Alarm cctv and electrical integration

[ians]

I dont have enough to keep my brain active...so i decided to do a few on line training courses on how to setup alarm and cctv systems.

I have finished all the online course available and got the certificates...so i decided to go do the inhouse training courses...what a productive day...it is one thing learning something online ...but nothing beats the interaction and knowledge shared by the people doing the actual course in a training centre.

I am busy trying a few things with regards to home automation....something that has been around for as long as i can remember...just not affordable for most of us...the good news is as technology is evolving ...smart homes are becoming a reality to most home owners...like remote viewing cctv cameras ...remote arming and disarming alarm system etc.

We were talking about sonoff switches and occupation sensors the other day...well the good news is it looks like as much as i wanted to integrate alarms and cctv into my electrical installation...it look s like i am going to be doing it the other way around...rather using my alarm and cctv system control my electrical installation...using the apps...door switches and sensors...programmable relays etc.

We live in exiting times...every time i think it couldnt get any better ...some thing new pops up...and not once a year...literally everyday things are getting faster easier to link and use.

i remember standing in a que at the bank with my Perm. bank book to deposit and draw money...then the ATM came about....when i started this business back in 1991...i remember going around after work to drop off invoices and collect cheques ...then the following day off to the bank after 9 am with a the cheques and the deposit book...now i run my entire business from my iphone 5S ...even send cash from a phone to a phone for people who have bank cards...who can then draw moeny at a till in a supermarket...what next?

[ians]

So what are a few practical things i am busy trying out...

So i leave before the maid arrives...but i dont want to give her my code to switch off the alarm...and dont want to leave the house unarmed...no problem setup a code for her to use and let her press 1 when he leaves...problem solved...it is actually even simpler that that...fit the right alarm and download the app...now you open up a completely new world of capabilities...from switching on a off lights...arming and disarming the alarm.

leave work a little late and the house is in darkness...no problem switch on the lights from an app.

an alarm message is sent to your phone...no problem...log into your cctv system and view the camera which covers the area in which zone which was activated.

it is mind blowing for us older people...

but with all this fancy technology comes a few challenges...unstable power...load shedding ...power outages (becoming more and more common)...not such a big deal because 7 amp/hr batteries are fitted to backup the gate motor ...alarm etc...no big deal...what happens if the router looses power ...ooops ...now suddenly the fancy tech is gone.

2 things have become critical at home...the office or factory.

1/ The network ...via the adsl or fibre cable.

2/ Power to critical services.

What are or should i say have become critical services as we move forward with tech... power to the router...the DVR...the alarm panel ...gate and a few others.

But the gate and alarm has a backup...these units are trickle charged so too many dips or outages/load shedding it becomes a problem...with the new hitech stuff comes more power consumption which drains the batteries much faster ...so the backup times are shortened.

As solar panes become more affordable...so the critical power solutions because an easier task.

these services run day and night but dont draw large loads...so a panel...backed up with an inverter and battery... linked to a dedicated plug circuit run to each location is started to sound like a good option...you can even leave the 7 amp.hr as a last resort....add in a few flood lights for security and a few LED lights installed in the house...switched on a off via an app.

I am like a tradesman in a tools shop at the moment....playing with all the new toys.

[Justloadit]

Forget about using lead acid batteries, rather pay a bit more and get lithium.

I have been experimenting with the Lithium, and man what a major improvement. I have been running my security lights, LED 6W on a 20A Lithium and a 55W PV panel, and even in winter I get more than 3 nights of 13 hours per night of light, on one charge, so even with 3 days off over cast, this will not be an issue as with even 20% of PV capacity per day, will give me back 66 Watts (+-30% of capacity) which the Lithium absorbs contrary to the Lead acid. So effectively even a week of rain will still run my load.

Daily cycling and charging of lead acid is a major issue to the battery, however Lithium is a breeze.
If you have a well designed charger suited for the exact Lithium battery you have (not all Lithium batteries are the same - each type has its own characteristics), you can fully charge the battery in 2 hours flat if it was completely discharged, so regular dips and power failures is no longer an issue. Take it one step further, and use solar as the charger, and you have the best of both worlds. Not only that, there is not the issue of hydrogen in the air as with Lead Acid.

Lithium is getting cheaper each day, and I have been doing some research, and soon will be able to build my own battery packs, irrespective of capacity. Thanks to Tesla for doing all the research in their battery packs for the electric vehicles. Their technology has spilled over into battery manufacturers in China, which are now supplying relative good quality batteries at affordable prices, and with cycle times hitting 2000 and more, the solution becomes very affordable. A Cycle is referred to a full discharge and then a full charge.

We actually experience the Lithium cells in our cell phones every day with out giving it a thought. These batteries last approximately 2-4 years because they work hard, and are almost discharged fully on a daily basis, then recharged, and are designed to fit into a small space, so the capacity is a bit less than what they should be for the environment they are being used in.

[Blurock]

Can any of our Sparkies recommend a solar LED security light? (not these flimsy garden lights that last for a week only)
We do not want to be dependent on Eskom and light may be the only deterrent to crime when there are no alarms working because of load shedding.

If there is no such reliable product available on the market, there is a whole new challenge for someone with innovation and skills to provide one!

[Justloadit]

Can any of our Sparkies recommend a solar LED security light? (not these flimsy garden lights that last for a week only)
We do not want to be dependent on Eskom and light may be the only deterrent to crime when there are no alarms working because of load shedding.

If there is no such reliable product available on the market, there is a whole new challenge for someone with innovation and skills to provide one!

Are you looking for a solar security light?

I have designed one, that includes the constant LED driver, still trying to finish off the marketing material.

The specs are as follows:
15W (1800Lumens) Security light IP65 Rectangular type 12V DC (True constant current, which means that the voltage can vary from 10 to 30V DC and the LEDs will be fed with a constant current - so no change in power drawn or intensity change with change in voltage supply)
125W Solar panel
Solar Panel 100mm Pole powder coated bracket complete with nuts and bolts
Orange box 300x250x200mm orange enclosure with stainless steel pole brackets
40A Lithium battery
Solar Charger & controller with day light switch.

My preliminary price is around R11K ex VAT

[Blurock]

The specs sounds good, but unfortunately the price (for 1 light?) @R11k will not effect any saving for a residential property over the next 10 years.

[Justloadit]

The specs sounds good, but unfortunately the price (for 1 light?) @R11k will not effect any saving for a residential property over the next 10 years.

Thank you for your feed back.
As a matter of interest, what price would you be prepared to pay?

Note that the security light I quoted will run for 30 hours on one charge, so a week of over cast will still give you 13 hours per night of full light.

There are competitors offering far cheaper versions, which have motion sensors built in, which will be far cheaper, as the battery size and PV panel size are much smaller, which by their nature will be adequate for many applications where the maximum amount of time the light would work for is a couple of hours per night in the case that the sensors are continuesly triggered.

Depending on the application, if you use a 220V AC light, what would the cost of the installation be, if you follow the SANAS code, using armored cable and placing the cable underground and a distance of 30meters plus. The solar solution would be far cheaper as far as installation costs.

[ians]

the honest answer to your question ...R100

The reality...it costs a lot more...just like home automation...it use to cost a kidney and some...however it is becoming more affordable.

The reality is a good battery is still out of reach for most domestic applications...one day like home automation...it will become more affordable.

[Blurock]

The reason one would switch to solar lights is the ever increasing cost and unreliability of Escom power. I am not looking for an industrial light, but a basic solar light that can be mounted on a wall or gutter. More than one light can be mounted to light up around the house.
I would say a price of between R400 - R600 would make it viable for the consumer. Obviously the manufacturer would want to recover R&D and have a markup, but that is a longer term process and amortisation should extend over a couple of years at least. Effective marketing should generate the numbers to make it possible.

[Justloadit]

The reason one would switch to solar lights is the ever increasing cost and unreliability of Escom power. I am not looking for an industrial light, but a basic solar light that can be mounted on a wall or gutter. More than one light can be mounted to light up around the house.
I would say a price of between R400 - R600 would make it viable for the consumer. Obviously the manufacturer would want to recover R&D and have a markup, but that is a longer term process and amortisation should extend over a couple of years at least. Effective marketing should generate the numbers to make it possible.

Low cost LED lighting is already available from most suppliers, within the price range you are prepared to pay. 10W LED lighting for around R130, however only at around 80 Lumens of light. Running off mains, this is not a real issue, simply add more lights to increase brightness or the amount of light required.

The challenge however is running these lights with inverters. In some cases flickering is going to occur, and in other cases, the efficiencies of the lights are poor, reducing battery lifespan. Running these lights on a few occasions on batteries when there is a power failure, maybe something one can live with.
The one issue of course is that all this lighting is manufactured and imported from China. At some stage there will be a deficit in the finances. We can not pay local labour the kind of prices that are paid in China. This off course raises a whole new issue, which is beyond the scope of our discussion here.