house. If you don't limit yourself this will turn into a money pit. It's addicting.
My use cases:
1) I have 3 lamps in my living room located in places that are a PAIN IN THE arse to reach. I wanted to locate a switch that would control all 3 lamps with one easy button push.
2) I wanted my garage ceiling lights to automatically come on when we come home at night. (the light on the garage door opener sucks)
3) I wanted to know if I remembered to close the garage door while sitting in bed, and be able to close it from my phone if I forgot.
4) I wanted a sensor on my freezer that would alert me if the temperature got too high. Almost lost a $1000 of meat last year.
So I built my system around these features. You can do these simple things with Wink or Smartthings. I liked the ability to potentially do more complicated tasks with Smartthings and the ability to use more sensors with Smartthings.
Smartthings is aimed a bit more to a techy crowd. It's an open platform so you can do a bit more with it than wink.
I started my setup by trying to fix frustrations around my house. If you don't limit yourself this will turn into a money pit. It's addicting.
My use cases:
1) I have 3 lamps in my living room located in places that are a PAIN IN THE arse to reach. I wanted to locate a switch that would control all 3 lamps with one easy button push.
2) I wanted my garage ceiling lights to automatically come on when we come home at night. (the light on the garage door opener sucks)
3) I wanted to know if I remembered to close the garage door while sitting in bed, and be able to close it from my phone if I forgot.
4) I wanted a sensor on my freezer that would alert me if the temperature got too high. Almost lost a $1000 of meat last year.
So I built my system around these features. You can do these simple things with Wink or Smartthings. I liked the ability to potentially do more complicated tasks with Smartthings and the ability to use more sensors with Smartthings.
Posted on 1/31/17 at 11:01 pm to LSU Jonno
By way of example can you explain how for instance the garage light are rigged to accomplish that? Just getting into this and will be getting a smartthings hub I think. Thanks.
Posted on 2/1/17 at 5:21 am to Fred Farkle
For mine, I have a MyQ opener and the garage lights on a smart switch. When garage opens,turn on switch. Turn off switch when garage is closed for 1 minute
Posted on 2/1/17 at 6:20 am to TDswah
quote:
I'd say it starts around $600 for the base model Control 4. I want to say I have the middle model that is around $1000.
I was really impressed with the Control4 system I played with this past weekend. I expected it to be more expensive. However I am more of a DIY person. Please correct me if I'm wrong but it seems Control4 is something that the homeowner can't setup. The little reading I did said that a 'pro' installer had to do it.
Posted on 2/1/17 at 6:50 am to notbilly
quote:
Please correct me if I'm wrong but it seems Control4 is something that the homeowner can't setup. The little reading I did said that a 'pro' installer had to do it
It's not DIY. You have to be a dealer to have access to it.
Posted on 2/1/17 at 7:24 am to notbilly
quote:they don't trust you to stick sensors on your doors and install light switches.
The little reading I did said that a 'pro' installer had to do it.
Posted on 2/1/17 at 8:07 am to CAD703X
quote:
they don't trust you to stick sensors on your doors and install light switches.
yup it's that easy. Posted on 2/1/17 at 8:13 am to TigerWise
quote:
yup it's that easy.
wink was
Posted on 2/1/17 at 8:17 am to CAD703X
You are either trolling or you don't know what you are talking about.
Posted on 2/1/17 at 8:49 am to TigerWise
quote:
You are either trolling or you don't know what you are talking about
Que? One system is ridiculously expensive and requires a service call from a "pro" to change the time of day the damn light comes on.
The other system has an app that is so easy to set up that a2 year old can do it and you don't have to buy a dumb subscription or pay experts to work their magic inside the special c4 black boxes which as you know wise, is just a bunch of generic zwave devices
How can you justify that approach unless your customer is loaded and/or 80 and can't install an app.
This post was edited on 2/1/17 at 8:51 am
Posted on 2/1/17 at 8:53 am to CAD703X
So you weren't trolling
Posted on 2/1/17 at 9:11 am to TigerWise
quote:
So you weren't trolling
so end users can change their c4 configurations?
what is the killer feature end users get from c4 they can't get from a much cheaper DIY solution? the tablet remote?
can c4 users select any smart device they want like the hue or lightify bulbs that change colors? how expensive is it to add a single new switch?
This post was edited on 2/1/17 at 9:33 am
Posted on 2/1/17 at 2:17 pm to CAD703X
How does Wink handle multi zone audio and video distribution ?
They are two different animals. One is robust and reliable. The other is simple and inexpensive. They both have their place.
They are two different animals. One is robust and reliable. The other is simple and inexpensive. They both have their place.
Posted on 2/1/17 at 3:17 pm to TigerWise
Yes, you have to have the installer access your Control4 to make any changes. My guy can pull my file up and make any changes I need. I'm sure I could do it, if I had access to all my stuff, but to me, that's not that big of a deal.
I know him really well, so it's no problem to get things changed. But like he told me, there will be little changes that you will make once you start setting everything up. That's why it's not a big deal to me, to not have access to it.
When I get security cameras installed, that may be a different story. I don't need my installer "peeking" in on me whenever he likes.
I know him really well, so it's no problem to get things changed. But like he told me, there will be little changes that you will make once you start setting everything up. That's why it's not a big deal to me, to not have access to it.
When I get security cameras installed, that may be a different story. I don't need my installer "peeking" in on me whenever he likes.
Posted on 2/1/17 at 3:55 pm to TigerWise
quote:
How does Wink handle multi zone audio and video distribution ?
controlling AV is very very VERY low on my list of home automation needs.
i want control of all my sensors and energy-using devices (mainly pool and spa pumps, hvac systems) and of course lighting control.
that stuff gets tweaked as i dial things in and the wife moves lamps around the house
i can't possibly imagine a c4 solution would fit 99% of what i do.
what exactly are you getting out of your av c4 solution?
This post was edited on 2/1/17 at 3:56 pm
Posted on 2/1/17 at 3:59 pm to LSU Jonno
4) I wanted a sensor on my freezer that would alert me if the temperature got too high. Almost lost a $1000 of meat last year.
What sensor did you use for this?
What sensor did you use for this?
Posted on 2/1/17 at 4:01 pm to MSGulfTiger
quote:
What sensor did you use for this?
i dont have one but my brother has some fancy little thing with an app that lets you see how your fridge is cooling daily.
not sure it integrates into any smart hubs though.
Posted on 2/1/17 at 9:17 pm to Fred Farkle
So I put a zwave light switch on my garage lights. That switch communicates with my smartthings hub.
LINK
I also put a smart garage door controller on my garage door opener. That makes the garage door smart. (you actually only need a door sensor on your garage door, but that's not what I did) It also communicates with my smartthings hub.
LINK
From there you create a "routine" in smartthings that turns on your garage lights when your garage door opens and turns them off when it closes. You can get as fancy with this as you want. I set it so that the lights only turn on if it's after sundown and before sunup.
LINK
I also put a smart garage door controller on my garage door opener. That makes the garage door smart. (you actually only need a door sensor on your garage door, but that's not what I did) It also communicates with my smartthings hub.
LINK
From there you create a "routine" in smartthings that turns on your garage lights when your garage door opens and turns them off when it closes. You can get as fancy with this as you want. I set it so that the lights only turn on if it's after sundown and before sunup.
Posted on 2/1/17 at 9:27 pm to MSGulfTiger
I used the basic smarthings multi sensor.
LINK
The jury is still out on how well this works. There are two, issues.
First, the battery... Smartthings reports the battery level for battery powered sensors. After 30 minutes in the freezer the battery level dropped from 100% to 50%. After two more hours it dropped to 32%. The next morning it was reporting 1%...That was 3 weeks ago.
The sensor still works fine. It reports when I open and close the door instantaneously and reports the temperature about 1 once per minute. I even log the temperature online to see it in graph format over time. It's pretty cool.
Second, calibration...The sensor is calibrated to work between like 32 and 120F or something. (I forget the actual numbers, point is its' not calibrated to work in a freezer) I also don't have a great way to calibrate the sensor. So my sensor reports my coldest freezer temp at -13F. It slowly heats up to about -2F, then the compressor kicks on and cools it down to -13F. This isn't a deep freeze, so I have no clue if these numbers are accurate. Big picture wise, I'm not sure I care. I have it set to send me an email, a notification and a text message to me and the wife if my freezer temperature goes above 8 degrees. Why 8 degrees? Because I looked at the highest temperature my sensor reported after I looked through the freezer for a while and it got to 7 degrees. I then ran a test and everything worked well.
LINK
The jury is still out on how well this works. There are two, issues.
First, the battery... Smartthings reports the battery level for battery powered sensors. After 30 minutes in the freezer the battery level dropped from 100% to 50%. After two more hours it dropped to 32%. The next morning it was reporting 1%...That was 3 weeks ago.
The sensor still works fine. It reports when I open and close the door instantaneously and reports the temperature about 1 once per minute. I even log the temperature online to see it in graph format over time. It's pretty cool.
Second, calibration...The sensor is calibrated to work between like 32 and 120F or something. (I forget the actual numbers, point is its' not calibrated to work in a freezer) I also don't have a great way to calibrate the sensor. So my sensor reports my coldest freezer temp at -13F. It slowly heats up to about -2F, then the compressor kicks on and cools it down to -13F. This isn't a deep freeze, so I have no clue if these numbers are accurate. Big picture wise, I'm not sure I care. I have it set to send me an email, a notification and a text message to me and the wife if my freezer temperature goes above 8 degrees. Why 8 degrees? Because I looked at the highest temperature my sensor reported after I looked through the freezer for a while and it got to 7 degrees. I then ran a test and everything worked well.
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