Home Automation Principles
This page contains the ideas behind the Pathway home automation system.
Home Automation System Basics
The current perception of a Home Automation System is a push button lighting system with some basic logic. The Pathway Automation System is very different in that it actually manages the lighting system for you in a meaningful way.
A Home Automation system should;
- manipulate the house around the occupants unseen and not noticed.
- integrate systems together in a meaningful way.
- should manage the house quietly in the back ground.
- provide self correcting functions that can recover from power outages / surges and other nasties.
- let somebody know when something has gone wrong.
- Manage the power useage in an efficient manner.
Pathway is designed to record user defined changes so that adjustments to the system do NOT require a Phd, training or a technician. The touch screen provides a simple way of altering the lights and other circuits. Select the Room, click on the lighting circuit, alter the levels and save it - simple!
What should the system be 'aware' of?
While Pathway is very clever, it is still only a machine running code. For it to manage the house the way it does, Pathway monitors the following info;
- The occupiers
- Security System and sensors
- Astronomical Times - Sunrise, Sunset
- Times and Dates
- The Four Seasons, Summer, Winter, Autumn, Spring
- The Weather Sun, Rain, Wind speed and direction, Storms
- Lux Levels (inside and out)
- Temperatures - Exterior, Internal (ambient), Heating systems
- Humidity
- Power Supply Status - Mains, UPS, Generator
- Equipment Status of all the systems connected to it.
- Wake Times
- Sleep Times
There are many other items that Pathway tracks, but this is not the forum for that detail.
- Lighting and the Pathway Automation System
- The lighting system is usually the largest component of an automation system, and in some cases the most difficult to manage.
- UFH / Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning
- UFH and HVAC is a huge part of any building. Smaller houses tend to have one or two rooms of under floor heating, larger houses have UFH throughout and some even have Air Conditioning.
- Pathway Kitset
- This is a brief description of the Ptathway Kitset.
- Security System Role
- The role of the security system
- Designers of Real Home Automation Systems
- Advanced Home Automation Systems. Smart Homes with attitude..
- Messaging from your Home Automation System
- Email and SMS Messaging from your Home Automation System
- Room Modes
- Pathway uses a range of predefined levels to form room scenes.
- Pronto Remotes by Phillips
- Why have a bunch of remote controls lying around when you can have just one?
- Pathway Automation System
- The Pathway Automation System is designed to manage the building so you or your staff don't have to.
- Contact Us
- It costs nothing ask! If you want it answered, fixed, upgraded or automated feel free to drop us a line!
- Ask a Tech
- Ask a Technical Question
- Home Automation Systems and Services
- The Pathway Automation System integrates to almost every system in and around the building. The following list provides links to various systems we have integrated to and with.
- Where can we install these systems?
- Systems can be installed almost anywhere within reason. Sadly it's got to the stage where we almost don't need to go on site to make this happen....
- What does the Pathway Home Automation System actually do?
- Pathway monitors every available piece of data from a range of sensors, and moulds it so the room can be managed.
- Pathway Types
