I'm having a new sprinkler system installed and the installer wants to know what kind of clock I want installed. He's recommending Hunter.
I have a few questions for the group:
1) Do most people that use Rain8 or EtherRain also have a standalone controller as well?
I'd think a standalone controller would be good to have in addition to the automated controller for: 1) When the system is used/tested by someone not familiar with home automation, 2) If the home automation system experiences any troubles, 3) If the house is ever sold, I've been building all my home automation stuff so it fully works in a standalone fashion as well so prospective "conventional" buyers are not turned off by the HA complexities.
2) Do they make any "HA-enabled" standalone controllers? I would think this would be ideal to avoid having two "brains" controlling the system. I know some standalone controllers have a port labeled "remote" or something similar that can be used to connect a wireless remote controller to cycle through zones, or effectively interact with the standalone controller. Perhaps this "remote" port could be used to connect to HomeSeer to enable some form of automation? Or perhaps, even better, maybe there are HA-enabled controllers that have an RS232 or Ethernet connection for intelligent HA control. It would amaze me if these types of standalone controllers did not exist today.
3) If a standalone, NON-HA-enabled controller is used in addition to a separate HA controller (Rain8, EtherRain), I assume both are simply wired to each zone in parallel since I believe both the automated and standalone controllers are typically "normally open" for each zone, so by wiring the zones in parallel to each controller, either controller can "close" the circuit to turn on particular zones.
4) If #3 is correct above, I assume there is nothing preventing both controllers (HA and standalone) from turning on zones at the same time. I wouldn't think this would be a big deal for me because I plan to leave the "standalone" unit turned off at all times and only turning it on when needing it (in the situations suggested in #1 above).
5) Assuming both controllers (standalone and HA) operate independently, assuming someone accidentally turns on both unit and they both try to turn on two different zones simultaneously, obviously I would not have the necessary water pressure to effectively water the lawn. However, if they both try to turn on the same zone (each applying 24v of power to the zone, wired in parallel), I would think that would be OK in terms of electrical safety. Since both 24v sources would be wired in parallel, the overall power source to the zone would still be 24v (with a higher current capacity due to both transformers providing power on the line concurrently). This would be similar to jumping a car batters in terms of electrical circuitry. Is my logic correct and that this would not cause any electrical issues?
6) If anything I'm suggesting above is strange, is there anything else you've seen before or you would suggest?
I plan to have this system installed tomorrow, so anything you can do to provide your input ASAP would be greatly appreciated!
I have a few questions for the group:
1) Do most people that use Rain8 or EtherRain also have a standalone controller as well?
I'd think a standalone controller would be good to have in addition to the automated controller for: 1) When the system is used/tested by someone not familiar with home automation, 2) If the home automation system experiences any troubles, 3) If the house is ever sold, I've been building all my home automation stuff so it fully works in a standalone fashion as well so prospective "conventional" buyers are not turned off by the HA complexities.
2) Do they make any "HA-enabled" standalone controllers? I would think this would be ideal to avoid having two "brains" controlling the system. I know some standalone controllers have a port labeled "remote" or something similar that can be used to connect a wireless remote controller to cycle through zones, or effectively interact with the standalone controller. Perhaps this "remote" port could be used to connect to HomeSeer to enable some form of automation? Or perhaps, even better, maybe there are HA-enabled controllers that have an RS232 or Ethernet connection for intelligent HA control. It would amaze me if these types of standalone controllers did not exist today.
3) If a standalone, NON-HA-enabled controller is used in addition to a separate HA controller (Rain8, EtherRain), I assume both are simply wired to each zone in parallel since I believe both the automated and standalone controllers are typically "normally open" for each zone, so by wiring the zones in parallel to each controller, either controller can "close" the circuit to turn on particular zones.
4) If #3 is correct above, I assume there is nothing preventing both controllers (HA and standalone) from turning on zones at the same time. I wouldn't think this would be a big deal for me because I plan to leave the "standalone" unit turned off at all times and only turning it on when needing it (in the situations suggested in #1 above).
5) Assuming both controllers (standalone and HA) operate independently, assuming someone accidentally turns on both unit and they both try to turn on two different zones simultaneously, obviously I would not have the necessary water pressure to effectively water the lawn. However, if they both try to turn on the same zone (each applying 24v of power to the zone, wired in parallel), I would think that would be OK in terms of electrical safety. Since both 24v sources would be wired in parallel, the overall power source to the zone would still be 24v (with a higher current capacity due to both transformers providing power on the line concurrently). This would be similar to jumping a car batters in terms of electrical circuitry. Is my logic correct and that this would not cause any electrical issues?
6) If anything I'm suggesting above is strange, is there anything else you've seen before or you would suggest?
I plan to have this system installed tomorrow, so anything you can do to provide your input ASAP would be greatly appreciated!
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