Wireless lighting control

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  • smoothquark
    Automated Home Sr Member
    • Oct 2009
    • 69

    Wireless lighting control

    Hi! Does anyone know if it is possible to control outdoor lights using either a wireless module or somehow through a powerline type device? I have a detached garage converted to a granny flat about 15m from the house. When it was converted, the previous owners installed a lamp post as well as lights for the gates, but controlled with light switches in the annexe. This is, of course, a pain! There is no way for me to get an Idratek cable across to the annexe, but the power to the annexe comes from the main house itself, through a breaker. I am currently using a wifi repeater for wifi access, but might try and get a powerline device for wired ethernet (assuming it would work through the breaker). It would be fantastic if there was a wireless idratek module!
  • chris_j_hunter
    Automated Home Legend
    • Dec 2007
    • 1713

    #2
    >no way for me to get an Idratek cable across to the annexe ...

    how about a more circuitous route, between house & annexe - if not with the mains supply, straight across, how about in a pipe let into the garden - distance maybe doesn't matter ?

    or, perhaps, without a cable, using some of the Rako kit ...
    Last edited by chris_j_hunter; 6 November 2013, 12:13 AM.
    Our self-build - going further with HA...

    Comment

    • smoothquark
      Automated Home Sr Member
      • Oct 2009
      • 69

      #3
      Originally posted by chris_j_hunter View Post
      >no way for me to get an Idratek cable across to the annexe ...

      how about a more circuitous route, between house & annexe - if not with the mains supply, straight across, how about in a pipe let into the garden - distance maybe doesn't matter ?

      or, perhaps, without a cable, using some of the Rako kit ...
      There is really no option to get a cable across without a lot of cost! With money, anything is possible! A circuitous route would take about 50m - might be hitting cable length limits?

      1. X10 - I had forgotten about X10 - it is a type of powerline technology, afterall!
      2. LightwaveRF - sounds possible, but I don't think I can get Cortex to interface to it. Not sure how reliable the RF is either.
      3. Wifi enabled energy saving light bulbs - might be an option.

      If only idratek packets can be modulated within TCP/IP packets in a module. I can then use a powerline ethernet device and plug the module in.

      Comment

      • chris_j_hunter
        Automated Home Legend
        • Dec 2007
        • 1713

        #4
        just a thought, but .. when we needed to run IDRANet out to the shed, not having planned or made provision to do it, we threaded cables (Cat-5e STP IDRANet, Cat-5e UTP Ethernet, Cat-6 Ethernet) into a redundant water pipe that ran from house to shed ...
        Last edited by chris_j_hunter; 6 November 2013, 11:17 PM.
        Our self-build - going further with HA...

        Comment

        • smoothquark
          Automated Home Sr Member
          • Oct 2009
          • 69

          #5
          Originally posted by chris_j_hunter View Post
          just a thought, but .. when we needed to run IDRANet out to the shed, not having planned or made provision to do it, we threaded cables (Cat-5e STP IDRANet, Cat-5e UTP Ethernet, Cat-6 Ethernet) into a redundant water pipe that ran from house to shed ...
          I am thinking about it - currently the water to the annexe comes from the main house. We might apply for a separate water supply, and I can then use the current piping. Hence, the "cost" I mentioned previously. I do need to explore lighwaveRF a bit more - looks like I might just get it to work...

          Comment

          • Karam
            Automated Home Legend
            • Mar 2005
            • 863

            #6
            Don't know about lightwaveRF, but I can probably help you with a HomeEasy genre solution. Believe it or not but we do have some radio transceiver 'development' products which have ben gathering dust for a few years... One such should allow you to control a HomeEasy device. If you think this might help contact me for further detail.

            As for IDRATEK - IDRATEK over TCP/IP, well of course this has existed almost from day 1 in the form of the Cortex bridge object, but not very practical for small situations since it requires Cortex at both ends. Yeah, I know what you're going to say about porting to linux...

            Comment

            • toscal
              Moderator
              • Oct 2005
              • 2061

              #7
              Another wireless solution would be enocean. This has the added advantage of not using batteries in the local transmitters. The button press generates the electricity required to transmit the signal.
              You may find these links of interest


              EnOcean provides valuable data for a sustainable Internet of Things (IoT) with its resource-saving energy harvesting technology.






              http://shop.loxone.com/enuk/enocean-extension.html (you will of course need the Loxone miniserver as well)
              IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.
              Renovation Spain Blog

              Comment

              • smoothquark
                Automated Home Sr Member
                • Oct 2009
                • 69

                #8
                Originally posted by toscal View Post
                The button press generates the electricity required to transmit the signal.
                Can't work - the whole idea is not to use a button....

                Comment

                • smoothquark
                  Automated Home Sr Member
                  • Oct 2009
                  • 69

                  #9
                  Originally posted by Karam View Post
                  Don't know about lightwaveRF, but I can probably help you with a HomeEasy genre solution. Believe it or not but we do have some radio transceiver 'development' products which have ben gathering dust for a few years... One such should allow you to control a HomeEasy device. If you think this might help contact me for further detail.

                  As for IDRATEK - IDRATEK over TCP/IP, well of course this has existed almost from day 1 in the form of the Cortex bridge object, but not very practical for small situations since it requires Cortex at both ends. Yeah, I know what you're going to say about porting to linux...
                  I wasn't even going to mention linux.... I was tempted though. I would be very interested in the HomeEasy - I did think about it, and to use a DIO to control a transmitter type device - cannot remember which one now... I would be interested on your "development" product. Shall email you separately.

                  Comment

                  • toscal
                    Moderator
                    • Oct 2005
                    • 2061

                    #10
                    Did you look at the links then, as you don't need the buttons and you can have it all controlled via a Loxone miniserver and extension module. And then control it via a smartphone or any web browser.
                    Last edited by toscal; 12 November 2013, 08:51 PM.
                    IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.
                    Renovation Spain Blog

                    Comment

                    • chris_j_hunter
                      Automated Home Legend
                      • Dec 2007
                      • 1713

                      #11
                      wonder if there's a simple IR approach that could work more affordably ?

                      ie: Idratek includes IR capabilities, usually used with remote's & AV equipment, so maybe a simple (but secure) IR relay could be a way to do this, hopefully with a range of codes, so could have several such relays in a room ...

                      but do such relays exist ?


                      PS: found these :

                      Independently control two relays rated up to 24Vac/dc, 1A with an infra-red remote control (not included). Toggle or Momentary selection for each channel. 12Vdc powered. Ultra compact...


                      Compact 2-button IR keychain remote designed for use with Velleman MK161 IR Relay Board and most IR receivers. Range up to 15m. 16 channels (multiple transmitters in one room)...


                      but .. are they compatible with Idratek ?
                      Last edited by chris_j_hunter; 12 November 2013, 09:26 PM.
                      Our self-build - going further with HA...

                      Comment

                      • Karam
                        Automated Home Legend
                        • Mar 2005
                        • 863

                        #12
                        Originally posted by toscal View Post
                        Did you look at the links then, as you don't need the buttons and you can have it all controlled via a Loxone miniserver and extension module. And then control it via a smartphone or any web browser.
                        I think the situation here might be the requirement to integrate with an existing IDRATEK system. In comparison to the Loxone etc. it might actually work out cheaper to run a second IDRATEK setup and use Cortex bridge between the two, which would achieve the proper automation integration aspect and of course consequently also provide the whole range of IDRATEK features such as snartphone and web browser control/interrogation/data logging etc. But I think this will be overkill for one light.

                        There is possibly a marginal reliability benefit to using enOceon by virtue of it using the more tightly regulated 868MHz band, but I think it is otherwise similar to the likes of HomeEasy, lightwavRF and so on in terms of using unacknowledged communication protocols relying on multiple message copies to try and counteract message loss. None of these is great for deeply automated systems like IDRATEK's which can also have high message volumes, hence our reluctance to introduce interfaces to such beyond our early foray into X10 and Rako. Zwave and Zigbee are better but still some issues for us. So for the time being a simple radio gateway to the former might be the most practical.

                        Comment

                        • Karam
                          Automated Home Legend
                          • Mar 2005
                          • 863

                          #13
                          IR possibly has some security advantages in the sense of lower leakage out of rooms and vice versa, but of course conversely the disadvantage is that you generally need a transmitter in the same room and message loss due to obstructions more likely. Having said that of course some people do use IR to operate fans and AC units from the system. The lack of acknowledge or even bidirectional data tends to make these sort of operations a bit risky without human feedback, but its not much different for the simplistic radio protocols either. However Cortex can help to improve reliabilty by regularly re-asserting states and under some circumstances its verification logic might be useable through some serendipitous sensor.

                          Comment

                          • chris_j_hunter
                            Automated Home Legend
                            • Dec 2007
                            • 1713

                            #14
                            >some people do use IR to operate fans and AC ...

                            would be good to know which IR devices or protocols people have had success with ...

                            the Vellemann units previously linked-to are not expensive, but would they talk the right language ?

                            we have some lights for which this approach might be our only way !
                            Our self-build - going further with HA...

                            Comment

                            • chris_j_hunter
                              Automated Home Legend
                              • Dec 2007
                              • 1713

                              #15
                              just to add that yesterday we noticed this :

                              Browse our full range of products from dressing tables to complete modern kitchens. Click here to find the right IKEA product for you. Shop online and in store today.


                              difficult to make-out much detail, but seems possible it could be adapted to make something that could be commanded from Cortex ...
                              Our self-build - going further with HA...

                              Comment

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