Revision as of 12:38, 2 December 2010

Introduction

Hello all. My name is Matt and I live in England. Have been playing with LMCE for a number of years now. I would class myself as a user due to my complete lack of any development skills, so am always keen to help in any way I can. By profession I am a Mechanical Design Engineer in the space industry. In my spare time I enjoy metalwork, woodwork and various other little electronics/DIY projects. Any remaining free time is spent with my extremely patient and long-suffering girlfriend with whom I live.

Software

My current installation is based on the beta 23388 snapshot http://linuxmce.iptp.org/snapshots/

The following is a list of things I had to do that deviate from a "normal" install http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Installing_0810

• Edited the /etc/apt/sources.list as per http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=10901.0

Network

It is highly advisable that you adopt the recommended network setup and use 2 NICs in your core. This means that a) things are a lot more likely to work straight out of the box and b) when things DO go wrong, you are far more likely to receive support. In my experience it is definitely worth it.

My external network looks a little bit like this...

Wall -> Cable Modem (my ISP is Virgin Media) -> NIC 1 (eth0) on Core

And my internal network...

NIC 2 (eth1) on Core -> Netgear 8-port Gigabit switch

Connected to this switch there are another two Netgear Gigabit switches (switches can be daisy-chained to give you more ports), and connected to these you'll find...

• All of the MDs
• "Normal" computers requiring internet access
• Netgear wireless router
• IP Cameras
• DECT phone (via ATA)

Quick note on the wireless router; this acts as a Wireless Access Point, nothing more (remember your core acts as the router/firewall). Just connect it up via the port you would usually plug your internet cable into. In the router's admin page, make sure DHCP is enabled, and then set it up in the normal way. Your SSID should NOT be your name or give any clues as to where you live, use the strongest encryption you can (I use WPA2) and it makes a lot of sense to set up an access list (MAC filter). This allows you to specify exactly which MAC addresses are allowed to connect, making your Wireless Access Point very secure.

Core/MDs

This section talks about the main bits of hardware in my home that make up the principal elements of any LMCE system.

Core (Cupboard)

MD (Living Room)

MD (Kitchen)

MD (Bedroom)

MD (Bathroom)

MD (Electronics Lab)

MD (Wood Workshop)

MD (Metal Workshop)

MD (Garage)

Orbiters

Every MD features an on-screen orbiter. In addition to the on-screen ones...

Mobile Orbiters

• Main mobile orbiter -
• Mobile Phone (Cell). Nokia 5800 XpressMusic running Web Orbiter 2.0 in standard Symbian browser. I find it handy to bookmark the orbiter page, and place a shortcut on the main screen for quick and easy access. I also use this device a lot for (secure) outside access over HTTPS.
• Ubuntu laptop
• Nintendo DSi

Wall Orbiters

• Nokia N800 in hallway
• Nokia N800 in kitchen

Lighting

• Duwi dimmer switch (Living Room). 2 wire in my case (more common in Europe), check your current switch/dimmer first REMEMBER TO ISOLATE THE LIGHTS AT YOUR FUSE BOX - ALWAYS TEST THE LIVE (BROWN or RED) WIRE WITH A TESTER [LIKE THIS] FIRST!!! Bear in mind that you only count the wires connected to the switch itself; if like mine your earth is connected to the backbox, then this doesn't count as a wire.

Very pleased with this device, superb build-quality, great tactile response, easy to set up. This is my second dimmer switch, after a very bad experience with the ACT HomePro ZDW232 http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=10783.0. In my opinion you should avoid these dimmers like the plague. They are the cheapest though, but it shows. Spend a little bit more and get the Duwi, which is comparable in price (speak to Ivor from http://www.uk-automation.co.uk/, tell him I sent you ;) ). Anything else I have found has been prohibitively expensive in my opinion.

Security

Very important. Having been the victims of a burglary, this is an area that perhaps you should consider concentrating on first. You just don't think it is going to happen to you... until it does. And it's a horrible feeling.

Cameras

• x3 Panasonic BL-C10s
• x2 Foscam xxxxxxxxxxx

All of my cameras make use of Power over Ethernet (PoE), despite not being models that support it! Nor do I have any switches/hubs that "spit out" PoE at the Core end. To see how it is achieved, take a look at "Tool Time" at the end of this page for a Howto video explaining the required steps (inspired by b4rney on the forums, thank you mate!). Powering devices in this way is very useful in that you only need to run a single ethernet cable for both data and power. Brilliant for cameras, especially outdoor ones.

Sensors

Door/windows sensors Smoke detector planned

Telephone

Vonage, DECT phone

Tool Time

This is where I plan to place a few Howto videos for various DIY projects that can be carried out around the house, in order to achieve that seamless, perfectly integrated LMCE installation. The aim will be to stay away from technical jargon as much as possible, and use standard/simple tools and components that aren't going to break the bank.

• Howto: Construct a rear mounting MD casing for any TV screen with a VESA mount (with slot loading DVD drive).
• Howto: Mount a TV on the wall with MD hidden behind (with a slot loading DVD drive).
• Howto: Make a wall-mounted orbiter (inspired by Techstyle's framing idea). Surface mounted or recessed (flush fitting)?
• Howto: Install a new back box (e.g. for z-wave light switch) and make good the wall (having destroyed it in the process).
• Howto: Chase wall channels, embed cables and make good the wall.
• Howto: Build a single/double bed with integrated "stowable" flat screen TV and MD. LMCE-controlled motor perhaps.
• Howto: Build a waterproof bathroom MD/orbiter (combined touchscreen device?)
• Howto: Make your own ceiling/wall speakers using (decent!) multimedia speakers (if, like me, you are not a complete audiophile, this avoids having an external amp to hide away).
• Howto: Build your own charging cradle/stand for your mobile orbiter (avoid switching it off all the time).
• Howto: Make your own cat6 patch cables
• Howto: Make any device Power over Ethernet (PoE)