Home Automation

Blanchy90

Hi I'm moving into my new build house in the next few weeks and I'm starting to research home automation.

The house has 3 zone heating (upstairs, downstairs and water) and there are PV panels on the roof.

I am not sure where to start haha I know I want something like nest for the heating, I was thinking of Alexa for voice control (would google home be better?), I want to be able to track my electricity generation and use to see would it be worth saving up for a powerwall. I already have an arlo baby camera and may get some security cameras if I can tie them in with everything else.

All suggestions welcome

And sorry if this has all been covered before.

bk

Have the electrics already been done? Walls sealed up?

Most of the advice around a new build for Home Automation is about the infrastructure to put in before the house is built/finished up. Sounds like this advice might already be too late for you?

The other stuff can come later.

About the questions you asked:
- Google Home is a lot better then Alexa in my experience
- Tado would be a really good option for your smart heating. Nest also an option.
- Arlo Pro 2 are an option for more cameras given that you already have Arlo. Though there are also many other good options depending on how you use them and if you want subs or not. Logitech Circle Cameras, Nest Cameras, etc.

BTW Powerwall is super cool, you'll want to get a Tesla Model 3 while your at it

Blanchy90

bk wrote: »

Have the electrics already been done? Walls sealed up?

Most of the advice around a new build for Home Automation is about the infrastructure to put in before the house is built/finished up. Sounds like this advice might already be too late for you?

The other stuff can come later.

About the questions you asked:
- Google Home is a lot better then Alexa in my experience
- Tado would be a really good option for your smart heating. Nest also an option.
- Arlo Pro 2 are an option for more cameras given that you already have Arlo. Though there are also many other good options depending on how you use them and if you want subs or not. Logitech Circle Cameras, Nest Cameras, etc.

BTW Powerwall is super cool, you'll want to get a Tesla Model 3 while your at it

Thanks for your reply

We bought the house when it was basically finished so it was too late to add in any cables etc. I guess I'll be looking for everything wireless as much as possible.

I'll look into google home.
Is Tado as polished as nest? I have no experience with nest just like the look of it.
I don't know if I'll bother with any cameras for now, we will get an alarm when we move in and maybe cameras in the future. It might be a good idea to have one looking at my motorbike though.

I'd love a model 3 if they ever get built haha and the price would need to come way down.
I want to track the electricity generation from the PVs vs usage to see how long the payback would be on the powerwall. I guess I'll probably track it for 12 months to get a full picture.

bk

Blanchy90 wrote: »

Is Tado as polished as nest? I have no experience with nest just like the look of it.

Tado is very polished, people who have it here rave about it, I've a Netatmo smart thermostat myself and I'm very happy with it, but it doesn't do hot water control, so not suited to you. Tado has an advantage over Nest that it also supports smart radiator valves, which can give you room by room heating control.

Nest is well regarded too and yes, the physical design is nice to look at. But it doesn't support smart TRV's. I'd look into both options and see which suits you best. I don't think you would be disappointed with either. IMO a smart thermostat in Ireland is a must buy for all homes, they are great.

I've two IP cameras, a Logitech Circle 1 and 2. 1 I normally use as a baby cam, 2 as a security cam. I think these sort of cameras are a great addition to a home security system. I'm much happier being able to keep an eye on the place when away with them. Lots of great options out there depending on your needs.

Also the doorbell cameras or floodlight cameras I think are great for keeping an eye on a front garden of a typical type of Irish house and allow you to "answer" the front door and talk to a caller even when you are out.

Have you considered Smart Lighting? I use Philips Hue and I love it. Can work well in a wired situation like yours. You don't need to buy it all in one go, most of us add a few bulbs at a time when we pick them up in sales.

On the powerwall, I haven't heard of anyone getting one in Ireland yet. I'm not sure the economics really work out here at the moment. If you haven't already, you should check out the EV forum here on boards. Lots of folks there who would likely be the first to get Powerwall when it does come available.

Blanchy90

Thanks for that.

I'll definitely be doing smart lighting, I think I would prefer the smart switches on the wall but it'll depend on the costs.

I plan to slowly do all the different upgrades probably starting with the heating controls.

I've been keeping up to date on the powerwall thread, itll all depend on what output I get from the pv panels

bk

Blanchy90 wrote: »

I'll definitely be doing smart lighting, I think I would prefer the smart switches on the wall but it'll depend on the costs.

Then IMO you massively miss out on the benefits of smart bulbs. Smart switches just give you basic on/off control, but things like white ambiance and colours really are where these things become useful.

Of course there is cost and if that is the consideration then fair enough. But Smart Bulbs are WAY better then switches IME.

Blanchy90

I think I will go with the Nest as Electric Ireland have a pretty good deal on it.

I can get the Smarter Home Hub, Smarter Home monitoring clamp, 2 x Smart Plugs, Smarter Home App, Nest or heating control for €7.99 a month for 36 months and a second Nest unit for €139 with free installation.

Blanchy90

bk wrote: »

Then IMO you massively miss out on the benefits of smart bulbs. Smart switches just give you basic on/off control, but things like white ambiance and colours really are where these things become useful.

Of course there is cost and if that is the consideration then fair enough. But Smart Bulbs are WAY better then switches IME.

I hadn't thought about any of that tbh I was just think on and off as its what I'm used to.

What is white ambiance?

I'll have to look into bulbs now too haha

bk

Blanchy90 wrote: »

I hadn't thought about any of that tbh I was just think on and off as its what I'm used to.

What is white ambiance?

I'll have to look into bulbs now too haha

Hue Bulbs come in three types:
- White only: You can control just on/off and brightness
- White Ambiance: The above + allows you control the colour temperature. This means you can adjust them from a very bright white like you'd get in an office all the way to a very soft candle light like white colour.
- White Ambiance + Colour: The above + 16 million different colours.

The White Ambiance I find useful, for instance during the winter months, while working from home, I'd say it to "Energize" setting, which helps me concentrate on work and I find helps a bit with SAD. In the evening then change it to candlelight as you are relaxing for the night.

Colours can also be good, for instance use a soft red light as a night light when going to bed, helps to fall asleep and is handy if you need to get up at night, isn't too bright and doesn't kill your night vision.

Then you have the whole Bias lighting behind a TV. Finally it can make for good effects as part of the decor, splash of colour on a wall, etc.

Blanchy90

bk wrote: »

Hue Bulbs come in three types:
- White only: You can control just on/off and brightness
- White Ambiance: The above + allows you control the colour temperature. This means you can adjust them from a very bright white like you'd get in an office all the way to a very soft candle light like white colour.
- White Ambiance + Colour: The above + 16 million different colours.

The White Ambiance I find useful, for instance during the winter months, while working from home, I'd say it to "Energize" setting, which helps me concentrate on work and I find helps a bit with SAD. In the evening then change it to candlelight as you are relaxing for the night.

Colours can also be good, for instance use a soft red light as a night light when going to bed, helps to fall asleep and is handy if you need to get up at night, isn't too bright and doesn't kill your night vision.

Then you have the whole Bias lighting behind a TV. Finally it can make for good effects as part of the decor, splash of colour on a wall, etc.

Thanks that's really helpful I think I will probably go for a combination of some switches and some bulbs.
This will be an ongoing project so I'll try both and build up a collection.

Blanchy90

While I'm here is there anything I should be aware of when looking for a new tv (in terms of linking with other systems)

I will probably get a new tv around xmas but it may be worth keeping that in mind when getting other things

bk

Blanchy90 wrote: »

Thanks that's really helpful I think I will probably go for a combination of some switches and some bulbs.
This will be an ongoing project so I'll try both and build up a collection.

Absolutely I built up my collection of Hue lights, motion sensors, etc. over three years. Pretty much all done now.

Keep an eye out for sales on amazon and the bargain alerts thread above.

Blanchy90 wrote: »

While I'm here is there anything I should be aware of when looking for a new tv (in terms of linking with other systems)

I will probably get a new tv around xmas but it may be worth keeping that in mind when getting other things

Nothing in particular jumps to mind. Most work fine.

You could get the "Philips" ones with Ambilight built into the back, but just putting a Hue lamp being your TV does similar.

You could also get a TV with Android TV, Google Assistant and Chromecast built in, but then you could always get a separate Nvidia Shield TV box that does the same and works with any TV.

I personally focus on getting the best picture quality you can afford as a first priority. I'd say an LG OLED TV is where it is if you can stretch to one of those.

BTW Logitech Harmony Elite remotes are great for controlling TV's and work well with Google Home, etc.