Hello,
I'm new to the world of arduino, but for the past few days I've been doing some research and I think arduino is the answer for what i'm trying to accomplish. I'm undertaking this project first for its ultimate functionality, and second as a learning exercise. I don't intend to ask for people do do any of the design or coding for me, but I'm also not above asking for some advice to get started down the right path :). Here's what I want to do:
High Level
centralized control of the whole system, most likely in a web interface
security camera feeds (android phones)
security sensor data (existing security system in my home)
thermostat control
potentially other home automation controls
Android Phones
I have four retired phones at my disposal. Two will be used purely as security cameras (HTC Hero US), and two others (Samsung Galaxy S Epic) as thermostat controls, security keypads, and security cameras. The intention is to mask their use as cameras by displaying the thermostat controls and security keypads while also employing a feed from the front-facing cameras.
Home Security
My home was built in 1999 and has an existing, currently unused, security system that was installed when the house was built. I would like to replace the existing control panel with an arduino device, interfacing with the siren and sensors (not the keypad). This arduino device will need an ethernet shield, I think. I'm also considering picking up another android phone to handle interfacing with the central server.
Thermostats
I have two thermostats controlling two separate HVAC units. I'd like to replace both thermostats with arduino devices. These devices should be able to act as thermostats without the android devices (should they die or otherwise be unavailable), operating on configuration data received from the android device. There will be multiple methods of telling the android device to update the thermostat config, but ultimately only one way to talk to the thermostat. This keeps the arduino device simple... and honestly that's mostly because I'm a lot better with java than with C :). At some point I think it would be interesting to implement multiple temp sensors throughout the house and using a weighted average to determine HVAC use... but I digress. It would be nice if the arduino device also powered the android phone via USB, which will already be connected as an interface between the two.
Centralized Server Control
This server will act as a main repository for all sensor data (temperature, security, camera) and a normalized interface for everything else. Not really relevant to this forum, but worth mentioning for the sake of completeness.
I know that there are open source and free solutions for much if not all of what I want to do. That's a testament to the open source community, and I will surely learn from the experiences of those devs in this undertaking. That said, I want to code as much of it myself as I possibly can. I am doing this to learn, after all
My questions for you kind people surround the arduino parts (of course!): which arduino platform seems most suitable for each purpose? I had originally wanted to use the IOIO board for android, but I think arduino is not only a better solution but the lessons learned could be applied to more future projects. With that in mind, I've been leaning towards the amarino project and a pair of arduino unos for the thermostats. A Mega seems appropriate for the security panel. I defer to the experience of this group, however. What do you think?
Thanks in advance!