hey man what do you think of this new tech that makes the house called a "smart home"?
I have a
Vera home automation controller in my house. I've had it for a few years, the ones on their website are new models than I have but I have LOVED it. It is very, very addicting for a tech junkie. It isn't for the faint of heart to setup and install everything but it is awesome.
It uses a technology called
Z-wave to connect the devices to the controller.
So far I've got switches that control the lights in:
Family room (one switched outlet, overhead lights)
Foyer
Upstairs hall
My son's bathroom
Game room
Kitchen
Eating area (with dimmer)
Laundry
Garage
Coach on garage
Landscaping
Other automation:
Front door lock
Garage door lock
Garage door opener
Camera (can be remote controlled)
Leak detection in basement
I can control all of those from my phone and get alerts when they are on/off. Working on integrating my alarm but that has been a PITA. The landscape lights come on at sunset and turn off at sunrise (it is a setting in the config to use sunrise/sunset). No more changing timers.
I want to get:
Alarm working
Smoke/Carbon Monoxide detectors
Main water shutoff valve
I've played around with Geofencing to open my garage and turn on lights when I arrive home but that is pretty unreliable at this point. You can write custom scripts/apps for the controller as well - I wrote one that randomly turns different lights on at different times when I am away for work. People can write scripts and then upload them for others to use. It is really cool.
Other automation I have that isn't integrated into the controller:
Arlo cameras - I just put these in a few weeks ago. Have 5 cameras, any motion is automatically recorded and saved to the cloud (free for 5 cameras for 7 days of storage). So far it is pretty cool. No wires on the cameras, we'll see how the battery life is. App is pretty cool as well.
I also have a Dropcam, but I'll probably get rid of it, or possibly use it to monitor my shed.
My thermostat is a Lenox iComfort so I can control all aspects of it from an app on my phone.
Needless to say, I'm a bit addicted to this home automation stuff. It is so much fun, in a geeky way.