Lighting automation - updates
Apr. 20th, 2020 11:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glitch25I think I've posted about it in the past, but I have been working with a lighting automation system based on Z-wave technology that allows me to turn on and off lights with my phone or with tablets I have configured throughout the house. It means I can do things like shut off all the lights from under the covers. :-) I deeply enjoy the convenience of being able to sit on the couch and dim the lights for a movie without having to get up. Or to kick on the under-bed lights if I need to get up without waking my partner.
Currently, I'm using a Aeotec Zwave Stick pared to a raspberry Pi running a system called OpenHab via Hasbian. it is a nice solid well-tested framework for centralizing lighting and home automation.
I've always kinda eschewed the out-of-the-box solutions including the stuff that Google and Amazon are doing, partly because I hate the idea of having that stuff hit the cloud. I've always wanted it entirely internal to my home and network without the need for intervention. There are a few systems like this and over the years, I've tried them all, and I find that OpenHab and the work they do to support it is far more flexible and supported than some of the others.
I also choose Z-wave over things like x10 because it was a standard that was still being developed, and z-wave was far more robust than what X10 offered (and having worked for X10, I will admit there was some bias as to my internal knowledge of support and quality control.) Zigbee is another option that I am considering adding if mostly because I can start to add Philips Hue products to the system. OpenHab has support for both Philips and outright Zigbee.
I have stayed away from Wifi products for now mostly because controlling how the modules behave and whether or not they stay safe on the network is a bit of work for my network at the moment. I have plans one day to create an isolated space that will allow for wifi power switch modules to exist safely in our environment, but have not yet done so. Soon!
One of the things I have been having fun with on OpenHab is a module called HabPanel which is a framework to build browser-based interfaces to the system. I can program buttons and sliders that control lighting or other devices. I can build pages that show system status, or can pull things like weather or traffic. I can also build automation that allows me to shut off all the lights in the entire system with the tap of a single button. Fun stuff! Along with this framework, I repurposed a bunch of refurbished and extremely inexpensive Amazon Fire tablets and installed full Android OS on them and now use them as dedicated controller panels that I have set up throughout the house. While I can certainly access the system with my phonea, compuer, or other tablets, it's also nice to have a few dedicated stations to do lighting control.
OpenHab is a neat system, and while not for the entirely novice, the challenges offer nifty rewards. If you have some technical skill and don't mind troubleshooting things, it's a fun thing to play with. And the fact that it can be put on a raspberry PI makes it even more accessible.
Currently, I'm using a Aeotec Zwave Stick pared to a raspberry Pi running a system called OpenHab via Hasbian. it is a nice solid well-tested framework for centralizing lighting and home automation.
I've always kinda eschewed the out-of-the-box solutions including the stuff that Google and Amazon are doing, partly because I hate the idea of having that stuff hit the cloud. I've always wanted it entirely internal to my home and network without the need for intervention. There are a few systems like this and over the years, I've tried them all, and I find that OpenHab and the work they do to support it is far more flexible and supported than some of the others.
I also choose Z-wave over things like x10 because it was a standard that was still being developed, and z-wave was far more robust than what X10 offered (and having worked for X10, I will admit there was some bias as to my internal knowledge of support and quality control.) Zigbee is another option that I am considering adding if mostly because I can start to add Philips Hue products to the system. OpenHab has support for both Philips and outright Zigbee.
I have stayed away from Wifi products for now mostly because controlling how the modules behave and whether or not they stay safe on the network is a bit of work for my network at the moment. I have plans one day to create an isolated space that will allow for wifi power switch modules to exist safely in our environment, but have not yet done so. Soon!
One of the things I have been having fun with on OpenHab is a module called HabPanel which is a framework to build browser-based interfaces to the system. I can program buttons and sliders that control lighting or other devices. I can build pages that show system status, or can pull things like weather or traffic. I can also build automation that allows me to shut off all the lights in the entire system with the tap of a single button. Fun stuff! Along with this framework, I repurposed a bunch of refurbished and extremely inexpensive Amazon Fire tablets and installed full Android OS on them and now use them as dedicated controller panels that I have set up throughout the house. While I can certainly access the system with my phonea, compuer, or other tablets, it's also nice to have a few dedicated stations to do lighting control.
OpenHab is a neat system, and while not for the entirely novice, the challenges offer nifty rewards. If you have some technical skill and don't mind troubleshooting things, it's a fun thing to play with. And the fact that it can be put on a raspberry PI makes it even more accessible.