Adding standby appliances to Zwave

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  • Frankyfish
    Automated Home Lurker
    • Dec 2014
    • 2

    Adding standby appliances to Zwave

    Hi all!

    First post and new to home automation but really eager to invest time and money in this now after accident/surgeries has left me with long term mobility problems.

    I've started with handful of Z wave dimmers, on/off sockets, and an Aeon usb stick. I'm running inControl software (free, not convinced I'll stick with it looking for good alternatives), tasker (love it) and autovoice. This has already made my life alot easier with heating, lighting, boiler....

    My next task is to try include appliances into the network. My washing machine, dryer dish washer all "turn on" but only to a stand by mode. Then a setting is picked and the true "start" begins once a button is pressed.

    I've seen Z wave appliance modules out there but these seem to do little else but monitor wattage and provide standard on/off control than actually interfacing with the units they're plugged in to. Am I wrong?

    So how could I do this? Would it require whole new connected appliance? Start soldering into the electronics? I hope there is an easier way. Couldn't seem to get a clear answer online, hope you guys can help me out ;-)

    Thanks for reading this!

    Drew
  • kwatt
    Automated Home Jr Member
    • Jan 2004
    • 21

    #2
    Hi Drew,

    I'm afraid that there is no easy way of doing what you need and, with good reason for the most part.

    Domestic appliances and automation are more about the ability to monitor rather than to control as, you have to put laundry into it, the detergents etc then select the relevant program or setting required for that task, load etc. In the absence of any way whatsoever to do that manual part using automation (robotic butlers aren't here yet) then automating the program start is a bit of a senseless feature.

    The only thing you really see is a delayed start that I always tell people that use it for overnight control is not a good thing. Reason being, if something goes off the rails then there's nobody monitoring it. For example, if the washer started to overfill continually (rare, but happens enough to worry about it) then it'd just put water all over the floor until it was manually switched off or, the water gets deep enough to blow the trips.

    This is in part why you don't see this sort of thing in the appliance industry.

    Hope that makes sense.

    K.
    Sometimes you get the best light from a burning bridge - Don Henley

    Comment

    • Vangelis
      Automated Home Guru
      • Sep 2009
      • 131

      #3
      Berg (http://bergcloud.com/case-studies/cloudwash) did a case study into a Cloud controlled Washing Machine whereby the electronics sat in-line with the control bus and monitored / replayed command sequences (controlled via the Cloud)

      I know they sold the Dev boards last year, but their blog states they have canned the project. This would be the way forward however, unless the likes of Samsung etc provide and open API for their Smart White Goods product range

      As for flooding, I am sure the likes of a strategically placed sensor such as Fibaro, combined with a SureStop water cutoff system would give you adequate protection

      Vangelis

      Comment

      • Frankyfish
        Automated Home Lurker
        • Dec 2014
        • 2

        #4
        Thanks for the quick replies guys.

        I get your thinking kwatt, it does apply especially to washers. In my case I often forget to push the button on the washing machine or dryer to start and go out and hour or so later and find the load still undone. With movement at a bit of a premium for me I would ideally love to just load the machine the walk off and an alert would trigger perhaps starting the machine for me.

        Also having the ability to select settings spin type, wash type depending on weight load, time of day (access cheaper electicity) resume on powerloss, and completed alert make me feel that this could still be worth while for the manufacturers to add.

        But then that brings us to the ugly side of home automation, proprietary tech. They likely wouldn't want a competing tech and would create yet another profile :-(

        I'm off to start blueprinting my robotic maid :-D

        Drew

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