I have some progress to report! I made a mess!
See attached:
That mess looks kinda tame sir 
Yeah, that’s only the part I’m not too embarrassed to show publicly! The utility room where all of the gear resides is still in utter despair despite many hours down there trying to make sense of the mayhem. I drive a station wagon. I had to make a trip to the land fill especially to deal with the profusion of trash generated by this project. One of the associated costs of home automation I guess. I really hate packaging.
So I managed to get just about everything mounted to the board and got most of the wires semi neatly organized. The patch panel was a nightmare! I put that one off as long as I could stand. I don’t know how people do that kind of thing for a living. I screwed up by ordering 6" patch cords instead of 1’ so now I have about 3 dozen too short cables sitting in a pile. Oops. The result is that I had to coil up some of the 10’ cords I got (I got PLENTY of them) and tucked them in behind the switch/panel. Otherwise most turned out pretty well. One or two of the cables was a tad too short so now opening the door doesn’t work as well as I’d hoped. When I ran the few original wires when we bought the house I had planned on wall mounting a small bracket for the networking on the wall to the left so I didn’t leave a ton of slack. Later as I ran more wires I started to second guess this and left a lot more. I originally had these hog wild ideas of getting a full size rack. Why? Beats me. This was in the 2 TB HDD days and I had ideas of daisychaining a ton of cases for storage off of my file server. Those days are gone. I like rack mounting because it’s orderly but I can’t imagine I’d ever be able to fill an entire rack.
In this whole process I replaced the insanely loud fans on my Norco case for the file server. The first time I fired that thing up I plain broke out in laughter, it was so ridiculously loud. I used some fan controllers for the past few years to temper the damn Delta’s in the back but they still screamed and the bank of other 80MM fans inside were going full bore. I put some Noctua 80MM fans in the back, replace the fan bracket with one that takes three 120MM fans instead then put some quiet fans on it that I had lying around. Enloball maybe? I don’t know. Nothing fancy but they do move air and are dead silent. Now the switch is by far the loudest thing in there. Well, it’s actually the only thing in there making any noise at all. I immediately had thoughts about replacing it with a fanless unit but I don’t think there are any good fanless layer 3 switches out there. And besides, that switch has server me very well and will probably continue to do so for many years to come.
I then tried to tackle the alarm programming. While I must say that programming the alarm is convoluted bordering on stupidity I can see how the process is the vestigial remains from the days of programming without a screen. I think I’ve got the hang of it now though. I first fired it up in front of this video here: - YouTube
and basically copied what he does. I then downloaded their quick start guide (I have attached a copy for folks in the future), or whatever it’s called, and reading it gave me deeper understanding of the whole process. After that I was able to actually be able to read the manual. Oh, and I must give credit to the many insightful descriptions folks on the forum here and diyalarmforum have given of the whole process. I must give an extra special thanks to johnfdl for his highly informative post found here: [quote=“johnfdl, post:98, topic:174399”][/quote]
Can’t direct link to posts on this forum? WTF? : I’m surprised we can even post here. Oh wait. I forgot. About 30% of the time we can’t because the browser times out before a page loads.
So I got two ceiling mounted motion sensors up in my kid’s playroom on the same zone (for future reference, sensor wires in series and power in parallel. I had a confused as hell moment trying to figure that one out.) . One is a dual tech Visonic ($60) deal which works like a champ and the other is a Paradox DG467 PIR ($15 + shipping) which Strangely turned me on to. The Paradox unit is bigger but on the surface seems to be about as accurate. I’m still waffling on other motion sensor for the rest of the house. The ones I want are around $50 per (http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-382-dx-40-optex-infraredmicrowave-detector.aspx)or I can get some which are less fancy (DSC LC100PI) for $50 for 6. 1/6 the cost is pretty big. If anyone has any input there I’d greatly appreciate it! I’m poor and trying to keep up with my hobby but not if it means much less sensitivity. I’m using motion detectors to turn lights OFF not ON. I understand many people here are of the opposite mind but the Mrs. seems to hate all things HA related so all I can justify to her is using this to basically clean up after the kids, who love to leave every frik’n light in the house on whenever they can.
I also installed an outdoor motion detector in the back yard. This is a blast! I just got this up and running yesterday. I’m testing it out with messages upon motion via Vera Alerts before I go whole hog and have the back yard speakers start threatening people until I have faith in it’s robustness. Then… Oh then. I’m all ready to have it tell people who are in the yard while I’m away or asleep all kinds of ridiculous things. I think an ambient voice warning an intruder that they have been detected and that they are being recorded is better security than any sign on the front lawn. More to come on that once I’m comfortable with it’s performance, which has been rock solid to this point.
The next alarm system project, which will take place tomorrow, is to ditch the POS! Everspring door sensor I use for my bed sensor and replace it with a zone on the DSC panel. That Everspring POS! is the bastard child of my HA system. If you’re reading this and have questions about these door/window sensors the simple answer is a resounding “No”. Please save your money! I have half a dozen of them and they suck! I can almost taste the day when my bed sensor works properly for more than a month.
OK. I just lost steam. More to come!
Woah! Just taking some time (long overdue) to, you know, actually pay some attention to the responses people have made.
AgileHumor your setup is pretty intense. Not sure really where to begin. I guess I begin with a dropped jaw. Yep.
So the video follows you from room to room? How accurately does it turn off the video in the room you just left?
The TTS engines have been improving with each successive release to Android.
I will try to put together a Windows Service for Vera Alerts LAN.
Should be pretty easy.
Jesus!
Sounds good Odysseus.
Oh. BTW, see attached:
Wow, those pics are night and day for making the system manageable over the next few years. Well done!
I’m currently using VOX Commando for TTS . Would have used Richard’s awesome project, but sadly I don’t have any android devices. Just a little LUUP code here fires TTS:
http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,17175.msg161428.html#msg161428
and with WMC
http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php?topic=22854.0
I also use VOX Commando for limited speech control too (not just TTS). I’ve mocked up a limited Star Trek computer personality here:
Lastly, video comes from central source so it’s easy for the program to roam with you (8x HDMI splitter goes to all the TV’s). So just like the lights, the TV’s turn off when there is no motion. Ausio is Russound so it normally is instant while the TV takes a few seconds When nothing playing on the HTPC (I have 8TB of content with a WMC/MediaBrowser front end), the screensaver kicks on for a digital picture frame.
http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,17175.msg161428.html#msg161428
Bedrooms and living rooms have Roku or Xbox 360 on a second HDMI, which can watch independent media via MediaBrowser, (but can’t roam outside the room. I’ve only watched this 3 times in 6 months (not regular use case) as the lady and me watch similar programs…and I get to work on my new HA hobby when Downton Abby comes on.
I’m super excited you got the time and resources to get the wiring “closet” in order. You’ll now suffer the least amount of anguish when you upgrade over the years with planned and unplanned upgrades. I’m super jealous of the amount of room you have for your HA. I think the WAF increases when it’s neat and orderly.
Well, since I got no more feedback I decided to go for the DSC LC-100-PI 6 pack for $50. Can’t beat the price. You could probably beat the performance though. Beat it with a bat! Once some time goes by with them in service I’ll let you all know how it pans out. I also ordered a few dozed 1’ patch cords. Clean the place up a bit more. If anyone needs some 6" patch cords they’re yours free + shipping. I ALSO picked up an Aeon micro dimmer for my daughter’s room. Even though she’s 13 she’s still really attached to this Tinker Bell wall plate for her light switch. So I have no other option. I’m really glad Aeon Labs (or whatever they call themselves now : ) make this product. They stand out with this one. All the rest of their stuff seems to me a solution looking for a problem as there are far better options.
Sorry man, I don’t have a panel 
That is sooo cheap though. Now I know why folks go with a panel.
Yeah. No matter how much they suck, they CAN’T suck as much as Z-Wave motion sensors!
Sorry to all those out there happily using Z-Wave motions.
I tried that route. Got burned.
Wire>Wireless!
Motion sensors all over the place is rad! I’ve got them doing all kinds of things for me. Mostly turning lights off when lazy people, Uhh, I mean my loving family, leave them on. But! When the Mrs. isn’t about I have them turning lights on for me as I move around. If it’s after a certain time I have them come on really dim as I don’t use lights much when I’m alone. Aside from lights I’m going to use them to determine the occupancy status of the house in general so it can shut things down and the like.None of this is trivial since I have absolutely no programming skills at all and it’s amazing that I can even find the power button on my PC! I wish the GPS reporting on phones was more accurate so I could reliably use that also but alas, they suck for such work. Mine reports me in places I"VE NEVER EVEN BEEN! multiple times a day! I used to have it flip a miltiswitch indicating that I was far away if I was more than 70 miles from home and it would flip it when I was sitting In My House! The kicker is that when I’m using it for driving directions there’s no problem. The phone doesn’t suddenly start showing me a map of a town 100 miles away or anything like that.
Enough complaining… For now at least!
I’ve finally gotten to the point where I don’t need to follow a guide when programing the DSC panel.
Really it’s not all that complicated.
You press *8 to enter programming.
Enter 5555 as the installer code.
Then I type 001 to program zone “definitions”, which is alarm system jargon for “how you want the panel to use the data the sensor gives it”.
So you’re faced with two digits which indicate the default definition (definitions are defined by two digit numbers) for the first zone. Just enter your own numbers. There’s a comprehensive and only mildly cryptic list of all of these definitions in the manual.
Once you enter the numbers for a zone the keypad beeps and moves on automatically to the next one and doesn’t give you an indication of which zone you’re currently dealing with. You’ve gotta keep track of that kind of thing. PITA.
If you haven’t used all of the zones you 00 out all the rest.
Then hit # a couple times to get outta programming.
You also need to turn the zones you’re not using off and the ones you are using on. Yeah. I turned a bunch off and forgot this part. Was pissed that my motion sensors weren’t reporting to Vera. Wasted a good 20 minutes on that one. Woops.
You do this by getting into programming (*8 5555 and all) and hitting 202 for the first 8 zones. 203 for 9-18 and so on. The listed numbers represent the enabled zones. You toggle a zone by hitting it’s number.
Then hit # a few more times.
That’s about it really. There are of course a few more details for first time setup and so on but this is the meat of it. I was a tad intimidated by this before I actually started to do it. Mostly because people all over the place gripe about how complicated and unintuitive it is. Really not that bad. I guess A.) You can’t believe everything you read, and B.) you need to keep in mind things like the fact that many people can’t handle changing a light bulb or fastening a garden hose to the faucet.
Congrats on reaching that point, it’s a LOT of fun from here as you work out where to place all the “extra” sensors you never thought of before.
As someone here once said, if you touch the light switch you’re doing it wrong. Talk about setting the bar high, I don’t think I’ll ever get to that level. 
The “dim lights” thing, between certain times, is handy when you get out of your Bedroom in the middle of the night. It helps with the SWMBO if you set the to 20-30% so they don’t wake up
I had that until recently, since the Night-mode of the Nest Protects now provides enough lighting (only just)
I wish the GPS reporting on phones was more accurate so I could reliably use that also but alas, they suck for such work. Mine reports me in places I"VE NEVER EVEN BEEN! multiple times a day! I used to have it flip a miltiswitch indicating that I was far away if I was more than 70 miles from home and it would flip it when I was sitting [b][u]In My House[/u][/b]! The kicker is that when I'm using it for driving directions there's no problem. The phone doesn't suddenly start showing me a map of a town 100 miles away or anything like that.I was working on a project involving commercial GPS chips, and they had the same problems. We had occasional glitches where our tracking devices were showing up WAY out in the Pacific, and for periods of up to 20 minutes (at 2 min sample points, and long stabilization times). It's amazing how wrong these can be from time to time, even in the commercial stuff.
you need to keep in mind things like the fact that many people can't handle changing a light bulb or fastening a garden hose to the faucet.8)
Yeah that’d be a tricky one. Since I don’t use the lights very much it would be a real challenge. That is until that brain wave sensor that can detect your intentions hits the market at least. Isn’t that coming soon as an ELK panel module? Thos ELK folks get all the coolest toys, don’t they?
I was working on a project involving commercial GPS chips, and they had the same problems. We had occasional glitches where our tracking devices were showing up WAY out in the Pacific, and for periods of up to 20 minutes (at 2 min sample points, and long stabilization times). It's amazing how wrong these can be from time to time, even in the commercial stuff.
Thanks for the validation! People all over the HA world are horny for having their phones tied in for location purposes and I just scratch my head in sheer confusion. As far as I can tell it just plain isn’t reliable. I still have Tasker lock my door when I’m away, just in case and just because. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t do this more often when I’m home than actually away. A locked door is no big deal. The far away scene I had did things like turn the thermostat down to 50 degrees (stupid forum can cope with the degrees symbol!)! People were, every day! wondering why it was so cold in the house. :
The ceiling motion detectors aren’t working as well as I’d hoped. I think it’s because they’re mounted in my basement with low ceilings. Maybe 7’ 6" or so. It’s not they are unresponsive. In fact I do believe they are more sensitive than the DSC LC-100-PI’s. It’s that they don’t have as long a range.
The wall mount experiment is working out as well but they don’t seem to pick up the small movements as well as the dual tech ones. That’s fine for me for the time being. Got one mounted in my daughter’s room. If the lights keep turning off all the time maybe she’ll get tired of getting up to turn them off and stop leaving them on all the time, go to bed at a reasonable hour instead of dicking with facebook all night or maybe both! I can dream can’t I?! In reality she’ll probably just complain to the Mrs. about it and then I’ll have to sleep in the living room until I burn the motion sensor in public view. 
I presume that your daughter’s room door is closed most of the time… have I mentioned the ‘Wasp in a Box’ algorithm previously? Ah yes, I have: [url=http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,13920.msg105059.html#msg105059]http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,13920.msg105059.html#msg105059[/url]
All you need is a door sensor combined with your motion sensors in this way and you have a rock-solid ‘room occupied’ indicator.
Ahhhhh S-F, I feel your pain/pleasure. After all these projects give you ample of both. But hats off to you for a well done project. Nice to see all the details.
If you have interest/time, I documented my HA goings on as well. My McLLellend multi zone equipment arrives today to complete my project.
You can see at http://cocoontech.com/forums/blog/38/entry-426-its-all-up-and-running-minus-my-6-zone-sound-system/
I’m seeing the big light at the end of the tunnel now.
Cheers
[quote=“akbooer, post:36, topic:179989”]I presume that your daughter’s room door is closed most of the time… have I mentioned the ‘Wasp in a Box’ algorithm previously? Ah yes, I have: [url=http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,13920.msg105059.html#msg105059]http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,13920.msg105059.html#msg105059[/url]
All you need is a door sensor combined with your motion sensors in this way and you have a rock-solid ‘room occupied’ indicator.[/quote]
Yeah, well, she actually doesn’t have a door to her room. Much to her consternation. Long story. Also we mainly keep the doors inside the house open. It would need to be beam break sensors… in every doorway. Been thinking about that and I’ve yet to come up with an elegant solution. There are still plenty of opportunities for failure with the WIAB plan. At least given the current technology for detecting presence. Really until we have things like the Kinect in every room all tied in to a database we’re going to be limited. Even Ian Mercer says that sensor density is the most important factor.
I have been experimenting with how to threaten folks in the yard for a bit now. It’s a much better deterrent than the stickers people put in their windows. One bit to note though. Vera Alerts doesn’t speak “-” as dash. Didn’t say anything for that character. I had to add the word “dash”.
Trespassers be ware!
See:
[quote=“S-F, post:19, topic:179929”]The first thing I’m going to do when it’s all running is to make a scene which threatens people in the yard when I’m asleep or away.
“Presence has been detected in the back yard. You are being recorded. Execute protocol 49BZ-C”[/quote]
[quote=“bucko, post:37, topic:179989”]You can see at http://cocoontech.com/forums/blog/38/entry-426-its-all-up-and-running-minus-my-6-zone-sound-system/
I’m seeing the big light at the end of the tunnel now.
Cheers[/quote]
Dios Mio Man!
I tried looking at that on my phone! Nope. I can’t begin to comprehend that!
Jeez. You guys! Here I am feeling pretty good about myself for getting my wiring in order and I come to find out that other folks out there all over the place have gone so far beyond anything I can cope with . The stuff people have posted here is So Far beyond my skill level (Skills for doing nothing more than bundling wires up :P).
@ bucko, Gimme some time to properly digest you progress and I’m sure I will have more questions for you than you are willing to answer!