Brainstorming on bigger home automation project

Using Arduino Project Guidance
1

Hello friends,

I'm about to build a house and interested in automating it as much as it makes sense. I started doing some research and didn't find anything that would match my needs and/or budget. So I thought let's build it myself. (I'm a software engineer with some basic hardware knowledge)

After some more research I came across different possible platforms, among others the Arduino which got my attention most. So I bought a Mega Kit with lots of sensors/actors. After a full weekend of fun I had almost everything working which was a great motivation (and big kudos to all the folks involved to make it so simple!)

Next I started to think about the topology. After some more research I decided to take a Raspberry Pi as the main brain/server and several Arduinos in each room. The server shall run openhab, the communication to happen per MQTT. Another fun weekend and this part was also working.

So now I'm basically at a point where I could start implementing/prototyping. But I have many guidance questions where I hope YOU can tell me if I should go my way or do it differently.

So let's go into the details:

SUMMARY - WHAT I WANT

  • Automate light, indoor/outdoor weather monitoring with heating/cooling settings, Multimedia control (music and video), Security (CCTV, alarm system, windows/doors), Energy monitoring, ...
  • I DON'T want to be able to open/close/lock/unlock doors or windows. Old school keys shall still do the work here :slight_smile: But I want to monitor their state and see e.g. if a door or window is left open

SUMMARY - HOW I WANT TO BUILD IT

  • As I mentioned, the brain is planned to be a Raspberry Pi with Openhab and a MQTT broker
  • Each room will get an Arduino connected to Ethernet and PoE. Each Arduino is connected to a 5" LCD touch display where you can get and set values.
  • Each Arduino is connected to a relais board from which you control the high voltage sources like light, TV, etc.
  • Each room will get ceiling speakers where I can play back music
  • Use the openhab app to control things through mobile devices

This should hopefully give a basic idea of my intentions. Now my questions (and I'm sure there will be more coming :slight_smile: )

  • What's your overall opinion? Any objections/confirmation of any of the ideas above?
  • Server side with RPi and Openhab: Openhab seems overblown, takes even minutes to fully start which is ridiculous. But I couldn't find any better alternative. Any suggestions/recommendation/experience?
  • The relais boards all seems to be those with the blue relais (SRD-05VCD-SL-C) and all coming directly from China. I had to send already two boards back because at least one relais didn't work. And I want to control high voltage devices. I don't want to see my kid's room on fire tomorrow and regret the project. Any recommendations on good high voltage/current relais boards?
  • Music playback: I'd like to stream from the internet, or a local music library or directly from my phone to the speakers in each room. Thereby I'd like to choose if to a single room or multiple rooms. (e.g. room1 play a stream from the internet, room2 and room3 play the same playlist in sync from a local library and room4 plays from a mobile device). I was thinking of mounting some sort of music shield on each Arduino which can play back the music that comes from the network (locally or from outside). Is this possible? I probably also need a music server, right? If yes, anyone that you would recommend? If not, how shall this be done?
  • Video playback: I'd like to have a few sources (cable, game console, DVD player, streaming device e.g. Apple TV or Chromecast, etc.). They would all sit in one room maybe. And I can e.g. choose game console on TV in room3, DVD on TV in room2, etc.). Obviously I won't have several loooong HDMI cable to each room. Instead I was thinking of some sort of HDMI2Ethernet on the source side and Ethernet2HDMI on the client/TV side. And I'd like to choose from the different channels that might exist on the network due to the different sources. Any recommendations/hints/ideas?
  • CCTV: Here I have spent the least amount of time and did the least research so far. Any recommendation what (not) to pick or what the requirements are? I'd like to use network PoE cameras if possible. What kind of equipment shall I use/ is recommended to capture/store the data from the cameras?
  • Energy monitoring: Best case I'd like to have one power line from the fuse box to each room except where a dedicated line is required (stove, boiler, etc.). And I'd like to monitor and store the data of energy that flows through each line so that I can see when which room is drawing how much power. I think next to comfort, with some intelligent there can be some energy saving if you automate your home correctly.
  • Client side with Arduino: I'd like to stick with the Arduino but I thought already several times to also use a RPi or a more powerful device for the clients. They would be more powerful and I could even play music/Video on the attached screens (e.g. from the CCTV). Any comments/experience considering the features I'd like to have?

COSTS
I know that this project won't be cheap. I'm not a millionaire but I'm ok to spend some money on good electronic equipments. I'd like to build as much as possible myself but ok to choose from ready components (e.g. the cameras) where it makes more sense. And I'm ok to spend a few more €€€ for better equipment than the cheap version which is unsafe or breaks in 2 months.

It would be great if you could help me with your experience through this journey.

Thanks,
Amir

2

Once you start reading the forums and look at the development history of the various free and commercial home automation offerings it becomes painfully obvious that none of them are "industrial quality" systems that you could rely on to do important things without fail.

If you want reliability write everything yourself and don't use an operating, system except for serving multimedia content, or for displaying status information.

Ethernet means you will need to install lots of cable. Every new device you add later will need yet another cable and free port on a hub. Learn from the automotive industry - CAN bus minimises wiring and new devices can just be plugged into the existing bus.

Divide and conquer. Arduino clones are cheap. There's no need to cram lots of functionality into each node, it just creates unreliable hard to maintain systems.

3

I have one recommendation - For your lights & power outlets, choose one of the existing standards and BUY the outlets/switches even if you want to build the controllers. There are lots of engineering & construction challenges involved in building something that fits into a wall-outlet box. I'm not sure what's commercially available for openHAB, but there are other standard protocols. I have a combination [u]X-10[/u] and Insteon system with about 10 controlled lights/outlets, a master timer-controller, and a few scattered wired & wireless "manual" controllers.

With most of the standard protocols, the switches/dimmers and outlets don't directly connect to Wi-Fi, but you can get a controller or "bridge" that communicates over Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or the cell phone network.

I'm not an expert on the entertainment side but the most practical solution is probably a separate TV/sound system in each room with a cable TV outlet and probably an Ethernet connection, although Wi-Fi may suffice. It might make sense to have a DVD/Blu-Ray player in some or all of those locations. There is a networking standard called [u]DLNA[/u] that's probably worth checking out.

4

Hi,

  1. Me also I want to build up an automating of home, but I don't thinking I will go so far, like the audio system, or controlling the voltage on each room.
    I'am an Mechanical Engineer and almost a Designer Engineer, but with some software skills, and a great curiosity. :slight_smile:

I don't know what Raspberry Pi does, but I wanted to use only one Arduino, and the best and cheaper it would be throught cables.

I never think I would implement so many sensors and functions, but rather one by one, both from less time and money.

  1. I was thinking to use only one Arduino for control, and connecting sensors to be thorught cable. Besides I would like the idea to send informations from sensors throught wireless, but there it will require many batteries, and ... it become complicated.

  2. I do not understand why you want to do with controlling the voltage. It seems to me faster the idea of controlling the sockets directly, and packing as better the cables. Possibly the microcontollers you can put them as high you want, for your children can't reach them, or cover them with something, because not getting the idea throught their mind "what is that". :wink:

It seems to me that you want to do too much from the begin..