Awsome timer!

[westcoastchameleons]

Hi guys,
thought i would share with you my timing system. I got a very cool timer that plugs into my wall and controls certain outletts in my room. Not only that, but from my room, it controls the outletts in the rooms next to mine for those chameleons! At the touch of a button, i can turn lights off in 3 rooms or more(havnt tried it). Its very cool, i will post more info for anyone intersested!

Jake

 

[Marc10edora]

How does that work? Sounds good.But I have an old house with old electrical wiring and I would be scared to use that. I would need more info on how it works before I could trust something like that.

 

[TRI0N]

There are several ways to do this. One a air radio transmitter and reciver. Recivers can be screw into lamps that the bulb screws into and/or wall outlets that you would plug table lamps into or other electronic devices into to control. These run on standard air waves that are common in baby monitors, child walkie-talkies, garrage door openers, etc. Not likely to be in conflict but possible.

Another is sending frequencies back thru the electrical lines to control which has its limitations based on length of wiring and output strength.

Both are cool and handy.

Oh and they are both safe even in old wiring. It does not reverse polarity or anything. Simply one is Air Radio Transmitted while the other is just sending frequencies back thru the neutral wires to control other outlets. While neutral wires all lead to the same wiring block the hot wires are split by fuses. This allows the frequiencies to travel back down the neutral lines that lead into other rooms from the main electrical box.

Note: In your case where you might not have a larger socket slit then the other in old wiring a simple DIY of replacing your own socket is pretty easy. If the devices don't have a blade larger then the other then putting it in to find it not working on old wires is a simple flip it around fix to send it down the Neutral wire rather then down the hot wire where it will fail to reach other rooms.

 

[reyesjoshuacruz]

im actually putting a system together of this stuff, the technology doesnt really have limitations other then coupling the phases in home or apts. If anyone wants more information regarding how it works or if it will work in your application pm me. with the stuff at my work you can call your house and have your spa turn on to a certain temp. fluorescent bulbs are more costly to control.

actually i wanted to ask the users here what features they are looking for. ie, timer for lights, mister pumps, have the lights turn on when the sun comes up? remote control. computer interface for programming timers, being able to monitor system from internet? ect

 

[Phatturk]

I got my system almost done now too. It has and outdoor light/temp/humidity sensor that controls the lights and humidifier in the cage. So when the sun goes down outside it also goes down in his cage. I also have a water level sensor for my misting bucket that will stop the pump if there is no water. But the best part in my opinion is being able to view and control it all from my iPhone or my PSP. I love it. What a cool time to live

 

[reyesjoshuacruz]

awesome, what tech are you using? about how much for entire system?

 

[Phatturk]

well I am using equipment that I sell and my Father developed. We run a company called Solidyne. I can't really give a Price for the system you know my iPhone cost some bucks as did my PSP and the Webserver needed to get on the web. But the controllers, sensors, and software would run somewhere around $750 i would imagine. I have been trying to bring that price down but its not easy cuz of the software needed.

 

[reyesjoshuacruz]

oh thats right you posted a link to view status online some time ago, yeah my system shouldnt be more then 200

 

[dodolah]

well I am using equipment that I sell and my Father developed. We run a company called Solidyne. I can't really give a Price for the system you know my iPhone cost some bucks as did my PSP and the Webserver needed to get on the web. But the controllers, sensors, and software would run somewhere around $750 i would imagine. I have been trying to bring that price down but its not easy cuz of the software needed.

--------------------------
Ouch!

 

[Phatturk]

Yeah the equipment i am using is totally not practical for this application. I could get it a bit cheaper if I built if with a LON controller but I already had all this stuff and the Browser Based option for LON is quite expensive too. I am sure I could set up everything I have for less than $50 using mechanical timers and not being browser based but I am a geek and I had this equipment already so I went for it. I have absolutely no intention of selling my controllers for this application commercially, the support would be a nightmare. But at the same time if someone on here wanted to give it a shot I'd help in any way i could.

 

[LaserGecko]

Just use Z-Wave technology and be done with it.

http://www.automatedoutlet.com/home.php?cat=236

Appliance Module (for anything that can't be dimmed like a fluorescent lamp, misting pump, etc.): $36
Lamp Module: $37
Master Remote Control/Timer: $43
Starter Kit (Master Remote/2 Lamp modules): $99

X-10 and anything that uses the powerline to send commands from the master units to the slaves is prone to phase problems. If your transmitter is on one phase of your house's wiring and your receiver is on the other, they can't talk to each other unless you have a 220V appliance like an electric oven or dryer operating to bridge the phases (or you install a phase bridge somewhere).

Z-Wave uses RF to communicate and every module is also a repeater, so you'll never be out of range.

Of course, anything like this can be hooked into your computer with many different forms of home automation software. (I think HomeSeer is the best: easy to use, extremely configurable, built in webserver, support for remote monitoring from anywhere on the planet, etc..) You can monitor every environmental condition known to man with relatively cheap 1-Wire sensors.

Now, if there was only a Z-Wave sensor interface. Hmmmmmmmm.

Don't worry if it sounds complicated. If you can keep a chameleon alive, you can handle programming the basic Z-Wave system.

 

[Phatturk]

Are there sensors for those systems? I am looking at those websites but I don't see anything like a humidity sensor or even temperature sensors. Am I missing something? Can I use inputs to control outputs with any of these systems? And also what about graphs and data logging? Can I look at temps over a period of time to make sure everything is good? And Alarms? like if the light bulb is blown or my temp drops too much. If this x10 stuff can do that it would be great for the money.

 

[reyesjoshuacruz]

z wave is too new to have sensors for that, and too proprietary to allow for flash and contact sensors and Integration. and to expensive, poor customer service and poor support.

x10 will work for this application you guys, since you're not automating you entire house you prob wont have to worry about phases and coupling them. modules are cheap and you can deff integrate sensors for humidity and temp.

with the stuff from my work i will beable to maintain temp and humidity very easily, ill be using homeseer which retails for 200-/+ to access controls and reports over the web. however using x10 and a cheap computer interface module, you can use xp's remote access feature to control and monitor.

 

[LaserGecko]

Google "1-wire sensors" and you will find a ton of info. www.ibuttonlink.com has some really cool things which I plan to integrate into my MasterMisterController one day.

All of the sensors will require some sort of computer or microprocessor to handle them. There's currently no "plug and play" solution for this, but HomeSeer does it just fine. You still have to set it up and know a bit about how the system works, though.

I wouldn't recommend X-10 to anyone now that Z-Wave is halfway affordable. X-10 is cheap, cheap, cheap and it shows.

Heck, my Radio Shack Color Computer 2 had an X-10 cartridge...that's how old the technology is. Yes, it would work, but you'll probably end up going the Z-Wave route anyway, so remember the phrase "buy cheap, buy twice".

 

[Phatturk]

So you guys are saying that I CAN use the value from a humidity sensor to turn on my humidifier? Same with light sensors and my lights? Also you didn't mention if it does any kind of data logging.

 

[LaserGecko]

z wave is too new to have sensors for that, and too proprietary to allow for flash and contact sensors and Integration. and to expensive, poor customer service and poor support.

That's a huge brush you're using to paint that sweeping generalization. As with most generalizations, while being real time savers, that one is incorrect..

Z-Wave is used by an alliance of companies, some as large as Intermatic and as small as HomeSeer Technologies, Inc. Several smaller companies have already responded to customer demand and introduced products like the Z-Troller and the Z-Wave motion sensors.

With most X-10 sensors, you send the command and just hope that it is received correctly. If you step up to the "pro" sensors that support two-way communications for status polling, you're getting awfully close to the price of Z-Wave and leaving the wonderful world of communicating over the wiring of the house in the dust.

So you guys are saying that I CAN use the value from a humidity sensor to turn on my humidifier? Same with light sensors and my lights? Also you didn't mention if it does any kind of data logging.

You can do anything you want to do with those sensors and your computer. It just depends on how you want to set it up.

Heck, with the free DDE-View software, you could even control it from an Excel spreadsheet.

 

[Phatturk]

Well that stuff is pretty impressive for this application but as a home control system I would say the only impressive thing about it would be the price. And you know the saying "You get what you pay for" But yep this stuff would work Great to control a cham enclosure for sure, and you wont find a cheaper price. But I'll be keeping the system i got Love the graphs and being able to see the temps and humidity through the night and as seasons change.

 

[Fate X]

i been looking at x10 stuff for a couple years they are releasing a new line of hardware thats works better.they might have already started selling some of the parts.intermatic timers n such ive found save time but i could save a unbeleivable amount of time if i could control my envirmental controls from my lappy.

 

[reyesjoshuacruz]

IT IS A FACT THAT I TALK TO CUSTOMERS EVERY DAY THAT HAVE FULL BLOWN X10 SYSTEMS THAT RUN THEIR ENTIRE HOUSE WITH NO MORE PROBLEMS. MY DAD HAS USED X10 FOR YEARS, X10 ALLOWS FOR LIGHTING CONTROL, APPLIANCE CONTROL, H VAC CONTROL, SECURITY SYSTEMS YOU NAME IT. Z WAVE HAS A FRACTION OF THE DEVICES AND CONTROLS LIGHTING AND APPLIANCES. DEVICES NEEDED TO COMUN VIA RF REQUIRE MORE COSTLY INTERNALS AND IN TURN THE DEVICES COST MORE, COMPARED TO Z WAVE X10 IS CHEAP, ITS ALSO CHEAPER TO MAKE.

as for everyone else. home automation is my trade, i work at the largest home automation retailer in the US, I KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT . I work with all the powerline technologies
upb, z wave, x10, insteon ect all day long.

is x10 perfect? no, on average a full blown 2000sqft x10 system, is about 75% reliable stand alone.

why?

because your are sending information over great distances over your powerline, x10 is old yes and that is part of the reason why it is only 75% reliable stand alone. x10 came out when there wasnt a computer in every home, when there wasnt energy saving cfl and fl bulbs, when there wasnt the type of devices that draw power from your powerline at the same time emiting disrupting signals. \

75% stand alone, then you get products that filter out the "noise" and your system becomes far more reliable.

AGAIN IT IS CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP, BUT THERE ARE MANY PRODUCERS OF X10, LOTS OF COMPETITION = COMPETITIVE PRICES.

I DONT KNOW ABOUT YOU GUYS BUT MY CHAMELEON STUFF IS ALL IN ONE ROOM, ILL CRAP MY PANTS THE DAY X10 DOESNT WORK COST EFFECTIVELY AND RELIABLY IN A ONE ROOM APPLICATION.

 

[Fate X]

can you hardwire all the x10 controls to a computer?

this is what i was looking at i thought was x10 its insteon this might be the link

http://www.smarthome.com/2414u.html or just search smarthome



these run off the usb and they got onboard memeory which i think would make them superior to x10's