Author Archives: afulki

Old Adage (Wayne Dalton Z-Wave Thermostat Review)

Posted on October 25, 2010 by afulki

They say “You get what you pay for” and that unfortunately seems to be the case with the WDTC-20, I had hoped the issues I had with the first one was just a case of it being a lemon, however … Continue reading →

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Z-Wave Thermostat

Posted on October 15, 2010 by afulki

On Wednesday I had my first hardware failure, the Wayne Dalton Z-Wave thermostat died, 4 days after I installed it. The guys at SmartHomeUSA were great, I had bought the thermostat a couple of months ago but hadn’t had time … Continue reading →

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Remote Automation

Posted on October 15, 2010 by afulki

I am currently testing the HS Touch Server and PI-IPHONE-IPAD plugin, along with the iPhone/iPod Touch application. The combination of these three pieces of software allow me to remotely control the HomeSeer system. HS Touch, this is an interface module that … Continue reading →

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HomeSeer

Posted on October 12, 2010 by afulki

I chose HomeSeer for one reason, it supports connection to my Napco alarm system. While there seems to be a thriving community of HomeSeer users, the development of the Napco plugin has stagnated. However I hope to remedy that in … Continue reading →

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Light Control

Posted on October 12, 2010 by afulki

As mentioned previously I went with Z-Wave  technology and have purchased a number of dimmers to take control of the lighting. Last year when I went searching I found Leviton had nice looking and reasonably priced dimmers at Lashen Electronics. … Continue reading →

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Network

Posted on October 12, 2010 by afulki

At the heart of the network  is a D-Link 24 port Gigabit switch, this ties together all the computers, satellite components, Apple TV, home control system and various other ethernet equipped hardware.

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Structured Wiring

Posted on October 12, 2010 by afulki

I mentioned in a previous e-mail that I was not a fan of coax, nor of telephone wires. So when designing the wiring for the house I decided on a different approach.

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Z-Wave

Posted on October 12, 2010 by afulki

From Wikipedia: Z-Wave is a proprietary wireless communications protocol designed for home automation, specifically to remote control applications in residential and light commercial environments. The technology uses a low-power RF radio embedded or retrofitted into home electronics devices and systems, such as … Continue reading →

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The House

Posted on October 12, 2010 by afulki

About the house, a local builder was developing new houses as phase 2 of an existing estate. Our house was to be the first in a block of three, and as it turns out the only ranch style on the … Continue reading →

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Home Automation

Posted on October 12, 2010 by afulki

Introduction: The home automation category of this site is to detail and record information relating to the wiring and home automation of my new house. Projects I have completed that control aspects of every day living, trials and tribulations along … Continue reading →

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