ZWave Automation: The Solution Based Approach
It's true that home automation can seem like an unnecessary luxury or a waste of money at times. I mean, do you really need to have every light in your house automated?
There is, however, a far more practical approach to common household problems.
It's called the solutions based approach. Rather than automate your whole home just pick one or a few things you'd like to have automated.
Examples of the solution based approach may include:
- automated garage door that automatically opens when you arrive home and alerts you if left open when no one is home
- integrated security systems which can incorporate lights into your alarm system
- smart climate controller which you can adjust using an app on your phone
The following is a case study for a Vera application:
I have a customer who lives in a city apartment and keeps his wine collection in a storage area in the building which is kept constantly air conditioned.
The customer was concerned that if the air con failed all his wine would be spoiled before he could do anything about it.
The solution? I simply installed a Vera edge device and connected it to a z-wave sensor. As there was no wired internet available I installed an Optus 3G broadband dongle wired to a tiny router which feeds data to the Vera unit.
