Strategy

OK, I need to outlay my strategy. Not the strategy for convincing my wife to let me buy all the things I need, er, want, er, need... but what it is I need to buy anyway.

The ideal system is one which is integrated. However, if everything can be run off of Android, perhaps they do not need to be so integrated.

Security system

• Remote allows arming/disarming
• Allows identification of zone where the sensors indicate an intrusion
• Security cameras 
• All above functionality can be done within the house or remote
• Door locks based on either biometric or other remote mechanism

Speaking of which, security cameras to cover:

• All key spots within the house
• Perimeter of the house
• Out to the street including night vision
• Motion sensors to trigger automatic video recording
• Video archiving

Home automation

• Related to home security, motion sensors at key points inside house and perimeter with logging of activity
• Lights activated and deactivated upon timer and motion
• Home automation to also include temperature control
• Controlled by remote either within house or remote

Since I have Lightolier Compose PLC light switches in the house, I am running on an x10 system. From my perspective, they are the most stylish of the light switches, I am stuck with x10 for the moment. Thus, the software I'd need to use would need to be compatible with x10.

Of course, I'll need to also find light bulbs which are compatible with x10 systems, too. In the meantime, I am dependent on incandescent light bulbs where I have light switches hooked up.

We currently have ADT for home security. They have a package called ADT Pulse which includes home automation, but I'm not sure I want to spend the extra money on Pulse. However, seems the cost of Pulse is only incremental compared to what we are already paying for monitoring services. With home automation capabilities, approximately $50/month and for video, an additional $8/month. Unfortunately, their video support does not include IP cameras. Pulse also works with Z-Wave, not x10.

Home entertainment
Obviously this would cover:

• Movies/TV
• Music
• Home video and pictures

Movies/TV should include on demand for any show, a queue mechanism to identify which shows we want to see, and a trailer capability to help decide which movies we want to see.

Our current set up mainly includes the long defunct ReplayTV. Even at over 10 years old, they are still going strong. Yes, we have 4 ReplayTV units in our house. Actually, we had 6 at one point, but I have given one to my mom. The disadvantage of ReplayTV is that it does not record high-definition. However, the recording quality, even for standard, is pretty good. The big advantage of ReplayTV is that it is possible to share with other ReplayTV owners. The other big advantage is that it is easy to download, archive, and take recorded shows with me on trips. For our provider, we currently have Verizon FIOS TV which is way too expensive. 

Anyway, to integrate our home entertainment, XBMC is a good candidate with its ability to present our recorded shows in an easy to use format as well as supporting various streaming providers.  I would still like to integrate the ReplayTVs somehow. Someone had created an XBMC plug-in but unfortunately, it doesn't appear to work.

The big wildcard is Google TV. With their upcoming follow-on release, it may provide the desired capability missing from its original offering. Especially if we use Google Music for cloud-based music and Picasa for our home videos and photos, Google TV may provide a better integration than XBMC.  This also does not mean that XBMC and Google TV are mutually exclusive though.

Home phone
Currently we are using Verizon for phone services, but it seems we should be able to find a cheaper alternative. At any rate, we are using Skype to call Japan and Google Voice is also a good alternative for free calls within the US.

The phone system itself has to go. It is an old Siemens Gigaset where people say the voice comes across too softly. A phone system which supports integration with a common contact list with our PC and our mobile phones makes the most sense. Since we have Android phones, then an Android-based home phone system makes sense, too. I always liked the idea of being on the phone and easily able to check weather or traffic.

Anyway, shouldn't our phone system be able to support video conferencing, too? Thus, what are the best options? Perhaps this is where Google TV may come into play, too.


And regarding the criteria for a solution, obviously eye candy is an important criteria.