Wireless lighting control

[smoothquark]

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]

>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 ...

[smoothquark]

>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.

[chris_j_hunter]

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 ...

[smoothquark]

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...

[Karam]

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...