Please review this newbie's purchase list. Many thanks!!!

Community Playground Getting Started & Initial Setup
1

Hello all!

This forum has been invaluable!!! Before I make most of my purchases, I wanted to run them by whoever is willing to give their input. I’ve been reading a lot and posting a little on here and on cocoontech. I’m planning to use VeraLite (already purchased) with DSC in our home (just finished the prewiring). Everything is wired right now.

Here’s what I’ve pieced together.

The alarm system: DSC PowerSeries Control Panel PC1864

interface for front door: PowerSeries TouchScreen Security Interface PTK5507

interface for basement door: RFK5564 keypad
http://www.dsc.com/index.php?n=enduser&o=show_panels&keypad=1394

And the thing that connects the alarm system to the Vera: EVL-3 - Envisalink Internet Alert Module for DSC & Honeywell

Deadbolt: Yale YRD220-ZW-ORB Real Living Electronic Touch Screen Deadbolt

PoE video camera: Foscam FI8910E (Black) Power Over Ethernet IP Camera
http://foscam.us/foscam-fi8910e-black-poe-ip-camera.html

PoE switch: Netgear PoE switch

For the door and window alarm sensors:
Ademco 3/8 in. Stubby Recessed Contact
http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-205-951wg-wh-ademco-38-in-stubby-recessed-contact.aspx

But I’m not sure if those have to be drilled into the windows, which I’d like to avoid? If so, then would this below work?
Winn Quick Connect Surface Mount Contact
http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-267-bs-2032-quick-connect-surface-mount-contact.aspx

or

Winn Surface Mount Contact (not really sure what the difference is between these)
http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-268-bs-2033-surface-mount-contact-by-winn-security.aspx

Motion sensor:
ADEMCO PIR Motion Detector
http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-229-aurora-ademco-pir-motion-detector.aspx

For the ceiling fan control:
Just going to connect Intermatic CA6000 and use as off-on for fan (no speed or light control). I became overwhelmed with thinking about setting up FanLinc – Insteon plus Keylinc or something?? Just turning the fans off and on should suffice (and I’m trying to simplify!)

Thermostat: Trane TZEMT400BB3NX N N SL

OR???

Honeywell YTH8320ZW1007/U Z-Wave Enabled Programmable Thermostat

Smoke, CO, and Natural Gas detector: Universal Security Instruments MICN109 3-in-1 Smoke, Carbon Monoxide and Natural Gas Alarm

Motorized blinds: Blinds.com Motorized Cellular Shades – but still aren’t sure how to cost-effectively link these to Vera
http://www.blinds.com/control/product/productID,97658

Sunshade awning for upstairs deck: SunSetter – but still aren’t sure how to cost-effectively link these to Vera
http://www.costco.com/SunSetter-Motorized-Retractable-Awnings.product.100017021.html

I also need something to connect a recirculating pump for our tankless heater. We haven’t yet bought the recirculator, so if anyone has recs for that, I’d be grateful!

Am I missing anything? Or is there anything you’d replace or recommend?

Thanks a bunch!

2
For the door and window alarm sensors: Ademco 3/8 in. Stubby Recessed Contact http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-205-951wg-wh-ademco-38-in-stubby-recessed-contact.aspx

But I’m not sure if those have to be drilled into the windows, which I’d like to avoid? If so, then would this below work?
Winn Quick Connect Surface Mount Contact
http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-267-bs-2032-quick-connect-surface-mount-contact.aspx


Yes, the top ones need to be drilled into the frame of the Window/Door. I had something like these professionally installed into the casement Windows, but they’ll only use them “at the top”, to avoid issues with water penetration. For the bottom of the casement, they use the second “stick on” type style that’s similar to the one you’ve show. There are a lot of variation of these, mostly in their dimensions.

Winn Surface Mount Contact (not really sure what the difference is between these) http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-268-bs-2033-surface-mount-contact-by-winn-security.aspx
Some have tabs, some don't. Either way, buy a few "spares" because they have a tendency to come off after a few yrs, and you'll want some spares floating around (or be handy with the double-sided sticky tape.
Netgear switch...
For whole home Network switching, get Gigabit switches. If you have specific needs for PoE, like the camera, then get a separate, small/cheap, PoE switch to handle that part of the puzzle... or get a PoE injector for it (depending upon how many cameras you're intending to have)

Put PoE capable wiring on all corners of your house, esp when they have the walls open. Always handy to have it “nearby” when you eventually decide to expand.

Also, give some thought to where this stuff is going to be placed, and how it will be powered during a power failure. Typical “UPS” units don’t fit inside of [typical] Structured Wiring Closets, but you’ll still want the critical network gear to be “up” when the power is down… esp if the main breaker is on the outside of the house.

I also need something to connect a recirculating pump for our tankless heater. We haven't yet bought the recirculator, so if anyone has recs for that, I'd be grateful!
I have one of these, I'll try to get the details from it tonight. It's nothing special, and is small enough to be able to run from a Z-Wave Appliance module.

Visually, it looks a lot like this: Hot Water Circulator Pump - Grainger

3

Thanks, Guessed!

I think I will go with one of the stick on options.

And it’d be great if you could send me the info about your recirculator. Also, is there a z-wave appliance module you’d recommend? I haven’t looked into those at all yet.

We’re just using the PoE switch for the cameras. I’m not even sure what whole home networking switching is… And they just finished putting up the drywall, so I can’t (easily) add more wiring now. But they put up a fair amount for the cameras, but those wires will be used for the cameras.

4

I just set a phone reminder on the pump model, so I should be able to grab it tonight.

Note that the specific model/volume (etc) are probably more dependent upon how much volume of water is needed to be pushed around, and how far it has to be pushed. You might want to have a pro recommend that for your specific situation, since the specs will likely be different.

To control it, I’m currently using one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/GE-45604-Technology-Outdoor-Lighting/dp/B0013V8K3O/ref=pd_sim_hi_4

Nothing special, it’s just what I had spare at the time.

I'm not even sure what whole home networking switching is
Normally, when you wire up a new house, they put Ethernet drops into each room. They'll wire a bundle of connectors for stuff like Coax, Telephone and Internet. These are usually pulled back to some sort of Structured Wiring Closet somewhere in the house like the Garage, the Master closet, a Hallway closet (etc)

All these Ethernet cables need to be terminated at this spot, and they’re terminated with a Network switch. If the Switch is only 10/100, then the [theoretical] max speed you’ll get between things in the house is 100Mbs.

This is a drag if you start pulling large files around the house (like backups) and/or view a lot of videos, since this becomes the choke/throttle point for things talking to each other.

I’d assumed this is why you were buying a 24port switch… but that switch was only 10/100, … kinda the price you pay for having it PoE enabled.

5

Thanks again, Guessed.

I’ll have to ask about the network switch.

I’m new to pretty much allll this stuff. I was just getting the PoE switch for the PoE cameras. I asked our electrician if that would be OK. He said not to get it, and we’re getting this one instead: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003KPHYBA/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 He said that one is OK.

6

I’m not familiar with that particular Netgear model, but not sure you really need SFP’s in a residential application. If you don’t, and you only need a smaller # of PoE ports, you may be able to use something simpler like this model (4 PoE instead of 8, and no SFP’s):
http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-ProSafe-Gigabit-Ethernet-GS108PE/dp/B004C3ZPEW/ref=pd_sim_e_2

I doubt most home users would need the SFP’s (Fiber) anytime soon, so it’s no real loss… and the other part depends upon how many PoE devices you plan to hang off it.

eg. how many cameras?

In my case, I have one [test] camera, that uses a single PoE injector/splitter setup. This config is done outside of the Switch itself, so I can run cheaper Netgear GS108 (non PoE) switches in my wiring closet, like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-ProSafe-GS108-Gigabit-Desktop/dp/B0000E5SES/ref=sr_1_5

These often come on special for a lot cheaper

…but I can do this because I only have one (test) camera. If you’re going to have a farm of them, then the other switch you’ve listed would be better than buying a string of [one off] PoE injectors like I have.

One thing to absolutely check in all this is that the “PoE” moniker means the same thing on both the switch (eg. Netgear), and on the device (eg. Foscam). There is a lot of stuff out there that runs “Power over Ethernet” but using DIFFERENT conventions (voltages, wiring). You need to ensure that both ends are using the same convention/standard (eg. 802.3af)

If not, it can be akin to plugging a 110v (only) appliance into a 240v socket in another country… it’s very exciting for a very short period of time :wink:

7

To add to @guessed previous feedback, have a look at the Foscam bundles which for very little additional cost on top of the Cameras (2) includes the Switch. See:
http://foscam.us/bundle-deals/foscam-elite-indoor-poe-bundle.html

In relation to the Thermostat, I see that you have restricted the choice to z-wave enabled devices. There are alternative such as Nest or Filtrete 3M-50 which uses WIFI and both can be integrated with your Vera that you may wish to review as well.

8

Thanks, Guessed. I will definitely double-check that I have the right kind of switch.

Brientim – Thanks for the heads up on the bundles! And I limited my thermostat options to z-wave ones b/c I assumed it’d be easier to set up. If the other ones aren’t any more difficult to set up, do they have any advantages to the z-wave ones I’m considering? I see the Nest discussed a lot, but it’s very pricey!

9

ZWave is only the communication and this is limited. Both the other I mentioned use wifi and provided multiple connection both local and via a central server. Setup is simple for both:
add to home
Enrol wifi
Instal Vera plugin (add IP address)

As the Nest is not available where I live, I had the 3m-50 in my last house. It worked fine both using the American Thermostat website and locally (directly or via Vera). The 3m-50 can also use z-wave if you could get the module.

I still believe the Nest looks the best.

10

ZWave is only the communication and this is limited. Both the other I mentioned use wifi and provided multiple connection both local and via a central server. Setup is simple for both:
add to home
Enrol wifi
Instal Vera plugin (add IP address)

As the Nest is not available where I live, I had the 3m-50 in my last house. It worked fine both using the American Thermostat website and locally (directly or via Vera). The 3m-50 can also use z-wave if you could get the module.

I still believe the Nest looks the best.[/quote]

I agree – the Nest does look nice!! Are there any real functional differences between these thermostats? I know the Nest learns your habits. What about the others? Do they have any special features that would make me lean towards purchasing them over the others?

11

I can’t comment on the nest other than to say every comment I have read has been positive. It is definetly leading capability but is it required or not is individual POV.

I have always thought of Thermostats as program, set and forget and really ever adjusted the program side of the it. It was more the occasional slight adjustment that I performed, but I lived most of my life in the tropics so it was rather constant and never had that requirements. Others would have more sound advice on thermostat then I.

Below is a link to a review of the 3m-50 which can be purchased very cheaply and readily available on eBay.

http://www.hanselman.com/blog/ReviewAndInstallationFiltreteTouchscreenWiFiEnabledProgrammableThermostat.aspx

12

Regarding your cameras, I recently upgraded my home cameras to 1 megapixel cameras, and LAN traffic can become an issue.

I run Blue Iris DVR software on a win7 PC. I highly recommend it. The live camera views are viewable in Vera, and it has an excellent IOS app for great remote viewing of live and recorded images.

I have four of the Dahua IPC-HFW2100 (I have the Costco Q-see version) POE cams. For pan/tilt, I have a TRENDnet PoE Day/Night PTZ Internet Camera (TV-IP672PI 1mp cam. I also have a foscam 8910 PT which I will replace in the future.

The foscam 640 resolution uses somewhere in the range of 2-3 megabits of bandwidth. A 1mp camera uses about 20+ megabits.

For switches, I use a combination of:

ZyXEL ES1100-8P Unmanaged 10/100Mbps 8-port Switch with 4 PoE port $66.99
TRENDnet TEG-S80G Unmanaged 10/100/1000Mbps 8-Port Gigabit GREENnet Switch

Since the POE switches are 100mb, and each 1mp cam uses about 20mb, you should only have 4 per switch (my switches have 4 POE ports). Each of my two 100mb POE switches is plugged into the gigabit switch, which is plugged into my Airport Extreme. If you keep them chained like this, you’ll be fine. I have no problems with 5 1mp cams and a foscam, plus dozens of other networked items.

13

Ok, finally got around to climbing into that corner of the garage.

The Recirculation pump being used is a Grundfos UP10-16BU.

Looks like there are a bunch of models in the range, so plenty to pick from depending upon the type of capacity you need in your specific use.

14

[quote=“Intrepid, post:12, topic:175966”]Regarding your cameras, I recently upgraded my home cameras to 1 megapixel cameras, and LAN traffic can become an issue.

I run Blue Iris DVR software on a win7 PC. I highly recommend it. The live camera views are viewable in Vera, and it has an excellent IOS app for great remote viewing of live and recorded images.

I have four of the Dahua IPC-HFW2100 (I have the Costco Q-see version) POE cams. For pan/tilt, I have a TRENDnet PoE Day/Night PTZ Internet Camera (TV-IP672PI 1mp cam. I also have a foscam 8910 PT which I will replace in the future.

The foscam 640 resolution uses somewhere in the range of 2-3 megabits of bandwidth. A 1mp camera uses about 20+ megabits.

For switches, I use a combination of:

ZyXEL ES1100-8P Unmanaged 10/100Mbps 8-port Switch with 4 PoE port $66.99
TRENDnet TEG-S80G Unmanaged 10/100/1000Mbps 8-Port Gigabit GREENnet Switch

Since the POE switches are 100mb, and each 1mp cam uses about 20mb, you should only have 4 per switch (my switches have 4 POE ports). Each of my two 100mb POE switches is plugged into the gigabit switch, which is plugged into my Airport Extreme. If you keep them chained like this, you’ll be fine. I have no problems with 5 1mp cams and a foscam, plus dozens of other networked items.[/quote]

Thanks. I will get Blue Iris.

The TrendNet camera is significantly more expensive than the Foscam one. I’ll have to think more about what I really need…

And this is what you have for outdoor? http://www.costco.com/.product.100042811.html 12 cameras is way more than what I need, but the price seems to be good – and I assume I can use them inside, too?

So, you can’t just use the Gigabit switch for all cameras?

15

Ok, finally got around to climbing into that corner of the garage.

The Recirculation pump being used is a Grundfos UP10-16BU.

Looks like there are a bunch of models in the range, so plenty to pick from depending upon the type of capacity you need in your specific use.[/quote]

Thanks, I totally appreciate it!!

16

[quote=“greenhighlighter, post:14, topic:175966”]And this is what you have for outdoor? http://www.costco.com/.product.100042811.html 12 cameras is way more than what I need, but the price seems to be good – and I assume I can use them inside, too?

So, you can’t just use the Gigabit switch for all cameras?[/quote]

Those are analog cams.

http://www.costco.com/Q-See-High-Definition-720p-2-Pack-IP-Cameras.product.100003461.html
is what I have. they’re POE IP cams with 1mp resolution.

Here’s an IP 4 camera system with DVR. these are the same cams, so the DVR is basically $100. A pretty good deal but I don’t know how the software works…or if it will be viewable by vera.
http://www.costco.com/Q-See-4-Channel-HD-Digital-NVR-with-1TB-Hard-Drive-and-4-HD-720p-IP-Cameras.product.100003211.html

17

[quote=“Intrepid, post:16, topic:175966”][quote=“greenhighlighter, post:14, topic:175966”]And this is what you have for outdoor? http://www.costco.com/.product.100042811.html 12 cameras is way more than what I need, but the price seems to be good – and I assume I can use them inside, too?

So, you can’t just use the Gigabit switch for all cameras?[/quote]

Those are analog cams.

http://www.costco.com/Q-See-High-Definition-720p-2-Pack-IP-Cameras.product.100003461.html
is what I have. they’re POE IP cams with 1mp resolution.

Here’s an IP 4 camera system with DVR. these are the same cams, so the DVR is basically $100. A pretty good deal but I don’t know how the software works…or if it will be viewable by vera.
http://www.costco.com/Q-See-4-Channel-HD-Digital-NVR-with-1TB-Hard-Drive-and-4-HD-720p-IP-Cameras.product.100003211.html[/quote]

And how do you connect them to Vera?

18

[quote=“Intrepid, post:12, topic:175966”]Regarding your cameras, I recently upgraded my home cameras to 1 megapixel cameras, and LAN traffic can become an issue.

I run Blue Iris DVR software on a win7 PC. I highly recommend it. The live camera views are viewable in Vera, and it has an excellent IOS app for great remote viewing of live and recorded images.

I have four of the Dahua IPC-HFW2100 (I have the Costco Q-see version) POE cams. For pan/tilt, I have a TRENDnet PoE Day/Night PTZ Internet Camera (TV-IP672PI 1mp cam. I also have a foscam 8910 PT which I will replace in the future.

The foscam 640 resolution uses somewhere in the range of 2-3 megabits of bandwidth. A 1mp camera uses about 20+ megabits.

For switches, I use a combination of:

ZyXEL ES1100-8P Unmanaged 10/100Mbps 8-port Switch with 4 PoE port $66.99
TRENDnet TEG-S80G Unmanaged 10/100/1000Mbps 8-Port Gigabit GREENnet Switch

Since the POE switches are 100mb, and each 1mp cam uses about 20mb, you should only have 4 per switch (my switches have 4 POE ports). Each of my two 100mb POE switches is plugged into the gigabit switch, which is plugged into my Airport Extreme. If you keep them chained like this, you’ll be fine. I have no problems with 5 1mp cams and a foscam, plus dozens of other networked items.[/quote]

I know this is a dead thread, but What are your settings for your Dahua Cams?

19

no special settings other than 10FPS set in the camera.

20

Hi GreenHighLighter,

How did your install go? Any surprises?

You mention SunSetter Shade, did you figure out how to transmit the RF commands for UP and DOWN?

I have two SunSetters and currently building out my BOM using your config as a starting point.

Ols