Do I need Savant / Control4 with CBUS?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by escusemay, Feb 14, 2021.

  1. escusemay

    escusemay

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    Hi all,

    I'm totally new to home automation and in the process of finalizing our electrical plan for our new house build (~340sqm floor area). The electrician has offered me a complete CBUS system for about $26k (Brisbane).

    He's also proposed:

    A. Savant Control system ($7.5k)
    - 12 Zone host; 1 hand held remote; garage door control with feedback; up to 12 IR devices; smart cabling for 3 TV zones; integrate up to 8 cameras; control lighting system (up to 10 loads)

    B. Intercom - Savant ($2k)
    - ring to come through speakers on Savant Sipa 50, allowed for heavy duty version.

    C. Savant 4 channel amplifier ($6.5k)
    - 4 zone 50w per channel, Monitor Audio C180 speakers, ceiling speakers

    D. Inner Range Inception Alarm ($7k)
    - includes wireless reeds, metal reeds for garage door, wired reeds

    That's already an extra $23k over CBUS. I'm trying to achieve the following:
    1. Lights that switch on automatically (entrance, pantry, closets, bathroom main light, garage, etc).
    2. After certain times of day (eg. after 10pm), would like strip lightning to only switch on in bathroom cabinetry/hallway lights/kitchen cabinetry strips etc.
    3. Reed switches - alerts sent to phone if an external door/garage has been left open for more than 10minutes
    4. Light switch and dimming control from phone
    5. Scenes probably not super important now that I think about it, and simple ones can be done through CBUS right?
    6. Other lights are manually turned on but kick off automatically after a period of time with no motion (vanities, etc)
    7. Certain buttons control a large number of lights. For example, I can control the overhead table light, island lighting and cabinet lighting in the kitchen in the space of one switch
    8. Clerestory window opens and closes at a certain temperature/weather events
    9. Window shades go up at sunrise and down at sunset
    10. Outdoor lighting goes on at sunset and off at sunrise


    My main question is, can I achieve most of those 10 items with just CBUS alone? My understanding is that CBUS is basically a switching system so needs a controller (Wiser 2 etc). But can be potentially controlled with HomeAssistant via C-Gate?

    Thanks in advance!


    The CBUS spec list that he gave me is below:
    - Supply and Install CBUS Lighting Control System throughout whole House
    - Controls every light and 4 x Fans in house
    Included is the following
    - up to 32 Channels of Dali Dimming
    1 x Cbus Dali Module
    1 x Cbus Power supply Unit.
    3 x 12 Channel Relay for for non dimming loads,
    7 x Fan Control Units.
    8 x Blind / Shutter Relays
    6 x Recessed Sensors
    11 x Saturn Zen 2-4 Gang switches
    6 x Edlt, Saturn Zen or Saturn Glass
    Mini Screen
    1 x Cbus SHAC Module
    1 x Lighting Engine for Integration
    All extra wiring for cbus system
    All Installation of Cbus Board and wiring
    All programming of CBUS
     
    escusemay, Feb 14, 2021
    #1
  2. escusemay

    znelbok

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    The SHAC will do all of that for you.

    The interface to the SHAC is a web page and can run on something like an iPad with the app that was written for it.

    The only part that may be difficult is the timing out with no motion as there are no motion detection units in your C-Bus list. The alarm system can of course be used for this if there are PIR's in the areas that you want to achieve this (I do it with mine this way), but the alarm needs to either be connected to the SHAC or have its own C-Bus interface (Comfort or Ness M1 come to mind)

    None of the Savant stuff is needed BUT it may be wanted because of your requests to achieve something outside of your list above.
     
    znelbok, Feb 14, 2021
    #2
  3. escusemay

    Damaxx

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    +1 with what Mick said.

    There is also a million cheaper ways that you can do an intercom system, depending on the functionality that you are looking for.

    I have my place setup with a few VOIP phones around the place controlled with FreePBX. Does all the intercom, doorbell, one button voice commands (pre recorded messages that play over all VOIP speakers), as well as some basic home control functions.

    Would be looking at better options for multiroom audio too.
     
    Damaxx, Feb 14, 2021
    #3
  4. escusemay

    escusemay

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    Thanks guys! Yeah my list is pretty basic IMO, just basic switching on/off at various times of the day. I know CBUS has motion and PIR sensors that can be wired in so that's why I thought it might be possible to do those with basic CBUS programming instead of needing Control4/Savant. We're not big on AV, and like to just control streaming from our phones to the Chromecast/NVIDIA Shield.

    Oh, and multiroom audio, I think Sonos will be more than enough. We won't use it often enough to warrant a proper rack setup with the fancy switching I think.
     
    escusemay, Feb 14, 2021
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  5. escusemay

    bobbio

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    Use BOBBIO

    It has the ability to achieve what you need without spending thousands.

    The hardware and software is only 2k

    It is a complete front end solution.

    It is easy and quick to set up

    Integrates with onvif products for intercom and cameras

    Also can integrate with Spotify and Sony TVs

    Most appealing bit is its free subscription and the ability for the end user to change and play with the front end.

    link below to show how easy it is to use

     
    bobbio, Feb 16, 2021
    #5
  6. escusemay

    lcrowhurst

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    Agree with Mick, but item 6 would get install to add Cbus sensors to the list. For non motion detection.
    Item 3 could be achieved with reed switched and Cbus bus couplers , and have the shac send messages to a service like pushover to send to phone.
    Everything else easily achievable with Cbus and shac.
    Agree with you to go with Sonos .
    Could use a ness 8/16x with cbus module and wireless interface, this would give you remote control of your garage door, and also enable alarm to talk to Cbus and visa versa.

    oh and use my app to access shac on mobile devices - info on Crowhurst.com.au
     
    lcrowhurst, Feb 16, 2021
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  7. escusemay

    escusemay

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    Thanks Bobbio. So it seems like as long as you have a SHAC module (eg. a 5500SHAC), you can use that to add on stuff like HomeAssistant. Would this be the same for your system too?
     
    escusemay, Feb 16, 2021
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  8. escusemay

    bobbio

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    Correct,

    The difference between home assistant and BOBBIO is the BOBBIO system is plug and play with cbus2,No scripting is required.

    The SHAC will plug into your network as well the BOBBIO unit.

    Simply the BOBBIO unit communicates with the SHAC and extracts all the information into the BOBBIO unit.

    Download the BOBBIO SH app

    Login with the login provided with the BOBBIO unit(don't worry you can add and change users )

    Enter edit mode and create your own customised home as shown in the link I have provided.

    From what you have listed. Once the electrician/installer on site has set up the CBUS (The initial price) It would take 30-45 minutes to setup a complete custom BOBBIO front end solution.

    If you are interested we can organise a demo to show how it all works.
     
    bobbio, Feb 17, 2021
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  9. escusemay

    chromus

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    Bobbio is crazy expensive, the freeware Homebridge is full compatible takes minimal setup and anyone with minimal experience can setup an 80-100 grp config in an hour.

    It is cross platform and directly integrates with Homekit, Google and Alexa.
     
    chromus, Feb 18, 2021
    #9
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