Home Automation Domotica Forum Europe, Bwired Forum

My Mailbox is now real-time on line. If somebody opens our mailbox a logging in my database is made and a picture is taken directly and placed on my website. If somebody opens the mailbox between 23:00 and 8:00 a picture is directly sended to my I-mode Cell phone as well. All kind of events are possible, for example if alarm is on and mailbox opens etc. For this I use the Visonic MCT-100 which has 2 inputs, 1 use for the mailbox and the other for the Door status. The sensors are used for my Visonic Powermax alarm panel and for my home automation system. You can see some nice pictures on my site and also sometimes my daughter yelling Daddy Daddy through the mailbox.

http://www.bwired.nl/Mailboximages.asp




Pieter Knuvers
http://www.bwired.nl Online House in the netherlands. Domotica, Home Automation.

I also noticed that your doorbell is "online" in the sense that a picture gets taken and - I presume - the doorbell rings if someone presses the button.

Looking at your devices list, it seems that you are using a Klik-Aan-Klik-Uit doorbell.

Could you elaborate a little bit on how this technically works? Are you using a standard KAKU doorbell and picking up the RF-signal using the Rfxcom receiver? Or is it arranged in some other way?

Thanks!

Lennart

Hi Lennart,
You are almost right!
If still have my standard doorbell switch on my front door (don't like those cheap KAKU switches). This switch is connected to an old Marmitek XM10, universal X10 sender (still works great). So when somebody pushes the doorbell the X10 command D5 ON is generated over the powerline. My home control system picks up the event (command) and on this event there are several tasks to be done.


So if D5 ON comes in:
- A trigger is sended to my AXIS 241Q camera system to start recording the door cam, also take a picture for the website and one for my I-Mode Cell phone.
- The picture is sended by my Home control system to my cell phone.
- A trigger is sendend to the KAKU RFXcom transmitter to send a bell command to the KAKU inside doorbells in the Kitchen and office. So I have 3 bells inside (hall, Office and Kitchen) In the hall it is a standard bell and the other ones are from KAKU. These extra bells are needed because of not hearing the front door bell all over the house.

The same technique I use with the mailbox and when the front door of the house opens. For these I use the Visconic MCT-100 it has two wireless status devices which are received with the VISONIC RF Receiver of RFXcom. and handled the same way in my home control system.
Hope this helps
Pieter

Hi Pieter,

This is really cool, can you put some detailed pcitures of the mailbox detector on the forum. I wonder how and where you put in the sensor.

Cheers,
Willem.

PS: Where did you buy the dome camera which watches your mailbox.

As I told I use the Visonic MCT-100 which has 2 contacts. One i use for the frontdoor and one for the doors mailbox. I drilled a small hall from the side of door to the MCT-100 device, and placed a small magnetic switch in it. Its connected to the MCT100. The same I did with the mailbox, a small magnetic switch connected inside the mailbox did the trick. As my Bwired homecontrol system is generically set up its very easy to make all kind of actions upon these devices. If the mailbox goes open before 23:00 o'clock at night just a image is recorded an put in my database and on my site. But if the mailbox goes open after 23:00 O'Clock the same picture is taken etc and I get directly a SMS message on my cell phone or the same Klik aan klik uit (KAKU) doorbell inside my house goes off. All kinds of actions can be taken then. Btw The Visonic signal is reveived with the powermax receiver of Rfxcom and of course with the standard Visonic alarm panel.
Picture MCT-100

The front-door is gonna be painted white soon, then you even do not see the Visonic MCT-100 again. The Sunkwang SK-D105 I bought on ebay very cheap as I told you in a seperate mail.
Regards Pieter

Old topic, new question: What kind of wired magnetic switch do you use on your mailbox? I checked several websites, but they all offer wired switches that are too big in size.

I have a MCT-302T sensor fitted on the front-door and intend to use the extra wired input to check mailbox access.





Als het niet gerepareerd kan worden dan is het niet kapot!

I Use waakzaamwonen.nl/catalog/product_info.p ... eetcontact these. It is glued (magnet / switch) to the mailbox using 2 component glue.

EDIT: Corrected model

I have two of these magnetic switches connected to a PowerMax system, but I ordered these with a mounting kit. Had not thought yet of using glue to mount such a switch inside the mailbox.

Could you post a picture of how you mounted the switch inside your mailbox?

Does it not block the opening of the mailbox too much? I know the switch is relatively small, but it remains an obstacle.


Als het niet gerepareerd kan worden dan is het niet kapot!

I use the same and also one for the door itself. I drilled a hole right from the side of the door to just behind the mct100.

Not my best picture, but it gives you an idea.