I have not had the need to mess with my Idratek system for a while - has it has worked well and has been stable. However, circumstances dictate that I have to make some changes, hence questions...
I may have to move house in about 12 to 18 months. The way the house has been wired up, there are no conventional light switches. I do have CAT5 running to where light switches used to be and we have Idratek switches, but lights pretty much turn on and off depending on how we use the room, and only in a few rooms do we use the Idratek switches. I will therefore have to leave things as they are, but not sure how any subsequent owners will find Idratek. Currently, Cortex is running on an Epia with Windows XP (!), and I had not really needed to upgrade either the machine or Cortex. It is rackmounted in the garage and on the odd occasions (after brownouts, which we do get every now and then), I have had to VNC in to restart Cortex. Trying to convince any new owners that this is not too difficult a task may be difficult! I have considering replacing the system with either Loxone or KNX as I believe I ought to be able to re-use my CAT5 cabling, but I do think Idratek is a much better system and will regret dismantling it if I do end up living here a few more years. Hence, questions and advice....
1. Is there an Idratek installer who may be able to take over the system and support / remote configure for any new owners? This would mean that I can keep the system as it is and don't need to spend money to replace it.
2. If anyone has considered moving away from Idratek, would KNX or Loxone be a better substitute? I think if I were replacing the system, I would have to go with an installer, rather than DIY, for support later.
Now, a few other questions...
3. If I remember correctly, Karam did mention sometime ago about a firmware module which works like a super reflex? Is there such a module or one planned? This would mean that all the clever stuff can sit in a box with just a web interface for the stats etc and a Windows laptop will only be required for configuration. Is this is a possibility? This would remove reliance on a Windows machine running Cortex and ought to make transferring to a new owner an easier experience.
4. My current AUI is working as a glorified doorbell only. I had been wanting to get DFP-H02s (I would want to get 6 - 8 !), but held off as I was hoping there would be a module which would make use of the video. I have recently been playing with Google Home minis but they are a disappointment as they do not work properly with our GSuite accounts, but the broadcast facility has become indispensable to get the kids downstairs. Is it possible to use the minis as an audio interface to Cortex and to allow two-way communication with the AUI? Maybe Alexa? Alternatively, can the DFP-H02 integrate with Google Assistant or Alexa such that it then becomes the interface? This would be a killer function!
5. Our electric UFH is not as yet fully integrated with Cortex. It is currently only on and off via Cortex as I never found a way of integrating the floor temperature sensor with Cortex. Is there a way of doing this?
Any thoughts / advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
I may have to move house in about 12 to 18 months. The way the house has been wired up, there are no conventional light switches. I do have CAT5 running to where light switches used to be and we have Idratek switches, but lights pretty much turn on and off depending on how we use the room, and only in a few rooms do we use the Idratek switches. I will therefore have to leave things as they are, but not sure how any subsequent owners will find Idratek. Currently, Cortex is running on an Epia with Windows XP (!), and I had not really needed to upgrade either the machine or Cortex. It is rackmounted in the garage and on the odd occasions (after brownouts, which we do get every now and then), I have had to VNC in to restart Cortex. Trying to convince any new owners that this is not too difficult a task may be difficult! I have considering replacing the system with either Loxone or KNX as I believe I ought to be able to re-use my CAT5 cabling, but I do think Idratek is a much better system and will regret dismantling it if I do end up living here a few more years. Hence, questions and advice....
1. Is there an Idratek installer who may be able to take over the system and support / remote configure for any new owners? This would mean that I can keep the system as it is and don't need to spend money to replace it.
2. If anyone has considered moving away from Idratek, would KNX or Loxone be a better substitute? I think if I were replacing the system, I would have to go with an installer, rather than DIY, for support later.
Now, a few other questions...
3. If I remember correctly, Karam did mention sometime ago about a firmware module which works like a super reflex? Is there such a module or one planned? This would mean that all the clever stuff can sit in a box with just a web interface for the stats etc and a Windows laptop will only be required for configuration. Is this is a possibility? This would remove reliance on a Windows machine running Cortex and ought to make transferring to a new owner an easier experience.
4. My current AUI is working as a glorified doorbell only. I had been wanting to get DFP-H02s (I would want to get 6 - 8 !), but held off as I was hoping there would be a module which would make use of the video. I have recently been playing with Google Home minis but they are a disappointment as they do not work properly with our GSuite accounts, but the broadcast facility has become indispensable to get the kids downstairs. Is it possible to use the minis as an audio interface to Cortex and to allow two-way communication with the AUI? Maybe Alexa? Alternatively, can the DFP-H02 integrate with Google Assistant or Alexa such that it then becomes the interface? This would be a killer function!
5. Our electric UFH is not as yet fully integrated with Cortex. It is currently only on and off via Cortex as I never found a way of integrating the floor temperature sensor with Cortex. Is there a way of doing this?
Any thoughts / advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
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