Holiday home heating control over the internet

[dkleeman]

I would welcome advice about controlling a holiday home heating system via the internet. The house has permanent broadband internet and is in a poor area for mobile coverage. It does have a Vodafone Sure Signal femtocell so mobiles devices will work but really the signal is going over the internet.

There is an underfloor heating system with a proprietory controller, which is hard to replace, but it can be overridden with a single relay that will effectively enable or disable the system.

I have seen SMS control boxes that have two relays in them and tell you their status. This is an option, if I use Vodafone, but I thought it might make sense to try to get the same simple functionality using the internet. I do not really need to put automation anywhere else in the house, so I think that I am after a simple internet gateway that can switch a couple of relays and let me know the status. If it could tell me the temperature of a wireless thermometer too that would be a bonus.

I was wondering if Z-Wave could do this with a Mi Casa Verde Vera Lite - Z-Wave / Internet Gateway, a Fibaro FGS211 Switch Insert and an Everspring ST814 Temperature / Humidity Detector?

Or mabybe there is something simpler like the Global Cache iTach IP2CC Wired TCP/IP to Contact Closure/Relay (link).

Does anyone have any advice?

[crossposted in Z-Wave forum]

[bailers]

A simple Ethernet relay board connected to your router should do it. Would be a lot cheaper than the zwave route unless you want to automate other stuff.

These people sell a variety of options:

http://www.controlanything.com/

I have never used their products but have made enquiries and the response has been positive.

Regards

Chris

[dkleeman]

Thanks Chris. Looks interesting.

[tomkent45]

I have some friends who have use control anything before and they had nothing bad to say.

[nickolaus]

I have heard only positive responses as for this. Nothing bad to say.

[boilerandspares]

I think you can connect Ethernet relay board or for more information you can visit visit this site http://www.boilerandspares.co.uk/