Re: Any advice for ambitious newbie?

["Frank Mc Alinden" <armagh@xxxxxxx>]

Hi Bruno
            Welcome
aboard
I,ll just comment on the security stuff as i have worked in the
security
industry previously .  A dedicated alarm panel is a must in my opinion
.
Comfort will give you web access i believe . Smoke detectors definetly
hard
wired and connected to your alarm systyem . There are pet immune pir
sensors
available . If you decide to have an access control system ensure door
strikes are not fed from the alarm system 12v supply (should have 
seperate
supplys for door strikes). Most access control systems have whats called
a
rex input (request to exit) which when pressed unlocks the door . These
obviously installed at exit points(internal). My Genesis Alarm Panel has
got
(2) prox reader interfaces built into each keypad , so at some stage i
intend to use access control on my front door. Contacts on windows is a
good
idea if easy to do , you can then secure the perimeter and move around
freely  inside .Especially good for people home alone . One of the
guys on
the list (steve cooper) is doing some ibutton control stuff . Also i
think
Rob Mouser is doing a barn conversion iirc . Have you had a look at
C_Bus
lighting system (hardwired) ?

Frank Mc
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bruno Prior" <bruno@xxxxxxx>
To: <ukha_d@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, August 05, 2002 8:59 PM
Subject: [ukha_d] Any advice for ambitious newbie?


> Sorry, in advance, for the very long post.
>
> I am new to this group, and fairly new to home automation. I've had
whole
> house audio and networking for quite a while in my current house with
a
> server for MP3s and other services and PCs in each room, but I'm a
novice
at
> X10 and similar technology.
>
> I am just about to start a barn conversion for our new home. We
are
> literally stripping it down to a shell and rebuilding, so it is a
great
> opportunity to set up a more comprehensive home automation system. I
was
> hoping that the members of this group might help me with comments on
the
way
> I was planning to go about it.
>
> I am willing to change my plans in the light of advice in most
regards,
but
> there are a number of things which I cannot change. Probably the
most
> significant is that I want the house to be a Windows-free zone (with
the
> exception of my wife's computer, which is a battle not worth
fighting).
This
> means that I certainly won't be running any Windows-based
automation
server
> software, and I am even reluctant to use proprietary hardware if it
can
only
> be configured from Windows. I am not trying to start a flame war on
the
> merits of different OSs, or suggesting that others are wrong to
use
Windows.
> This is simply a matter of personal principal and bitter
experience.
>
> As far as I can see, the main categories that I need to plan are:
>
> Audio/video
> Internet/networking
> Lighting/appliance control
> Security
> Heating
> Phones
>
> Is there anything else I should think about incorporating?
>
> For me, audio/video and internet/networking go together. I tried the
route
> of a CD jukebox years ago. I still have my Technics 110 CD jukebox,
but I
> found it very limiting. It holds and displays limited information
about
the
> CDs (so selecting CDs and tracks is a matter of memory or guess-work),
it
> offers very limited facilities to control the playing order of the
tracks,
> and it does nothing for my fairly extensive vinyl collection (which
gives
> you an idea how old I am). Probably some of this could be overcome
with
more
> modern jukebox systems, but I do not believe jukeboxes will ever be
as
> flexible as a hard-disk-based system. In particular, a jukebox will
always
> struggle to allow different people in different rooms to listen to
different
> tracks simultaneously. Maybe it can be done, but it would be a lot
more
> complicated and expensive.
>
> Because of this, I put together an MP3-based system when we moved into
our
> current house around 3 years ago. Mostly, I have found this a vast
> improvement. I have a linux server in the cupboard under the stairs
to
hold
> the MP3s (originally 4 12Gb disks in a RAID-5 array, now 4 40Gb disks
in a
> RAID-5). And I have a PC in each room to play back the tracks.
>
> Although this works pretty well for me, there are a number of
irritations
> that I would like to eliminate. The most significant is the noise of
the
PC.
> Another is the bootup delay and the hassle of turning the machine on
if it
> is hidden (as my wife insists) in a cupboard or other inaccessible
location.
> Another is the lack of suitable software on Windows offering the
facilities
> I want with the speed of response I want (I settled on Musicmatch
Jukebox
as
> the least bad, as it offers much better facilities to view and
select
tracks
> than programs like Winamp, but it is hideously slow when it has to
handle
> hundreds of albums and thousands of tracks). And then there is the
> difficulty of controlling it. It's OK in situations, such as the
spare
> bedroom/office, where a desktop is appropriate, and you can use a
normal
> keyboard and mouse in close proximity to the screen. But in the
main
bedroom
> and in the lounge, you want to be able to operate it without standing
in
> front of the screen. This meant going with an IR keyboard with a
pointing
> device onboard, but it is not an effective means of operating an
audio
> jukebox, particularly if you are sitting some distance from a 15"
screen
so
> the text is too small to make out (as in our bedroom), or if you are
using
a
> widescreen TV as the screen, which distorts and blurs the image (as in
our
> lounge).
>
> What I plan for the new home is to replace the Windows PCs with
diskless
> linux workstations NFS mounting their filesystems from the server,
which
> will eliminate one source of noise and make for a faster bootup. I
should
be
> able to get the noise down to a minimum using components from
companies
like
> QuietPC, such as the Zalman heatsinks and the quiet PSUs. I will use
NICs
> with WOL (Wake-on-LAN), so that movement sensors can send an X10
signal
when
> someone enters a room, which the server can pickup and trigger a
WOL
signal
> to the workstation in that room, so it begins booting when someone
comes
in,
> which should mean it is ready to roll by the time that person wants to
use
> it. Alternatively, the motherboards should have
Wake-on-Keyboard/Mouse
etc.
> so that they can be started without having to press the power
switch.
>
> I was planning to get X10 MouseRemotes for limited control of the
> workstations, but I guess I will have to stick with cordless keyboards
for
> anything more complex. Does anyone know of alternatives for
controlling
PCs?
> Should I be looking at IRMan and some kind of suped-up remote like
a
Pronto?
> Would this sort of solution still let me send X10 signals as well?
>
> As for the screens, I was going to take a hammer to crack this nut
and
> replace the Widescreen telly with a Plasma display, and get a bigger
TFT
> screen for the bedroom, preferably with built-in tuner, so I don't
need to
> fire up the computer (with tuner card) just to watch TV. Does anyone
have
> any experience of Diamond Technology's displays, which seem to offer
the
> best price per inch for this sort of screen? And does anyone know of
a
> modern Plasma display that has DVI input? I understand that output
from a
> DVD-ROM via DVI offers as good or better picture quality as
component
video
> connection, but I can't find a decent 42" display that has DVI.
Not that
> this really matters, because it is probably simpler to get a separate
DVD
> player anyway, but I would still like the best picture quality
possible
when
> using the screen with the workstation.
>
> Then all I need is a practical interface. I have two options: use
a
> conventional window manager and get the desktop and apps to use
large
fonts
> and icons; or get hold of a bespoke interface such as OEone
(www.oeone.com).
> Although the latter looks very nice, I would prefer the former, and
I
think
> it shouldn't be too much of a problem under X-Windows. Anyone have
any
> advice?
>
> I was thinking of getting one of LetsAutomate's LoftBox units for
> distributing TV/radio signals, although in an ideal world I would have
9,
> rather than 8 room feeds. Can you split the feeds to give more than
8?
>
> I think I understand how the FM, terrestrial TV and satellite work
through
> the LoftBox, but what about DAB? Is the DAB signal also multiplexed
onto
> each feed? If so, why do the standard wallplates just have the two
sockets
> for TV and FM? What do you do if you want both analogue and digital
radio
> from one of these wallplates? Are the DAB channels effectively FM
> frequencies that need decoding? If so, why are there separate inputs
to
the
> LoftBox for FM and DAB antennae? And if I don't want to feed CCTV
through
> the loftbox, can I use this input for some other video signal, such
as
from
> a terrestrial digital decoder?
>
> My intention for recording was to go for hard-disk recording. But
rather
> than get a Tivo or other one-box solution, I was thinking of putting
TV
> tuner cards in a couple of the workstations, so that I could record to
the
> server, and be able to watch any recorded programs from anywhere in
the
> house with a screen. Are there serious problems with this approach? I
was
> thinking of going for ATI 7500 All-in-Wonder cards. I understand they
are
> one of the best cards for these purposes for linux support. Does
anyone
have
> any comments on their suitability for this purpose, or suggestions
of
better
> alternatives for recording TV from linux? I take it I would be able
to
> record whichever satellite channel was selected if I plugged one of
the
> multiplexed feeds into it? I was also hoping to rip any DVDs I own
to,
say,
> DivX files on the server so that I could also watch these anywhere in
the
> house. Is this likely to be feasible?
>
> As for DAB, I think my only linux option is to go for a Terratec
DR-Box.
> Does anyone have any experience of these? Assuming I don't want to go
to
the
> expense of getting one for each room, is it practical to hook this up
to
the
> server and stream it round the house? The documentation for the
linux
> drivers seems to indicate that the linux DAB Server provides this
facility,
> but I'm not sure I understood it right. Would I be limited to
streaming
one
> channel per DR-Box, or could I stream more than one channel from the
same
> ensemble, if required? Does anyone have any experience of this?
>
> The thing I have most doubt about is the interface. If I am going to
use
the
> computers as my main A/V equipment, I must have an easy interface. I
am
> looking in particular for two factors: (a) it must be able to be
operated
> largely by remote control; and (b) it must have an intuitive and
accessible
> (i.e. easily readable from a distance) GUI. I believe the former would
not
> be too hard to achieve if I could live without the latter, as the
IRMan
> could control XMMS for playing back MP3s and DAB streams (and
probably
other
> programs for other A/V purposes). However, the XMMS interface is
hard
enough
> to read at a desktop (even in the ugly DoubleSize mode), let alone
sitting
> several metres from the screen. And the track selection tools are
pretty
> limited. On the other hand, most of the jukebox programs out there
that
> allow more flexible track selection also make a lot of use of grids
that
are
> difficult to read from a distance and need a lot of use of the mouse
for
> scrolling throught the lists.
>
> As far as I can see, the best way to put together an interface that
can be
> suitably sized for distant reading is to have a web interface. But
web
> interfaces are usually designed to control command-line players. I
am
> thinking of putting together a system where all track meta-data is
stored
on
> a MySQL database, use local apache servers and perl scripts to
generate
the
> web interface from this database (and other resources, such as TV
listings),
> use the perl xmms modules bundle to send commands from the scripts
to
> control xmms, and some combination of lirc/irmctl/plircc to control
the
> browser interface (and xmms, xawtv etc.) from a remote control.
Sounds
> rather complicated. Any suggestions of a simpler way to achieve the
same
> results?
>
> The obvious alternative might be to have the web interface controlling
a
> streaming server at Node Zero, but as the server will be doing a lot
of
work
> as it is, I wanted to move as much processing onto the workstations as
I
> could. Plus, I'm not sure how this would work for the V part of
A/V
> (although I think it could probably be done with VideoLAN). I'd be
getting
> into a fair number of streams if I wanted to allow each room to
operate
> independently, which might give me some QoS problems on the network
as
well
> as the load issues on the server. Or am I exaggerating the
problems?
>
> The local switch has just been DSL-enabled, so I am planning to get
an
ADSL
> connection. I want to be able to provide authenticated web access to a
lot
> of the automation system from outside the house, so I was assuming
it
would
> be much preferable to go for a fixed IP account. My current ISP
(Frontier)
> puts all sorts of firewalling at their end of the DSL connection, and
does
> not officially provide fixed IP, so I was thinking of switching to
Demon.
> Has anyone had experience of Demon ADSL accounts? And what hardware
would
> people recommend to hook the linux server to ADSL? I want the server
to
> handle NAT, firewalling etc., so would I be better trying to get an
ADSL
> modem hooked up to the server so I don't have to worry about 2
gateways?
>
> I am fairly comfortable with the rest of the network configuration. I
will
> be putting twisted pair connections into each room, and also a couple
of
> wireless access points. I'll be running Apache as web server, Samba
to
> provide access to the server for my wife's computer, CUPS for
printing,
> postfix/courier-imap/sqwebmail/maildrop for email, OpenSSH for
remote
> access, IPtables for NAT and firewalling, phpGroupware for diary,
contacts
> etc, jabber for chat, Hylafax for faxing, MySQL for database
management,
> OpenOffice for word processing, spreadsheet etc. Anything else I
should
> watch out for, or haven't taken into account/provided for?
>
>
> Lighting and appliances:-
>
> I was planning to go X10 for lighting control. From what I have read,
I
> should go for the DIN modules in preference to the X10 wall
switches,
right?
> My electrician says this will increase the cost of getting the
house
wired,
> as running a loop for each circuit is more labour intensive and
probably
> will require more cable. He works for the family company, so I am sure
he
is
> not trying to rip me off, but is this people's experience?
>
> Does anyone have experience of lighting a barn? I have heard a lot
of
teeth
> sucking whenever I have asked people (electricians or lighting
salesmen)
how
> to best achieve this. I have yet to meet someone with a barn who felt
that
> they had managed to get good quality lighting across the room. The
problem
> is that the light tends to disappear into the rafters, and it's
difficult
to
> position sufficient downlighters without a ceiling. You also want
the
> lighting to be as inobtrusive as possible, so as not to detract from
the
> traditional appearance. I've also got to incorporate a couple of
cartwheels
> which my wife wants to adapt as chandeliers, which will give a lot
of
> lighting, almost none of which will be cast downwards. And just to
make
life
> really difficult, I'd love the lighting to be as efficient as possible
(I
> work in the environmental field, and ought to live by my principles),
but
I
> understand that low-energy bulbs don't work well with X10 (or at least
not
> with the lamp modules).
>
> For planning reasons, we don't have a lot of windows, and many of the
ones
> we have are out of reach. I therefore want to automate the opening
of
blinds
> and curtains. Am I right in thinking that SilentGliss is practically
my
only
> option nowadays for curtain openers? And what is my best bet for
blind
> openers? Are there any options that can raise/lower and open/close
Venetian
> blinds? Am I right in thinking I will need X10 relay modules to
control
> these openers?
>
> Because of the planning limitations on new windows, we have tried to
get
> permission for a few Veluxes to increase the light. At the moment,
the
> conservation officer is trying to force us to have the smallest
conservation
> Velux available, which is one of the few models that they do not offer
an
> automated blind opener for. If I am forced to have these Veluxes,
are
there
> any other options for automated blind opening/closing? My architect
seems
to
> think it would be easy to rig something up, but I haven't come
across
> anything. And if I get my way, and persuade the planner to let me have
the
> next smallest Velux, which can be equipped with a Velux blind
> opening/closing mechanism, are these easy to adapt for X10
control?
>
> As I am so limited on the light I can get into the building, I came
up
with
> a slightly off-beat solution. The planner would not let us glaze
the
> existing barn doors, as most conversions used to be allowed to do.
He
wants
> it to look as much like a working barn as possible. The
architect's
solution
> was to put 2 slit windows in each barn door, which would have
neither
looked
> authentic, nor allowed much light into the building. I suggested that
we
> have full restored barn doors on the outside, with glazing (and
french
> windows) behind. If we equip the barn doors with gate opening
mechanisms,
we
> can dramatically alter the amount of light allowed into the
building
without
> having to go outside and open the doors, and with an appearance
that
> satisfies the planners. This also then becomes a part of the
heating
system,
> because the amount of solar gain throught the south-facing barn doors
when
> they are open will make a dramatic difference to the temperature of
the
> barn. I would therefore like to be able to control it both manually
(e.g.
by
> remote control or pressing a switch) and automatically(e.g. the
server
would
> automatically open or close the barn doors depending on the external
and
> internal temperature, light readings etc). I thought this also ought
to be
> straightforward to control by X10, but now I am having doubts, because
of
> security. The barn doors will form a significant part of the security
of
the
> house, as the French windows behind will not present a significant
barrier
> to anyone wanting to break in. This is a significant consideration, as
we
> will be only half a mile from the local gypsy site! Am I right in
thinking
> that the barn doors would be relatively easy to operate from outside
the
> house, if I have any All House Code RF Receivers? If so, what would be
an
> alternative way of controlling the barn door opening mechanisms from
the
> server?
>
> I wanted to setup a garden irrigation system, but my wife is a
garden
> designer and very particular about how the plants get watered.
Apparently,
> the systems that drip release water slowly into the ground are no good
for
> the plants. If it was going to be a sprinkler system, how would
you
control
> the sprinklers? Sounds like it would need a lot of hose, a lot of
> sprinklers, and a lot of valves. And the valves advertised on
Letsautomate
> say they are not for use at mains pressure. So what do people use?
>
> I was going to stick some of the kitchen appliances on X10 controls.
Would
I
> be better off going again for the DIN modules rather than the wall
switches,
> plugin modules or mains sockets? Are there any other appliances I
should
> think of X10 enabling while I am at it?
>
>
> Security:-
>
> The security element was what first attracted me to X10. I
simplistically
> imagined that I could put together a reasonable security system with
a
> combination of the external PIR/floodlights, internal PIRs, some
XCam2s
and
> some logic on the server. Now I'm not so sure. Presumably, I don't
need to
> worry about RF control, as per the barn doors, as it is no advantage
to a
> thief to be able to send false alarm signals. But I still have a
number of
> problems with this plan.
>
> I have gone away from the idea of using XCam2s. I want to be able
to
> interact with the security system from outside the house,
particularly
over
> the web. So I need to get the signals into the server. I haven't
found
> anything that will enable me to get signals from the XCam2 into a
linux
> server. The problem is that the receiver attaches by USB, and I can't
find
> any information about USB drivers for this device. In any case, I
was
> starting to veer away from this plan before I encountered this
problem. I
> want to have quite a few cameras. I couldn't find information on
whether
> they could be configured to have more than one operating at once, or
how
> many could be combined onto one receiver, or whether you could have
more
> than one receiver working side by side, and if so, how each receiver
knew
> which XCam2s it was receiving the signal for. And then there was
the
problem
> with the receivers having to be located near the server (due to
USB
cabling
> restrictions), which would leave quite long transmission distances
for
some
> of the cameras. And if all this could be resolved, it still looked
like it
> would be a heavy load on the server, constantly grabbing frames from
sets
of
> cameras.
>
> So now I am thinking of going for either Axis or D-link cameras, which
I
> understand both have built in http and ftp servers. This should move
the
> load off the server and allow for simultaneous monitoring of more than
one
> camera at a time. I believe they also provide the additional (though
not
> significant, I think) benefit of improved picture quality. Any advice
on
> which to go for? The D-link units appear to be cheaper, but Axis are
the
> specialists. If I went with Axis, I assume I would be better going
for
> individual cameras, rather than the video webserver, as it would be
much
> more flexible, and not significantly more expensive. Is this the right
way
> to go? And anyone know where I can get housing for mounting some of
these
> externally?
>
> As for the PIRs, I am wondering whether they are either effective
or
> sufficient as intruder detection systems. We plan to get a dog for
added
> security, but that means we have to decide which to rely on, as I
imagine
> that, if left inside, the dog will constantly trigger the PIRs. Plus,
we
> plan to have a wood-burning stove in the main area, and I understand
PIRs
> are not effective where there is another significant heat-source. Am
I
> worrying needlessly about their effectiveness? How do other people
with
pets
> handle this? Should I also be looking at other detection equipment
like
> pressure mats, motion beams, contact closures on windows etc? I
imagined
> that these would be largely redundant if the PIRs worked, although
the
> contact closures might give the nice additional benefit of being able
to
> check if any windows were left open when you went out.
>
> I understand a lot of people use Comfort to control their security
system.
> Is there a significant benefit to using this over programming the
X10
logic
> with something like Misterhouse or Heyu/Xtend? To me, it seems
preferable
to
> have all your control logic in one place (the server), rather than
divide
> between multiple machines. Maybe the phone facilities would be
useful.
Apart
> from this, would I be missing out if I didn't use Comfort to control
the
> security?
>
> It would be nice to be able to trigger the door locks from anywhere,
but
> again, I guess you don't want to do this by X10 for security
reasons.
> Likewise opening and closing garage doors. What is the best way to
wire up
> and control these sort of devices? And what's the best way for us
to
trigger
> it when we want to get into the house? My wife is quite security
conscious
> and insists on locking the deadlock every time we leave, so I guess
no
> automated system will be able to unlock this when we return. But
fiddling
> with two keys when you are loaded down (as I usually am when I come
back
> from work) annoys hell out of me, and I would love a system that made
it
as
> easy as possible for me to get in, but as hard as possible for
intruders.
> What would people recommend? I see Letsautomate offer a proximity
access
> control system, but this seems to be standalone kit. Can you install
this
> and still also trigger the door by some other means internally? Is
this a
> secure solution? Dallas also claim that their ibuttons could be used
for
> security purposes, as each button is unique. Is this an alternative
that
> could integrate more easily with the rest of the home automation
gear?
>
> What about smoke detectors. The ones advertised by Letsautomate do not
say
> if they can be integrated with X10. I like the idea that smoke
detectors
> could report to the server, so that the server could then make
decisions
on
> who and how to inform. How best to achieve this? I understand that
one
> should use heat, rather than smoke detectors in kitchens. Are there
heat
> detectors available that can be integrated with X10?
>
>
> Heating:-
>
> We are going for quite a funky heating system in the barn. We will
be
using
> underfloor heating, hopefully powered primarily by a ground-source
heat
> pump, with LPG boiler as backup for hot water and the coldest days
(we
have
> no gas supply). We will also have a BAXI ventilation/filtration
system,
> which has heat recovery to recycle the exhausted heat back to the
fresh
air.
> And the heat pump will be reversible to provide cooling, so I want to
put
a
> heat exchanger from the heat pump to the BAXI intake to provide cool
air
in
> summer. It will be smart if it works.
>
> Given the issue with the barn doors, I would like more intelligent
control
> of the heating levels than simple thermostats. I guess what I need
is
> temperature sensors scattered round the rooms and externally,
reporting
back
> to the server, which controls the valves to the underfloor zones,
barn
> doors, BAXI ventilation, heat exchanger etc. I looked at the X10
> thermostats, but they are pretty expensive to scatter round, and most
of
> their functionality would be redundant. Now I am thinking of going
with
> 1-wire temperature sensors indoors and weather station outside, wired
in
to
> the server, which will control the valves, doors etc with X10 signals
or
> otherwise. I think I can use Misterhouse to program the control logic.
Has
> anyone tried any of this? Are the X10 motorised valves suitable
for
> controlling the underfloor zones (they look like it)? Should I expect
any
> problems with the 1-wire temperature sensors?
>
>
> Phones:-
>
> This is where I am _really_ confused. My wife works from home, so we
need
> two phone numbers (work and private) and a fax number. On the other
hand,
> it's unlikely that we will be using more than two of these at a
time,
> especially now that the internet connection will be going by ADSL.
Three
> numbers, two channels - sounds like Home Highway. Except this is what
I
have
> had at our current house since we moved in, and ISDN (with MSN)
before
that.
> And it has never been satisfactory. I have been using an Argent
(now
Lucent)
> CyberGear Gold all this time, but it has never been satisfactory.
It
should
> be the ideal piece of kit - router, firewall and six analogue
extensions.
> But it never works reliably, which it really should at the price
(o800+,
and
> I bought two!). It regularly resets itself, and then refuses to
allow
anyone
> to pick up their messages. It constantly loses its connection to
the
> timeserver on the server, then thinks it is the wrong time of day,
and
goes
> into the wrong mode. And the program to extract call information has
not
> worked for years (since an "upgrade"), and as ISDN does not
provide most
of
> the facilities that you get with a POTS line, we have no way of
knowing
who
> called. It is so bad, that this is the only thing that my wife
expresses a
> strong opinion on - she insists that for her work line at least, she
must
> have a POTS line that she can plug a good, old-fashioned answerphone
into.
> And I don't blame her.
>
> So I will have ADSL, and at least one POTS line. It doesn't seem
worth
> getting Home Highway or any other ISDN variant on top of that. I
guess
that
> means I should just get two other POTS lines for private phone and
fax.
Fax
> is fairly straightforward - at the moment I use Hylafax to receive
faxes,
> and either Hylafax or an old multifunction device to send. But I would
say
> that it is an unnecessary step to view the fax on the computer
before
> printing it, so at the next house I will probably get a new fax
machine to
> receive as well as send, and just use Hylafax as an additional option
for
> sending from the desktop.
>
> But I really don't know what to do about the home phone. We have yet
to
> resolve whether the lines will be her line and my line or work line
and
home
> line. If the former, which number do we give to friends as the main
house
> number (you know people will only ever remember one)? And if the
latter,
how
> does someone leave a private message for one or the other of us? And,
as
my
> wife spends _a_lot_ of her day and evening on the phone, how do I
avoid
> being constantly unable to make or receive phone calls for the few
hours
> each day that I am home, if we share and publish the home line?
>
> I am torn between sticking with Highway for fax and phone, and
connecting
> one of the data ports to something like an Eicon Diva Server card in
the
> server, or going for a POTS line and either connecting that to a
Quicknet
> Linejack card in the server, or giving in and connecting it to
Comfort.
The
> first option is the most flexible, as I would then have two
channels
> connected to the server, which I could use as a PBX/voicemail/VoIP
gateway
> using something like Asterisk (www.asteriskpbx.com). And I could
simply
add
> extensions by adding extra Quicknet Phonejack cards, or just use
VoIP
around
> the house and use IP phones or headsets or microphones and
speakers
> connected to the workstations. Has anyone tried this or the
Linejack
> solution? Is there a mini-PBX solution that I should be looking at
instead
> (although the CyberGear Gold has made me sceptical of any non-open
> solution)?
>
> Then there is the question of how to distribute the phone system round
the
> house. At the moment, we have two DECT phones plugged into two of
the
> extensions off the CyberGear Gold, and my wife has an analogue
cordless
with
> her answermachine plugged into one of the analogue ports on the
Highway
box.
> I guess she will stick with this kit for her line. The problem I have
with
> the DECT solution is that I can never find the handsets. And we
currently
> only live in a small house. In the new house, if we have the bases in
our
> office, we won't even hear the phone ring, let alone be able to get to
it
in
> time, if we are in the living room or kitchen. I guess I could get
something
> to extend the ring to other parts of the house, but that still doesn't
get
> round the problem of being able to get to the phone in time. It seems
to
me
> that one solution is to be able to use any of the workstations for
VoIP to
> answer the phone, and then either continue the conversation at the
> workstation, pass it to another workstation, or hand it off to a
handset
or
> headset. Will this work?
>
> I really like the look of the Arialphone cordless headset, but it
is
Windows
> only. Anyone know of a decent cordless headset that does not
require
> Windows? I guess it could be any of analogue, DECT or VoIP. Or can
the
> Arialphone be adapted for use with linux? Voice recognition is
available
for
> linux, but I don't know if the signals that the Arialphone sends to
the
> computer are public. And I guess it would take more training than
with
> Arialphone's own software.
>
> Another thing that doesn't work well at present is Caller ID. It is
passed
> to the DECT handsets, but to read the number, you have to take them
off
the
> base-station, and the act of taking them off the base-station answers
the
> phone. So we never have time to read the number before answering (even
if
we
> haven't had to run from one end of the house to the other), so it
might as
> well not be there. And even if you have the handset on you, and can
read
the
> number before answering, all that is presented is the number, which,
with
my
> memory, is useless.
>
> What I would like is for the server to read the Caller ID, look it up
in
our
> Contacts database, and then, if recognized, present the caller's
name
> somehow, or number if not recognized (or block it completely if the
caller
> is rude enough to use 141, as this is probably a tele-sales
merchant
> anyway). I think this could be done with the Diva Server or
Linejack
> solutions. Comfort (or other proprietary systems) could probably do
part
of
> it, but I would guess that it would have to have its own database of
names
> and numbers, rather than using the central database for the house
(which
> would probably be on MySQL). One of my bugbears is the number of
places
that
> contact information has to be duplicated nowadays, and the range
of
formats
> that the information is stored in. As far as possible, I do not want
to
> duplicate contact information in the house.
>
> I was thinking the best way to present the caller's name or number was
to
> announce it verbally. The systems that overlay the number on the TV
are
fine
> so long as you are in the TV room and it is on. Hopefully, if we
are
living
> a full life, this won't be too often. I was thinking it might be
most
> effective to broadcast this information to the workstations, which
should
be
> on in any rooms where people are present, due to the PIR/WOL
mechanism. As
> long as the workstations are using something like ARTS or ESD, they
should
> be able to output the information, even if another program (such as
xmms)
is
> already outputting via the soundcard. The question is how to get
the
> workstations to output the information. I guess it needs some kind
of
daemon
> waiting to receive the Caller ID info from the server on a specified
port,
> that uses a Text-to-Speach program to turn this info into sound.
Anyone
know
> if something like that exists, or would be difficult to create (I
can't
see
> any major problems)? Or alternatively, I suppose the workstations
could
run
> a second copy of something like xmms (or probably a less
graphically
> intensive alternative) in the background, that was set to play a
streaming
> channel from the server, and the PBX on the server creates the
announcement
> (using Text-to-Speach) and passes it to the streaming server. Are
either
of
> these options feasible/already available/impossible? I think maybe
the
> second option is easier. Is there another, easier alternative I
haven't
> thought of?
>
> I want to be able to interrogate the home automation system in a
variety
of
> ways: by phone, web and WAP, and for it to send some signals to me by
SMS.
> For phone control, can I use the server instead of the X10
telephone
> transponder? Am I right in thinking that the telephone transponder
simply
> accepts touch-tone commands? If so, I assume you have to remember
which
key
> corresponds to which command? And isn't the range of commands that can
be
> transmitted very limited? And how do you specify whether the
transponder
or
> your answerphone/PBX picks up the call? Wouldn't it be better to
have
voice
> control menus? From what I can tell, Misterhouse's voice control menus
are
> designed to function from a microphone connected to the machine on
which
it
> is running. Can it also accept voice control by phone? Perhaps it
could be
> linked with the Asterisk PBX? If not, am I limited to the
telephone
> transponder, and am i right in my assumptions about this unit's
limitations?
> Or is there another voice control option that doesn't require
Windows?
>
>
> Much of the above may make no sense whatsoever. I am just feeling my
way
on
> home automation. I may be getting completely the wrong end of the
stick
for
> many bits of it. But I would rather be ambitious and then cut back on
my
> ambitions, than never try. Particularly as it is better to make
provision
> now, during construction, for whatever I may want in the future, than
it
> would be to think about the options later.
>
> If any of you have got to the end of this message (without skipping
all
the
> stuff in the middle ;-), thank you and well done. I don't expect
anyone to
> reply to the whole message. But if you've got some expertise on
any
> particular aspect of home automation, I would appreciate your advice
on
that
> aspect. Just don't tell me to use Windows.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Bruno Prior
>
>
>
> For more information: http://www.automatedhome.co.uk
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