Front door

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  • chris_j_hunter
    Automated Home Legend
    • Dec 2007
    • 1713

    Front door

    'wondering how to do the front-door with Idratek ...

    at the moment we have a normal door bell with simple push-button, which is OK & works well, in that the bell is loud enough & the button can be pushed repeatedly, with rvarious durations, to send messages (X or Y is home, help is needed to bring things in, crisis, visitor, etc) ... there's a canopy, so the button is reasonably sheltered from the weather ...

    but this is in the current house, and the new one will be larger, and we'd like to reach the garden (no Cat-5e, unfortunately), too ... so a bell by the door is unlikely to work, without being unreasonably loud !

    with Idratek, teh options would seem to be MFPs (inside, with just a button outside, which would keep it simple for visitors, and allow whoever answers the door to call around the house), an MFP outside, or one of the various button modules outside (one button to keep it simple, multi-button for other options) ...

    not sure if the sinlge button modules can work like a simple push & bell (for complex messaging) ... think not, but a multi-button module might allow a few options (one button for this, another for that) ... and might also allow different sequences to mean different things, if going via a user macro ...

    anyway ... has anyone used Idratek for the front door ?

    or, better still, for all doors (front, back, patio, whatever) ?

    of course, a video intercom arrangement could be good !
    Our self-build - going further with HA...
  • JonS
    Automated Home Guru
    • Dec 2007
    • 202

    #2
    We have the old door bell-push wired into a DI which is assigned as door-bell

    Unless you add additonal protection an MFP would be an expensive unit outside subject to someone taking a shine to it, swipe at it, weather ingress (esp the speaker) etc

    Not sure I understand the complex messaging requirement, are you meaning like morse-code?

    You could use cameras at doors, but where would you view them from?

    HTH
    Jon
    JonS

    Comment

    • chris_j_hunter
      Automated Home Legend
      • Dec 2007
      • 1713

      #3
      not morse code, but SWMBO & I have developed (subconciously) ways of communicating by the way we play the doorbell ...
      Our self-build - going further with HA...

      Comment

      • n07tv
        Automated Home Sr Member
        • May 2004
        • 52

        #4
        On ours I have the doorbell driving one of the many spare digital inputs.

        When pressed, it starts a macro which plays Big Ben chimes from an MP3 file throughout 4 MFPs and to ensure the person outside realises they have trigered something, the hallway light turns on.

        If the door is opened, this terminates the macro immediately (killing sound and turning off the lights). It works very well for our needs.

        I had at one time considered asking IDRATEK about audio input modules which would allow someone to leave a message should we be out. I have an outdoor PIR triggered light I wanted to use to trigger a camera, but I couldn't find a cost effective way of getting the video to the laptop.

        Neil.

        Comment

        • Viv
          Automated Home Ninja
          • Dec 2004
          • 284

          #5
          Door Bell

          Cortex has a built in door bell object. It will play the door bell sound through the MFP's. Allow cancel from any panel. Cancel playing on door open. Record in the History when it was pressed. Report to a message service when the door bell was pressed if the house was unoccupied. Therefore on return it will announce 'The door bell was pressed whilst you were out'. Also can trigger a camera to record person at the door.

          V.

          Comment

          • chris_j_hunter
            Automated Home Legend
            • Dec 2007
            • 1713

            #6
            Thanks ... pretty comprehensive - of course !

            I'm wishing I'd run Cat-5 in the garden (sitting-out areas, etc, some open, some covered) ... 'cos while we put mains power to a lot of places, having MFPs & other modules in some of them, too, would be good !
            Last edited by chris_j_hunter; 15 March 2008, 10:29 AM. Reason: mains power already
            Our self-build - going further with HA...

            Comment

            • chris_j_hunter
              Automated Home Legend
              • Dec 2007
              • 1713

              #7
              >couldn't find a cost effective way of getting the video to the laptop ...

              aye - maybe just a snapshot would do, rather than video, perhaps with retake option, on request, and small-ish screen, too, to limit bandwidth, then maybe Idratek could do it, with an appropriate module (?)
              Our self-build - going further with HA...

              Comment

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