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Crotia · 2013-09-22, 20:29

I'm looking to integrate some home automation with my HTPC and XBMC and am somewhat overwhelmed with the number of options.

I've seen this thread http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=101300 and I'm looking to do something similar, however I'm not sure if X10 is still worth investing in since a lot of these new technologies (such as Insteon) seem to have way more features.

A lot of the Insteon products seem to have internet integration and don't necessitate a PC - is this better than direct control from a PC like it was with X10? I guess I could communicate with the home automation system indirectly via the web from my HTPC.

Overall, I'm just wondering if anyone has a recent home automation guide to integrate with an HTPC, or any information on where to start.

Thanks

Vidman · 2013-09-22, 23:21

I use zwave with a micasaverde Vera 3.....there is a xbmc plugin that works well

Crotia · 2013-09-23, 05:55

Whoa, is it 250$ just for the controller? How are each of the individual modules for lights etc. That seems like it more for just big systems?

fldc · 2013-09-23, 09:52

z-wave is probably the best solution out there but not very cheap.

I'm setting up a system using a tellstick duo that controls various devices on 433.92. The different switches, dimmers, bells and so on exists in various models and brands and are quite cheap. I've also built temperature/humidity/motion sensors with cheap components from ebay, a pile of door sensors from ebay ...built a few blind motors with arduino clones and stepper motors from aliexpress and cheap 433 recievers. I've also written an web ui and next on my list is an xbmc plugin even though some already exists.
It doesn't need to cost that much if you're willing to do some work Wink

rb338 · (This post was last modified: 2013-09-23, 15:00 by rb338.)

Don't know what you want to achieve with home automation & XBMC combination, but I've been running my setup for a couple of months now and thought I'd drop a line.

What I'm using as hardware:
Fibaro Home Center 2 (Z-Wave control center)
Fibaro Z-Wave dimmer modules on all light switches.
Motorised curtain rail with Z-Wave module.
Foscam IP camera.
Windows 8 based HTPC with XBMC in the living room.
Apple TV 2 with XBMC in the bedroom.
Fibaro XBMC plugin on both systems.

What I've done so far:

Dim living room lights and turn on led mood lights when movie starts and it's dark enough (after sunset).
Lights go back to bright when movie is paused or stopped.
Same thing in the bedroom.

IP Camera triggers the Fibaro system when alarm (audio and/or movement).
Fibaro system triggers XBMC so the camera image is shown in the bottom right of every XBMC connected.

I've also created a virtual device with some standard XBMC functions in the Fibaro system, but rarely use that. Same for the IP Camera, added a virtual device in Fibaro system to enable or disable the alarm or reboot the camera.

Not really sure what I'm gonna do next Smile

So far I'm pretty happy with the way things work.

Don't know what you want to achieve with home automation & XBMC combination, but I've been running my setup for a couple of months now and thought I'd drop a line.

What I'm using as hardware:
Fibaro Home Center 2 (Z-Wave control center)
Fibaro Z-Wave dimmer modules on all light switches.
Motorised curtain rail with Z-Wave module.
Foscam IP camera.
Windows 8 based HTPC with XBMC in the living room.
Apple TV 2 with XBMC in the bedroom.
Fibaro XBMC plugin on both systems.

What I've done so far:

Dim living room lights and turn on led mood lights when movie starts and it's dark enough (after sunset).
Lights go back to bright when movie is paused or stopped.
Same thing in the bedroom.

IP Camera triggers the Fibaro system when alarm (audio and/or movement).
Fibaro system triggers XBMC so the camera image is shown in the bottom right of every XBMC connected.

I've also created a virtual device with some standard XBMC functions in the Fibaro system, but rarely use that.

Not really sure what I'm gonna do next Smile

So far I'm pretty happy with the way things work.

Crotia · (This post was last modified: 2013-09-23, 15:51 by Crotia.)

(2013-09-23, 09:52)fldc Wrote: z-wave is probably the best solution out there but not very cheap.

I'm setting up a system using a tellstick duo that controls various devices on 433.92. The different switches, dimmers, bells and so on exists in various models and brands and are quite cheap. I've also built temperature/humidity/motion sensors with cheap components from ebay, a pile of door sensors from ebay ...built a few blind motors with arduino clones and stepper motors from aliexpress and cheap 433 recievers. I've also written an web ui and next on my list is an xbmc plugin even though some already exists.
It doesn't need to cost that much if you're willing to do some work

Impressive! I don't have a strong background in comp eng/software eng so I'm a bit worried about attempting a venture like that one my own!

(2013-09-23, 14:54)rb338 Wrote: Don't know what you want to achieve with home automation & XBMC combination, but I've been running my setup for a couple of months now and thought I'd drop a line.

What I'm using as hardware:
Fibaro Home Center 2 (Z-Wave control center)
Fibaro Z-Wave dimmer modules on all light switches.
Motorised curtain rail with Z-Wave module.
Foscam IP camera.
Windows 8 based HTPC with XBMC in the living room.
Apple TV 2 with XBMC in the bedroom.
Fibaro XBMC plugin on both systems.

What I've done so far:

Dim living room lights and turn on led mood lights when movie starts and it's dark enough (after sunset).
Lights go back to bright when movie is paused or stopped.
Same thing in the bedroom.

IP Camera triggers the Fibaro system when alarm (audio and/or movement).
Fibaro system triggers XBMC so the camera image is shown in the bottom right of every XBMC connected.

I've also created a virtual device with some standard XBMC functions in the Fibaro system, but rarely use that. Same for the IP Camera, added a virtual device in Fibaro system to enable or disable the alarm or reboot the camera.

Not really sure what I'm gonna do next So far I'm pretty happy with the way things work.

Don't know what you want to achieve with home automation & XBMC combination, but I've been running my setup for a couple of months now and thought I'd drop a line.

What I'm using as hardware:
Fibaro Home Center 2 (Z-Wave control center)
Fibaro Z-Wave dimmer modules on all light switches.
Motorised curtain rail with Z-Wave module.
Foscam IP camera.
Windows 8 based HTPC with XBMC in the living room.
Apple TV 2 with XBMC in the bedroom.
Fibaro XBMC plugin on both systems.

What I've done so far:

Dim living room lights and turn on led mood lights when movie starts and it's dark enough (after sunset).
Lights go back to bright when movie is paused or stopped.
Same thing in the bedroom.

IP Camera triggers the Fibaro system when alarm (audio and/or movement).
Fibaro system triggers XBMC so the camera image is shown in the bottom right of every XBMC connected.

I've also created a virtual device with some standard XBMC functions in the Fibaro system, but rarely use that.

Not really sure what I'm gonna do next So far I'm pretty happy with the way things work.

This is essentially all I want to do - how much did all this stuff end up costing you?

I guess essentially what I want is the following, I only have one real home theater room that I would need to control and that room has blinds.

Dim lights when movie starts
Put lights back on when movie stops
Have it compatible with new dimmable CFL or LED
Open/close blinds in a similar fashion
Have everything controllable from HTPC/XBMC

Crotia · 2013-09-25, 21:46

Any other insights/setups that anyone has?

**bry** · 2013-09-25, 22:19

Crotia. You can do thw lighting with the philips hue kit and an xbmc add-on via Meethue.wordpress.com

Crotia · 2013-09-25, 22:40

Hmm, I didn't know about that and its really cool. But at 200$ that seems quite expensive for a system that can't really be expanded beyond lighting.

I guess LED bulbs do have an extremely long life so you don't need to be worried about replacing them constantly, but I'd like something a bit more expandable/customizable.

Thanks for the suggestion, though!

fldc · 2013-09-27, 09:06

Hue is the most overpriced gadget in history ;-)

Livin · 2013-09-28, 02:55

(2013-09-23, 05:55)Crotia Wrote: Whoa, is it 250$ just for the controller? How are each of the individual modules for lights etc. That seems like it more for just big systems?

I promise I mean no offense when I say this... if $250 for the automation controller (software/hardware combined) is a lot of money to you then Home Automation is not something you can afford.

$250 is VERY cheap for what the Vera provides - bundled: linux system, development platform, many free apps/plugins, built-in Zwave controller, and much more. Most software that requires all these items to be bought separately cost more than $250.

Most Zwave modules/devices cost $50 each, or more.

Seriously, if you want VERY basic lighting/device control, look to see if anyone has an X10 XBMC plugin - then buy some X10 stuff, which you'll likely need to buy used since they are out of business. X10 is not "good", it is so-so and quality was low, devices broke often. It can work if you want super simple control and the lowest possible price.

there are 1000s of threads on home automation on the web so this is all I'll say other than, hope you find what you need.