FinanceBuzz
New Member
This is a great thread! I am a home automation newbie as well though I have been interested for many years. I have a degree in electrical engineering as well as a background in wireless telecom and data networking so I get the technological concept here. Where I am trying to wrap my head is the application and product side.
Here is where I am. I am setting a fairly small dedicated home theater room. Nothing extravagant, but I would like to be able to control the lighting in the room and integrate it with a remote so that when I start a movie the lights go down, the movie starts, the TV starts, etc. From a home automation standpoint, I am trying to figure out what technology and products I should use for the lighting control. The integration with the AV control is not even critical as I can live with a standalone control device for the lighting for the time being. While that is the extent of what I want to do now, I would eventually like to expand my control environment to include the entire house including lighting, outdoor sensors (still trying to figure what is available there), and thermostat. So I want to be sure that whatever I buy now to control the lights in this one room will integrate into a larger control environment down the road.
In the short term, the lights I am looking to control would be stand alone plug in lights, the room overhead light, and possibly LED backlighting behind the television. From what I have read, it sounds like I would need one or more plug-in modules, a light switch module for the overhead, and another plug-in module for the LED backlights. The biggest question I have right now, is what can I use to control these "zones" independently? Given that I have dropped quite a bit of money on the AV gear, room prep, etc. I do not want to invest in a new PC or a $500 hardware controller to control three lights in a small room. From what I have read, Z-wave and Zigbee sound the most appealing to me. UPB has some interest but would that interfere with some HomePlug LAN modules I have installed? Also, given that my thermostat is not connected to the house electrical system, can you use UPB to control a thermostat? Suggestions?
Secondly, where can I obtain this type of gear both for my immediate needs and for the larger environment down the road? I am familiar with Smarthome.com and have been getting their emails for years with the intention of eventually getting into this. Any big box stores carry the basic equipment?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can provide any insight! I look forward to delving deeper into the world of home automation!
Here is where I am. I am setting a fairly small dedicated home theater room. Nothing extravagant, but I would like to be able to control the lighting in the room and integrate it with a remote so that when I start a movie the lights go down, the movie starts, the TV starts, etc. From a home automation standpoint, I am trying to figure out what technology and products I should use for the lighting control. The integration with the AV control is not even critical as I can live with a standalone control device for the lighting for the time being. While that is the extent of what I want to do now, I would eventually like to expand my control environment to include the entire house including lighting, outdoor sensors (still trying to figure what is available there), and thermostat. So I want to be sure that whatever I buy now to control the lights in this one room will integrate into a larger control environment down the road.
In the short term, the lights I am looking to control would be stand alone plug in lights, the room overhead light, and possibly LED backlighting behind the television. From what I have read, it sounds like I would need one or more plug-in modules, a light switch module for the overhead, and another plug-in module for the LED backlights. The biggest question I have right now, is what can I use to control these "zones" independently? Given that I have dropped quite a bit of money on the AV gear, room prep, etc. I do not want to invest in a new PC or a $500 hardware controller to control three lights in a small room. From what I have read, Z-wave and Zigbee sound the most appealing to me. UPB has some interest but would that interfere with some HomePlug LAN modules I have installed? Also, given that my thermostat is not connected to the house electrical system, can you use UPB to control a thermostat? Suggestions?
Secondly, where can I obtain this type of gear both for my immediate needs and for the larger environment down the road? I am familiar with Smarthome.com and have been getting their emails for years with the intention of eventually getting into this. Any big box stores carry the basic equipment?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can provide any insight! I look forward to delving deeper into the world of home automation!