Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
Hi Jinx
Feb 12, 2016
Thanks! And is Z-Wave what you'd recommend over Control 4 and others if the only factors were DIY, support, and (obviously, even though I left this off the list) product quality?

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Munkaboo
Aug 5, 2002

If you know the words, you can join in too
He's bigger! faster! stronger too!
He's the newest member of the Jags O-Line crew!

Hi Jinx posted:

Thanks! And is Z-Wave what you'd recommend over Control 4 and others if the only factors were DIY, support, and (obviously, even though I left this off the list) product quality?

I'm very biased toward Z-Wave. I dont have much experience with Zigby, and WiFi isnt at the point yet where I could say go with that. Homekit and Weave are giant question marks, so nobody really knows how those will turn out. Z-Wave is your only legit option if you want it to be compatible with security systems down the line. The only downside with Z-Wave is the lack of multi-media capabilities.

Foe Hammer
Feb 6, 2016

Strategy is for people that don't have Swords! Play devil’s advocate even when you know you’re wrong because a blog where everyone agrees is boring!

Three Olives posted:

So as of today Nest is completely integrated into Google Now and it is completely awesome. The only reason I was considering the Honeywell Lyric over the Nest was geofences, Google Now is 1000% better:



So Google Now already knows when you leave work and what the traffic is like so now that is tied into Nest so it figures out when you are leaving work and how long it will take you to get home and pre-heats or cools your house to be ready when you get home. :3:

I heard a rumor that the fbi has full access to google servers, not that I have anything to hide about my home temperature settings but it is an invasion of privacy. Can anyone confirm this rumor or is it straight malarkey?

Also I don't see this posted anywhere, I saw a couple requests for DIY home automation. http://www.instructables.com/howto/home+automation/

this site is amazing for diy projects. I've seen raspberry pi home automation before its pretty cool.

azurite
Jul 25, 2010

Strange, isn't it?!


With NSA monitoring, you can safely assume anything you do online is in government hands.

The Electronaut
May 10, 2009
Munkaboo: do you have a preferred controller and security system?

I currently have two Schlage Connect (Zwave) locks.

I'm trying to find a security system that has partition support as I have a separate building in addition to my house. With that, I'd like to be able to arm/disarm/check status the security system through the home automation. For automation, I'm trying to avoid any solution that requires me to use a "cloud" platform to use a mobile app and have no problem VPN'ing back home.

Munkaboo
Aug 5, 2002

If you know the words, you can join in too
He's bigger! faster! stronger too!
He's the newest member of the Jags O-Line crew!

The Electronaut posted:

Munkaboo: do you have a preferred controller and security system?

I currently have two Schlage Connect (Zwave) locks.

I'm trying to find a security system that has partition support as I have a separate building in addition to my house. With that, I'd like to be able to arm/disarm/check status the security system through the home automation. For automation, I'm trying to avoid any solution that requires me to use a "cloud" platform to use a mobile app and have no problem VPN'ing back home.

Well any security system will always use a 'cloud' based automation approach. What's the hesitancy toward it? Is it downtime/uptime?

Alarm.com supports the NX and Concord panels, both of which have partition support and have Z-Wave with their modules.

Next-Gen
Sep 22, 2004

Ted Nugent is the next generation in Joint Combat soldiers



Munkaboo posted:

Well any security system will always use a 'cloud' based automation approach. What's the hesitancy toward it? Is it downtime/uptime?

Alarm.com supports the NX and Concord panels, both of which have partition support and have Z-Wave with their modules.

The lynx and 2gig panels both do local z-wave I believe. I have the lynx as a secondary controller and don't even have the remote services for automation enabled on it, still does scenes and schedules fine.

Munkaboo
Aug 5, 2002

If you know the words, you can join in too
He's bigger! faster! stronger too!
He's the newest member of the Jags O-Line crew!

Next-Gen posted:

The lynx and 2gig panels both do local z-wave I believe. I have the lynx as a secondary controller and don't even have the remote services for automation enabled on it, still does scenes and schedules fine.

Ah interesting setup. Do you subscribe to a security system? If so, which dealer?

Next-Gen
Sep 22, 2004

Ted Nugent is the next generation in Joint Combat soldiers



Munkaboo posted:

Ah interesting setup. Do you subscribe to a security system? If so, which dealer?

Yeah, I use it with Ackerman, which is I believe a localish dealer to Georgia. Bought the system myself and have the basic remote arm/disarm setup that also gives me notifications.

It was originally my only hub until I eventually got a SmartThings v2, and still does stuff like lock the doors and turn off the lights when I arm the panel, or set the thermostat when I do arm stay at night. Now, I just have it feed disarm/arm notifications through ifttt to a couple smartthings virtual switches so I can trigger whatever through there on that.

Edit: having this kind of setup does really help with having a cloud hub that does more stuff. Still get all the basic things no matter what. I'd probably switch over to the new 2gig panel if I was doing it today, though.

Next-Gen fucked around with this message at 05:06 on Mar 6, 2016

poppingseagull
Apr 12, 2004

Hi Jinx posted:

First of all, apologies if this is the wrong thread.

I'm not interested in home security so much as home automation: primarily lighting and HVAC control; A/V is a nice plus.

I have a house wired mostly for Crestron. I've fired the people who've been dicking around with it for the better part of a year, and I'm about to get, well, something else in place.

I have a lot of Crestron light switches in place, Crestron thermostats, and a Crestron-controlled home theater, it just doesn't really work. I'm primarily concerned about the light switches. Contractors tell me that if I go with a non-Crestron system I'll have to have them all replaced, which sounds silly to me.

I'd love to put in a new system that's:

1) Future-proof (expandable, based on open standards instead of proprietary junk)

2) Somewhat DIY-friendly (I'm a lapsed software engineer, I have no interest in building the thing from the ground up but would like to be able to make small changes later)

3) Can work with a range of hardware, especially those silly Crestron switches that would be expensive to replace

4) Can handle lighting, HVAC, maybe AV, and maybe home security

5) Has a good dealer/support network, community-based is OK too

I know I'm not going to find all five in one place, but is there something out there that satisfies three of these points?


Sorry I'm late on this but I know Crestron very, very well, especially lighting.

What lighting products do you have? If compatible, just get the pyng hub and you'll love it. If you're really smart you can integrate with the pyng hub with lots of stuff. If not, it will work stand alone just fine.


edit: Also sounds like your dealer was kinda lovely. It happens. Crestron is trying to reel the dealers in more because it reflects on them. The Crestron hardware is solid stuff, but the dealers make/break the system. Sorry you had a bad experience. In the proper hands, there is really nothing that can beat it or even come close.

poppingseagull fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Mar 8, 2016

Guitarchitect
Nov 8, 2003

Munkaboo posted:

Not if you want to keep your Crestron stuff. There's no way to future proof right now because there is no clear winner. In terms of total devices installed out there, you want Z-Wave. That's what most monitored systems use.

Is there a good Z-Wave product / line you can recommend for someone just getting going? I just bought a house and need some security. I'd love to buy a good system that I can tie into home automation

Walked
Apr 14, 2003

Buying a new house and want to get on the right track up front.

We currently have a single nest cam for the baby, but that's relatively minor in the grand scheme of things.
We also currently have a Nest thermostat, but thats staying behind with the house we're selling.

What I'm looking for primarily:
- Smart deadbolt, supporting number codes and bonus points if it supports iOS in some capacity
- Two cameras (one for each nursery, I can stay with the Nest, or go with another). Recording is not a big deal; its mainly for checking on the babies.
- Thermostat
- Possibly some lighting control

I'm not sure what to invest in that will be long-supported and meet those needs. Any suggestions for a setup?

Pitre
Jul 29, 2003

I think for both of you above, Z-Wave is a good way to go. Although I've had very little issues with Smartthings service and have no problems recommending it, you may want a fully local controller that does not rely on Internet access at all if security is a priority above convenience and automation. The VeraPlus will be released this month and looks pretty slick. Other Vera products have been good from what I have heard.

Z-Wave is already huge and keeps growing with the amount of devices that support it. I think it's the one that will win out in this race or at least will not be going away anytime soon.

Most things integrate with Nest now days. That won't be an issue.

Blue Iris is awesome as all hell if you already have a computer running and want more security, recording, notification control over your cameras. Otherwise, you'll just use whatever built-in features they have, which may be enough for your purpose.

Guitarchitect
Nov 8, 2003

Pitre posted:

I think for both of you above, Z-Wave is a good way to go. Although I've had very little issues with Smartthings service and have no problems recommending it, you may want a fully local controller that does not rely on Internet access at all if security is a priority above convenience and automation. The VeraPlus will be released this month and looks pretty slick. Other Vera products have been good from what I have heard.

The VeraPlus seems to have an internet connection - but it's also fully local, as well?

What would I do after I get it - then I get a Z-Wave compatible home security system and a Z-Wave thermostat/Camera and then connect them all together, and then sign up for a monitoring service?

Pitre
Jul 29, 2003

Smartthings v2 and products like VeraPlus store most of their rules and logic locally so things still work without Internet. Things still turn on and off and alarms sound even if someone cuts your cable connection (whatever type of Internet unless you are mobile broadband/wifi). If the Internet is down, you may not get a push notification during these events. Also without Internet, you won't have smartphone/remote connectivity to your home automation system.

Smartthings v1 and some other early/cheaper products are cloud based only and the rules and logic run through the Internet back & forth. If you have DSL/Cable and someone were to cut those lines before breaking into your house, things don't work at all nor do you get any notifications.

None of this matters if security is a number 1 priority as you would want a cellular based security system anyway. I don't know of any home automation with security feature that provide a cell backup. I haven't looked terribly hard though so things might be different now. Things like dual WAN network routers for home and putting a mobile broadband dongle is possible but then costs go up and gets more complicated. I don't know if there is really an all-in-one home automation and security solution just yet.

Smartthings and Scout are in bed together now so you can pay for a UL monitored service for an alarm but I'm not sure if they still solely rely on your Internet connection of choice or if they provide a cell backup to your home automation controller.

Dual systems might still be the way to go if you need a REAL alarm system and a home automation system.

Next-Gen
Sep 22, 2004

Ted Nugent is the next generation in Joint Combat soldiers



Whether or not you want to go the second hub route depends on the level of automation you want to do. If you just want to have schedules for lights, turn down the thermostat, automatically lock the doors and close the garage and be able to remotely activate / monitor these things, then you will most likely be happy with just a Honeywell lynx panel or 2gig.

If that's true, I'd suggest checking out the new 2gig GC3 that just came out a month or two ago. It's got z-wave plus + wifi built in (though wifi isn't enabled yet), MyQ integration, camera and a really nice new UI. I think the best part is that it also gets OTA updates unlike my Lynx panel which is the same as it will ever be. I'd only be aware of the fact that since it's brand spankin new they don't have all the stuff out for it yet like the touchscreen secondary keypads, and maybe some teething issues. The lynx is pretty rock solid for not having a single issue on the security reporting side, though my z-wave is slow as rear end on the older 5100 panel. They have a competitor to the GC3 with Lyric coming out sometime this year, though I don't think it's out yet.

If not, a vera or smartthings will give you really cool advanced functionality that you can literally program against and integrate basically any device that is accessible over the internet (or even inside your local network). It can also monitor devices that most security panels can't, such as smoke detectors and leak detectors (though the alarm panels do have their own smoke detectors too).

pr0k
Jan 16, 2001

"Well if it's gonna be
that kind of party..."
Can anyone point me in the right direction? I get analysis paralysis when I try to figure out what's available.

I want:

  • 4 cameras (preferably wireless)
  • camera footage backed up somewhere online
  • not to have to pay a monthly fee

I think that's it? I can't think of any other feature that I absolutely have to have.

Slash
Apr 7, 2011

pr0k posted:

Can anyone point me in the right direction? I get analysis paralysis when I try to figure out what's available.

I want:

  • 4 cameras (preferably wireless)
  • camera footage backed up somewhere online
  • not to have to pay a monthly fee

I think that's it? I can't think of any other feature that I absolutely have to have.

I've got a netgear Arlo system, which is really neat because it has a camera which is battery-powered and therefore completely wireless. They've also just released a wired camera which supports more features.

https://www.arlo.com/en-us/

Completely idiot-proof to setup and you get 7-days of free cloud recordings which you can download if you're interested. If you wanted to pay a monthly subscription it increases the duration and storage limits of the online backups.

pr0k
Jan 16, 2001

"Well if it's gonna be
that kind of party..."
That sounds great. I'm a little leery of battery power, but I like it otherwise. Anyone have any thoughts about this one?

http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00PMEG8YQ?psc=1

Foe Hammer
Feb 6, 2016

Strategy is for people that don't have Swords! Play devil’s advocate even when you know you’re wrong because a blog where everyone agrees is boring!
I'm stuck on a project and need help. Ty ahead of time goons. I'm fairly certain I should be able to figure this out but between being slammed and kids I think my brain is blocked on it.

my client has the following "access control system" requirements. I put it in quotes as it is a single door lock we need.

Existing: standard wooden door with separate deadbolt and a handle to open the door.

Requirements:
Door lock with either biometric controls ie facial recognition, finger print or smart phone authentication. (does not want smart card, keycard or other losable items or pin codes)
The lock has to be able to be re-cored meaning the building has to be able to change the key to the lock whenever they want.
the lock has to be operable either by the key or by the above mentioned controls but NOT both. meaning cleaning staff needs to be able to open with just key.
the authentication & key access has to be recordable to a server or accessible with a minimum storage of 6 months of logs.
lock has to be able to be unlocked remotely by a secretary either by software or hardware.
has to have an included or separate camera system to view who is outside the door and either link to the access logs or at least be time stamp able to them.
budget of around $1-2,000.

wants but not needs.
link users to active directory.
able to lock or unlock the lock via smart phone app.

other important or not info.
currently I have had 2 POE Cat 6 cables run to the door and their is an electrical outlet that can provide more power if necessary.

what I'm stuck on:
I have found access control systems that meet all the requirements but they are around $5,000 & Up. ie https://kintronics.com/solutions/ip-door-access-control/
I have found locks that work with all the requirements except for they cannot be re-cored.

Next-Gen
Sep 22, 2004

Ted Nugent is the next generation in Joint Combat soldiers



pr0k posted:

That sounds great. I'm a little leery of battery power, but I like it otherwise. Anyone have any thoughts about this one?

http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00PMEG8YQ?psc=1

Those are analog cameras, not wireless, and no cloud backup option, they really don't fit any of your criteria. Most of all the cloud backup options are fairly limited for free and Arlo's is easily the best of the free options because it does up to 5 cameras and has 7 days of motion events. Amcrest has a line of wireless cameras called ProHD on amazon that have a free 4 hour backup but is limited to one camera before you have to pay, but otherwise fits all your requirements.

http://www.amazon.com/Amcrest-ProHD-Wireless-Security-Camera/dp/B0145OQXCK

Hubis
May 18, 2003

Boy, I wish we had one of those doomsday machines...

Foe Hammer posted:

I'm stuck on a project and need help. Ty ahead of time goons. I'm fairly certain I should be able to figure this out but between being slammed and kids I think my brain is blocked on it.

my client has the following "access control system" requirements. I put it in quotes as it is a single door lock we need.

Existing: standard wooden door with separate deadbolt and a handle to open the door.

Requirements:
Door lock with either biometric controls ie facial recognition, finger print or smart phone authentication. (does not want smart card, keycard or other losable items or pin codes)
The lock has to be able to be re-cored meaning the building has to be able to change the key to the lock whenever they want.
the lock has to be operable either by the key or by the above mentioned controls but NOT both. meaning cleaning staff needs to be able to open with just key.
the authentication & key access has to be recordable to a server or accessible with a minimum storage of 6 months of logs.
lock has to be able to be unlocked remotely by a secretary either by software or hardware.
has to have an included or separate camera system to view who is outside the door and either link to the access logs or at least be time stamp able to them.
budget of around $1-2,000.

wants but not needs.
link users to active directory.
able to lock or unlock the lock via smart phone app.

other important or not info.
currently I have had 2 POE Cat 6 cables run to the door and their is an electrical outlet that can provide more power if necessary.

what I'm stuck on:
I have found access control systems that meet all the requirements but they are around $5,000 & Up. ie https://kintronics.com/solutions/ip-door-access-control/
I have found locks that work with all the requirements except for they cannot be re-cored.

"I want a security system that biometrically tracks all user access, but also the cleaning staff needs to have unlimited anonymous access"

Next-Gen
Sep 22, 2004

Ted Nugent is the next generation in Joint Combat soldiers



Hubis posted:

"I want a security system that biometrically tracks all user access, but also the cleaning staff needs to have unlimited anonymous access"

He's basically asking for enterprise level access integrations on a shoestring budget. It's not really gonna happen unless he writes the integrations himself.

This could almost be simple if they had just said pins were fine, but of course the one thing that 99% of products use in this budget range is excluded. If this hadn't been excluded it would be easy to just issue 10 digit pins and have a z-wave hub + ip camera to give pretty much everything they need. Since that's just right out for some reason, the closest they'd get is using something like August, or Lockitron and add/remove people as necessary via the app. If that's still not enough, you could try buying a networked fingerprint scanner and then call into the smartthings/vera/homeseer APIs when a fingerprint match succeeds to unlock

Even mentioning the words AD integration on a product shoots you into the realm of way too much money or writing your own code to do it.

Edit: I did see a HomeSeer plugin for fingerprints but it was only for HS2. Not a ton of biometric activity on automation that I see. I don't know of a lot of facial recognition stuff, at least in the consumer level.

Next-Gen fucked around with this message at 16:39 on Mar 13, 2016

KillHour
Oct 28, 2007


You can do it on that budget IF you install for free. Axis A1001 controller (~500), Kantech KT-4GFXS biometric reader (~1000), electrified door lock or strike (depends on what you need for the door), power supply for lock/strike (If needed), Banana peel cabling.

Things you will learn doing this:

-You will spend at least 24 man hours installing this if you know what you are doing and are familiar with the products. You probably aren't and need to expect to spend at least a man week.

-The customer will probably hate it because they have to add people to both the reader and the controller.

-Fingerprints are TERRIBLE. There's a reason nobody uses them. You can't afford anything good in the biometrics world.

-If you do it wrong, the fire marshal or AHJ will push your poo poo in.

-Even if you do it right, many/most states require a license to install this stuff.

Sounds like your client isn't worth it.

Edit: Just saw the camera requirement. Hold on while I laugh at you.

KillHour fucked around with this message at 16:59 on Mar 13, 2016

Next-Gen
Sep 22, 2004

Ted Nugent is the next generation in Joint Combat soldiers



KillHour posted:

You can do it on that budget IF you install for free. Axis A1001 controller (~500), Kantech KT-4GFXS biometric reader (~1000), electrified door lock or strike (depends on what you need for the door), power supply for lock/strike (If needed), Banana peel cabling.

Things you will learn doing this:

-You will spend at least 24 man hours installing this if you know what you are doing and are familiar with the products. You probably aren't and need to expect to spend at least a man week.

-The customer will probably hate it because they have to add people to both the reader and the controller.

-Fingerprints are TERRIBLE. There's a reason nobody uses them. You can't afford anything good in the biometrics world.

-If you do it wrong, the fire marshal or AHJ will push your poo poo in.

-Even if you do it right, many/most states require a license to install this stuff.

Sounds like your client isn't worth it.

Edit: Just saw the camera requirement. Hold on while I laugh at you.

I pretty much assumed due to the single, standard wood door this is a small business wanting the world for peanuts. The fact that you can even buy some enterprise grade hardware inside this budget is surprising, but the budget (and the fact that he already knew that the real stuff costs 5x what he can spend) made me see if there was even a way to do this with the consumer-grade stuff.

Foe Hammer
Feb 6, 2016

Strategy is for people that don't have Swords! Play devil’s advocate even when you know you’re wrong because a blog where everyone agrees is boring!
Thank You, I already told him either one of his requirements would have to bend or its not possible, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything the link I provided had all his requirements but was over $6,000. This one client gives me a minimum of 10 hours per week as they are a background check company and everything has to be secure and encrypted and is a pain. The owner does have unrealistic expectations and ideas on how the world works but that is a laugh for another day. Thank you again

stevewm
May 10, 2005
I just waded into the home automation pool.... Put up some new LED lights in my garage and figured since I was running all new electrical I would give home automation a try as well.

Decided to go down the Z-Wave route since that seemed to be the most widely supported among the various HA systems & software. Bought 2 EcoLink Door Contact sensors and a GE non-dimming SmartSwitch. Since I already have a server computer running Windows that I keep running 24/7, I decided to give HA software a try instead of a dedicated hub. I also really didn't want a system that relied on "cloud" services. So I got a Aeon Z-Wave stick and started with the open-source systems. What I wanted to do was simple; turn some lights off/on when various doors where opened. Send me notifications if certain doors where left open for X amount of time, etc... And not have to learn a programming language to do some simple automation.

HomeGenie - This definitely has the prettiest looking GUI of them all. Has apps for all the mobile platforms. I had problems though getting it to see my door sensors as contacts instead of light switches, which was a bit annoying. So it would say "On" for open, and Off for closed. Cosmetic issue, but it annoyed me nonetheless. Automation is done by writing scripts in various languages such as Python, Ruby or Javascript. There is a way to do automation without writing scripts using a Script Wizard and macro recording, but I found it somewhat cumbersome to use and limited.

Domoticz - Simple and to the point. Has apps for iOS and Android. Along with several 3rd party apps. Had no issues including any of my Z-Wave devices. Automation scripts can either be written in LUA or created using a drag & drop interface called Blocky. I did run into one issue where it kept declaring my GE switch as a dead node, but that appears to have been a radio signal problem. Putting the z-wave stick on a extension cable and putting it up higher solved it.

OpenHab - Way too complicated for the novice user. Expects everything to be done via config files. Some GUIs available, but not everything can be done via them. If you like tinkering with text files and doing everything manually, then this might be the one for you.

I also trialed a paid-for piece of software called HomeSeer. It appears to be quite powerful at first glance, however the interface is AWFUL. Its web based, but appears to contain every bad web design element from the 1990s. The documentation available was apparently written for a older version of the software, as much of what it describes is either no longer present, or in a completely different place in the current software. It took me more than 30 minutes of screwing around before I figured out how to even configure my Z-Wave stick and even longer to figure out how to include a device and add it into the software. The jumbled interface does not really help in figuring it out. Once I did get my devices included, the door sensors would not work at all instead throwing some cryptic error message. Found some references to it on their forums, but no solution. Gave up and uninstalled it. Frankly if I had gotten it working, there is no way in hell would I ever pay for something with such an awful interface and documentation.

At the moment I have settled on Domoticz. I much prefer its simplicity. I also love the Blocky "programming" interface. You drag&drop if/elseif/do puzzle pieces around to build events. Makes it easy to visualize events.

stevewm fucked around with this message at 03:00 on Mar 16, 2016

The Electronaut
May 10, 2009
Domoticz: this is the only package I was able to get working on my Synology. I like the simplicity of it so far for my handful of z wave devices.

Pitre
Jul 29, 2003

Well now. I never came across Domoticz when researching this stuff and got invested into Smartthings. I have a Synology device hidden away (on a UPS) to store my Blue Iris streams and other crap and having it be the Z-Wave controller also is very interesting. I'm going to have to check that out and consider switching. Not relying on ~The Cloud~ would be a good thing.

azurite
Jul 25, 2010

Strange, isn't it?!


stevewm posted:

HomeGenie, Domoticz, and OpenHab, oh my!

Thanks for posting about these. I'm a Smartthings guy and didn't really know about alternatives that weren't cloud or proprietary hub-centric.

Baconroll
Feb 6, 2009
Currently building a Domoticz setup on a Raspberry Pi 3 using an RFLink for bunch of different makes of 433 Mhz sockets & sensors I have scattered around, and an Aoetec Gen 5 Z-wave usb stick for some new Z-Wave bits. I've got a Z-Wave LED lightbulb coming this week to start dipping my toe into controlling some lighting.

sadus
Apr 5, 2004

Pitre posted:

Well now. I never came across Domoticz when researching this stuff and got invested into Smartthings. I have a Synology device hidden away (on a UPS) to store my Blue Iris streams and other crap and having it be the Z-Wave controller also is very interesting. I'm going to have to check that out and consider switching. Not relying on ~The Cloud~ would be a good thing.

Do typical APC UPS's let you configure them to not beep when the power goes out? Just thinking the beeps would be a pretty big giveaway to the hidden PC otherwise.

Pitre
Jul 29, 2003

Most of them, no. I actually unsoldered the piezo from the board in the front panel to eliminate that.

I got Domoticz to install on the Synology finally after some screwing around. I don't have a Aeotec Z-Wave stick yet so I just stopped the service but I did poke around with the web portal. Looks promising.

azurite
Jul 25, 2010

Strange, isn't it?!


Is Domoticz purely Z-Wave compatible? I'm interested, but I have a mixture of Z-Wave and ZigBee (cheap lights!).

Foe Hammer
Feb 6, 2016

Strategy is for people that don't have Swords! Play devil’s advocate even when you know you’re wrong because a blog where everyone agrees is boring!
completely unrelated but I have a client that is a neuro surgeon and he only operates on brains. When we went to his home to install a new printer and etc, he freaked out on me about the idea of wireless, insisted that all cell phones be turned off around him, (guy still uses a wired home phone). when I pointed out his alarm system was wireless he literally had me unplug it until he could have an alarm specialist come out and wire it. (not as bad as the brother in better call Saul but drat)

He said a bunch of medical jargon about how bad wireless was for brains. and how if i could see the mri of brains of people now and when mri first came out and there was very little wireless that I would never use wireless devices either. Now this was 3-4 years ago and I have not seen anything to support anything he said in any tech or medical journal so he may have been crazy but he was one insanely rich crazy person as he had a freak in mansion right on the water and had a big huge yacht on his private dock I looked up his house on the local site and it said that he pays over a million a year just in taxes to live there.

moral of the story could be being crazy is profitable or that I have some really weird clients.

Droo
Jun 25, 2003

I am looking for some 1080 WiFi outdoor cameras to use with Blue Iris on my PC (or a dedicated PC, if I end up putting one together due to performance issues). My only other requirement is that I can lower the framerate down to like 1-4 FPS (so that the wifi doesn't get overrun with data).

I am looking at the Amcrest ProHD Outdoor 1080p wireless IP camera, but I wanted to check and see if anyone has a better recommendation. Cost is not really an issue - I would pay more for a camera that should be significantly better.

Does anyone have any other cameras they would recommend?

Foe Hammer
Feb 6, 2016

Strategy is for people that don't have Swords! Play devil’s advocate even when you know you’re wrong because a blog where everyone agrees is boring!

Droo posted:

I am looking for some 1080 WiFi outdoor cameras to use with Blue Iris on my PC (or a dedicated PC, if I end up putting one together due to performance issues). My only other requirement is that I can lower the framerate down to like 1-4 FPS (so that the wifi doesn't get overrun with data).

I am looking at the Amcrest ProHD Outdoor 1080p wireless IP camera, but I wanted to check and see if anyone has a better recommendation. Cost is not really an issue - I would pay more for a camera that should be significantly better.

Does anyone have any other cameras they would recommend?

I'm no camera expert, (more of a networking & security guy) but at 1-4fps your basically taking still shots and not video. The minimum a camera needs to run to get "live video" is 30fps to get clear video your going to want more fps per second.

To not bog down your network the better cameras use higher compression rates. Also remember that wireless camera's still need a power source.

KillHour
Oct 28, 2007


Foe Hammer posted:

I'm no camera expert, (more of a networking & security guy) but at 1-4fps your basically taking still shots and not video. The minimum a camera needs to run to get "live video" is 30fps to get clear video your going to want more fps per second.

To not bog down your network the better cameras use higher compression rates. Also remember that wireless camera's still need a power source.

This couldn't be more wrong. Most security camera installations run at 7.5 or 8 fps. Having clear, high quality images is more important than having smooth video.

The bigger problem is that wireless cameras are generally crap. You need to run power to them anyways.

Baconroll
Feb 6, 2009
Now I've setup some home automation I'm surprised theres now a moral dilemma - With the RFLink and Domoticz I can not only see my 433Mhz devices, I can also see other people's devices on my street.

After a few beers I may give into temptation and see whose lights I can turn on and off tonight :)

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Next-Gen
Sep 22, 2004

Ted Nugent is the next generation in Joint Combat soldiers



KillHour posted:

This couldn't be more wrong. Most security camera installations run at 7.5 or 8 fps. Having clear, high quality images is more important than having smooth video.

The bigger problem is that wireless cameras are generally crap. You need to run power to them anyways.

I would say a lot of people run at 15 or 20 as well as stuff like 6 or 10, but even 30fps is not uncommon. The only real importance is the bitrate captured at and the shutter speed/exposure settings the cam is configured at to capture a clear picture. People will crank down framerate for situations that they want to maximize clarity but at really low rates it can affect quick movement capture between areas.

As for that amcrest, it's a dahua cam as well but i think they are running an old rear end firmware on that specific cam (i don't think it even has nas recording until they update the firmware according to their forums). You can also get the amcrest qcam's which are POE and are also dahua firmware but maybe a newer firmware. I believe security camera king sells the same cam branded as elite, I'd check with them if they have a newer firmware on it than 2.r here. If you can just go with the POE version i'd suggest that, you have to worry about way less and you run the same amount of cables.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply