Modern Home Automation Improvements for the IoT-skeptic

March 22, 2021 11:02 PM

A friend and I are renovating an older home, long derelict, in my neighborhood. The condition is such that the interior is stripped down to studs and we have the opportunity, now, while the walls are open, to put into place improvements that will hopefully ultimately benefit the eventual occupants, whether they be renters or purchasers. But I have qualms. Help me figure out which choices make sense.

I wasn't really planning on it, but last summer I found myself embarking on a pandemic-year project with a friend, hereinafter referred to as R. R is a skilled carpenter with whom I have worked on my own home, and he was trying to interest some of his other friends in purchasing a vacant home a few doors down from mine to take on as a renovation project. The price was modest, I enjoy working with R, and I've long wanted to see something done with this derelict home that you can see from my front windows. When none of his other prospects were convinced, I said "yes" and put up the cash to swing the purchase.

Currently our efforts are principally focused on the structure and the exterior of the house and they are going well. Many things were in better condition than we had any right to expect, we've been able to make good use of materials left on site by the previous owner (and conveyed as part of the sale), and the neighbors on either side are happy and enthusiastic that we're fixing this bit of neighborhood blight.

But we are approaching the point where we would be wise to have plans in place for the interior once we've stabilized the rest, and, being the tech part of the partnership, I am trying to decide what sort of networking, sensors, and home automation devices we might want to plan for while the walls are stripped to the studs and installation is as easy as it ever will be.

Tell me, please, about choices you've made that you feel have really worked out well for you. Alternately, share your experiences on things that you regret installing or that were not worth the time, effort, or money.

posted by Nerd of the North to Home & Garden (22 answers total)

Response by poster: A few basics about the house that I thought would be overkill for the question write-up but which might help give context.

The house is a small, balloon-frame construction, two-story home in a small community in Southeast Alaska. It and the neighboring houses are built on very narrow lots (not much wider than the houses themselves) and situated on a ridge of rock atop which they are all built. Access to each house is via multiple flights of stairs from the nearest street.

The configuration of the house is two small bedrooms and a substantial bath upstairs, and a large open-plan living-room/kitchen downstairs with two small rooms (office / guest bedroom, half bath) behind. There is also a small lower-level conditioned space below the main level, not accessible from the main living area but via its own entry. It would make a reasonable place to install a patch panel, network switches, etc, to support devices installed elsewhere in the house.

Outside the house in front is a medium-sized deck that is the only practical use for the front yard, which otherwise has steep terrain and a dangerous drop down to the street. In the rear there is some property behind the house but access is difficult because of the steepness of the terrain.

Our community is currently experiencing substantial pandemic-induced economic disruption (and indeed part of the purpose of this project is to spend money locally and keep some circulation going as tourism was a major economic driver here prior to COVID). We're not sure what economic prospects the future holds for the community in the long term, so in the short term we are undecided as to whether the eventual plan is to sell the property or list it as a rental but plans that we make should be appropriate for either use. If we keep it for use as a rental I'd like to have some way to monitor temperature inside the house and comings-and-goings during times when it is not occupied by tenants. I live a few houses away but won't be on-site daily, and would like to be able to monitor that the heat is still functional or know if anyone is visiting the house when it's supposedly vacant (which includes wildlife -- previously the stairs which are the only access to this house have been a notable thoroughfare for the neighborhood bears.)

Last, but certainly not least, our climate is temperate rainforest and is distinguished by dramatic storms and heavy, sometimes constant rain. Anything chosen for outdoor use must be very weatherproof.
posted by Nerd of the North at 11:20 PM on March 22, 2021

Ethernet everywhere, all terminating in a utility closet with ventilation and plenty of power. Maybe also set up for the cable modem or fiber ONT in there as well. Run a line (or conduit that can house a line) to eaves where a camera might live (cameras can get power over Ethernet) and of course to every room.

A/V is a little tougher because everyone has ideas where the TV should go, but if it were *for* me I’d pick a good glare-free spot and run conduit from there to a closet where components could live, and install ceiling speakers accordingly.

Check required voltages for smart doorbells even if you don’t necessarily put one in immediately.

Ethernet is the important thing though because it’s so flexible, and supports things like mesh WiFi if needed. Even HDMI can run over network cabling.
posted by supercres at 11:23 PM on March 22, 2021 [7 favorites]

I am trying to decide what sort of networking, sensors, and home automation devices we might want to plan for while the walls are stripped to the studs and installation is as easy as it ever will be.

The cheapest option, but nonetheless very useful to a potential future owner who might have different ideas about these things, is to take photos of each of the interior walls and ceiling of every room after plumbing and electrical has been installed but before they are closed up. Include the photos with the "owner's book" that you will supply to the new owner.
posted by RichardP at 11:34 PM on March 22, 2021 [17 favorites]

If everything is stripped down to the studs, consider installing dedicated conduits or PVC pipes for cabling. Eventually there will be some reason to run new cables through the house and it will be a lot less work.
posted by graxe at 11:45 PM on March 22, 2021 [16 favorites]

Assuming it's legal where you are, I'd consider wide conduit everywhere, with boxes and plates at the floor, chair rail, and ceiling on every wall of every room, and a bundle of pull strings left in. Add detailed documentation taped to the inside of a closet or breaker box.

Guessing what kind of connectorized cable will be useful in the future is why my home has four cable tv connections that have never been plugged into anything since I've lived here and my seven year old state of the art workplace has extension cords taped to the floor in conference rooms. Best of luck!
posted by eotvos at 3:11 AM on March 23, 2021 [9 favorites]

I am very interested in this article in Fine Homebuilding about building moisture and other sensors into a house. When you rebuild an old house and add insulation, you can easily run the risk of accidentally introducing moisture problems that will cause you headaches down the road, and having insight into what is going on INSIDE the walls could be invaluable.
posted by rockindata at 3:32 AM on March 23, 2021 [1 favorite]

I think it would be a good thing to have smoke detectors that are permanently wired so as to prevent the chirping in the night issue caused by dying batteries. I'm guessing you don't have gas service, but if you did, I'd also consider it for gas and carbon monoxide detectors. There are both code issues and tech issues (some detectors have short service lives), so do your homework.

I would have thought that the need for ethernet has been greatly reduced in the age of WFi and Bluetooth.

Given the "landscape" you describe, you might want to set up remote viewing for the street and for wherever you keep your cars.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:15 AM on March 23, 2021

As a homeowner in a different cold, rainy area of the U.S., I'd also be looking at moisture sensors as rockindata suggests. Or basically anything that helps me manage moisture and heating/cooling at a whole-house level. Dehumidifiers, whole house fans, blinds, etc. that engage in certain conditions. Even heating and cooling zones that enable me to target my energy usage more specifically. I went the Nest route but they didn't work for me and switched to Honeywell wi-fi thermostats, and I really appreciate the ability to turn on/off the heat when I'm away from home (or honestly, even on different floors without getting up from my seat).

I'd also be inclined to put in the electrical/electronic support for running & storing solar, and for powering an electric vehicle. It sounds like your terrain to street level is difficult, but I'd still at least be brainstorming possibilities before writing it off.
posted by cocoagirl at 5:21 AM on March 23, 2021 [1 favorite]

If you run conduits in the walls (though I know they cost extra time & money), then for the love of Bob Vila, leave a string run through the conduit so you can actually get wires through it!

(And when you run a wire, also pull a new string down the line so that Future You has it.)
posted by wenestvedt at 6:15 AM on March 23, 2021 [8 favorites]

If it were my rental/home, I'd include a water-detector and place it in the overflow pan of the water-heater for when that gives up, one of those smart panel meters (like https://sense.com) for the breaker-board electrical measurements (for someone leaving an electrical heater/store or A/C running when it's vacant) and maybe a sensor for measuring water flow into the house (toilet leaks etc). Extra points if the overflow-sensor auto-triggers zigbee ball valve to shut the water off.

Just kinda peace-of-mind alerts that don't cost a lot, but can save a lot of money if they even catch one issue over the lifetime of the property.

Other then that-- CAT5/6 to each room and/or decent conduit for future pulls. And while the drywall is down-- take a picture of each room with a couple of references so in the future it's easy to know stud locations if anythings non-traditional from a framing perspective.
posted by Static Vagabond at 6:29 AM on March 23, 2021 [1 favorite]

I would have thought that the need for ethernet has been greatly reduced in the age of WFi and Bluetooth.

WiFi and Bluetooth can have their connection blocked or even hijacked, so your home automation features (including security cams) are now worthless lumps of metal, glass and semiconductors, or, worst case, controlled by others. Getting access to a wired connection is not impossible when you have cameras mounted outside, but takes more effort especially when the cabling is done properly. It's also easier to set up in a way that if someone knocks out one of the cameras, the others aren't affected. Plus, cameras and several other networked devices that connect via Ethernet can run using PoE (Power over Ethernet), which makes it easy to run the PoE supply (usually a network switch) from an UPS, so that the stuff keeps working for some time if there's a power cut.

In general I agree with the suggestion to run empty conduit just about everywhere, and document it. A dentist friend asked me a similar question when he was having a new office built (this was in the 1990's, so way before networked stuff became really ubiquitous). There would be a central utility room, so "put at least two empty runs of conduit from there to every bit of wall that's not a window or door, every meter." was my proposal even back then.
posted by Stoneshop at 6:31 AM on March 23, 2021 [2 favorites]

I wish I had more outdoor outlets -- but I want them for like video cameras & sensors, and not running power tools. Low-load, so they don't need isolated circuits. One by the front door, one in back, and others wherever you can't see out a window.

Can you build in a transfer switch and big outlet now, to power the house with a generator during power outages? Or isn't that a problem in your area?

I wish that most of my rooms had a few four-gang outlet plates, where two were USB, than the typical two-gang pair of outlets.

Put LED light fixtures all over the damn house: you can run a couple of them for the energy use of a single incandescent, and they're wonderfully bright. They don't burn out as quickly, so you can put them in hard-to-reach areas where periodically swapping bulbs the old way would have been a nightmare. :7)

What's your heat source? We have gas, and last year we put in a tankless water heater that drives our baseboards. It's tiny and fuel efficient...but when the power goes out, we're totally hosed. :7(
posted by wenestvedt at 6:34 AM on March 23, 2021 [1 favorite]

You're probably stuck with the same amperage of service for the house, but any refurb should have more power outlets than it had before, for devices and task lighting. The in-wall sensors are a good idea for you climate. The rest of the IoT equipment ages out every few years (ask me about my huge collection of burnt-out X10 things!), so maybe support it with power outlets and (maybe) CAT6 in conduits, but the rest should be up to the new tenant/owner. There's nothing worse than a smart-home system that the occupant doesn't understand.
posted by scruss at 6:38 AM on March 23, 2021

I wish I had more outdoor outlets -- but I want them for like video cameras & sensors,

That's what PoE is for. Next-best option is to provide a few low-voltage outlets that your cameras and other sensors run on. 12V is pretty common, with a small converter providing for devices running on different voltages. That way you aren't providing for a miscreant to deploy power tools trying to enter your house; if you do put in outside sockets, wire them via switches so that they're only powered when you need them.
posted by Stoneshop at 6:45 AM on March 23, 2021 [2 favorites]

I'd also run ethernet in the ceiling for the ability to have Wireless Access Points that can provide better coverage.

Also, outlets in any walk-in closets so you can charge stuff like vacuums, etc. without them being out in the open.
posted by SoulOnIce at 6:57 AM on March 23, 2021 [1 favorite]

Do the plumbing with PEX, so that you can easily use manifold-style plumbing runs (every fixture has a line, which terminates in a distribution manifold, each line having its own shutoff).

Temperature sensors are extremely useful in tuning house performance, but they don't need to be wired devices, and in fact would probably be best if NOT wired in so maybe skip that part -- I've got three, and being able to reposition the sensors is intermittently useful. Plus I can change out my sensing system without having to get involved in house wiring, all for the cost of relying on coin cells that last for two-three years.

Consider a power-monitoring solution for the house electrical supply (one of those things that can monitor performance on individual circuits).

If you install a hard-wired smoke detection system, be fucking sure your connections are solid before they're operational -- an intermittent connection (which inevitably happens later at night when the environment has cooled below daytime) can cause false-alarms, and in a hardwired system when one goes off they all go off. Go ahead, ask me how fun that is, and they're nearly impossible to troubleshoot without going back over every single inch of the wiring.

Consider a humidity sensor for the bathroom venting, but avoid occupancy sensors on the lighting.

Install more electrical circuits than you think necessary (the NEC will already do this, but even so, more = better).

Put small LED lights in improbable places -- I wish I had put all-weather sealed LED lights in my attic and crawlspace. I also wish I had cameras and spare electrical outlets in those same places. If I'm in either location, it's because something bad has happened and I am trying to deal with it -- being able to see and more easily use powered tools is hugely beneficial in those cases.
posted by aramaic at 7:53 AM on March 23, 2021 [1 favorite]

Consider a humidity sensor for the bathroom venting, but avoid occupancy sensors on the lighting.

We've put in central venting with heat recovery (which I still have to fit with temp sensors to get some data on its efficiency) which has a humidity sensor on the bathroom duct. Its central manifold also has a CO2 sensor, and by cyclically opening and closing the valves on each duct can measure the CO2 levels per room and adjust the ventilation accordingly. There's a humidifier on the outlet into the house.

Shower has been fitted with a heat recovery unit in the drain, which is used to raise the temperature of the cold water going into the mixer tap a bit. Water for flushing the toilets is on a separate circuit, allowing changing it over to stored rain water or a well, but for now still on municipal.

We've got a few movement sensors installed, in all but one case just for switching off a bunch of workshop lights if they've been inadvertently left on, switching on is by hand. A couple more are going to control some outdoor lights.
posted by Stoneshop at 9:28 AM on March 23, 2021 [1 favorite]

Have one outdoor rated outlet each side of the house, but with ability to lock them. It would come in VERY handy if you ever do outside work and you don't need to snake a super-long extension out the window.
posted by kschang at 9:43 AM on March 23, 2021 [1 favorite]

...or for Christmas lights. :7)
posted by wenestvedt at 10:37 AM on March 23, 2021

Response by poster: Responses to various comments:

• Ethernet runs are definitely part of the plan, though the ones I installed in my own home have not been as useful as I'd hoped they would be.
• We are definitely planning multiple strategically-placed outdoor outlets.
• It's unlikely we'll pull out existing plumbing where there are no current problems, but any new runs will almost certainly be pex.
• The final heating system has yet to be decided but we pulled the system that was in the house when we bought it. It was a boiler system that had been installed but never used (nor even had a tank installed which could feed it) and its components had rusted away pretty badly while the house was vacant and unheated. Replacement will probably be a heat pump system - despite being in Alaska our temperatures do not get especially cold here. There is no natural gas infrastructure here; you can have a large propane tank installed onsite, but there's no way to bury gas service.
• Regarding placement of lighting - both interior and exterior - I expect that could be a whole 'nother question but I'd welcome suggestions for good resources on lighting design. I'm a firm believer that it can make a huge difference in a house's livability but there are many things I haven't quite figured out about how and where to put lights (especially on the approach to the house, which will necessarily be via several flights of stairs that occupants will have to use during dark winter months and some pretty fierce SE Alaska gales.)
• Hardwired smoke detectors, to be sure.

posted by Nerd of the North at 11:51 PM on March 24, 2021 [1 favorite]

(especially on the approach to the house, which will necessarily be via several flights of stairs that occupants will have to use during dark winter months and some pretty fierce SE Alaska gales.)

A weatherproof LED strip running the entire length of the banister(s).
posted by Stoneshop at 2:13 AM on March 25, 2021 [1 favorite]

FWIW, Ethernet runs can be used for a variety of uses, not just computer network. It can be used for video, audio, intercom, phone, and more.
posted by kschang at 10:00 AM on March 26, 2021