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Comments on My Basics

I hope I'm not inviting another "discussion" like my recent "Mentor / Advisor" post.

But, I'd like to get some comments / thoughts / ideas about how I think I'll start my journey into HA.

Based on conversations here, at SageTV forums, reading in Charmed Quark, and looking at the setup that IVB describes on his homepage at

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I think I'll start with something similar.

I think I'm going to skip lighting automation for now, and stay focused on A/VS., Security, HVAC, and HomeTheater. Too much debate, confusion, and uncertainty around the lighting stuff. Plus, while it sounds cool to do lighting automation, I don't think I'm "wowed" enough by it to risk an unreliable system that causes the WAF to fall in the commode for the whole shootin' match. It's easier to just get out of bed at turn that light down the hall off.

So:

CharmedQuark for the central software control, skins, etc .. Elk M1 Gold panel SageTV for AV

Thoughts?

Thanks, Chris Hackett

Reply to
Chris Hackett
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For basics, one place to start is the "Smart Homes for Dummies" book, and maybe the "Linux Smart Homes for Dummies" book.

(Neil..if he buys your book do I get a kickback? :) )

One of the authors posts here regularly....

Also, another interesting place is the TV. "This Old House" seems to doing some home automation almost every year. It's only part of one show each season, but if you look fast you can catch brand names, and also a bit about special wiring. First time they did it was a few years back - and it was about lighting, and good old X10 was discussed.

Actually, the lighting stuff is probably the most stable right now, IMHO. I'm still using X10 modules I bought 15+ years ago!

Reply to
AZ Woody

For Linux you have lots options, lots of them very DIY but here are two:

ECS (for both Linux and Windows - commercial software) or Misterhouse (for both Linux and Windows - GPL software) I don't know if Elk is supported by either, but various controllers are supported. As for TV there's MythTV (you can purchase of the a complete system at

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- boards and MythTV installed ~ $550).

We'll have to have that discussion off line. :-)

Amd I hope to be posting more often now. I hope to be done with another (paying) project soon.

Actually one of the homes Bob Veal-la (moo ;-) worked on sued his show for the disaster they did one a home. I don't think it was a "This Old House" home.

And there are now lots of options, I hope most of them are at least a little better.

Reply to
Neil Cherry

lots of options, I hope most of them are at least a

Unless you live in the UK where cost-effective X10 alternatives are very hard to come by!

Reply to
MrTea

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