Thoughts on home automation?

robpaige

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Join Date
Jun 2011
Location
Wisconsin
Posts
78
Seems like all of the uses of PLCs are in industrial settings. I remember reading an article a year or two back that discussed the pros and cons of home automation, and a couple of the major cons were the high price for equipment, and the need to constantly upgrade as components became obsolete. I can't help but think that PLCs might be well suited to the task, that with a couple of small HMI devices and a PLC you could automate a house pretty easily. Of course, if it's that simple, but isn't being done, that probably means there's something I'm missing. What do you guys think?
 
The problem is always that if you have a controller in one room how do you connect it to a relay in another, you will end up running a lot of wires. PLCs in the house are great for discrete projects but I think they will become cumbersome for whole house automation.

Google X10 +"home automation".
 
I considered that. Best way to implement it, if you're gonna go wired, would be to incorporate it into new construction, or install pieces of it as you remodel an existing structure. I did look at the X10 stuff, and yeah, I'm probably re-inventing the wheel here. That said, I don't see why we couldn't set up wireless communications between a room, and the PLC. Is it that the modules don't exist?
 
It ends up (usually) being much simpler, less expensive, and more connected to use a standard home-automation system. Z-Wave for example has devices from many different manufacturers for virtually anything.

Lighting, entertainment, security, door locks, cameras, thermostats, even lawn sprinklers. On top of that, they have simple to use software for PC control, or smartphone control and monitoring...Babysitter shows up at the house and you need to let her in? Check the door video to make sure who it is, and unlock the door for 30 seconds from your smartphone.

Hooking all that up to a PLC just isn't worth it.
 
Rob in new construction it would work very well I think. I would run conduit for future changes.

The big objection that I must agree with is
WHEN you sell the house who is going to know how to service it? Your local contractor may not and if he does I think that is going to cost.
So if your house purchaser is smart he may not want your house because of servicability issues.

Dan Bentler
 
The problem is always that if you have a controller in one room how do you connect it to a relay in another, you will end up running a lot of wires. PLCs in the house are great for discrete projects but I think they will become cumbersome for whole house automation.

Google X10 +"home automation".

Nah

I got Clogix with Point I/O over ethernet IP in the house it is flexible easy to expand and works like a champ.

Advantech panel PC running FT View ME for controls in each room.

Now it's time to start on the outside.
 
Nah

I got Clogix with Point I/O over ethernet IP in the house it is flexible easy to expand and works like a champ.

Advantech panel PC running FT View ME for controls in each room.

Now it's time to start on the outside.
Man, there must be some dollars tied up in that setup, licensing costs too...
 
I don't know the situation in the US of A, but here in Europe you have to deal with different standards of approval for industrial installations and residential installations. Approval for residential installations is harsher than for industrial installations because untrained people get in touch with it. PLCs are approved for use in industrial installations, but not for residential use. If you want to use a PLC to automate your home, your bound to use only 24V applications or use approved relays between the PLC and the loads. And these don't come cheap!

Domotics components are approved for use in residential installations, so you don't have to worry.

Kind regards,
 
Nah

I got Clogix with Point I/O over ethernet IP in the house it is flexible easy to expand and works like a champ.

Advantech panel PC running FT View ME for controls in each room.

Now it's time to start on the outside.

Honestly, I wouldn't do that even if someone gave me the hardware for free when there are so many better solutions.
 

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