I woud like to learn about more about home automation. Currently all I know is its capabilities, I have dealt with a little x10 integrated with ademco alarm panels but would like to know how I could learn more without having to switch jobs to do so. Maybe a class from crestron,elan, etc... or anyone who can enlighten me. If it helps I have a ademco vista 20ps with the touchscreen that I can play with. From what I understand all I can do is use relay outputs 17 and 18 to trigger x-10 lighting controls.

The reason I ask is because I'm not really fond of x-10's sore thumb integration pieces, i.e. screw-in inserts for outdoor lighting, adressable receptacles and there non switching switches. Another question and I know Im rambling at this point, but all of x-10's stuff is rf not ir, right? thanks

The control is PLC. The commands are primarily RF, but can be converted to IR use if desired. IR543 rings a bell. Someone can correct meof Im wrong.

X-10 sucks, is outdated, the company filled bankruptcy and has little or no tech support.

Other then that, it's fine.

They were also confirmed Collie molestors in the mid 90's

So what replaces x-10?

X10 Can be made reliable but for what you spend you can easly put in a Lutron Radio RA system that is much better. The system also works on RF, not PLC. They are great systems to retrofit, but the dimmers can become expensive depending on how many you have to replace. These system has an IR interface as wella as RS232 for control by Touchpanels from Crestron, AMX, Elan, Xantech, HAI, etc. If it is a new construction home most people are using Litetouch, Cetralite, Lutron Home Works, etc for lighting.

[Link: lutron.com]

Mike

Lots of new comers to the scene, but none are fully mature (some arent even on the shelves yet)

Z-Wave, UPB, Insteon, Zigbee. Out of these four, I'd only consider UPB at this time.

Thanks for all the feedback. My real question is how does crestron , elan, hai or any home automation product control all the lights and a/c. Do these products have there own breaker panel in place of the one that an electrician would use or is it some kind of interrupter? I'm also assuming that there has to be a headend for this control and all of the touchpanels would go to this point to switch a bank of relays or something similar to this. Right???? Just elementary fundamentals is all Im looking for to get a better understanding of how this is actually wired and installed. Thanks again

Simpler then Litetouch or Vantage, consider visiting www.centralite.com

LiteJet system is a smaller alternative that has some positive attributes. Easy to program, plays with others well.

Lets start by breaking down what is a pure control system vs. a security system with the ability to control subsystems. HAI, great product, is something a DIY'er can handle. The learning curve isnt that great and there is a fair amount of power for control. The ability to incorporate some basic IF-ELSE logic is nice as well. Elan, I have not touched Elan in years so dont flame me for bad information, is more of a proprietary type system and will most likely require factory training for you to take advantage of its full power. IIRC, the automation capabilities for Elan are middle of the road. If you want to do some nice multi-room audio, telephone and intercom interfacing, Elan is the way to go. I am not saying that is all that can be done with Elan. For a system of this caliber you should seek out a local Elan dealer and discuss the possibilities with them. This isnt really a product that is geared for the DIY crowd but a REALLY technically minded person MIGHT be able to handle the installation and programming. That is provided that you can get the programming software. Most companies are not releasing software to the end-users for DIY installs.

Crestron/AMX........where to begin. The leaders of the pack. In most cases, unless you are a dealer, major educational/commercial facility or governmental organization you will not be able to attend a class. These are not products for the beginning DIY'er. The learning curve is steep and time consuming. That is not to say that some DIY'ers have not done their own systems but this is not the typical case. The software for programming used to be available for download in an open area of Crestron/AMX websites but is now closed off to those who are directly affiliated with these manufacturers. You can purchase equipment on Ebay but without the software it is just a boat anchor.

You are correct in that wired touchpanels do network out from a central location. There are relays on the processors for contact closure control of some devices. However, the most common way to interface with house subsystems is through RS 232/422/485 ports or TCP/IP ports. The advantage here is that your processor is acting as a translator between you and the equipment you are controlling. Instead of closing a relay to turn on a light, you are issuing a command to tell the light to turn on. If you have 55 lights in your house that you are controlling via relays, you need a minimum of 55 relays, right? With a control system, you would just need the 1 communication port on the processor and the 1 communications port on the lighting control system processor. Now you can control the 55 lights via one wire and 55 different serial strings. This is really a over-simplified example but I think you get the idea. If you are really into 'smart home' technology and can afford a upscale system, go the route of the control system leaders. If you are wanting to tinker with this system over a period of time, consider one of the many different mid level systems out there. Maybe you should look at the Ocelot or maybe a Jandy Stargate system. Good luck and I hope that helps.

A very borad question so this will be filled with generalities or else we'd wind up with a book. Essentially a control systems has a control processor. You then program that processor to "talk" to these other devices via, relay, serial, IR, SMPTE, mili-volts and various other protocols. In the case of lighting, often the processor is sending serial commands to the lighting system telling it to turn on and obtining status information form the lighting system about what lights are on and at what lighting intensities.

HVAC systems are controlled via controllable thermostats. This may be via serial, contract closure or propritary network bus like Cresnet or Netlinx. A very simple program could be written where a button press sends the serial code for turning on and off a single light. Or it could be that the button press travels down the propritary RS-485 network to a propritary relay box and a light is turned on. Or a relay is closed and the thermostate is programmed to go to a defined setpoint when the closure is active.

Alan

It was all summed up in one sentance to me once. "Ademco is like the Tandy of alarm systems" As is X10 is the "Tandy" of home automation?

any of you guys heard of control 4 ? if so, waddya think?? any good?

thanks,
jonathan.

johnnyt,

Is that a joke? Maybe you should search first and find out if any of us know about Control4..............

There are TONS of threads on this subject.

Please don't take what I said as mean! :-)

I have a HAI OmniPro system installed in my house. It handles lighting, thermostats, and security currently. I am in the process of setting it up to handle my whole house Audio/Video as well through an interface to a Russound controller; all from cool little color touch panel screens throughout the house. HAI is very helpful and their system is extremely flexible. After Whole house A/V, I understand I can integrate a Davis weatherstation into the mix, and control the thermostats based on outside conditions and the forecast. So far, with the exception of the very rare unexecuted lighting command, it works great. I also have set it up access via the internet so I can check on the place when I am away and modify the thermostats in case I forget; all using a virtual IP so no static IP is necessary from your ISP. It can even email you when the kids get home! It currently maintains a fairly exhaustive multi-zone thermostat schedule, as well as turning on and off a dozen lights according to a schedule or specific events. For example outside lights come on whenever the garage opens and off 30 minutes later, only if its dark. Porch lights come on at darkness, and turn off at midnight. Today all this works via their X10 interface which works like a champ, although I did have to install a filter at my breaker as I was getting a lot of outside sytem interference. Works great now. My local installer tells me that HAI's UPB line works even better, but I hve not installed any, yet...

I would LOVE to hear how I can add a Philips RC9800i (or similar) into the mix and control things via remote. I understand HAI supports Windows Media Center so this may be the way to do this. This should be easy once the details are laid out. Anyone been down this road yet?