1-wire project for a new house

[yhan]

Hi everybody,

I'm here on this forum seeking for suggestions. We are going to build a new house this year and I want to install a 1-wire network for mainly climate control and environment logging.

I planed to install temperature/humidity probes everywhere, and the main issue is, it has to be aesthetic and/or invisible. Any suggestion for a wall mounting kit ?
That could range from a flush mounting kit like this one (http://www.tempsensing.com/?p=194) or a wall plaque, suggestions are welcome.

Needs are :
* exterior : temperature ranges from -40 and 40 (I live in Canada so temperature can be as low as -35 sometimes in winter and humidity
* Bathroom & laundry : temperature + humidity
* Kitchen/Den/Lounge : temperature + humidity
* Second floor (open space bedroom and home theatre) temperature
* Fridge, freezer and cellar : temperature, probably a humidity probe for the cellar
* Exhaust of the venting system : temperature and humidity.
So far, I have identified I would need an adaptor, a DS9490R would be a choice I think, temperature sensors for interior would be DS18B20.

For humidity sensor, I have found anything that is as easy as the DS18B20 to install, I have been told to buy a HIH-4021 and connecting it to the 1-wire bus with a DS 2438. Any guidance how to build this setup ? I'm ok with soldering.

This setup is inexpensive, but I'm just worry it could end up to be big and difficult to hide.

Other options are
* HWG : http://www.hw-group.com/products/sensor ... re_en.html) sell a packaged humidity/temperature sensor, should I buy a probe from them ?
* RHT03 : this is not an addressable probe, but as far I as I have read about it (not much up to now), this kind of similar to 1-wire, but you can't have multiple probes on the same bus, How can I read the values off that kind of probes ?

Thanks for reading this, and answering off course I'm discovering this exiting new world which is 1-wire.

-Yhan

[Bwired]

yes that will be a big problem! hiding your wires.
if you are buiding a new home..... no problem.
The sensors and webserver controllers from the HW group are very good and very easy to include in to your existing Home automation setup.
I use HW group server myself and like very much the easy XML output.
But for places not easy to reach a wireless temp/hum sensor from Oregon is much easier to handle and also has the benifit of a smal LCD display.

[yhan]

Thanks Bwired.

Actually, this not the wire that is bugging me but more the probe itself, it has to be on the wall to have an accurate reading, but at the same time hidden. The new house is a minimalistic style so I can't bring any wall mounting box.

If someone could link me to some vendors, I would appreciate.

[AshaiRey]

Be creative and think beyond that box.
If the the sensor is on the wall why not put it in the wall but not embedded in the plaster. Cover your sensor with thin wall paper or if it has to be plaster then give it some time make it nice. Just remove a few millimeter deep of plasterarounf the hole. Tape the hole and add a very, very thin layer of plaster. Or forget about the plaster and just paint it straight over. These sensors are small and easy to hide. on't place then in the mid of a wall but in corners, near the ceiling or floor, picture frames are a bit elevated from the wall so maybe at a future picture frame location.

[yhan]

Hi Bram

I like your approach with the plaster thing.
Regarding the humidity sensor, would it work even with some plaster on it ? I have a HIH-4021, and there is a tiny hole on it. Just an idea like that
I will try to work on the WAF with all your ideas
For the record, WAF is the Wife Acceptance Factor

Cheers
-Yhan

[kris2lee]

As a humidity sensor is measuring humidity of the air and the humidity does not transform so easily through solids as temperature does then I think that you should not cover it.

You have to actually consider quite carefully in what place does the reading represent the room humidity the most - I.e. it better be in the place where humidity build-up occurs and not in the path of the fresh air.

Even with the temperature you have to be aware that when your sensor is inside the wall or very close to it then thermal mass of the wall influenses the reading. It slows down the change or may always be some degrees different from the room air temperature - this is espesially the case for exteriour walls depending on the amount of the insulation of course.

But as others suggested then you can be creative. For example you can search for some small grill that you can plaster into wall and then paint it over - that way you will see only small stripes or holes.

But when you are playing that hidding game already then maybe you should go even further.

For example movement sensors are quite visible. Then again when you are creative then you can make them also almost invisible when you but them inside the wall and cover them with some plastic that lets the IR through.

These are of course just ideas. I myself chose option where sensors are flush mounted. I.e on the wall is not the full box but just about 1 cm cover that does integrate with the look of the sockets and switches. But I did not chose 1-wire and it is actually not complitelly finished.

Anyway - when you go to the hidden route then can you please post the pictures when you are finished? It would be really interesting.

Kris

[tperry]

Hi Yhan,
check these products http://www.micro-solution.it/public/fil ... LUTION.PDF
i found them browsing around on internet, they look very interesting.
I'm thinking about trying some out.
I'll let you know how i get on.

[yhan]

Thanks tperry.

Which product in that file are you interested in ?

The project we bought provides a Control-4 system, with a touch-screen, zigbee switches and various controls. The products you linked are looking similar to Control-4 or Crestron.

I will try to translate, I'll ask google translate (I'm only fluent in French, English and Perl )

Thanks for sharing. let us know !!

Yhan