Complete Home Automation System , How ?

[wsoppitt]

Hey guys , just gutted my house and about to start re-wiring , re-plumbing , etc . all ceiling down so the perfect opportunity to include all this crazy modern gadget and gizmo wiring , plus the kids want it .

So what im asking is HOW .

Got miles of cat5 , CT100 and some sort of purple home automation type cable that i acquired ( 5 boxes of ) . 

I want to try and future proof the house as i plan on staying here for the next 40 years and would like to get it all in now.

Where can i get wiring diagrams from for automated lighting , cctv , alarm/security , networking , heating controls , audio + visual , automated gates , etc .

Any advice on how to find out exactly what should go where would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

wayne soppitt

 

[NozSpark]

I think you need to decide on the make/type of system that you want first as I'd hazard a guess that they're all wired slightly diferently

 

[kerching]

Find a system that does NOT need system specific cable

As a minimum i would ,think a couple,of Cat 6s and a couple,of satellite cables,to,each room....all run back to a central location

You really need to decide on the system first

Just guessing

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

Have to agree with others, how can you wire for something if you do not know its requirements?

An example is: I have seen in a few houses a dedicated room that amongst other things has "electronic dimmers" that control each rooms lights, and in each room instead of a normal on / off switch (or dimmer switch) there is a small plate with multiple buttons, that operate the lights And the sound system for that room.

Also they have at least one "sky box" in this room (common to see two) and so you will also want a way of changing channels installed too.

As for an alarm, go for wired, and run one cable from the corner near the finished ceiling back to one central point, and also cables for where ever you want a keypad for the alarm. 6 core will be fine but you can use CAT5 cable if you have lots.

Why not run in some fp200 to each room (looping in and out) and have a dedicated fire alarm, its better than relying on "smoke alarms" which can be a real nuisance.

 

[Blue Duck]

I want to try and future proof the house as i plan on staying here for the next 40 years

Do it ALL in micc

Some councils did this in the 60's and they are still going. You have to watch out for asbestos in the fuseboards though.

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

I want to try and future proof the house as i plan on staying here for the next 40 years and would like to get it all in now.

Ah...  the old Future proof myth....

AKA the electricians excuse for spending more on a job than is genuinely needed!!

1/ Only you know what sort of systems interest you...

and the size of rooms layout of property..

number of people living there..

what other furniture you intend putting in rooms...

All of these factors could govern what other accessories you may or may not what...

where they will be located..

what size cables are needed....

2/ Future proof... expect to stay for 40 years....   Roll back the clock to 1974... 40years backward...

think what technology was in the home then...

and how much of what we have now was considered possible or feasible back in the 70's 

So going forward another 40years there could be anything and everything we have not even imagined yet...

3/ Plus over a 40 year timespan could well have grown up children and/or grandchildren living with you as well... 

Or modify the home to care for a close family member who is seriously ill !

So basically its damn near impossible to future proof anything...

Just think of what you want now and put in plenty of cables and bits for multiple applications of what you think you will need over the next 5 years..

and as much as your budget will allow... 

It is a waste of time and money installing stuff that is not going to get used within the next few years...

so why not spend that money on things that you can get greater benefit from.

opcorn

 

[OnOff]

Dado and skirting trunking EVERYWHERE...................... :coat

 

[NozSpark]

Dado and skirting trunking EVERYWHERE...................... :coat

That'd look lovely

 

[wsoppitt]

Ah...  the old Future proof myth....

AKA the electricians excuse for spending more on a job than is genuinely needed!!

1/ Only you know what sort of systems interest you...

and the size of rooms layout of property..

number of people living there..

what other furniture you intend putting in rooms...

All of these factors could govern what other accessories you may or may not what...

where they will be located..

what size cables are needed....

2/ Future proof... expect to stay for 40 years....   Roll back the clock to 1974... 40years backward...

think what technology was in the home then...

and how much of what we have now was considered possible or feasible back in the 70's 

So going forward another 40years there could be anything and everything we have not even imagined yet...

3/ Plus over a 40 year timespan could well have grown up children and/or grandchildren living with you as well... 

Or modify the home to care for a close family member who is seriously ill !

So basically its damn near impossible to future proof anything...

Just think of what you want now and put in plenty of cables and bits for multiple applications of what you think you will need over the next 5 years..

and as much as your budget will allow... 

It is a waste of time and money installing stuff that is not going to get used within the next few years...

so why not spend that money on things that you can get greater benefit from.

opcorn

touche, a point very well made .

Guys , im one of these over - complicate type of people . if i dont know about a subject it frustrates me , because i want to know .

Realistically i know i cant future proof , as special location pointed out how can you prepare for the unknown .

Its more a case of liking the idea of all this automated system without actually having the funding to install.

Basically would like to control lighting from a push of a button ( not a switch , i know what the answer to that will be)

Like the idea of turning on lights and heating from phone , press button the room goes into movie mode , low lights , heating regulates , speakers in ceiling etc.

Have found some info but no actual wiring diagrams , which is what im after really .

regards

wayne

 

[monkey5]

ive actually just done the loxone course as a customer of the builder wanted the system. it would be ideal for you i think.  basically cat 5 to switches/push buttons, back to central location and feeds to lights etc  back to central location again and all goes thru a miniserver or extention.  think the course was about £600, but defo worth it. customer liked the ideas but didnt want to spend the money so i just did the lights in the main living area which is a waste of time, but if its done properly and everything wired for it, it is amazing, works just as you want, movie mode - lights dim speakers set  projector comes done, velux blinds shut, what ever you want it to do for the mode.  if you give them a ring and talk to philip schuster the main boss he is very knowlegable and helpful.

hope that helps

wayne

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

As I said, i have seen what you want done several times.

It is all controlled from a series of "dimmer / switch packs" each room has its own plate with buttons and a display (Some I have seen are just single LEDs others are multiple LED displays) But I would guess they only use a small data cable to connect the buttons to the "controls"

The lights are then wired back to the controls, must be judging by the number of cables they all have. (One cable from each set of lights in each room to a central point.)

Oh and they need a big dedicated cupboard for it to go in.

But as has been said all along, you can't wire anything until you know what you will be installing (and can afford)

I think, not 100% sure the name lutron rings a bell

If it helps I am sure there is a lamp (just the one) that you can control from an iphone, it changes colour etc, but there are other options mostly to do with LEDs and dedicated lamps / controllers, but its down to you as to what you want.

 

[pewter]

I agree with the others.

I have worked on iLight control installations. They were wired as described by others here. Cat5 to switch plates to control the lighting, each rooms light circuits (switched live and neutral) taken back to central point in my case the iLight units.

one downside the customer has had is sometimes after power having to be shut down or a power cut , some stuff needing to be reprogrammed which left them a few days with some rooms lighting not working correctly until someone could get there to reprogram it.

Lots of metal conduit and boxes going all over the place might help for cable to run in the future without disrupting the place too much. Though i suspect the cost of lots of conduit and trunking hidden in the building would cost more then just repairing the damage when an extra cable needs to be put in somewhere in the future.

One guys house i did from new was concrete floors and plasterboard ceilings on metal framework leaving a convenient gap to run extra things in after. The guy did own a large company which fitted plasterboard to large commercial buildings.

 

[binky]

I like Niko gear, seems comprehensive and easy to fit, but just allow for a cupboard full of stuff!!

 

[batty]

If its being replasterd  I would put extra conduits down to TV points that way at least extra cables can be put in if cabling changes. I think in 40 years cat5/6 will be old hat. who knows what we be using then.  

 

[gembrain]

If you are looking at home automation and keen on knowing all about it then you can look forward to serious brain strain!!

Trying to future proof it is simply impossible.If you were to design a system now and then go through the same process in just a couple of years time it would be very different.

If you are just starting out then looking for wiring diagrams isn't the place to be. You need to know what you can achieve, what you want to achieve, and whether its worth the expense...

Spend a while going around the home automation sites  - www.automatedhome.co.uk is a reasonable place to start.

A link to a quick taster: http://www.automatedhome.co.uk/installation/loxone-home-automation-system-uk-case-study.html

Note that the same function can be achieved with many different companies and technologies - some closed and some open. Check out Z-Wave and Zigbee for the DIY route...

So many things can be done wirelessly now that the concept of taking everything back to a central hub is not as critical as it used to be. You can quite happily wirelessly watch TV, browse the internet, control your radiators, lights, sockets, blinds, cctv, just about anything. The big issue arises when you need to decide how reliable you want it! Hard wired doesn't suffer much interference.....

FWIW after spending too long thinking about it myself I have decided:

Alarm - Hard wired

CCTV - hard wired where possible

TV and SAT- source to a mutliswitch and then hard wired to each room as required. For SAT don't forget you need a cable for each input at the other end.

LAN - Cat 5e to each room from a central point - anything up to 4 points. Cat 5 isn't good enough, Cat6 is a pain to wire.

Heating - I've got rads and some underfloor but the rads will in due course be controlled wirelessly. Probably Danfoss Z-Wave.

Main Lighting - Mostly bog standard using a switch or dimmer!

In lighting the available choices are going to change rapidly in the next few years. Just as an example, IP controlled light bulbs such as Philips Hue and LIFX - set the brightness and colour with your smartphone. They're not great but available now. But if you then look at companies such as NXP and Greenwave (and probably plenty I don't know about) then IP controlled LED drivers are on the way to market. Basically you will just be able to put power to your light fittings and then control each one individually or dynamically group them in whatever "circuits" you choose.  

 

[MoreControl1]

I have used Eaton X-Comfort on multiple jobs, mainly over in Norway as it seems to be a very popular option for Home Automation over there.

The system is mainly wireless and has simple interfaces, Controlled from a free download app on your phone.

It is not the cheapest out there but it is easily expandable and reliable.

Controls Heating, Lighting, Blinds and Applicances/Entertainment systems etc etc

Do a simple search for it on google, or on youtube there are some great video demonstrations.

 

[Electricalav]

Check out Cedia. They explain all wiring and to what standards to do it. We use CAT6 network cable or CAT7 installed everywhere in houses. Covers all areas.