First foray into HA

I agree with you that wireless has its downfalls. However, unlike wifi, aware uses an infinitesimal amount of bandwidth. Also, my understanding of is that zwave (unlike wifi or LWRF) both broadcasts, relays and receives messages. Therefore, the more zwave products you have the better range you can achieve. Unfortunately, I have found no golden bullet through the forums in the lighting arena. Even the likes of Lutron have their very vociferous detractors.

However, I'm hoping that a combo of zwave and comfort will work for me.

As for wired vs. wireless I think that you are very right in saying that wired is more secure. Budget not being an issue I would probably would have gone for velbus or the Like.

Fibaro have socket relays. As for aesthetics, zwave has several dimmers that sit behind the switch. This means that you can get all sorts of switches to your own liking. Having said that, LWRF are definitely not bad looking.

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Originally Posted by Wexfordman

This is where the dualtec sensors will work well for you. I had same problem in our living room, except it was the fire/stove that was setting it off. I swapped it for a dualtec sensor and nevet had a problem since. They are more expensive, so you prob dont need them everywhere, just where you expect problems such as sunlight and heat from fires etc.



Cats tend to jump around, I have dogs, so no cat problems :-) I have a room in the house also,, which is not armed, so if dogs remoain inside when we are out, this is where they are.



This all depends on the room you are in and how it is being used. If it is a lving room, you could perhaps use a combination of extended timers based on different events. Motion would not be the only trigger for an event, for example, if you can use IR recepttion from the telly, you could flag the room as occupied for a longer period. I havnt done this yet, but plan to, and will prob do it with velbus IR I think, although could use cimfort IR input either.

I think some times you have to be realistic, in that this wont work in every room. For now, I dont use it in the living room, but I have most other rooms set to trun off after a timer runs out. The kitchen does catch us occasionaly, I dont use it in the dining room, or hallway either, but use it on rear lihts, corridoor lights and bedroom lights.

It works best for me in the two bathrooms, which I will explain below



Absolutely, I use the door sensor to trun the light on, start an off timer, and then a second command when the PIR goes off (and door is closed) which pauses the off timer. This only works if you ensure your doors are always closed, and this is easily solved with a spring loaded internal recessed automatic door closer. Cost about 10 euro and easy to fit. I have this system in en-suite, main bathroom and utility room, and it works very well. Again, door closers wont suit every room, but where they are suited, I would recommend getting them fitted.

For this reason I would wire internal door sensors to all the doors,, and implement it as and when you get to know what works for you over time. Its cheap to run a bit of cable, and using the recessed sensors, nothing will be visible.

The automatic door closers also prevent lights comming on un-neccessarily as people wlk past rooms etc with doors open, which used to happen regularly with our ain bathroom until I fitted this.

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I think I still don't get it. I understand why you use the door closer (great tip, thanks). But what is the added value of having the internal door sensors. Isn't the PIR enough? I must be having dim moment.

, scenario 1, pir only in bathroom

1)walk in to bathroom, pir detects motion, turns light on and a timer starts which will turn light off after 3 mins if no motion detected.
2) You are..... Seated.....following a previous night of a few too many pints of the black stuff!!
) 3 minutes later, off go the lights requiring you to wave frantically to set the pir off and turn the light on.

Scenario 2,pir and door sensir

1) opening the bathroom door triggers the door sensor which turns on the bathroom light as you enter the room, and starts a 3min timer to turn off the light again.
2) as you cross the bathroom floor the door closes behind you and the pir detects motion. The pir detecting motion with the door closed causes the 3 min timer to pause.
3) You relax and take as much time as is needed to complete your task....
4) You arise from your warm seat after a relaxing 8 minutes, sort yourself out and leave the room.
5)as you leave the room through the door, the door sensor starts the countdown timer to shut off the light after you have left.


That's the general idea, but of course the other point is the door sensor will make sure the light is on as you enter the room, as opposed to the pir which would delay it significantly and you would be almost seated by the time the light comes on!

Thank you very much, I think I got my thick scull around it this time. It does sound like a much more robust system.

However, I am quickly seeing that I'm going to be running out of inputs into my system on this basis of even the LM03 (which gives me a max of 24 inputs). The drawback of the LM03 is that if you use this board you cant expand in the future with slave units. So you are pretty much capped at 24 inputs. Whereas if I use the LM01/2 I can have up to 64 inputs. Do you know if you can have more than one LM01 or 02 together with the control unit or are you then obliged to get a slave unit?

Also do you know if I can wire all the smoke detector to one input? Can I daisy them around the house and only use one input? according to my builder this would have two benefits :1) if one goes off all the alarms throughout the house will ring in the event of a fire, 2) I would only use one input. The obvious drawback is the the system itself would not know which one triggered the alarm. How would you power this circuit.

In this scenario would you be able to use the alarms in your smoke detectors as the internal alarms for Comfort rather than having to buy a separate alarm?

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Originally Posted by Lab-art

Thank you very much, I think I got my thick scull around it this time. It does sound like a much more robust system.

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:-) From experience, I can tell you it works much better with a combination of sensors to add a bit of logic to whether a room is occupied or not. I had a few years of people complaining about being on the throne for more then 4 minutes and having to wave to get theligths back on :-)

Again, I dont think its suitable for every room, but I would cable out each room anyway.

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Originally Posted by Lab-art

However, I am quickly seeing that I'm going to be running out of inputs into my system on this basis of even the LM03 (which gives me a max of 24 inputs). The drawback of the LM03 is that if you use this board you cant expand in the future with slave units. So you are pretty much capped at 24 inputs. Whereas if I use the LM01/2 I can have up to 64 inputs. Do you know if you can have more than one LM01 or 02 together with the control unit or are you then obliged to get a slave unit?

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Your spot on with the LEM03, and I think the lem01/2 is the better way to go, I prob woudl have done it that way myself, but figured 24inputs was enough for me at the time. I think only one lem01/2 can be put into the main panel, after that a SEP is needed,but I think this is prob only a physical/power limitation.

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Originally Posted by Lab-art

Also do you know if I can wire all the smoke detector to one input? Can I daisy them around the house and only use one input? according to my builder this would have two benefits :1) if one goes off all the alarms throughout the house will ring in the event of a fire, 2) I would only use one input. The obvious drawback is the the system itself would not know which one triggered the alarm.

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Yep, I reckon you can. I have 1 12v smoke detector, go it a few months back but havnt put it in yet. You would need to either parallel themor series them,dep on if they are n/o or n/c relays. From a wiring perspective, personally, I would wire each one back to a central location, and then do the combining there, rather than run a cable between each one, leaves more options open to you later if you decide to change things.

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Originally Posted by Lab-art

How would you power this circuit.

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If they are 12v, then I would power them from comfort, assuming you are not exceeding the load, but if you are getting a SEP, then that should not be a problem I reckon.

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Originally Posted by Lab-art

In this scenario would you be able to use the alarms in your smoke detectors as the internal alarms for Comfort rather than having to buy a separate alarm?

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Doubt it, and I prob would'nt anyway.

Ref Using Smoke Detectors as alarm units - in theory, if they have the ability to trigger the remaining smoke detectors once one has triggered, then you should be able to replicate this (+ve or -ve trigger) through Comfort.

However, this activity kinda negates the role of the Smoke Detector in alerting you to a potential fire, plus I imagine you would be using this activation signal facility to allow Comfort to alert on detection area (that is if you are not combining all detectors)

Thanks for your replies.

I think that I will for for an extra ringer so that it is heard throughout the bottom floor if there is an intruder.

On the comfort system if I use one of the door stations with camara (expensive - I know, but the boss, my wife, for once, likes the idea) do you know where the video feed goes to? In otherwords, can you view it on the iOS app or is it on a TV? I haven't been able to find it anywhere in the litrature and for some reason I don't think that the touchpad KT06 has the resolution for it.

I reckon it would work if you connected it to both an input and output. My 240v alarms just have a single link cable - presumably if it sees a voltage it alarms/if it alarms it makes the line live. However, response to fire should be grab clothing and get family and get out. Intruder would be rather different. Internal ringers are cheap and small so better to keep separate.