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[OM] [OT] Home automation/security questions

Subject: [OM] [OT] Home automation/security questions
From: Chuck Norcutt <chucknorcutt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 08 Aug 2012 09:53:23 -0400
Sorry for breaking the flurry of on-topic OM-D traffic but I have some 
home automation/security questions for which I know someone here has the 
answers.

I have two (I think modest) goals I'd like to achieve for when I leave 
the house in the winter for warmer climes.

1) Right now I have a simple set of timers that turn a few lights on and 
off that simulate the activity in the house when it's occupied.  Some of 
these timers have a battery backup so they can survive power outages. 
However, by the time I return in the spring, sunset and sunrise are 
radically different than when I left.  Also, daylight savings time has 
gone into effect further throwing the timers off.  Also, one of the 
lights I'd like to control (but don't now) is operated by a wall switch 
where control is not amenable to a simple plug-in timer.

I think I can solve these lighting problems with fairly simple Insteon, 
Z-Wave (or similar) devices.  But I don't know all the ins/outs of these 
things and what's best or worse.  Nor do I completely understand the 
need for or how to completely cover communicating over both phases of 
the AC power lines of the house.  That leads to a question of should I 
use radio transmission devices only?

Whatever the solution here it probably gets complicated (cost wise) by 
goal #2...

2) When I leave the house for the winter I have the plumbing winterized 
with anti-freeze by a plumber right after I leave and de-winterized just 
before I return.  I also have the town turn my water off outside the 
house just in case my own inside shut-off valve should start leaking. 
The town turns the water off for free but the winterizing/de-winterizing 
costs me $200/year.  What I'd like to do is get rid of the precautionary 
anti-freeze requirement for the plumbing.  But that requires that I keep 
a close watch on the temperature of the house in the event the furnace 
should fail.  Right now I have a simple temperature sensor that turns on 
a red light in the window to warn the neighbors if the temperature drops 
to 40F.  But if they don't notice or don't respond the antifreeze in the 
pipes will protect the plumbing.  With no anti-freeze in the pipes I 
don't dare count on the neighbors noticing that all is not well with the 
furnace.

If I want to spend lots of money and use a smartphone (not!) I can get 
instant alerts via smartphone on some systems.  But I don't want to go 
there.  I normally have my internet/cable/phone shut off when I'm gone 
but can leave internet only communications running for about the same 
amount of money that it costs me for winterizing/de-winterizing.  That 
allows for a freeze/temperature sensor communicate with me via the net 
but I don't know exactly how to do that at modest cost.  A warning 
e-mail would be best but even having to log-on daily for a status check 
would be OK if it's the only way to do it cheaply.

These are the functions I'm after.  The questions are how to do it 
cheaply but also reliably.  If there's no built-in freeze protection the 
system has to work.  Probably best to take the answers to this off-list.

Thanks much,
Chuck Norcutt
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