Home Brew Home Automation

I started this page and a mailing list to discuss these ideas in 1999. A lot of good ideas were suggested, but my own project got derailed when my job moved unexpectedly and I hurriedly moved with it in to an existing property, which rather scuppered my plan to build my own.

Things stagnated while I made different plans. Some of those are now coming to fruition and I started work on some parts of the project for real.

All automation schemes that are any good work best in new construction, where there is an easy opportunity to install the unconventional wiring needed. When I moved in 2003 it was in to an existing house, instead of building one, as was my original plan. I thought then that I would not be able to do many of the planned parts and my interest waned. Fortunately, thanks to a team of friends able to carry out the wide variety of trades, I have had the opportunity to do some extensive work on the house; this enabled me to put in at least a few of the features I wanted in a new build. Basically, the infrastructure consists of a load of mains and CAT5 cable run from various rooms back to a common point. It's now up to me to decide what to do with it all:-) Some things on my plan:

Unfortunately, being retro-fitted, most of these things are somewhat compromised. For instance, it hasn't been practical to re-wire three downstairs rooms, nor to fundamentally change the plumbing of the central heating system, so I won't get as much control over those things as I would like. Still, something is better than nothing, and I have come to realise that there is a lot of truth in the saying that nobody ever builds one house: it's at least two (one to practice and one to live in). So this can be my practice.
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Home Brew Home Automation Project. ha-owner.at.ha.ro.nu