SMART HOME
THE BASICS // 01
There are many ready built systems on the market and i'm not going to lie and says its easy because its definitely not. However the journey is worth it. I am happy to share my experiences and failures with you. I have with many hours of trial and error, blood sweat and often tears managed to produce a very reliable and efficient system with a lot of very useful functions that will save time and give you some piece of mind.
OpenHab is my choice and in my opinion the best of them all by a long, long way.
PLANNING // 02
I can't stress this enough, Plan your system...........
For example do you want to know what is going on in every room of your home ? Temperature-Humidity-PIR-Smoke etc
How may devices are you likely to need control off in any room.
Most devices can be controlled over your home network via WiFi, This is fine for temperature sensors but NEVER expose things like Electronic LOCKS to the WiFI Network.
INSTALLATION ADVICE // 03
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Use WiFi devices where appropriate,
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Keep environment sensors away from drafts and heat sources
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Never run network cables alongside heating pipes.
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Measure TWICE cut ONCE !!
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Test it before you fit it !
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ALWAYS Keep a Backup of The OpenHab SD Card.
COOL OFF PERIOD // 04
Once you have decided on what you want from your Smart Home and planned your system do this.........
Forget about the whole project for at least a week, then go thru it as if you where trying to find a fault, hopefully if you have planned it properly you wont find a fault. A bit of time away is always a good idea, expensive mistakes can be made.