Smart Home - Zigbee, Z-Wave etc

jackwoz on 19/06/2017 - 17:27

Hello Everyone,

I want to expand my home by making it smarter. Currently the extent of its smartness is i have a bunch of Lifx globes and a few Logitech pop switches and amazon echo to control them. I want to take it to the next level, with additional sensors etc.

Ive had my eye on the Samsung smart things hub. As i understand it, this has z-wave,zigbee and wifi built in, so what ever smart gadget i find this should be able to control it?

How ever what i have learnt is that i find its incredibly hard to find one to purchase in Australia.I was going to import one from UK/USA but then started to realise that the Z-wave component is actually illegal on its native frequency.

Can anyone recommend a 'hub' that does all the things that the smart hub does that is a) cheap, and b) available in Australia, c) nice interface.

If this is not possible, i was thinking may be a hub that will do purely Zigbee or even a USB style hub that i can leave plugged into my server. Can anyone recommend one of these?

Sorry for novel, but my head is exploding with it all. I started looking at OpenHAB, then almost had a seizure.

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • geek001 on 19/06/2017 - 18:11

    I tried to make my home "smarter" too. But I found a big part of making a home "smarter" is the ability to detect whether there are occupants in a room. However, there is no such thing as an human detector, there are only infrared motion detectors.

    • ozbking on 19/06/2017 - 18:30

      My thoughts too. Hopefully the Nest Cam IQ is the start of such devices!

    • jackwoz on 19/06/2017 - 18:40

      I have pets as well, which im sure wont help

    • jackwoz on 19/06/2017 - 18:44

      Initially, i want use some door sensors eg, My LIFX light will turn on when the back door is opened

    • kywst on 19/06/2017 - 19:34

      But I found a big part of making a home "smarter" is the ability to detect whether there are occupants in a room.

      Can be done.

      However, there is no such thing as an human detector, there are only infrared motion detectors.

      See here. Welcome to the future.

      • jackwoz on 20/06/2017 - 10:59

        You seem fairly knowledgeable regarding this. Do you use Zigbee or Z wave?

    • jerjergege on 14/07/2017 - 09:50

      You can set the Hue to tell if occupants are home seeing if their mobile is connected to the home network.

  • kywst on 20/06/2017 - 13:14

    Neither. Just pointing out that AI object detection is an effective way to identify human presence even if they are sedentary. You could have a camera taking a picture every x period and have it analysed. Set a condition for object and certainty value to trigger an event of your choosing. Talking high level here … There's a bit of work to integrate into your existing system.

    Just seen zwave have a USB WiFi transmitter that would make this task doable if you have semi decent scripting skills.

    • sandooo on 04/07/2017 - 20:39

      This is an awesome idea! I've already got a semi-decent setup using www.z-wave.me - I reckon i've found my next project…

  • sandooo on 04/07/2017 - 20:44
    +1

    Take a serious look at http://www.z-wave.me the $150 or so to get a Raspberry Pi and Razberry (z-wave daughtercard) is worth it. There are so many apps available that have been developed by the community also (Including one for the echo!), which add heaps of value. I found it the best way to get into Z-Wave after getting burned on X10 years ago!

    Tonnes of support for zWay on the forum too, which makes it better to get the answers you need to get started. forum.z-wave.me

  • xitrapharlax on 09/07/2017 - 20:32
    +2

    I've got a fairly complex system utilising Logitech Harmony Hub, Beaglebone Black with Arduino cape and 2 x Amazon echo dot running a variety of LIfx, Philips Hue, Wemo, doorbell and cheaper LED controllers.

    It really depends what you're after in terms of integration. My Beaglebone Black is actually an ex NinjaBlocks - an Australian start up that went bust a few years ago. Now I run NodeRed on it (Simple visual flow code made by IBM), which coupled with the 433Mhz transmitter/receiver makes it the cheapest and most versatile of any of my smart hubs. I can get just about any sensor I need for under $20.

    Second most useful for me would be the Logitech Harmony Hub. This is the 'nice interface' which I use to provide override control via smart phone for of all the lights (except the Wemo as that isn't supported) as well as split system air conditioners and HTPC etc.

    Having said that, I'd actually recommend a SmartThings. It has a large following so it'll be easier to find working devices without having to write your own integration code, even if you turn off the American band Z-wave and only look at WiFi and Zigbee ones. It is also worth mentioning that there is a thread on Whirlpool where they are attempting to mod a SmartThings to work on Australian Z-Wave frequencies.

    If you're on a budget, I suggest having a play around with NodeRed. You could have this up and running on a Raspberry pi pretty quickly and for less than $100.
    Edit - and if it doesn't work out for you, you can still use the hardware with the previous posters Z-Wave suggestion.

    • jerjergege on 12/07/2017 - 09:58

      Do you like this complex system, or would it be better to install full house integration with philips dynalite, or clipsal CBUS or ABB KNX

  • xitrapharlax on 12/07/2017 - 11:00

    I wouldn't recommend my set up if starting from scratch that's for sure. It's just worked out an evolution over time and to a small budget.

  • jerjergege on 14/07/2017 - 14:37

    I totally forgot about mentioning IFTTT

    Love it being integrated with HUE, but also other smart home systems as well.

    https://ifttt.com/hue

    https://ifttt.com/applets/226664p-toggle-a-wemo-switch

    https://ifttt.com/applets/279594p-toggle-lifx-lights-on-off

    You might be able to write a widget that turns ON/OFF all systems, I haven't tried it as I only have Hue.

    Complete list here:
    https://ifttt.com/search/query/Lighting

  • jayel on 22/07/2017 - 18:12

    I'm interested in using an open source platform/hub such as 'home assistant' that has a community that has ported most smart devices to the platform. Otherwise I feel like you have to lock yourself into a wall garden ecosystem.

  • sandooo on 22/07/2017 - 18:20

    So, I caved and bought a Fibaro Home Center 2 a few weeks ago (thanks ATO). the UI is a little rough around the edges when it comes to power and Temperature metering (but I'll probably make my own that integrates into the fibaro API), but other than that, I cannot fault it - it even works better with some of my devices (i.e. the inclusion process picks up additional features!). I am using Homebridge to allow it to work with Apple's home kit, it is so responsive, and 'just works'. (Fibaro has a built in alexa plugin for those with a echo - I'm waiting for Apple Home Pod to come out in December..)

    As I mentioned before, if anyone is looking for a cheap, open source intro into HA, go install zWay, then when you're hooked on Z-Wave, go buy a Home Center - you won't regret it!!

  • CacheHunter on 28/07/2017 - 09:27

    How do the cost of these setups compare to the Xiaomi components? I've got some yeelight bulbs, broadlink ir controllers and TP-Link smart sockets running on home assistant, but looking to expand my setup to include sensors etc.

  • perkinma on 10/08/2017 - 14:02

    I am looking at jumping in the deep end on smart home / home automation functionality. Looking to do as much as possible - lights, doors, A/C, security, audio, video.

    Just to note from my research that Z-Wave is not illegal in Australia, just that the frequencies used in the US(908.42MHz) and EU(868.42MHz) are illegal in Australia (ie are used / assigned for other things and therefore cannot legally be used for Z-Wave) which means that Smartthings hubs imported use the wrong frequencies for Australia. Australia uses 921.42MHZ.

    I want the flexibility to set things up to work the way I want and also to do it on a budget so at this stage I am looking at Home Assistant (https://home-assistant.io/) with a RPi (https://razberry.z-wave.me/) as I already run a server 24/7 and have a couple of unused older version RPi's.

    Are there any good Australian forums around on this topic? Where are people getting their information from?

    • jackwoz on 10/08/2017 - 18:46

      Hi Perkinma,

      After posting this, i have got up and running with home assistant. I consider myself fairly computer literate but there is a learning curve with it. Having 1 too many spaces in the config file can cause headaches. Having said this the amount that can be done with is awesome once all the assets have been entered correctly.

      P.S if you didnt know anything about linux before home assistant you will after!

      • perkinma on 11/08/2017 - 12:33

        Thanks jackwoz! Looking forward to starting getting things set up. Not expecting it to be a smooth ride - but thats why it will be fun!

        What path did you go down with your assets? WiFi bulbs and similar, or z-wave / zigbee?

        I'm looking into bulk purchasing TZ06 / TZ04 in-wall z-wave boxes. Either should work to retrofit behind the existing light switch plates. The TZ04 will actually do power metering as well (but obviously costs a little more) and both appear to be dual relay which will help a bit to keep costs down.

        I'm not really finding any reports of anyone using them however which is kinda curious…..

        • jackwoz on 11/08/2017 - 12:53

          To be honest ive still only got my LIFX globes, and a broadlink IR sender. Ive ordered heaps of Xiaomi sensors, but they are on the way from China so not expecting them to arrive for while.

          If i were you i would get your raspberry pi and home assistant set up and functioning and play around with it if you have any kind of smart devices. That way you will be fully prepared for when you get your 'proper' devices.

        • jackwoz on 05/10/2017 - 12:25

          Hi Perkinma,

          Just checking up how you went with your home automation. Im currently balls deep with home assistant and keep adding more and more sensors and automations

  • Brientim on 03/09/2017 - 09:04

    Without knowing what you determine a nice UI, I would recommend either a Vera Edge of HomeSeer.
    They both have pro and cons and they depend on personnel preference and skills.
    You could even but a Vera Pro US and then plug in an AU z-wave stick and reconfigure to use this.
    There are numerious other hardware/software options avaialble including OpenHAB, however, do the maths to work out the total cost of ownership and read there forums are the complexity is wide and significant, OpenHab is really growing in flexibility as the ground swell of open source integration however this requires a level of knowledge that for most may find a little difficult to accept and therefore, give up.

    Also, I would recommend you determine your objectives up front and establish the boundaries of what is expected otherwise, you could invest and inordinate amount of money and time not doing what you want. Understand the difference between remote control and automation.

    • jackwoz on 03/09/2017 - 11:08

      Thanks for the reply Brientim. Being an Ozbargainer there are no real objectives, more just 'playing around' and seeing what can be done….on the cheap. Since the original post, i have proceeded with Home Assistant and have bought quite a few Xiaomi sensors; Door, PIR etc. For now this is enough to keep me busy and it was all relatively cheap. Quite a bit of time was spent learning HA though.

  • darkly on 17/11/2017 - 10:52

    The best solution now is to use a Vera Plus.

    Its one of the most powerful controllers on the market, but still with a simple interface for new users. Its just been officially released in Australia and supports Wifi, Bluetooth, Z-wave and Zigbee.

    I just upgraded to one for $300 delivered.

    • jackwoz on 17/11/2017 - 12:35

      What did you upgrade from?

      • darkly on 22/08/2018 - 23:21

        A vera Lite

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join