Smart home – how can you control sockets and lighting remotely?

pjeter wrote:

Let’s imagine that when we’re gone, our wives will be left with a pile of microprocessors in the sockets. After all, no electrician – and in most cases, not even an electronics engineer – would be able to make head or tail of it.

I don’t know why, but I’d been thinking about this too, so I’ve taken precautions.
All the control units will be the same, and if one gets damaged, all you need to do is replace it. (I’ll keep some in stock.) As for damage to the wiring, well, that’s probably unlikely, but if it does happen, you’d need to call in an electronics engineer rather than an electrician for a house like this; I think even an average person could manage it (we’ve included a diagram in the test section ). The sockets will still have power even if the system fails (control only works once connected via a special extension lead). As for the lighting, after a control unit fails, you can also use a relay – the only difference is that this would be done separately in each room rather than in one central location.

pjeter wrote:

Oh, come on – I could say the same thing about distributed systems – a short circuit on the bus at any (unknown to us) point will shut down the entire system.

In my system, a bus failure would only take out the central controller – i.e. some of the global functions (e.g. closing all the roller shutters) – whilst each room would continue to perform all its functions as normal.

PS:
I’m not criticising the centralised system – it can work too – I’ve just explained why I prefer a distributed one.
And should the time come when we’re no longer around, our widow might well find herself an electronics engineer to take our place.

Hi,
I can see you’re discussing lots of interesting topics here. Some people take a very complicated approach and want to dig up almost the whole house, whilst others are looking for simpler solutions – and I’m one of those people.So far, I haven’t managed to find anything that’s convinced me; it’s all rather complicated and, well, expensive.It was only a few days ago that I stumbled across a new forum presenting a different system, and I have to say it doesn’t seem complicated so far.I’m waiting for the author to finish describing the system; in any case, it’s worth having a look and reading up on it – I think the idea behind this forum is very good and deserves attention. I don’t know about you, but for me this subject matter is scattered all over the internet and often incomprehensible to the layman.It would be worthwhile to bring together all the groups interested in this subject on a single platform and also to help those who remain unconvinced through our own experiences with such systems.I’ll share the link here – perhaps some of you have already come across this site: www.inteligentnydom.pun.pl
Best regards,
Trader1

Well done on your patience and ingenuity. I’d like to suggest a tried-and-tested system for the comprehensive control of Polish-made home appliances. You can find more information and a link to the manufacturer’s website at: www.inteligentnesterowanie.pl

Have you ever considered using biometric devices or contactless cards for access control?

These are interesting solutions, and more and more people are starting to use them not only at work but also at home. They can be integrated with an alarm system

Access Control

I don’t know why you’re looking for devices and want to run cables to control your whole house.All you need is a controller that connects your computer to a socket – prices in Poland are around 100 zloty on eBay – and software such as Homeseer Pro or HAL2000. Of course, each socket will need to have its own number, something like an IP address, and you’ll need tobuy some X10 sockets. I’m not sure if retailers stock 220V sockets of this type, but I suspect they do. This way, you can control whatever you want, however you want.Even if you’ve got a vivid imagination, you’ll still run out of ideas for making the most of this system’s capabilities. You can use it to control cameras, the TV and other devices – for example, automatic watering, curtains, lighting(dimming, switching on and off), controlling heating or cooling, music, video, etc. The total cost, including the device to control all of this with your voice, is around 4,000 PLN.

Added after 3 [minutes]:

I forgot to add that you can also control it from your phone, wherever you are in the world. You just need to buy a modem for your computer – it costs around 230 zloty.

So why aren’t wireless control systems used in smart homes?

Hello.
Wireless systems are in use; there are several manufacturers. Of course, these are not domestic companies. The main reason they are not popular is the price (which, unfortunately, is quite high) and the fact that they are easily susceptible to interference. The European Union has allocated a special radio frequency band specifically for this type of installation. Out of curiosity, I’ll add that in the US, the X10 system, which operates via the 110V mains supply (230V here), was in use for many years, and they are currently switching to radio control. Effective marketing plays a major role here.

Hello!
Wouldn’t it be better to have a front door with a fingerprint reader rather than access cards? You can lose cards and keys, but you’re unlikely to lose your finger.
Hi!

In Poland, you can split the 220 and add an extra phase to make 110
V, for example, a single socket somewhere in the house, and plug your computer into that socket. Then buy a device on eBay that connects the two phases and fit it into the fuse box
X10 PRO Pro Coupler Repeater Amplifier (XPCR) – this will allow the signal to be transmitted to every socket in the house. You can also connect an alarm system that transmits radio waves to this socket.Such a system costs around 500 PLN on eBay. 43-piece X10 Home Security System Wireless Alarm DS7000
10 Window/Door Sensors, 5 Remotes, 3 Sirens, 1-year warranty

Piotr Pajkert wrote:

Hello!
Wouldn’t it be better to have a front door with a fingerprint reader rather than access cards? You can lose cards and keys, but you’re unlikely to lose your finger.
Hi!

These days, devices of this type are so advanced that a single unit can support both biometric authentication and contactless cards, whilst standard cards are being replaced by key fobs, wristbands and even signet rings with built-in chips

@piotr Pajkert

But bear in mind that your keys are unlikely to get damaged, and if you have a biometric reader and your wife makes you clean the whole flat beforehand – causing you to lose your fingerprints for a while due to the cleaning products – you won’t be able to use the biometric reader anymore

ASSA and ABLOY manufacture electric locks that can always be opened with a key or any access control device, whether via a fingerprint reader or a contactless card. Furthermore, if anyone requires further information on how a ‘SMART HOME’ works, please send enquiries to krzysiek(_at_)zintech.pl

I admire your imagination and ingenuity, but when you’re a bit older, you’re bound to miss the simplicity – and after the countless breakdowns of such a complex system, which will inevitably keep doing something daft, you’ll end up unplugging the whole lot anyway because you won’t be able to cope with the stress.
I can assure everyone that my comment is by no means meant to be malicious, but simply realistic.

There are countless ideas, but I wouldn’t recommend using a fingerprint reader or a card reader (mounted on the outside) for authorisation. The issue is simply that the reader could be tampered with; moreover, at temperatures as low as -20°C, for example, it might be difficult to get into the house .

I have an eHouse system installed in my own home (http://www.isys.pl/). It has been running for 6 years without any problems. It can be installed as a decentralised system (the controller and relay modules are located in the rooms being controlled), saving several times the cost of 230V wiring and its installation.

It is open-source enough to be programmed individually by the owner via a PC. It can be controlled by an infrared remote control (SONY), and for decades no one has come up with anything better. Graphic panels costing a few thousand euros hanging on the wall are rather ridiculous, as you still have to get up from your armchair to switch on the light.

It has a built-in alarm (which can be switched on and off, for example, using an RF remote control, just like a normal car), as well as controls for roller blinds, the boiler room, a fireplace with a heat-retaining jacket, solar panels, a heat recovery unit and more.
The graphical control screens and visualisations are created individually in Corel; it’s highly unlikely that anyone else will have exactly the same panel.

There are certainly biometric solutions that can be used outside a building, but it is cheaper to install a card reader.

The SCR100 features a compact housing with no buttons or display, and enhanced water and dust resistance. The price is quite reasonable.

I’d also recommend a YouTube video on Samsung digital locks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYhVx8ME1xQ
The locks perform well in tests under winter conditions

Hello. I’m also at the stage of designing a pseudo-smart home system.
There weren’t many reviews of the Integra.
Well, my heart is set on the Integra 128 WRL.

Why this one? I’d like to be able to control my home, receive alerts from the alarm system, and, if possible, control the house via text message. I think it’s very straightforward and reasonably affordable for my budget.

My plan for the main distribution board:

Main distribution board no. 1

1–4. Circuit breakers
5–8. Generator switch – mains
9–12. Residual current device
13. Phase monitoring
14. Alarm
15. Telet + Tel. circuit + intercom power supply
16–18. Boiler room switchboard
19–21. 400 V utility building
22–24. 400 V garage
25. 230 V socket, living room
26. 230 V socket, kitchen worktop + extractor hood
27. 230V socket for microwave + dishwasher
28. 230V socket for fridge
29. 230V socket for cooker
30. 230V socket: washing machine
31. 230V socket: toilet + hallway + vestibule
32. 230V socket: bedroom, first floor
33. 230V mains supply: room, first floor, south/east
34. 230V mains supply: room, first floor, north/east
35. 230V mains supply: room, first floor, north/west
36. 230V main circuit, upstairs bathroom
37. 230V main circuit, garage
38. 230V main circuit, external
40. Heat recovery unit
41.
42.
43–48. Intercom power supply


Main distribution board no. 2

1 Control circuit for bistable relays
2 Ground floor lighting – living room, kitchen, bathroom
3 Ground floor lighting – hallway, stairwell, vestibule, garage, boiler room
4. First-floor lighting – bedroom, south/west-facing room, bathroom
5. First-floor lighting – north/east-facing room + north/west-facing room, corridor
6. Attic lighting
7. Outdoor lighting + festive lighting
8. Garden and driveway lighting
9. Garage door
10. Entrance gate
11. Roller shutters
12.
13. Bistable relay – living room, central 1
14. Bistable relay – living room, central 2
15. Bistable relay – living room, RGB border
16. Bistable relay – living room, TV, KG shelves
17. Bistable relay – living room (emergency wall lights)
18. Bistable relay – kitchen (central)
19. Bistable relay – kitchen (furniture lighting)
20. Bistable relay – bathroom (central lighting + fan)
21. Bistable relay – hallway (central lighting)
22. Bistable relay – staircase lighting
23. Bistable relay – Skoff stairwell lighting
24. Bistable relay – centralised vestibule
25. Bistable relay – centralised garage
26. Bistable relay for external wall lights – east
27. Bistable relay for external wall lights – west
28 Bistable relay for horizontal soffits
29. Bistable relay for sloping soffits
30. Bistable relay for festive lighting
31. Bistable relay for the footpath
32. Bistable relay for garden
34. Bistable relay for roller shutters (open)
35. Bistable relay for switching off 230V in the living room
36. Bistable relay – 230V off, kitchen



-Photocells for switching on stair lighting
-Photocell for garage door and entrance gate
-ALARM – secure the main gate and side gate. (Reed switches ???)

- A handy tip is to run the wiring to the sockets using a 4x2.5 cable instead of a 3x2.5. You use one core to supply the socket where the appliance must be constantly powered (e.g. a fridge), and the others via the second core. You switch off the ‘second’ wire is switched off by a signal from the system – this will get rid of all the ‘red LEDs’ in the house (from the TV and other devices). They also draw current. I suspect (though I haven’t calculated it precisely) that the investment in an extra wire will pay for itself within a year or two.

- The pond’s power supply is probably also from a timer (Integra)



And now a few explanations.

The lighting in the vestibule, corridor and garage will be controlled by a PIR sensor (or via push-buttons, if required.
Living room lighting (several circuits) will also be controlled via push-buttons, with the option of a programme in Integra or via a remote control.

Entrance gate and garage door – remote control
Garage lighting to come on when the door opens

I can’t remember the rest of the details, but I’d be more than happy to discuss them with someone. Best regards.

Controlling the lighting with PIR sensors is totally impractical, because you’d end up with a disco, unless you use a control unit with a programmed timer – though that can also be annoying at times. And what about the garage lighting when the door opens? So when you drive in and close the door, it’s dark again? Everything needs to be thought through in terms of how it will be used later on, rather than just the installation itself, because anything is possible:)

Without a PLC controller, or at least an Easy Moeller, you won’t be able to configure everything exactly as you want.

Why are you all putting him off like that instead of offering some sensible advice?

We’re not trying to put you off, but we need to clarify exactly what the problem is. What is it you’re struggling with? You asked about the control panel – there’s a lot you can do with it. If you want to control the lighting, don’t do it directly via the photocells. It’s better to go via the control panel. A sensor in a given room sends a signal to the control panel when the system is disarmed, and the control panel activates a relay to switch the light on. When the system is armed, the sensors act as part of the alarm system; I don’t see the point in using photocells.
As for these sockets, it’s worth considering whether to run wiring to a relay in each socket individually and control the outputs from the control panel, or to install a single 230V relay integration module in the distribution board and switch the circuits on and off in groups— that’s a matter of cost and economic viability.
If a colleague asks us a specific technical question, we can answer it; after all, speaking in such general terms, one could write entire papers on what can and cannot be done:P

Thanks for your reply, mate. I appreciate the help on this forum, but I don’t like it when people immediately put the person asking the question down by pointing out their lack of knowledge or something similar.
I’ve been sitting here for two days now, trying to programme the control unit to control a bistable relay, but to no avail. I managed to do it this way with a standard relay that turns on the light in the vestibule. There’s just one problem. Why doesn’t the PIR continue to send an intrusion signal? After the first intrusion, the control panel counts down 30 seconds, the light goes out, and the cycle starts all over again. I’d like it so that when someone is present in the porch, the light doesn’t flash but stays on continuously. I hope I’ve just overlooked some option.

Input 1 – PIR in the vestibule
Input 3 – signal from the twilight sensor (READY indicator with negation)
Output 11 – input 1 triggered – operating time ‘30 seconds’
Output 12 – logical product of outputs 3 and 11

Added after 11 [minutes]:

I’d also like to set something like this up in the garage.

- Using the Integra remote control: Open the garage door + switch on the central light in the garage (approx. 2–3 mins)
- Keep the light on via the PIR sensor
- If there is no signal from the PIR sensor, switch the light off

Thank you for your help

I’ve managed to sort it out. Best regards

And what do you use to programme? DloadX or off the top of your head?

With DloadX, it’s clearer and faster.

Well, yes, yes, the LCD keyboard is for real tigers and the LED one is for S&M

That’s right. You can programme everything using the keyboard too, but you either need a brilliant mind or to take plenty of notes so you don’t get lost in the subject.

Not necessarily the head, but rather – 200 control units that have already been programmed:P

We’re just chatting away here, but let’s get back to the topic – I’m looking for more ideas.

There are over 50 followers and no one’s going to share their ideas?
How can you spruce up your home using Integra?

pawelec5
Overcomplicate things? Or go mad? It’s a simple rule: if you overcomplicate things, you’ll go mad because you’ll get lost in what you’ve come up with. It’s best to stick to what’s necessary and what’s convenient. If you don’t know what this means yourself, it probably means you don’t have such needs or devices. There’s always the financial aspect too – whether you can afford what you’ve planned. You can control lighting, roller shutters, heating, devices inside and outside the building, gate and wicket drives, any barriers on the plot, and sensors inside the building – whether they’re for alarms or detecting various faults and hazards. You’re asking a very general question, much like another user in a similar post – you want everything but don’t quite know what yet. Think carefully about what you really need.

neptun93

Mate, you might be right. But why not make life a bit more enjoyable by looking for some cool solutions? You learn all your life, and yet you still die a fool:) I’ve asked a question, and perhaps someone would be keen to describe or share a cool idea worth considering. I think that’s exactly what this forum is for – to use it and learn. But thanks for your reply.