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| lilshawn:
I have an existing security system in the house I just bought. The thought of spending.g 60 buck a month to have it activated and monitored is pretty lame and I have no idea what any of the codes for the existing panel are. All the sensors and door locks and everything are wireless "z wave" devices. Does anybody know of an easy DIY controller I could purchase to just have a setup monitor the sensors and send me a message via internet or something to my smartphone? |
| BadMouth:
No personal experience, but I entertained the thought of installing a bunch of z-wave stuff during my renovation and did some research. You just need a "Home Controller" A lot of DIY types use this one: http://www.amazon.com/Mi-Casa-Verde-VeraLite-Controller/dp/B007005364/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1437577149&sr=8-2&keywords=home+controller From what I gathered, you could get it to do whatever zwave related thing you wanted, but it will take a bunch of configuring. (A lot like setting up an emulation machine) That's just what I learned researching the subject. Like I said, I have no personal experience using one. EDIT: --- Quote ---VeraLite is the gateway to all these benefits: •Easy Home Security. Keep watch over your home! VeraLite manages cameras, controls door locks and alerts you to activity when needed. You'll always know that everyone's OK. •Reductions in Energy Bills. VeraLite lets you see and control household energy consumption and tailor it for savings every month, automatically or by remote control. •Important Alerts. Wouldn't you love to get an email or text that the kids got home safely? That the delivery person dropped off your package? That your basement just got wet? VeraLite can send you one. --- End quote --- |
| lilshawn:
Thanks, it's a good starting point. I figured I have to buy some kind of dongle and set up a server or something its still better than a monthly service fee. |
| dkersten:
You can build your own controller with a zwave dongle and an old PC (or even a Pi if you wanted to do it all in Linux) or you can go the easy way and use a Mi Casa Verde lite. I have one and it is about as easy as it gets. You could go so far as to set each sensor up through zwave or if the main security system brain is zwave or wifi, get that connected and have alerts set up to email/text you. You can also have certain sensors either log information or alert you if triggered. There are plusses and minuses to not having a service, but a lot of it is dependent on if you are striving for a "security" system or just an alarm. Zwave is fun once you get into it. I just added my porch lighting and my theater room to my controller and am thinking about some exterior cameras now (got one interior camera already and the front door lock is zwave as well). Oh, and if you have a lamp you would like to control with a light switch on the other end of the room, you can do that with zwave too.. :) |
| lilshawn:
In all honesty I don't really require a security system as nearly 99.9% of the time someone is home. (But what i do have is a 2 year old escape artist) But all this stuff is here and I might as well make use of it. If i can find some good software, I may just go the dongle route. I have heaps of sensors and home automation stuff all over the house. (flood sensors, window contacts, CO sensors, electronic doorlocks, temperature sensors, glass break, thermostat, PIR, Cameras, etc.) that were all connected to a security panel. through the security company's app, you could open the doors, change the temperature and everything. it's a neat setup, i'm just not interested in the 60 bucks a month they want for it. I may also try hacking the panel and see what I can do there. It works and everything, I just don't have the code for it so I can't configure any settings or bypass anything. |
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