Ok, so I was at Radio Shack yesterday, and I saw the Sylvania starter package on clearance for $80, which is $50 less than I've seen it anywhere else online - so I bought two.
Anyways, last night I went home and started plugging stuff in and here are my first impressions. Keep in mind this is my first experience with home automation, so all the conclusions I've reached are from that point of view.
Setup was a snap. Plug a module in, set the remote to learn, push a button. That's it. I assigned each module to it's own group so that they could be controlled individually. Then I was able to name each group in the remote fairly easily by scolling through the alphabet incrementally. It took a little while to do this, but fairly easy I suppose for a device with no QWERTY keyboard.
The modules I got gradually turn on and off, which produces a very pleasent (sp?) effect, and saves bulb life. Response is instant, and it hasn't missed any commands, or returned errors.
Scenes are just as easy as groups, but you don't have to separate groups to give them different scene dimming properties. Each module is again individually assigned to any number (up to 64 I think) of scenes. You set the dimming level by holding the button on the modules. Scenes are set instantly and choreographed together - IE: all the lights in a scene turn on/off together, not in a sequence.
I've ordered the USB bridge so I can integrate Housebot, but I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do at first. I have to look into this and see what I can accomplish, but the direct dimming ability of these modules will for sure come in handy.
Things I've noticed in general, ie: not specific to zwave but automation planning in general.
1. Some lights are better left un-automated, like bed-side lights.
2. Remotes are hard to find in the dark, so I'm going to have to get the multi-tap wall-switches if I expect my fiance to let me install these everywhere.
3. I can't wait for there to be a z-wave motion detector. I can really see why people use these. I might just have to bite the bullet and use Housebot as a bridge for an x-10 wireless motion detector.
Questions I have about automation w/ Housebot in general -
1. Is it possible to use wireless x-10 switches and dummy x-10 devices to control my z-wave modules? ie: have a switch turn on/off an x-10 device that doesn't exist, and have a task copy that action to a zwave device.
...and the $24,000 question:
2. How have people sold the automation idea to their spouses? Mine's less than excited right now.
Thanks so much!
Z-wave 1st Impressions
With HouseBot, you absolutely can. I have a wireless X10 switch (communicates like an X10 motion detector) that transmits to a W800RF receiver attached to HouseBot. I then have Tasks setup to turn on my ZWave lights (and X10 lights) when the switch is hit.1. Is it possible to use wireless x-10 switches and dummy x-10 devices to control my z-wave modules? ie: have a switch turn on/off an x-10 device that doesn't exist, and have a task copy that action to a zwave device.
If all goes well, this should help your lifestyle and be quick to embrace by anyone. There are usually some hiccups when you are first getting things setup and figured out. My wife likes the idea that accent lights turn on and off automatically for example. She also can't live without the feature where HouseBot will send caller ID info received at the house to her phone when she is out.2. How have people sold the automation idea to their spouses? Mine's less than excited right now.
Scott
ScottBot wrote:With HouseBot, you absolutely can. I have a wireless X10 switch (communicates like an X10 motion detector) that transmits to a W800RF receiver attached to HouseBot. I then have Tasks setup to turn on my ZWave lights (and X10 lights) when the switch is hit.1. Is it possible to use wireless x-10 switches and dummy x-10 devices to control my z-wave modules? ie: have a switch turn on/off an x-10 device that doesn't exist, and have a task copy that action to a zwave device.
So it's actually possible to use one dummy x-10 device to trigger an entire lighting scheme? Very cool.