Computery stuff around the house

Couldn't decide where to post this! None of the Computer and Technology sub forums were quite right and I think General Discussion was too... general, so here it is!

I'm interested in hearing what you've got running computer wise around the house. I'm not talking file servers etc (though I will be having one!), I'm talking other things, like music/media around the house, thermostat, home security and anything else. Raspberry Pi's seem like affordable moddable computers for this kind of thing.

I'm (hopefully) buying a house soon and am really looking forward to having a proper network running through it!

I'm coming towards the opinion that for a lot of this stuff it's not worth DIY-ing it. For media, I've got a pair of Squeezeboxes and an AC Ryan MiniHD2, and they're so much better than running a PC - certainly the Squeezeboxes. Nice remote, attractive interface, simple server setup, and of course no fans.

Having said that, despite years of development, the AC Ryan still has a foul interface, so I'm considering testing out an XBMC RaspberryPi at some point as an alternative.

I've got an HTPC because we don't watch TV in our house, just DVDs and YouTube/iPlayer. I use my BB Playbook as an internet radio in the kitchen when there's cricket on. Otherwise, not much.

I had a mate about 12 years ago who was doing a PhD on ubiquitous computing, which is basically what you're talking about, and another mate who is a proper enthusiast/hacker who's being using arduinos and Pis to monitor temperature and other environmental stuff in his house (although I don't think he's gone as far as linking it in to a control mechanism yet). Ultimately, once you factor in the time you'd have to spend setting things up and maintaining them, if you just want a system that works it's cheaper and easier to just get something that's designed for the job.

Of course, if you want to do it for the hack-fun and hobbyism of it, that's different :)

I also have a Squeezebox which I highly recommend. It works and works well. For video/ IPTV consumption I have Netflix and Plex apps on my Smart TV which are excellent. And that's it really. I have a Raspberry Pi running XBMC but its not as good as the TV Plex app so never use it. I've been experimenting on and off with HTPCs for a good ten years now and never got anywhere near the immediacy and power efficiency of my Smart TV and respective apps. As scaryjim says, unless you've got the time for hacking and maintaining various bits and bobs, you're best going for off the shelf stuff these days. Boring, I know!

Outdoor PIR sensor hooked up to a CCTV DVR (Concept Pro VXH264 with 7 various cameras. It replaced a Aver EH1008H-4), relay output hooked up to wireless doorbell for overnight intruder notification. Script running on desktop to provide motion motion detection alerts during dodgy person observation / while distracted with playback / while liaising with police after intrusions. Considering putting the Python script on a RasPi to do the motion alerting & some logging. Reed sensors on my door and letterbox are wired into the DVR - I get emailed a screenshot from the door camera for both sensors, to review on my mobile.

Also WD TV Live, streaming from Mezzmo running on a HP Microserver. Netscreen SSG5 VPN to work.

Pure BugToo DAB radio bedside alarm clock. It's fairly old now, but does the job, despite occasional crashes.

When it gets very cold, I sometimes hook up a long USB cable to a temperature sensor which I seal into the dismantled kitchen extractor fan vent, then I log the temperatures to a database (http://practsol.com/thum.htm). I really need a proper wireless outdoor temperature transmitter for this - the long cable is quite silly. However, accurate outdoor stuff seems to be fairly expensive, and DIYing with an Arduino is annoying for a noob.

I have lots of random tech stuff which I don't use & could easily sell, but I don't like selling stuff, for some reason. Painball sentry microcontroller, Arduino Uno + relay shield + ethernet shield, six+ GB/100MB switches, PTZ camera I've never used, Snap-On bore scope, memory, Polycom IP phones x2, recentish laptop I've never used, various motherboards, Atom system, lots of spare ADSL routers, Woodstock DAB car radio, three spare Alix boxes (one with blown diode, I think), half-decent SuperMicro 4x2.5" HDD bay thing, box of unused crappy LED light bulbs, boxes of power supplies, unused APC 750 UPS, two huge bags of one specific capacitor (were for Dell GX260s), NTSC (!!) TV camera, "HD" keyring camera (the goodish quality one), at least 12-15 300GB+ working SATA HDDs, an old Xeon server, Slingbox Pro with long-lost PSU & cables, an unused HP Microserver (eventually intend to use as a backup server), various ATX carcasses, old IDE CD-ROM drives... and lots more. I really need to sell stuff. Maybe eventually.

I have a ReadyNAS Ultra running the Logitech Media Server and sharing a USB-connected laser printer.

In the kitchen there is a Squeezebox connected to the wireless network (using the Logitech Media Server as its source) which has extra wireless speakers to act as repeaters for other rooms.

Outside in the atrium is a D-Link DCS-2121 wireless webcam which sends emails with screenshots and records video to the ReadyNAS when the motion sensor is triggered.

Everything else is pretty run-of-the-mill LAN and Internet connected devices; XBox 360, Wii, smart TV, HTPC, smartphones & PCs.

The important thing is cabling everywhere. Once you have an infrastructure in place, you can then decide how far you want to take the peripheral activities, like AV distribution, surveillance and so on.

Thanks everyone :)

Should be getting the keys on Friday so in the near future I hope to find out how much it'll cost to network the place :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by smargh

Outdoor PIR sensor hooked up to a CCTV DVR (Concept Pro VXH264 with 7 various cameras. It replaced a Aver EH1008H-4), relay output hooked up to wireless doorbell for overnight intruder notification. Script running on desktop to provide motion motion detection alerts during dodgy person observation / while distracted with playback / while liaising with police after intrusions. Considering putting the Python script on a RasPi to do the motion alerting & some logging. Reed sensors on my door and letterbox are wired into the DVR - I get emailed a screenshot from the door camera for both sensors, to review on my mobile.

Also WD TV Live, streaming from Mezzmo running on a HP Microserver. Netscreen SSG5 VPN to work.

Pure BugToo DAB radio bedside alarm clock. It's fairly old now, but does the job, despite occasional crashes.

When it gets very cold, I sometimes hook up a long USB cable to a temperature sensor which I seal into the dismantled kitchen extractor fan vent, then I log the temperatures to a database (http://practsol.com/thum.htm). I really need a proper wireless outdoor temperature transmitter for this - the long cable is quite silly. However, accurate outdoor stuff seems to be fairly expensive, and DIYing with an Arduino is annoying for a noob.

I have lots of random tech stuff which I don't use & could easily sell, but I don't like selling stuff, for some reason. Painball sentry microcontroller, Arduino Uno + relay shield + ethernet shield, six+ GB/100MB switches, PTZ camera I've never used, Snap-On bore scope, memory, Polycom IP phones x2, recentish laptop I've never used, various motherboards, Atom system, lots of spare ADSL routers, Woodstock DAB car radio, three spare Alix boxes (one with blown diode, I think), half-decent SuperMicro 4x2.5" HDD bay thing, box of unused crappy LED light bulbs, boxes of power supplies, unused APC 750 UPS, two huge bags of one specific capacitor (were for Dell GX260s), NTSC (!!) TV camera, "HD" keyring camera (the goodish quality one), at least 12-15 300GB+ working SATA HDDs, an old Xeon server, Slingbox Pro with long-lost PSU & cables, an unused HP Microserver (eventually intend to use as a backup server), various ATX carcasses, old IDE CD-ROM drives... and lots more. I really need to sell stuff. Maybe eventually.

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Are you running a safe house for the CIA?