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Posted by in2dadark on November 1, 2009, 2:23 pm
> There no doubt that houses are getting "smarter" all the time. =A0More an=
d
> more new homes are coming with goodies like alarm systems, intelligent
> controls for HVAC, pools and sprinklers and even devices to monitor power
> consumption in real time.
> I've seen a lot of very expensive and complex systems to manage the
> functions of "smart homes" but I've never come across something as small,
> powerful and inexpensive as this unit:
> http://www.cainetworks.com/products/webcontrol/
> I've cross-posted this in comp.home.automation and alt.home.repair becaus=
e
> I've seen a lot of posts about monitoring house conditions like temperatu=
re
> remotely in both groups. =A0I was first alerted to the product in a =A0th=
read
> about USB home control in CHA. =A0In that thread:
> _USB module for monitoring multiple on/off switches_
> http://groups.google.com/group/comp.home.automation/browse_thread/thr...
> Marc Hult recommended this device instead as a much more practical way to
> "communicate" with your house remotely than USB devices connected to a PC=
.
> It took me a while to find the secret URL and I don't give cainetworks an=
A+
> for website design - this product doesn't even show up on their "Product
> List." =A0They seem to be a server load balancing company and I would gue=
ss
> they built this thing for themselves as a service tool and then began to
> realize it had other applications.
> I have no interest in the company, other than as a customer and it's too
> early to tell whether I am a happy customer or not!
> WebControl interests me for a number of reasons: =A0it can automagically =
send
> emails to a PC or a cell phone when a looked-for condition occurs, assumi=
ng
> you've got a constant internet connection. =A0This condition could be a
> furnace failure, an out-of-bounds temperature, water on the floor or any
> number of other events that can sensed electronically.
> It's got plenty of inputs - it can accommodate a Honeywell humidity senso=
r,
> up to eight Maxim DS1822 /DS18B20 12bit 1 wire temperature sensors, eight
> digital inputs, three analog inputs and 20 different timers. =A0It seems =
from
> my Google searches that these are popular with cigar lovers (to keep thei=
r
> treasures at constant temps and humidity) and in-home horticulturists
> growing various "herbs."
> My first project will be a sensing project, too: =A0I'm hoping to use it =
to
> continually monitor how much power the whole house uses in real-time. =A0=
I've
> read about a number of test projects using "smart meters" and they all
> pretty much say the same thing: =A0People who know how much power they ar=
e
> using at any one moment will end up reducing their average monthly
> consumption.
> I've got some tiny current sensors that I will attach to the main power
> feeds to the circuit panel, hopefully so artfully that an inspector might
> never notice they're there. =A0(Yes, I know the evils of mixing high and =
low
> voltage gear and I don't recommend anyone but an insane person with total
> contempt for life and the law even contemplate copying my actions!)
> These tiny (1/4" sq.) Hall-Effect (HE) sensors generate a small electric
> current proportional (well, proportional enough for me) to the current
> flowing into the house from the main feeders. =A0This unit should enable =
me to
> see the current current use from any PC on the home network. =A0I should =
even
> be able to rig up an LED bargraph display that shows the real-time power
> consumption of the house with another $2 worth of parts.
> The unit has three 3 1023 bit analog inputs (0-10v) that should be able t=
o
> accurately measure the HE sensor voltage level and take an action (light =
a
> bargraph LED, ring a chime, etc) when the voltage becomes greater than a
> pre-determined level. =A0Perhaps the hardest part is going to be accurate=
ly
> matching the output level of the sensor to the actual home electrical pow=
er
> consumed. =A0If I can't get a helper with a walkie talkie, =A0I can tempo=
rarily
> mount a wireless CCTV cam outside pointing at the electric meter so I can
> tabulate meter readings and how they correspond to the sensor output as I
> add more and more loads. =A0I will start with all the breakers off, but w=
ith
> lights, etc. left on so that as I flip each breaker on, the load increase=
s.
> That way I should have a scale that gives me a pretty good idea of the ju=
ice
> flowing through the circuit panel.
> I'm going to make notes as I go along, paying particular attention to the
> level of technical skill required to implement it. =A0I'm afraid it's goi=
ng to
> be high enough to make it a techie-only solution. =A0But looking through =
the
> manual
> http://www.cainetworks.com/manuals/webcontrol/WebControlUserGuide2-03...
> gives me at least a little hope that this unit may be simple enough that
> with a little advice, a fairly low-tech user could implement a simple sys=
tem
> that could, for example, send them an email if their freezer or refrigera=
tor
> temperature rises out of the food safety zone. =A0Ironically, that's why =
I
> ordered the board (my fridge tripped the GFCI) but once I read the manual
> and the specs, I realized it would probably make a good and cheap whole
> house power monitor.
> Previously, devices like this cost close to $200, so to my mind it's a gr=
eat
> bargain.
> The part that I haven't quite figured out about whole house power monitor=
ing
> is this: =A0What's the best way to notify residents that the house is bur=
ning
> kilowatts without being so =A0intrusive that they'll just shut it off? =
=A0There
> has to be some sort of override, too, because there will be some days in =
the
> dead of a very cold winter that the consumption will peak.
> --
> Bobby G.
Anyway I can use it to monitor a vacation home 1200 miles away? I'm
not sure what this unit does.
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