Re: New to home automation - can you help, please?

["martinpalmer8" <martinpalmer8@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- In ukha_d@xxxxxxx, "mark_harrison_uk2" <mph@a...>
wrote:
>
> Martin,
>
> A few comments / suggestions / points to consider.

Mark - Many thanks for your informative and considered response, which
is very much appreciated. It raises a few subsidiary questions that I
have appended to your text below...

> <snip>
>
> 2: CAT6 is relatively tricky to install and terminate. Many, many,
> people have installed CAT6 cable and believe that they therefore
> have a CAT6 installation - not so - unless you are comfortable that
> your installers can mangage things like bend radii and termination
> distances to the full CAT6 spec then you will end up with a CAT5e
> network. For this reason, unless gigabit ethernet is a requirement,
> we recommend CAT5e

The reason I proposed Cat6 cable was because I'm speculating that
audiovisual equipment may one day typically have a RJ45 connection
instead of a co-ax connection. I'm guessing that Cat6 will give me a
bit more bandwidth capability for this equipment. I admit that this
argument is uninformed and Cat5e is probably fine for my current
needs.

> 3: From a camera perspective, I would always use hardwired cameras
> back to a central DVR (if you want a turnkey solution) / PC (if you
> want to play), and let that manage the distribution onto either TVs
> or PCs over a network. Rather than running shotgun cables to the
> camera locations, I would also consider using passive baluns on CAT5
> (which have a better signal quality than shotgun over longer
> lengths, without the cost of active baluns.)

I'm assuming that each camera will require a 12VDC supply right next
to the camera location.

If I configure a DVR to record only when activity is sensed at the
camera, will I also need to run a twisted pair from the activity
sensor back to the DVR? Or does the software in the DVR sense the
activity?

Does "shotgun cable" = one CT100 cable + one 12V power supply
cable
stuck together?

> <snip>
>
> 8: Intercoms. I am always wary of separate intercom systems.
> Domestic switchboards, based around either IP phones, or analogue
> phones, or both are surprisingly cost-effective these days. It may
> be cheaper to have a single switchboard which allowed internal
> dialing in place of a separate intercom system.

I was hoping to avoid the use of handsets, preferring instead a
wall-mounted speaker and keypad. One application might be to call all
the occupants to dinner. It would be easier just to press a "call
all"
button and speak to do this, rather than ring everyone.

What's your main objection to separate intercom systems? I was
considering Henry's Electronics P153F Intercom for my application.
[http://www.henrys.co.uk/SECURITY/intercom.html]
Can you point me in
the direction of a network-connected intercom that does the same
thing? That would be brilliant!

> <snip>
>
> I hope this helps.

Very helpful. Thanks again.