Chris Lanier's Blog

Whatever happened to Zigbee? When are we going to see home automation products at Home Depot?

I am still awaiting mpanel release and technical specifications.  Do you have any information on these yet?  Pictures?

I am interested in control systems that branch out and don't make you use media center as the only interface (systems with touch panels in walls, wireless remotes, in addition to media center integration).  I am also interested in products that are DIY friendly or that are atleast available without going through CEDIA installers.

Don't forget about security. Integrating your lights and security with VMC is a power combination. Arm your alarm while watching TV, have your TV warn you if someone opens the garage door etc. I'm a huge Elk fan myself.

Using your HDTV remote to kick off macros with a USB-UIRT (no the VMC IR receiver won't work) is really cool, so you don't have to leave the video to quickly turn down the lights etc.

Question is, which is more reliable.  UPB now in "GenII" is used in commercial and industrial installation where wireless systems are often not reliable.  The keypad LED and scene flexibility/programmability are best in class.  Wondering why you didn't mention UPB?

I currently have the Lutron RadioRa system.  They have a basic media center plug-in.  I'd like to have something like mcontrol though since it also interegrates dlink security camera's and other IP thermostats.  Do you know if Lutron RadioRa will intergrate into control?  The Lutron IP box is made by www.in2nets.com   They made something that works with Honeywell thermostats but I'm not sure about the OEM/Lutron cross over compatiblity etc.   I really like the Lutron light controls and plan to buy automatic shades in the near future as well. (I use a projector with my media center)  Suggestions to get my half system up to full mcontrol? (security/thermostat/shades/lights/etc)

I would like to see a comprehensive hardware roundup.  insteon/zwave go device by device and say which one you think is better (lighting, hvac, security systems, irrigation, ip video cameras).  those seem to be the big ones to cover and i would like one place that has the best value in each of those sections.

A general overview of the different systems out there would be nice, along with features of each: pros, cons, limitations, target install.  I'm interested mostly in home security and convenince, such as timed lighting, entry control, thermostat, and remote operation from PocketPC.  A sample setup of each system for a set amount would be nice- maybe see what $500 gets you and what it can do with each system.  Next would be an upgrade path to control of more items or upgrade path to more complex systems.  Thanks in Advance, and love the site.

Insteon sends signals by RF and your home electrical wiring. Zwave is RF only, so if you have modern wiring, there's no reason to use Zwave unless you have wiring issues.

1. zigbee is around and is primarily used for larger installations as it has a longer range.  usually seen in commercial automation or high end systems such as crestron/amx where they are usually large homes.

2. mpanel is very new and probably won't hit the market until summer from what i am told.  specs should be on their website.

3. z-wave is a protocol used primarily for home automation products.  it is not relegated to windows media center.  in fact, most of the products for z-wave are not windows media center centric.  even mcontrol has 2 web pages built into the product.  1 is a regular web page for remote access and the other is a wap page for cellular access.  there are plenty of other z-wave applications/control appliances on the market for control/scheduling/access/monitoring/etc.

4. mcontrol incorporates security alarms into it's product also with support for macros.

5. UPB vs. z-wave - don't have a direct answer for this one.  you can make arguments either way i'm sure.

5. mcontrol does not currently have a driver for lutron radio ra but are looking into it.

6. z-wave is putting out window shades now.  they are new to the market but i have a demo of it.  i will post a video of it on my website www.idesignsgroup.com along with general mcontrol this week.

7. there is a good HA google docs going on over at cocoontech.com if anyone is interested.

8. full z-wave automation packages will cost thousands of $ even for DIY.  that still beats the tens of thousands of $ for other HA solutions on the market.

It would be nice to know how the upcoming SideShow remotes will integrate into Home Automation, i.e. what they can control via SideShow and what they cannot.  Can they possibly show ip cam video, like from the front door camera?

I've got a second for the Lutron RadioRa info.  I understand it's more expensive, but it is popular in the mainstream, and (most importantly) in MY house!  I'd love to integrate it into media center with other home automation products.

In addition to the information listed above, it would be nice to see come coverage on integrating security cameras along with mcontrol. I'm personally interested in using one or more instead of or in addition to monitor our children in the home.

I have read your other posts on automation and they have been very helpful.  I have come close to pulling the trigger a few times, but the cost has deterred me.  Maybe a little more info on switching from an existing alarm system to one that can be used with the automation system.  The real need I have right now is some coupons/discounts on the products.  It has been a while since I have seen any discounts and the prices seem to have gone up, if anything.  If I can find more overall uses/reasons for automating, I may be willing to pay the steeper price.  However, right now it is not a big deal to get up off of the couch and adjust the dimmer.

Also, x64 is supported now, right?  I believe I read that on the mcontrol site at one point.

Chris Lanier is definitely getting in to Home Automation! If you want to know about using software like

It's supported for XP, but not Vista if I remember correctly.

And I would start slow and use one product at a time to build up a collection.

I'd love to know more, just not sure how applicable it is outside of the US. The software will be fine, but what about the hardware (availbility / voltage etc)... I don't know because I'm a complete newbie to home automation.

How does a PC control/address Insteon devices? I have a variety of Insteon devices that I address using X-10 mode (in part so as not to cause problems with other X-10 devices) using HomeSeer software running on my PC. I might be interested in using these devices as Insteon Devices, but it hasn't been clear how the individual devices would be identified and controlled by the PC (i.e. there seems to be no counterpart to the X-10 address).

Would love to know more about security camera integration and general security solutions with Media Center etc.

Some guides and reviews would be great...

mcontrol can integrate ip cameras and some of the major security panels.  i have used the panasonic ip camera bl-c131a just fine.  one issue though is that i cannot PTZ in windows media center.  they are looking into it.  i can PTZ in the web browser.  the wap page is static jpeg pics right now.  i have asked for something like 1 frame every 2 seconds auto refresh so there is some live video.