Occupancy Sensing

 I've been pursuing Home Automation for a few years now. I must admit I have my own ideas and opinions as to what HA is and/or should be. I believe there are levels of hierarchy in HA with simple devices and applications being lower level and computer based uses generally being higher. 

Of course I am a big fan of Voice Controlled Automation such as that I get with Bill's Voice Commander with the speech recognition control. I think Speech/Voice Recognition is at the highest levels of Home Automation. I have maintained a BVC Fan Site since early 2007, trying to spread the word.

I am now attempting to create a degree of Occupancy Sensing within the macros of the HA computer. If done right... it should seem a bit like "the Smart Home SARAH as portrayed on the TV series Eureka".  Although I am not expecting any beverage making from my Home Automation. I have taken to calling my setup S.A.R.A.  (Smart Articulate Responsive Automation). 

More about S.A.R.A. here. 

For now I am concentrated on actual hardware devices that can detect if I am home [or not] and AHP macros that can use that data. Here I will share some of my devices and their uses.

Above is a Key holder stand. I read about this online.  The concepts creator is Dan (electron).  Dan used a DS10A (X10 Security Door/Window Sensor). He removed the reed (magnetic) switch and soldered the ends of the wires to cup hooks. The key ring would short (or closes) the circuit and removing the keys opened the circuit. The DS10A reports these actions to the security module in AHP.

However after MANY trials and tests.. I decided against using the DS10A sensors and switched to a key holder using a PowerFlash module instead of the DS10A. I also used a modified a micro-switch (instead of cup hooks).

I mounted my switch on a picture frame in an attempt to make my setup look natural. My keys hang over the decorative key just behind the tray that holds my change.

  "There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them... that have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."  

Sacedog  (Cocoontech)           

Another NEW product I've been Beta Testing is called BlueWatch. BlueWatch is a BlueTooth enabled software. You need a BT dongle to make it work. I tested two different dongles.. each one cost around ten dollars.

This software (and the dongle) can detect your BlueTooth enabled cell phone. Then use this information/data to determine if you are home or away. Selected X10 signals can be sent on both detection and disconnect as well as wav files played. 

BlueWatch is a tiny, simple, and easy to setup software that could handle the OS needs of many Home Automation users. Although be warned the dongles I've test to interfere with my X10 cameras.

Knightrider (owner and chief team member) of ThisAutomatedHouse.com and creator and owner of [IMHO] one of if the most automated homes in America. Kindly sent me a care package with the means to detect a car in my garage.

It is an IR reflective light beam projector. It projects a beam of invisible light onto a reflector. The reflector bounces the beam of light back to its receptor. The unit has a variety of setting to alert the user if the lights beams path has been broken.

Instead of detecting movement across the doorway the light is projected across the garage in a way that a parked car will block the path of the light. This will be a method of tracking my wife's occupancy status that will be effortless for her.

  I mounted the reflector (using double-sided foam tape) on a strip of wood that I cut at a 15 degree angle to better line it up with the light.

The IR light projector closes dry contacts when the invisible light beam is broken. I have wired these dry contacts to a Powerflash Module. If a car is parked in the path of the light... that then causes the Powerflash Module to turn ON a (fake) Monitored Module in my AHP software.

The wiring part is slightly tricky. The old timey IR projector uses 29 watts to function. That's a little much for me so I wanted to reduce its run-time.

I have a garage door open (reminder) setup and macro. If the garage door is up my BVC voice announcement alerts me. And it reminds me every few minutes (as seen in my YouTube Video). As part of the setup a magnetic reed switch triggers a Powerflash module that turns ON a (Dummy) Monitored Module.

I use an Appliance Module set to the H/U code of the Dummy Monitored Module of the [reminder] macro. The Appliance Module powers both the IR light projector and the Powerflash Module that reports the cars status. This way when the garage door is up both the projector and the [cars status] Powerflash Module function to provide the car status.

 When the garage door closes The Garage Door (reminder) Macro turns OFF the Appliance Module, and ends the reporting cycle. Since it would be difficult to sneak a car in or out without opening the garage door this should work fine.

Since all reporting and control is being done [more or less] using the AHP macros. Everything is trigger, timer, and/or condition controlled. I assembled a couple modules and night lights to help me watch/track/test the [fake] module statuses. I've been doing a LOT of testing with my devices and macros.

A new Home Security feature available? YES. See my daytime two sensor, motion sensor. A sample use for OS and SARA. 

For a glimpse of what may lay ahead with OS (Occupancy Sensing) watch my Automated Chair Video at:    thisautomatedhouse,com