Z-Wave World

["Robert L Bass" <no-sales-spam@bassburglaralarms>]

Posted with permission
Source: Z-Wave World, an online E-zine about... well, Z-Wave.
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Z-Wave Living
Updated April 23, 2007 08:00 PDST
Z-Wave Rock Star Contest Winner

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Z-Wave Home Control Makes an Impact

The Z-Wave Rock Star contest has come to a close.
As we read through all the entries we were struck
by how many DIY enthusiasts have put a home control
stake in the ground using Z-Wave-enabled products.
We'd like to thank all the readers who participated.
Although it was a difficult choice, we had to pick a
winner. The lucky DIYer is Vivek (IVB) Bhargava from
California. He may feel more like a symphony
conductor, but Vivek's Z-Wave enabled home is one
rock star worthy setup. Here's his story.

In January 2006, I started setting up what I now
consider to be a pretty robust home automation setup
using Intermatic Z-Wave products to control my
lighting. I've fully integrated it so I can control
my lights both manually through the use of various
devices, as well as in an automated sense through my
home automation software package (CQC) and my Elk
security system, which controls the rest of my house.
The CQC is the backbone to my entire home automation
system. It connects to all the various devices I have
(Intermatic USB stick, audio receivers, DVD
megachanger, and much more).

Let's start with the outside of the house and walk
through the setup. Some older houses in Northern
California have mudrooms, which are typically located
just inside an outer front door. There, I come in and
remove my shoes, then unlock the actual front door
and enter the house. The downside is that if it's dark
already, I either have to waste electricity and leave
the lights on until I come home, or install one of
those huge motion sensor lights. It's also not a very
secure place. To solve this, I installed the Elk
system, which detects motion in that room. It tells
CQC, which will tell the Intermatic Z-Wave USB
controller to turn on the light. This extra light also
helps the covert security camera inside the motion
sensor record what's going on. The light won't stay on
if no one is in there. After a minute of no motion,
CQC will automatically tell the Intermatic stick to
turn off the entry light.

Inside the house, if I want to turn off the light
right away, I can turn the light on and off using my
security system's keypad. Using the same concept as
above, I press a button on my Elk security system that
tells CQC to have the Intermatic stick toggle the
light.

When I sit down to check my e-mail, I use a floor lamp
next to my desk. However, I often forget to turn it
off at night. Rather than use the lamp's on/off switch
directly, I plug it into a Z-Wave appliance switch.
Now, all I have to do is press the pushbutton mounted
under the desk, and it will have the Elk tell CQC to
turn off that Z-Wave light. That way if I forget to
turn it off, CQC and the Intermatic USB stick can take
care of it for me automatically.

In the kitchen, I usually want to be able to turn other
lights on or off, control the whole house audio system,
and often arm the magnetic lock that I have on the
outer front door. Using a wall-mounted Fujitsu Tablet
PC, I can view a CQC screen where I can get an overview
of the house status and turn lights on or off at will.

In the bedroom, a door sensor in the floor detects that
I've opened the closet and tells the Elk panel to have
CQC turn on the Z-Wave light. Once I close the door,
the sensor instructs the Elk to tell CQC to turn off
that light. I have a tendency to walk away from the
closet and forget that I turned the light on. So, CQC
will turn off the Z-Wave light automatically after 15
minutes.

In addition, if I've already decided to head to bed,
but I realize that I've forgotten to turn off all the
various stereos and lights, turn down the heat, or arm
the security system, I don't want to have to walk
downstairs. Not to worry, home automation to the rescue.
I simply take the wi-fi Fujitsu tablet on the nightstand
out of its dock, and select whatever I want to adjust
from the CQC UI. Sure, it might look a little
intimidating at first glance, but if you stop to look it
over it's quite easy. Plus there's that nice big button
at the bottom that says "put house to sleep."

Now for most homes, that would be the end of the story.
Not in my house. Sometimes I run out of the house to get
something but I forget to turn off one or all of the
lights. Not to worry, I simply take out my cell phone,
pull up the CQC UI, and turn on or off any lights I want.
While I'm at it, I usually can check on the motion
detection and if anyone has called while I was out.

What's next? In my dream world, I'd add voice recognition
so that I don't even need to use to use the keypads or
switches to make things happen.

http://www.zwaveworld.com/zwaveliving/042307/zwliving.php

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--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
941-925-8650
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>


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