Recent content by znelbok

I do exactly this at my place with a relay.  240VAC coil relay (so 110V for you guys) and the contacts are fed back into the panel.   If you have multiple phases then just use a single relay per phase if you think you will drop only one phase (unlikely)   You can look at the UPS as it will have...

what about a wyze cam installed in some water proof box.  The cam is only $20 give or take - and weather proof may only need to be a cover to protect it from rain and or dew - at such a cheap price you can afford to take a risk.

AFAIK only if the firmware password is known or not set - otherwise its a no go.   This flaw is about the incorrect re-direction to a lockout after a number of attempts at login, but instead it lets you in without a password.  

<p>ESP8266 with MQTT</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Cheap as chips and while not a RPi it can still communicate to the Pi MQTT broker.&nbsp; Uses the Arduino IDE for configuration.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Other option is OpenPLC.&nbsp; The RPi is a PLC (with ladder or structured text).&nbsp; An ESP8266 can...

I would say that you need some sort of HA package like control 4, Homeseer etc.  I'll be honest that my preference is CQC because I can write custom drivers for my gear.   I'm also in Australia so I know the pain of not being able to use a lot of the Z-Wave stuff etc as its really expensive if...

Thinking outside of the box - why not take a look at the Koyo Click PLC for all non-security logic and I/O.  Its cheap at ~$100 and has a serial port so you can talk between the m1 and the PLC.  The newer one has Ethernet as well   Don't be put off by the fact that its a PLC - its easy to...

I started with the Ness M1 many years ago for a home automation scenario but found it could be limiting.  Not that I hit any memory limits just constraints.   Not long after putting it in I found CQC and it had C-Bus and M1 drivers.  To me this was a godsend.  The M1 could talk directly to...

I would have a look at the ClickPLC range of PLC's.  There is an Ethernet version now so you can communicate with them and between them easily.  There is also a touchscreen available for it as well.  You will have to do the programming but its not hard at all.   Should the system grow in size...

I have only used CQC, but reading your post it would appear CQC is a good fit for you.   CQC is quite adept at home theatre control/integration and it can be used for everything else around the house.   Being a software developer you will find that even if CQC does not support a particular...

I would have thought most solenoid wire was direct burial - so moisture would not be a real issue (short term at least).  Conduit does make it easier to replace - you should be able to pull through new wire very quickly in conduit.  There is also more mechanical protection for the cable - but...

No, unfortunately not.   I was also now to ladder logic, but it is pretty straight forward.  There are some examples on the automationdirect web site that you may want ot go have a look at for inspiration as well.   Irrigation is pretty straight forward so it wont be hard to get something working.

I would use a ClickPLC if it were me.  They are cheap and have more flexibility than a dedicated irrigation controller.  Yeah sure you need to learn to use ladder logic, but that is not hard if you are already doing home automation.   I use two at home for automation tasks and irrigation is on...

Ahh, the big bugbear of mine - Automation.  Everyone thinks that because it has an app its a smart device and it is automation.   Apps are a virtual remote on a virtual coffee table and nothing more.   Automation is something that can do things automatically.   Integration is the key, where...

I'll start prefacing that I did not read all the posts in the thread, but it seems to go down the path of surge protection.   Grounding is done typically by using STP - Shielded Twisted Pair (as opposed to UTP - Unsheilded Twisted Pair).  The connectors on STP are metal with the shoeld or drain...

But do you need one on each end?  The OS will use a driver and create a virtual serial port so only one physical unit is required