Help an idiot to set up his house properly
Discussion
Hi all, I have a love for tech, but no real understanding of it, So I am looking for a PHer in the field to provide a (paid) service to help. I know that a few of you work in this field
- teach me how to use my NAS to run IP cameras, so that I can use it as a DVR and access recordings remotely, but use wired cameras. The idea is to buy some decent Starlight capable cameras and wire them into my network somehow, using a POE network switch etc.
- teach me how best to use a NAS. I know that it s a useful and powerful piece of kit, but (for example) I use Spotify, TC streaming services and Sonos. I'd like to start storing media on the NAS, or perhaps downloading stuff to it overnight so I can watch at leisure without using my (not very good) broadband when viewing.
- set up my network properly so that it is secure. I currently have a cobbled together load of IoT stuff, all running wirelessly, on numerous apps. I wouldn't mind aggregating it all into a semblance of order that my wife can easily use as well.
- just generally chat to me about what is possible, what is not, and help me with this stuff.
- integrate some smart lighting in a complex electrical circuit. I had LightwaveRF in my last house, but it is a bit of a pain as it goes a bit nuts with SPDT switching (we have up to four switches on any given circuit). In some ways, some sort of Alexa/Google home enabled switches that are a straight swap for any one switch on a circuit would be ideal, but again, I just want to know if there is a better way to do this.
I am someone who if given enough time will cobble stuff together, but I am aware that I am a bit time poor these days, and that a professional can do it rather a lot better than I can. This isn't a full home automation brief - I am not going to rip the house apart and put Lutron or Control4 in. I just want to learn how to best use the resources I already have, work out what may be a good idea to add, and set up my network properly and securely. I suspect that some of you do this for a living and can help out!
London based.
Thank you!
- teach me how to use my NAS to run IP cameras, so that I can use it as a DVR and access recordings remotely, but use wired cameras. The idea is to buy some decent Starlight capable cameras and wire them into my network somehow, using a POE network switch etc.
- teach me how best to use a NAS. I know that it s a useful and powerful piece of kit, but (for example) I use Spotify, TC streaming services and Sonos. I'd like to start storing media on the NAS, or perhaps downloading stuff to it overnight so I can watch at leisure without using my (not very good) broadband when viewing.
- set up my network properly so that it is secure. I currently have a cobbled together load of IoT stuff, all running wirelessly, on numerous apps. I wouldn't mind aggregating it all into a semblance of order that my wife can easily use as well.
- just generally chat to me about what is possible, what is not, and help me with this stuff.
- integrate some smart lighting in a complex electrical circuit. I had LightwaveRF in my last house, but it is a bit of a pain as it goes a bit nuts with SPDT switching (we have up to four switches on any given circuit). In some ways, some sort of Alexa/Google home enabled switches that are a straight swap for any one switch on a circuit would be ideal, but again, I just want to know if there is a better way to do this.
I am someone who if given enough time will cobble stuff together, but I am aware that I am a bit time poor these days, and that a professional can do it rather a lot better than I can. This isn't a full home automation brief - I am not going to rip the house apart and put Lutron or Control4 in. I just want to learn how to best use the resources I already have, work out what may be a good idea to add, and set up my network properly and securely. I suspect that some of you do this for a living and can help out!
London based.
Thank you!
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