Building a smart home in the Costa Rican Rainforest

Posted on
Sat Jan 16, 2016 2:50 pm
Mattynew offline
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Joined: Jan 16, 2016

Building a smart home in the Costa Rican Rainforest

Hi guys

I hope everyone is having a great day. I was recommended to you after posting a similar thread on 'Smartthings'. I got some great advice which ended up with me here and I'm hoping that you might help me set up my jungle smart home. In a nutshell, my partner and I left the 'real world' and have been volunteering in the rainforest for the last 3 years at a place called 'Finca Bellavista' (http://www.fincabellavista.com). It's a beautiful jungle paradise were we all live in trees - thats the short version.

During that time we have been designing our dream home, again I will keep it short. It's designed to be completely off grid and to never cost us money (this is the short dream scenario version of the story). It is built of long lasting products, photovoltaic solar system. home biogas, superscreen, wood composite etc etc. Imagine the best of both worlds - the modern infused with the jungle, outside is paradise while inside is techy and comfortable. You can view more of it on the 'Fusion Home blog' (http://www.thefusionhomeblog.com/#!the- ... home/ur7go)

I'm going to get to the point here....HGTV is filming the construction of the home, woohoo!!! We start construction in 2 weeks and are estimating the build to take 4 months. During that time we have to find the coolest smart home system that is going to work seamlessly. We hope to have wifi but need to find a way to pick up wifi signal about 1 km away (we are high up with a clear shot - if anyone has any ideas, please help) but will pick up 3G. I'm hoping to rely on bluetooth more but from what I understand the technology is not quite there yet.

Here are the questions I asked Smartthings (but now we are talking zwave stuff with you guys and I'm way over my head)

Will the smatthings work in Costa Rica?
Do I have to be connected to the internet all the time to make them work?
Will they work in close proximity with no internet?
Weather is no issue, its always hot and we have screen, not windows. What gadgets would you recommend?
Is there a monthly fee? We don't want that

Any advice, ideas, support etc will be very much appreciated.

Thanks for your time guys!

Pura Vida

Matt

"Here are some of the responses I got from the other thread (smartthings)
There are a couple of other options that might be suitable, but I think indigo is the most likely match.

For one thing, in your situation I would want to feel confident that whatever you have installed would continue to run even if the company goes out of business or changes its product line. You don't want to be orphaned in the jungle in that sense. Of course, no electrical device runs forever, but cloud-dependent architectures can be turned off at any time, leaving customers with nonworking systems. One of the advantages of indigo is that since it is software that you download onto your Mac, it will continue to run even if the company disappeared.

When it comes to looking at light switches, again, in your situation, I would first look at the warranty. There is a significant difference in quality among the various switches available on the market. This is generally reflected in warranty. The device with a one-year warranty may be engineered to a lower standard then one with a five year warranty. Of course, the better engineered one will probably also cost significantly more. But evaluating that is a different situation for you then for someone who could just run down the street to a local Home Depot and buy a replacement.

But I'm sure you're making similar decisions for everything else you're putting into the house I just wanted to verify that the same is true in the home automation market. "



"One more thought: Zwave operates on different frequencies in different countries. A device or controller cannot change frequencies. So you have to make sure everything is on the same frequency as your controller before you buy it.

There is an "official" z-wave frequency for Costa Rica, but it is used by very few other countries and I'm not sure if it's required by law. Judging just from Internet postings, there are many people in Costa Rica using the US frequency instead, which gives them a much wider choice of devices.

So one of your first steps for z-wave will need to be to find out what frequencies are legally allowed at your location.

For example, in New Zealand use of the US z-wave frequency for home automation is illegal, because the same band is used in first responder radios. But in many countries it's legal to use the US frequency even if another is recommended first."



We really would appreciate any help you can give us

Thank you again

Posted on
Sat Jan 16, 2016 5:03 pm
DaveL17 offline
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Re: Building a smart home in the Costa Rican Rainforest

What a cool thing! I agree with the other advice that you want a system that is not dependent on the presence of the Internet in order to work. Indigo has many features made better by having Internet connectivity available, but it is not required for Indigo to function. I also agree that Z-Wave is probably your best bet. Unfortunately, I know nothing of SmartThings, so I can't help you there.

Good luck with the build!

I came here to drink milk and kick ass....and I've just finished my milk.

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Posted on
Sat Jan 16, 2016 7:37 pm
Korey offline
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Location: Henderson, NV

Re: Building a smart home in the Costa Rican Rainforest

Mattynew wrote:
We hope to have wifi but need to find a way to pick up wifi signal about 1 km away (we are high up with a clear shot - if anyone has any ideas, please help) but will pick up 3G. I'm hoping to rely on bluetooth more but from what I understand the technology is not quite there yet.
We really would appreciate any help you can give us

Thank you again


Have a look at the Ubiquiti line of point to point ethernet bridges, there are many that will suit your needs for a very reasonable price: https://www.ubnt.com/broadband/

They are also now providing PV panels: https://www.ubnt.com/sunmax/sunmax/

Indigo is your best bet for your HA controller, I have been running Indigo since the V3 days and have never ever had downtime, support here is better than you will find anywhere.

I would also be looking at Insteon products, they work exceptional well and are compatible with the 60HZ 120V power available in Costa Rica (not that it matters as you will be off grid)

Good luck! Sounds like a fantastic project!

Keep us updated!

--
Korey

Posted on
Sun Jan 17, 2016 8:53 am
howartp offline
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Location: West Yorkshire, UK

Re: Building a smart home in the Costa Rican Rainforest

Korey wrote:
I would also be looking at Insteon products, they work exceptional well and are compatible with the 60HZ 120V power available in Costa Rica (not that it matters as you will be off grid)

Even if off grid, I'm presuming a local generated electricity supply is in use - therefore you do still need to know what frequency and voltage your supply provides.


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Posted on
Sun Jan 17, 2016 1:34 pm
Mattynew offline
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Joined: Jan 16, 2016

Re: Building a smart home in the Costa Rican Rainforest

Hi Korey (I hope I'm doing this quote thing right)

[quote]Have a look at the Ubiquiti line of point to point ethernet bridges, there are many that will suit your needs for a very reasonable price: https://www.ubnt.com/broadband//quote]

Again, apologies for my lack of knowledge, I'm not trying to get you guys to do the work for me. I looked at the site, I love the solar panel set up. I just want to check if the wifi solution would work in my case. We have wifi at basecamp (log in with a code). My plan is to get a some kind of wifi antenna and point it in the direction of basecamp. I'm about a mile away with a clear line of site ( a lot higher up however). Is this something this company can help with?

With regards to the Indigo products, it looks like this might be my solution ( I will research the HA controller ) and I'm looking at the Insteon products now. Do you know if I have to be constantly connected to the wifi?

Thank you so much for the information. I will keep you posted for sure - follow us on the blog for now. I will update it soon!

http://www.thefusionhomeblog.com/#!the- ... home/ur7go

Thank you everyone for your help!

Posted on
Sun Jan 17, 2016 5:27 pm
Korey offline
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Location: Henderson, NV

Re: Building a smart home in the Costa Rican Rainforest

Mattynew wrote:
Hi Korey (I hope I'm doing this quote thing right)

Have a look at the Ubiquiti line of point to point ethernet bridges, there are many that will suit your needs for a very reasonable price: https://www.ubnt.com/broadband//quote]

Again, apologies for my lack of knowledge, I'm not trying to get you guys to do the work for me. I looked at the site, I love the solar panel set up. I just want to check if the wifi solution would work in my case. We have wifi at basecamp (log in with a code). My plan is to get a some kind of wifi antenna and point it in the direction of basecamp. I'm about a mile away with a clear line of site ( a lot higher up however). Is this something this company can help with?

With regards to the Indigo products, it looks like this might be my solution ( I will research the HA controller ) and I'm looking at the Insteon products now. Do you know if I have to be constantly connected to the wifi?

Thank you so much for the information. I will keep you posted for sure - follow us on the blog for now. I will update it soon!

http://www.thefusionhomeblog.com/#!the- ... home/ur7go

Thank you everyone for your help!


If you can get a ethernet line a the base camp, you can bridge the connection for under $200.00 for 450mbps , or half that for 150mbps, depends what you need for bandwidth.

The Nonobeam would suit your needs : https://www.ubnt.com/airmax/nanobeam-ac/ or https://www.ubnt.com/airmax/nanobeamm/ One at base camp and one at your home, think of it as a very long ethernet cable :D

Available on eBay quite cheap : http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R4 ... m&_sacat=0

Indigo on a Mac is the home automation controller. http://www.indigodomo.com/#trial

--
Korey

Posted on
Wed Jan 20, 2016 5:40 pm
Mattynew offline
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Joined: Jan 16, 2016

Re: Building a smart home in the Costa Rican Rainforest

Thank you so much for the information guys

. I've been in Panama the last couple days but have been researching non stop via my phone and think I've made some head way :smile:

I'm going to pre-apologise for my ignorance once again when it comes to this tech stuff. I am finally coming terms with the INSTEON and Z-wave stuff and have made some great connections leading to some great solutions.

So far I have confirmed that the ISY994iz. (http://www.smarthome.com/isy994izw-inst ... d-plm.html) will work as our hub and do so off-line, which is great news! I've also confirmed that the MobiLinc app - http://mobilinc.com/ will allow us to control the INSTEON (I think thats what we are leaning towards) products via a standard router and again we will not have to be online.

My plan (to date) is to install the INSTEON products during construction, meaning it will be hard wired into the mains. I'm still looking into it but it seems I can do this with some of their products. The house will be lived in by myself and partner and when we are away it will go in a home exchange so I'm not worried about checking in online (although if possible one day I will). I do want to pick up the wifi but from what I have read I need an Ethernet cable to plug into the hub. For now I just plan to pick up the wifi and use the smart home system internally.

Do you know if this means I can still use the cameras over the local network? Does anyone know if I'm limited to anything other than push notification, online access etc?

We hope to have motion lights for the bathrooms, ability to make sure all the appliances are off, control the blinds (So far I have decided on these guys -https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/move-motorize-blinds-and-shades#/), cameras for wildlife (if they work - night vision would be cool), door sensors etc (I'm still researching).

I think we are making headway, we still have time to perfect it before its time to put it on the show.

Thank you everyone for you input! It really is appreciated

Pura Vida!

Posted on
Wed Jan 20, 2016 7:03 pm
matt (support) offline
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Re: Building a smart home in the Costa Rican Rainforest

Mattynew wrote:
So far I have confirmed that the ISY994iz. (http://www.smarthome.com/isy994izw-inst ... d-plm.html) will work as our hub and do so off-line, which is great news! I've also confirmed that the MobiLinc app - http://mobilinc.com/ will allow us to control the INSTEON (I think thats what we are leaning towards) products via a standard router and again we will not have to be online.

I am curious, why did you decide on the ISY and not using Indigo with a Mac Mini? Indigo and a Mac Mini can also be used offline with no internet connection, and note a Mac Mini uses about the same power as a night light when idle.

Image

Posted on
Thu Jan 21, 2016 7:22 am
Mattynew offline
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Joined: Jan 16, 2016

Re: Building a smart home in the Costa Rican Rainforest

I am curious, why did you decide on the ISY and not using Indigo with a Mac Mini? Indigo and a Mac Mini can also be used offline with no internet connection, and note a Mac Mini uses about the same power as a night light when idle.


Hi Matt, no decisions made. As you can probably tell I don't know much about this stuff. I knew using the indigo system with a mac offline was possible but I'm covering all bases and hoping to hear from people the pros and cons, experiences and suggestions. My only concern would be when other people are using the house, can it only be controlled by a mac?

Would it work the same way via a local router? Thank you for sharing and I appreciate any other advice you can give

Posted on
Thu Jan 21, 2016 7:49 am
johnpolasek offline
Posts: 911
Joined: Aug 05, 2011
Location: Aggieland, Texas

Re: Building a smart home in the Costa Rican Rainforest

Mattynew wrote:
My only concern would be when other people are using the house, can it only be controlled by a mac?

Would it work the same way via a local router? Thank you for sharing and I appreciate any other advice you can give


Within the network accessible to the local router/ethernet switch/wifi access point, any device with a web browser and IPhones with the Indigo touch app can monitor and control all the indigo devices, irrespective of whether there is internet access. Assuming they have been given the login information to the server, of course...

Posted on
Thu Jan 21, 2016 11:22 am
Mattynew offline
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Joined: Jan 16, 2016

Re: Building a smart home in the Costa Rican Rainforest

Hi John

Great news, I just viewed the phone app too - great stuff. Ok, now I think this solution would work best. Again, apologies for my ignorance here - as the house will be used via other guests, what other options could be used to control the home remotely (I guess making them download an app wouldn't be the best solution).

So other than a mac and the indigo system (plus all the INSTEON Z-wave products) would I need anything else? A router obviously, I imagine one with good range?

Trust me, I am researching and starting to understand more, just making sure I'm not messing up!

Thank you everyone

Posted on
Thu Jan 21, 2016 11:25 am
Mattynew offline
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Joined: Jan 16, 2016

Re: Building a smart home in the Costa Rican Rainforest

Ok, the 'version comparison' just help me answer some of my own questions but I did read this on the page "INSTEON integration requires one of the USB INSTEON interfaces which are currently only available in North America". Does anyone know of challenges I might face in Costa Rica?

Thanks again

Posted on
Thu Jan 21, 2016 1:02 pm
johnpolasek offline
Posts: 911
Joined: Aug 05, 2011
Location: Aggieland, Texas

Re: Building a smart home in the Costa Rican Rainforest

Mattynew wrote:
Ok, the 'version comparison' just help me answer some of my own questions but I did read this on the page "INSTEON integration requires one of the USB INSTEON interfaces which are currently only available in North America". Does anyone know of challenges I might face in Costa Rica?

Thanks again


If the mains power is 60 hz 110/220v, the standard USB powermodem will work fine; it is a 110V 60 hz device. And as far as requiring someone install the touch App, it isn't necessary; Smartphone users can attach to the server through safari or explorer or chrome or firefox or whatever other browser they may have and still get access to everything; the App just has a lot better graphical interface for the Devices, Variables, and Triggers pages. But the control pages (which is what most users are going to want to be using anyway if you've got a floor plan with the devices diagrammed on it) are the same in a browser as they are in the App.

Posted on
Fri Jan 22, 2016 7:57 am
eme jota ce offline
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Joined: Jul 09, 2009
Location: SW Florida

Re: Building a smart home in the Costa Rican Rainforest

Sounds like a great project., and glad you are receiving great technical suggestions from the qualified forum members at Indigo.

Having lived in Central America (El Salvador), you might want to mention any environmental factors that the U.S. and European home dwellers on this forum might not know.

For example, in El Salvador, we had (1) frequent and strong lightning strikes, (2) a rainy season with extremely high humidity levels, (3) corrosive salt in the air near the coast, (4) high levels of fine dust during dry season, and (4) all sorts of critters (insects and animals) that seemed to nest in electric switches, junction boxes, computers, etc...

Posted on
Fri Jan 22, 2016 1:46 pm
Mattynew offline
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Joined: Jan 16, 2016

Re: Building a smart home in the Costa Rican Rainforest

It certainly is an interesting one, I'm not so good on the technological side of things so this has been rather challenging. Still, I feel like we are making headway.

You know the area all to well! I have sourced products like wood composite, super screen, copper mesh, wall fillers etc to help combat the jungle life. We also plan to be very detailed during construction, we have learned over the years what works better in these situations. One of the reasons I'm heading towards Indigo is because of the Mac's, iphones, ipads, MacBooks work great down here compared to other devices, I believe its to do with fewer ports (humidity not getting in so much). Fortunately we are higher up than most and the weather is just right, below us at the bottom of the mountain it always feels about 30 degrees hotter.

Anyway, besides all the cool sustainable gadgets going in, this is what (thanks to everyones help) I have put together in terms of making the home smart:

A high gain 2.4g antenna to pick up the wifi from 1 - 1.5km away (at this time we do not need the smart home system to be online - this is just for us to get online!)

Indigo pro with a macbook (this seems to be the best option so far)

A local router (no idea which one but I imagine one with good range)

INSTEON and Z-wave products (I would prefer to have them hardwired into the mains during construction but I have also been warned about solely relying on INSTEON)
- we would like cameras to catch the wildlife (night vision) and view it on the TV inside
- door sensors
- the ability to dim and control the lights
- smart locks
- smart tv
- the ability to turn appliances off and on

For the blinds we are using MOVE from Teptron and for guest experience other than using the app, we would like to use this remote - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/12 ... nav_search

Wishlist - projector than comes down from the ceiling as well as screen for the outside lounge.

The HGTV film crew will be here on the 28th of this month filming some of the construction materials arriving, getting a back story etc. We are estimating 4 - 5 months to complete the home so I still have time to perfect the system. I just need to make sure I get the products while I am in the US at the end of April.

I'm still trying to find the best possible solution for solar power, its tough as options are limited in Costa Rica (surprisingly). Ideally we would want something modern like the powerwall. It will probably just be a combination of outback, midnight and Rolls batteries that we use.

Thanks again everyone for your help, if you know of any tried, and tested INSTEON/Z-wave products that you would recommend then please let me know!

Pura Vida

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