Home Automation Platform

[NFATrustGuy]

I'd like to be able to control the lights and maybe a few window shades via a home automation system.

I'm a pretty capable DIYer and would like a nice system with hard-wired wireless capable switches and maybe a few inline hard-wired switches where it isn't practical to pull wire for a new switch. I'd like to be able to control the lights via an Internet connection when I'm away from home. I'd like to be able to program "scenes" or macros for when I'm at home for specific activities, e.g., Watching Movies, All On, All Off, Dinnertime, etc.

I've shopped Amazon and Smarthome.com, but quickly am overwhelmed by the variety of choices. About the time I'm ready to pull the trigger on a particular system, I start reading reviews and quickly discover that EVERYTHING is crap.

So my question to the group:

1. Is there a particular flavor I should absolutely buy or stay away from? (Insteon, X10, ZWave, Smarthings...)

2. Once I pick the general protocol, which central control unit and software should I purchase? I'm 100% Mac-based and have a dedicated Mac home server that runs 24/7 if that makes any difference. All my mobile devices are iOS.

Thanks in advance for any advice offered.

Rod

[gnihcraes]

myself and several friends are having good luck with this setup: http://www.smartthings.com/

a bit pricey depending on what you want, but it does work.

https://shop.smartthings.com/#!/kits

[Hotchef181818]

I went a slightly different route. I started with drop arms for interior cameras, cribs etc. Then I had ADT install a pulse system for alarm and basic video monitoring for the exterior. After they finished I went back through after realizing the cameras sucked and upgraded all of my exterior cameras. After that I started installing Zwave controlled light switches etc and just connected them to the pulse system. I run 1 app(pulse) that covers alarm, exterior cameras, thermostats, lights, garage door, and a few other items. Expanding the pulse system as I have time. No issues so far and really like having 90% of my automation on 1 app and my interior cameras on a separate one.

[NFATrustGuy]

@gnihcraes: Smarthings is the one I was ready to jump on before I started reading Amazon reviews. Sounded like people hate it. I suppose it's one of those things where if you look long enough you'd find somebody to complain about pretty much anything.

@ Hotchef: Looks like the Pulse system is proprietary to ADT. I'm looking for a DIY solution. I don't want to be tied to a company for monitoring or a service contract. Also looks like the Pulse system is primarily security. I'm looking for primarily lighting control. Also, I've personally had bad experiences with several of the national security system providers (including ADT) and have vowed to "never do that again."

[kwando]

I have ElkM1Gold at my main control unit. Expandability is huge and it is compatible with most flavors of lights/switches. I did not research and trusted a coworker/friend that use to do installs for a living.

Go to cocoon tech and there is a lot of reviews and resources on that site

[Brian]

You're entering the market at a time when just about everything is changing and up in the air. Smartthings is one of the top options right now. Vera is another. Both have issues, but both are also awesome compared to no automation. Insteon as a standard is old but still functional and kinda expensive, X10 is older still and really only useful as a legacy standard. zwave has been the most popular of the new standards over the last few years, but there are others out there. The main thing is to find a hub or controller that can control the most options, so you maintain flexibility and don't end up throwing everything out in 3-4 years as the new stuff gets released fast. Home Depot and Lowes have similar standards, Nest/Google has one, Amazon's Echo platform is emerging, and of course Apple is set to release something soon. Wink, Raspberry Pi, lots of options, no wonder it's hard to sort them out, eh?

My "network" right now is a mishmash of all sorts of things. zwave home automation using vera and 2gig, security system is linked in, garage controls and secondary door locks in a few places are linked, security cameras are linked in, iphone controls everything, voice activation is a bit spotty with the amazon echo. It works pretty well but I am looking to upgrade my controller. Almost went smartthings, but am waiting probably another 6-12 mo to see what else comes out.

For most people, I'd say buy Smartthings right now, and stick with more open options for switches like zwave, so that you're more or less guaranteed they'll work with something you upgrade too later.

If you're a big Mac guy though and have bought into the "Apple way" then you might hang tight a bit longer and wait to see what all Apple has to offer in the next year or so. It's not personally for me due to their general proprietary-nature, but I'm sure what they do release will be pretty slick.

[Brian]

I hinted at it but it's important to understand the difference between the brand names and options for the controllers/hubs and the standards for interlinking. They're not 100% separate, but many controllers that originally were only for one platform do support multiple options.

X10/zwave/zigbee/insteon, etc. are related but competing standards.
Smartthings/Vera/Wink/Simplisafe/Iris are "mostly" brand names for the various controller options, though some do also reflect a standard interlinking option too.

LOL welcome to the Internet of Things.

[NFATrustGuy]

I did a bit more research yesterday and I'm leaning towards a Smarthings hub with Zwave devices. I'm mostly concerned with controlling lights and being able to do macros or scenes with the lighting, but it'd also be nice to have an alert when a door opens or if the hose bursts on my dishwasher. I'm even considering one of the electrically-operated valves for my main water supply...

I plan to have security cameras at some point, but I'm completely fine with the cameras being a completely separate system. I'm planning to hardwire the cameras so wireless protocols and compatibility shouldn't be an issue.

I'm pretty committed to the Apple thing, but I'm not a zealot. There are lots of things about the Apple philosophy that irritate me greatly. I mostly mentioned the Mac-centric deal so that folks wouldn't suggest a solution that requires a PC for programming or ongoing operation.

Thanks for all the suggestions and information. The toughest part is just jumping in… because there will always be some fantastic new technology just around the corner!

[Hound]

Understand that none of them are secure and are a very easy path to the rest of your network. Take anything you want to automate and think of the worst possible thing that can be done with it. If you are ok with that, proceed. If you want, feel free to give me a PM. I work in security so I don't say this so much with a tinfoil hat as from personnel experience. Seriously.... Good luck.