Smart home, do you have one?

[justason]

Hello Audience.
I've been looking into a few key components to make a smart home system at our lake house.

I currently have the SENSI thermostats that fit the need perfectly. I have looked into Insteon, amazon connected home, barely into WEMO, and Lowe's IRIS. most are decent but want that monthly service contract.

The #1 key item I am after is a camera that will activate on motion, record a given period of time, and email the file off automatically. #2 is a motion detector that will send a text/email on detection as well.
BOTH those items need to be built into the system and not part of a monthly paying service.
#3 would be a constant streaming camera or two I can view at will.

niceties to add on would be a door lock, power switch (water heater size). I wouldn't mind swapping out the thermostat to keep things on a consistent app, maybe a light but not that important.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Glassman]

You need to decide if you want all the little devices to connect to the internet or go through a dedicated computer which you leave on all the time. I have the latter, it works great, can check things out from my phone and doesn't cost me anything additional, although I have no need for the thermostat aspect of it - in fact, I rarely have to turn on the heat and ac is non existent.

A friend uses the (Google) Nest stuff: https://store.nest.com/?gclid=CIOI4snt88YCFZCCaQodEyQO5Q
They purchased Drop-Cam a while ago. Interesting read:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/marcoch...isition-of-dropcam-scares-the-heck-out-of-me/

 

[justason]

Hello @Glassman !
leaving a PC on all the time is not an issue, and happens now. Nest is a decent product as is dropcam, but again they are looking for a annual subscription.

The house this will be installed in a fairly vacant, in a decent area, but it was broken into a couple years back (dude still making small rocks out of big rocks !).........hence the need for the motion detection/text/video email/alert. Monitoring it full time doesn't yield me security, and a subscription or stored video will be after-the-fact........

 

[Glassman]

Hello @Glassman !
leaving a PC on all the time is not an issue, and happens now. Nest is a decent product as is dropcam, but again they are looking for a annual subscription.

The house this will be installed in a fairly vacant, in a decent area, but it was broken into a couple years back (dude still making small rocks out of big rocks !).........hence the need for the motion detection/text/video email/alert. Monitoring it full time doesn't yield me security, and a subscription or stored video will be after-the-fact........

If all you need is video monitoring at this point there are a couple of things I use here at the office.
The first is a multi-camera system that has a digital recorder and is internet connected. It can be accessed by phone from anywhere I have an internet connection. I got it on-line from Security-Depot.com
The second is free software Air-Cam Live Video: http://www.senstic.com/iphone/aircam/aircam.aspx
This runs 24/7 on my office system and sends email alerts based on motion detection. It doesn't cost a dime for either system other than the initial purchase price and the electricity to run it.
Hope this helps.

 

[4x15mph]

I use Nest for thermostat and I would have the smoke/co2 detectors if I had natural gas in my house. The Nest has been great

I use Insteon for lighting. I have not connected it to any apps for setting up the lighting scenes and I have done this manually which is pretty easy. Once it is set up you do not change it much.

Check out Smarthome.com for ideas. That is where I have bought my Insteon equipment which back when I first started (5 years?), equipment was spotty. It is sort of expensive but it has come down a bit since when I first started buying it.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

I am using a Foscam camera with 64GB card in it. It can email you a string of stills when it detects motion and then you can view it remotely with pan and tilt capability. You could also install IP cameras in the house with a NVR and remote access it when needed. I am not aware of a motion that will email/text unless you install an alarm panel but a Foscam camera can do the same.

I can point you to a nice panel if you want to spend the extra $. I can program it for you remotely as well. (I'm in the business)

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Here's a water tank control using Wemo.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00O3...chnologies&dpPl=1&dpID=41CIwUo9SxL&ref=plSrch

 

[JetPowered]

Try Sighthound video. The basic version that controls two cameras is a very affordable $60 and can record from a large variety of cameras so you don't have manufacturer lock in. It will need a computer to be on but even an older laptop with an external HD can easily handle this. I've been using this solution for years. Alerts, emails, video portal. They have recently added IFTTT integration so you can add even more notification options, like turn your Philips Hue lights red when it senses motion. I use it to watch for street activity, yard motion and driveway motion. I even have a rule that allows me to alert for traffic into and out of my garage.

Also, look at Ecobee thermostats. Web portal, non subscription. Nest competitor with a few more options up its sleeve. Also integrates with IFTTT.

For lights, I went a little more custom and have a Lutron RadioRA2 system. It's more expensive than insteon but it is bulletproof.

@Murfnsurf, who do you recommend for security? I've been wanting to do an ELK system for a while now.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

I love ELK. M1 Gold baby!

You can do a lot with ELK panels and the zone annunciations are priceless.

 

[justason]

This is great, thanks everyone .... I've been away form the desk for the day and will read thru the links this weekend.

while in the lab i found this little gem: www.amazon.com/gp/huc/view.html?ie=UTF8&newItems=CWLGS2IUTZS55%2C1 it states notifications, need to see exactly what that means.

 

[JetPowered]

Forgot the add, for cameras I'm using ACTi D32 and D72 camera's. Both are pretty good in low light and both have IR, both have a high bitrate HD stream and do great snapshots. They are also POE (Power over Ethernet) so a single cable is all that is required to pull. I avoid wireless cameras for security; not reliable enough. They do reporting a motion capture, but I offload that duty to Sighthound.

 

[Julian]

I have a 16 Channel/Camera Swann camera system. Love it. No service fee, but you can see all your cameras through a droid or iOS app on your phone/tablet. I think it can alarm, but I never looked into that as this is our primary residence and it would be alarming all the time (deer would set off outside alarms too). I've used it twice now to get contractors to pay for new spinkler heads when they drive over my lawn! I installed all the cameras & cables while our house was being resided. It can also control on PTZ (pan tilt zoom) camera, and I may get one of those, but they are expensive. We also use it to see where/what the dogs are doing outside, and I often use it to keep an eye on contractors, or to see if my wife/daughter are home or not.

 

[Julian]

I also have a logitech Harmony Ultimate Hub, but all I use it for at this point is controlling all the AV equipment. It will connect to other systems and has no fees, but I'm not sure what it will do. I have no need to turn lights on/off remotely, and we have a new top of the line Carrier thermostat that I dont want to pay to replace - as it can be programmed to turn on the AC before we get home anyway.

 

[justason]

I am using a Foscam camera with 64GB card in it. It can email you a string of stills when it detects motion and then you can view it remotely with pan and tilt capability. You could also install IP cameras in the house with a NVR and remote access it when needed. I am not aware of a motion that will email/text unless you install an alarm panel but a Foscam camera can do the same.

I can point you to a nice panel if you want to spend the extra $. I can program it for you remotely as well. (I'm in the business)

Hey Murf! I'm digging these Foscam cameras, they're doing everything I'm after !

working thru the details and minute features now..... @JetPowered thanks for the sighthound lead...more to read on that but looks decent if I need to go that way!

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Hey Murf! I'm digging these Foscam cameras, they're doing everything I'm after !

working thru the details and minute features now..... @JetPowered thanks for the sighthound lead...more to read on that but looks decent if I need to go that way!

They are great cameras for their price. Be sure to buy straight from them so you get their warranty. I just had one replaced under warranty with minimal hoops.

 

[justason]

They are great cameras for their price. Be sure to buy straight from them so you get their warranty. I just had one replaced under warranty with minimal hoops.

done deal. purchased a C1 and FI9803p as a sample/setup. if all goes as well as expected I'll add to it with the pan/tilt/zoom units you pointed out. Purchasing thru them made it tax free, free shipping and discounted by a few bucks....better than amazon by a fair margin.

 

[waterboy]

Looking forward to seeing your install. With a house full of girls, I am always good with increased security around the perimeter...

 

[upperdeck]

I also use foscam and love it.

For home automation though, check out the "smart things" controller. They have a great app to control everything from and every device you can imagine controlling. Thermostats, switches, garage door openers, water alarms, locks, cameras, smoke detectors, etc. and no monthly fee!

I use it for my garage doors and my timed outdoor light switches.

The controller is about $100. A simple switch is $50, and the garage door controller was $85.

 

[Julian]

@justason just saw this on FB.....looked interesting:

http://www.getbutterfleye.com

 

[justason]

@justason just saw this on FB.....looked interesting:

http://www.getbutterfleye.com

little pricey, but nice.......the ability to filter between pets and people is nice....Battery consumption can be an issue.
thank you for posting