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Ask HN: How to build a home automation system in 2014

13 points by auganov 12y ago

Do hubs make sense? Z-wave? Cloud services? Open-source solutions? SmartThings? I'm having a very hard time figuring out what's a reasonable way to go about it.

denysonique 12y ago
Arduino + NRF24, and optionally a Raspberry PI as the main controlling device hooked up to the Internet and a Bluetooth receiver.
gmurphy 12y ago
Right now there aren't any systems that do it all well, so you want to just pick the best tools for each job, then glue it together with a hub. A surprising number of things have relatively IP interfaces, so in my house I scripted it all together by writing http://route.io/ http://route.io/ - this lets me do things like control Sonos from my lightswitches, unlock my house when I walk up to it, or turn off everything with a single command.
mikelyons 12y ago
The best way is going to be a custom solution with hacked together custom hard/software. You can then open source your design for community learning and growth.
dangrossman 12y ago
I use a VeraLite hub for two purposes: (1) to talk to z-wave things, and (2) because it provides one API for thousands of devices. Not everything will work with Vera, but most of the popular stuff does, from smart bulbs to switches to home security and cameras. Vera's hub doesn't have a monthly subscription or require a "cloud" to work. You can also buy one used for a reasonable price on Amazon/eBay. Here's a bit about my setup: http://www.dangrossman.info/2014/10/29/home-automation-dashboard-2-0/ http://www.dangrossman.info/2014/10/29/home-automation-dashb...
- shiftpgdn 12y ago
  Is there a significant lag between calling an action and it taking place? I've got a wink hub and it's hilariously slow at running scripted events. For example I have it set to lower the bulbs over our kitchen table, bring up bulb over the sink and then dim a lamp at 7pm when we normally sit down for dinner. In theory this sounds like it'd be neat but it just dramatically drops the light output and takes about 20 seconds to go from one bulb to the next.
  - dangrossman 12y ago
    No, it's nearly instant most of the time with the wifi stuff (WeMo light switches, Nest, etc). My z-wave door lock sometimes lags a few seconds, but I blame that more on the protocol than anything. I exclusively use the hub for its API; I don't know if the built-in UI would have any lag when executing scenes created through that.
MalcolmDiggs 12y ago
I'm pretty excited about the work going on at spark.io. Might be worth checking out if you pursue the smart-things route.

13 points by auganov 12y ago

Do hubs make sense? Z-wave? Cloud services? Open-source solutions? SmartThings? I'm having a very hard time figuring out what's a reasonable way to go about it.

denysonique 12y ago

Arduino + NRF24, and optionally a Raspberry PI as the main controlling device hooked up to the Internet and a Bluetooth receiver.

gmurphy 12y ago

Right now there aren't any systems that do it all well, so you want to just pick the best tools for each job, then glue it together with a hub. A surprising number of things have relatively IP interfaces, so in my house I scripted it all together by writing http://route.io/ http://route.io/ - this lets me do things like control Sonos from my lightswitches, unlock my house when I walk up to it, or turn off everything with a single command.

mikelyons 12y ago

The best way is going to be a custom solution with hacked together custom hard/software. You can then open source your design for community learning and growth.

dangrossman 12y ago

I use a VeraLite hub for two purposes: (1) to talk to z-wave things, and (2) because it provides one API for thousands of devices. Not everything will work with Vera, but most of the popular stuff does, from smart bulbs to switches to home security and cameras. Vera's hub doesn't have a monthly subscription or require a "cloud" to work. You can also buy one used for a reasonable price on Amazon/eBay. Here's a bit about my setup: http://www.dangrossman.info/2014/10/29/home-automation-dashboard-2-0/ http://www.dangrossman.info/2014/10/29/home-automation-dashb...

shiftpgdn 12y ago
Is there a significant lag between calling an action and it taking place? I've got a wink hub and it's hilariously slow at running scripted events. For example I have it set to lower the bulbs over our kitchen table, bring up bulb over the sink and then dim a lamp at 7pm when we normally sit down for dinner. In theory this sounds like it'd be neat but it just dramatically drops the light output and takes about 20 seconds to go from one bulb to the next.
- dangrossman 12y ago
  No, it's nearly instant most of the time with the wifi stuff (WeMo light switches, Nest, etc). My z-wave door lock sometimes lags a few seconds, but I blame that more on the protocol than anything. I exclusively use the hub for its API; I don't know if the built-in UI would have any lag when executing scenes created through that.

MalcolmDiggs 12y ago

I'm pretty excited about the work going on at spark.io. Might be worth checking out if you pursue the smart-things route.