So I got the dimmers working and sorta got the hang of the luup coding.
Things are getting quite interesting now
However I was thinking about having a main touchpad near on the hallway close to the outer door.
Showing overall information like temp, weather, etc etc and some scene buttons like “leave home”.
My question is, what setup is suitable for this? I’ll only need it for above purpose and was hoping for a low energy consuming device that can do this.
I was thinking about an Ipad but it feels a bit like overkill plus I am not sure about its energy consumption.
Depends on how much you are looking to spend and if you really want to have something like the ipad on the wall. You can either get an ipad or an android tablet and get a wall mount for it. But still allow for the tablet to come off of the wall so you can use it for main control around the house and for other functions.
I’ve looked into doing this in the past too. I found that the iPad or an advanced android tablet was the best way to go cost wise as well. It seems like a waste to dedicate a fancy tablet to something like this, but the single purpose ‘in wall’ controlers/tablets are actually quite a bit more than an iPad.
In the end, I decided the best option would be an iPad running Square Connect (awesome, especially now that the iPad native version is out), that is wall mounted. That being said, I also decided not go go through with it - yet.
A simple, always-on android touchscreen the size of a single- or double- gang outlet box would be nice. Permanently mounted in place of a switch with power. This could replace the flaky scene controllers. Why doesn’t someone make this?
I am waste deep in this project right now and have been looking into several options. I’ve decided to go with a combination of iPads and iPods throughout the house. The iPads will be located in places that we spend time, like the master bath and the kitchen because they can do so much more than just control the house, such as watch TV, listen to music and get news feeds. Then in other places like the front door “away” scene will controlled by iPod touches because they are cheaper and we won’t be asking as much from them. All of it will control not only HA, it will handle whole house audio as well allow us to check cams from almost anywhere. I will be using SQConnect for most of these things (sling box will be handling tv needs) and creating scenes that control both lighting and A/V is MUCH…MUUUUUCH easier with their software than in Vera.
I’ve started a list of docks for both iPads and iPods and please add to it as you find them. There are many great charging docks for the iPad and a couple (so far) for the iPod.
My number one option so far is the chumby 8". I can get several of those for the same price as 1 iPad. I have not got the chumby so far and the negative thing is probably that it does not seem to get wall mounted that easily.
If you want an inexpensive solution check out the Home Buddy forum and the discussion on which Android device to use. I am using a $70 7" device to which the links are in the thread I just mentioned.
Pricetag on Insigna does indeed look promising. But what about the vera client for it?
Which vera client would it use?
I am planning to put an order for the Insigna: http://www.cowboom.com/product/763462
Do you know anything about the power cord for it ? Will it work in Sweden?
If you want an inexpensive solution check out the Home Buddy forum and the discussion on which Android device to use. I am using a $70 7" device to which the links are in the thread I just mentioned.
So I finally got my Chinese android tablet, it is working quite ok. The great disappointment is the screen; you really have to press hard on the screen. It’s more like pressing the screen rather than touching. Other than that it seems as if it’s ok. Like with most things you get what you pay for.
I downloaded the Home Buddy app for android and it functions quite well but I am disappointed at how it looks and it’s functionality. I am actually considering to use an iPad instead for the great app support and for a great overall tablet. I think it’s worth it.
For you considering android tablet, my advice for you is to think twice. There is actually no good app for vera in android market.
I am currently working on a vera app for the android tablets. However it is only for Honeycomb and up. You can have a look here to see some screen shots.
