Hi,
I am hoping somebody can help me get a grip on this problem, I'm going to be moving house in the next three or four months, I want to get it as automated as possible because I am quadriplegic and flicking switches is obviously quite difficult!
I've done quite a lot of reading around the subject, but I have no direct experience with any of the different protocols; so it would be pure guesswork if I were to start buying equipment now.
The equipment would be ideally controlled from OS X, the voice recognition and other accessibility software I used to control my computer are based on OS X you see.
The areas I am looking to automate are, in order of importance:
Front door entry system
I have two main use cases, if I automate nothing else in the house, the front door is an absolute must.
Use Case 1:
when somebody rings the front door bell, I can use my computer and a connected CCTV camera to see who's there; and if I decide they are not a serial killer, let them in.
Use Case 2:
As I approached the door from either inside the house or outside, the door will automatically unlock and open. I was thinking maybe some sort of RFID fob in my wheelchair, or maybe even pattern recognition using CCTV camera above the front door.
Lighting
Simply turning lights on and off, dimming and different colours are possibility; disco mode might make my wife kill me!
Heating
Simple control of a thermostat,
Windows and curtains
Opening and closing windows and curtains
Home theatre and stereo
This is probably the one I need the least help with, at the moment I have Mac Mini server serving up dubious choices in music and terrible TV shows from the 90s :-)
So, any help that anybody can provide would be gratefully received.
Thanks in advance!
I am hoping somebody can help me get a grip on this problem, I'm going to be moving house in the next three or four months, I want to get it as automated as possible because I am quadriplegic and flicking switches is obviously quite difficult!
I've done quite a lot of reading around the subject, but I have no direct experience with any of the different protocols; so it would be pure guesswork if I were to start buying equipment now.
The equipment would be ideally controlled from OS X, the voice recognition and other accessibility software I used to control my computer are based on OS X you see.
The areas I am looking to automate are, in order of importance:
Front door entry system
I have two main use cases, if I automate nothing else in the house, the front door is an absolute must.
Use Case 1:
when somebody rings the front door bell, I can use my computer and a connected CCTV camera to see who's there; and if I decide they are not a serial killer, let them in.
Use Case 2:
As I approached the door from either inside the house or outside, the door will automatically unlock and open. I was thinking maybe some sort of RFID fob in my wheelchair, or maybe even pattern recognition using CCTV camera above the front door.
Lighting
Simply turning lights on and off, dimming and different colours are possibility; disco mode might make my wife kill me!
Heating
Simple control of a thermostat,
Windows and curtains
Opening and closing windows and curtains
Home theatre and stereo
This is probably the one I need the least help with, at the moment I have Mac Mini server serving up dubious choices in music and terrible TV shows from the 90s :-)
So, any help that anybody can provide would be gratefully received.
Thanks in advance!
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