Outdoor security house lighting

[Doug]

Anyone have experience on using and outdoor control
Lightning comercial system or put there own system
Together? More for security .
Looking for the following features
1, turn on individual or certain sets of outdoor lights.
2.outdoor lights with option on / off
Motion detection
3. Timer for all or part of out or lighting
4. Cameras may be incorporated
5. Remote control
6. Possibly of cell phone control

 

[Reloadron]

Most of what you are asking can be done very easily using common off the shelf "smart" devices. Turn On/Off individual or individual sets of outside flood lights can be done a few ways using smart relay cards or smart outlets all of which are easily setup. Wireless modules like this are easily controlled from apps on my smart phone, Amazon Alexa and even my home PC. Devices like cameras and home heating/cooling thermostats are also easily controlled. Devices may be grouped or controlled individually such as lamps.

Most modules are available from home improvement stores like Home Depot or Lowes here in the US. There are endless How To video guides out there also available.

As a simple starter I bought 4 wall socket plugs (US Type) much like these for $20 USD or about $5 USD each. Then I began adding other things like switches and relay cards which operate on 12 VDC.

You can have whatever you want. They are mostly refered to as "Smart Devices".

Ron

 

[rjenkinsgb]

I'd use "smart devices" as well, but specifically sticking with Z-Wave compatible ones.

That allows every device to communicate with every other, regardless of manufacturer. It also allows integration with such as keypad or pocket controllers, "smart hubs" with Z-Wave compatibility such as an MCV "Vera" & anything up to full home automation setups such as Homeseer.

And unlike a lot of other remote sockets etc., all Z-Wave devices are two-way and report their status back to the controller if switched locally, or the controller will show if any device does not respond to a command promptly.

A smart hub or Homeseer central controller will allow remote monitoring and control, plus you can set up "scene" combinations to be triggered manually or by the PIR sensors & with Homeseer you can add utility plugins such as an occupancy emulator, that switches certain lights on & off at random times.

eg. Look at the TBK Home TZ74 module. That can control two lights and work from two normal switches as well as Z-Wave.

There are many Z-Wave PIR sensors plus illumination, temperature and just about anything else you can think of.

 

[Reloadron]

Yeah, it's better when everything can communicate, really great point. When a device changes it notifies my phone or if a device goes offline I know about it. I would definitely heed the words above. Think about all the features you want.

Ron

 

[Doug]

Thanks
I sent them an email.
I want these for outdoor lighting.
I assume these are all online and not in stores

 

[Reloadron]

Smart devices are not just available online, they are also available through most home improvement stores like Lowes, Home Depot and others. Well here in the US anyway.

Ron

 

[Doug]

I did stop in local lowes and saw those.
Bad thing no one could tell me anything about them .refered me to the web
Thanks

 

[rjenkinsgb]

Z-Wave gear is mostly from online places.

These are some US based ones:

z wave | Newegg.com

Search Newegg.com for z wave. Get fast shipping and top-rated customer service.

www.newegg.com

Z-Wave Products & Technology Devices for Home Automation

Z-Wave, Zigbee, Matter and More. Control your home with the latest wireless technology for security, lighting, energy monitoring and more!

www.zwaveproducts.com

Amazon also stock quite a range:

Amazon.com : z-wave

Or the TKB modules I mentioned are available on AliExpress; that's where I got them from (though in my overall system the control interface is a wzave.me usb module from ebay & other parts are from numerous sources over many years).

tkb home - Buy tkb home with free shipping on AliExpress

Quality tkb home with free worldwide shipping on AliExpress

www.aliexpress.com

When buying from an international supplier, make sure you get the US version - units for different regions work on different frequencies.

 

[Doug]

I emailed tkb ,the reply all their products are for indoors.
I'll check more into the other
Thanks
I appreciate all responces

 

[rjenkinsgb]

The power to the lights surely comes from indoors? The switch module does not have to be in the light.

As the modules also have inputs for 110V or 230V switched power, you could use a basic stand-alone outdoor lighting PIR and feed the output of that back to a module input. That's likely cheaper than a separate Z-Wave outdoor PIR.

You would have to use a separate input channel to output channel, to avoid the PIR directly operating the light, though.

 

[Reloadron]

Just keep in mind Z Wave is unique to Z Wave so Z Wave devices work with Z Wave and Z Wave only. They are not like for example WiFi devices or for that matter ZigBee. They each have their good and not so good points. You find what works best for you in your situation in your home. They each tout their own benefits. You will also discover most forum members have their own pets they prefer.

Ron