Q&A: what all will i need to get going other than an Omnipro II starter kit to automate my house?

Question by Tight Dude: what all will i need to get going other than an Omnipro II starter kit to automate my house?
i understand this is a vague question but let me explain. I'm building a metal build with a house in half and a shop in the other i will have 2200 sq ft of house (2 stories) and a 30x30 shop i want to be able to control all my lights (fixtures and lamps) my heating and air and i would like to run about 6 security cameras. also if possible i would like to integrate it into my lock so i can lock and unlock my doors with the remote. as far as media stuff goes i will take care of that separately unless someone has a fairly cheap good way to integrate the two systems. in my shop i would like to control the lights a few big fans and the garage door opener. now i know each house is unique and it may be hard to put a price on such a vague setup but will someone try I'm trying to get a general idea of the cost even if you can't put a price on it can you list some of the other things i will need other then the starter kit. like for example do i need special sockets and/or light switches. what kind of wire do i need is it costly or some kind of special wiring only for these type projects anything along these lines are the questions i have. since i plan on installing the system my self no dealer really wants to help me so that is why i going to the GREAT internet for answers. if nothing else please refer me somewhere like a forum or something where i may be able to find the answers to my home automation needs thank you all so much in advance for any help you can give. sorry the question was so long.


Best answer:

Answer by neogeek79
You'll probably spend about $ 5-10,000 in materials depending on how many cameras and touchscreens and lighit loads you install. HAI makes switches that communicate using Universal Powerline Bus, so you can use that to interface with your OmniPro and control your light loads. You'll need an Omnistat to replace each of your thermostat. You'll also need a few extra boards for your OmniPro II. An expansion card with about 8 cold contacts will control your door locks and garage door openers and a video touchscreen hub will provide you with the inputs for up to 6 video cameras and outputs for up to 8 video touchscreens that can display your security cameras. It's a big and expensive project and it's going to take several hundred hours of installing equipment, wiring low voltage equipment, and programming the system. I installed an OmniPro II with a lot of the same equipment that you're talking about, so email me if you have further questions: neogeek79 yahoo com

Also, I bought about $ 20,000 worth of equipment from Home Controls for my project and they have a technical support staff that are generally very happy to provide support to people who are buying their equipment. It sounds like you're a quick study, so they'll probably be willing to answer your questions. Make sure you get set up as an installer in their system so that you can get pro pricing which is 10-40% less than their normal jacked up prices.

What do you think? Answer below!