Stereo with Z-wave, wifi or zigbee integration

Devices & Integrations
#1

Hi all. Pretty new to home automation. Use it with IQ panel in vacation home and Sat at our full time home. I have been looking for a way to control a stereo system remotely, via Z-wave, wifi or zigbee. I’m not looking for a full blown home theater, I just want to be able to turn on a stereo in our vacation home remotely, and possibly wire a few speakers to amplify an on demand siren wav or mp3 file.we were burglarized and, in addition to lights, I’d like to be able to run the stereo at different times for ambient background noise, to give the appearance that the home is occupied and, as stated, to play a siren audio file over speakers on demand.

I can’t even find a stereo system with a mechanical on off anymore…they are all touch…and need to be manually turned back on after a power interruption…which we have often at our vacation place. I have a few z-wave wave sirens installed but none are loud enough to be heard by my neighbors. I’d like something I can activate randomly and remotely when we are not there and for sure if I see anyone near the house (I have nest outdoor cams up outside). I’ve been looking for a solution…but I haven’t found anything 1) simple 2) plug and play our minimal configuration 3) that won’t break the bank 4) isn’t overkill for my desired application. Anyone have any solutions? I’d be very appreciative. Thank you,

Amber

#2

If you like to tinker…maybe this will pique your interest. I used the information in this thread to power on/off and adjust the volume of an old onkyo receiver.

1 Like
#3

I do like to tinker…this may be above my skill level though.

#4

A harmony hub could do the turning on for you, but i’m not sure how you would select a track to play. I suppose you could have a harmony activity that selects the CD input and presses play. Then keep a CD in there with your siren sound.

#5

That does sound simpler lol, and since you’re not there, you can play any music or tune to any station you want :slight_smile:

#6

It’s so hard for me to believe there is no simple wifi stereo with a corresponding app. I can practically walk the dog with home automation…but there’s no connected stereo system.

If I were smarter, I would figure out how to do this…of course, I’m not so I have to rely on you all.

Would a relay give me the ability to plug a stereo into a z wave outlet and turn it on remotely? Of course I’d have to figure out how to bypass the digital touch switch, and I still wouldn’t have app control, but at least I’d have background noise.

#7

The Harmony hub can be found for $50 and connects to SmartThings, so as easy as it gets. WiFi speakers with DLNA or stereos with DLNA are also an option, but they tend to be pricey and usually they are just a speaker and need something else to actually play the music.

#8

playing a CD with a siren sound. Is hilarious. If you need complication then you could instead light a green bulb to tell the band to start playing the movie theme to Jaws, to instill dread in the burglars.

REAL cheap sirens still exist, 90+db, just plug it into a module.

There is also a gadget of blinky lights to simulate a TV, such as FakeTV FTV-10

Any clock radio with slide switches, will work, $5 at the Salvation Army store.

#9

I actually have the fake TV module in one of the bedrooms…am ounce of prevention. What I really want is a repeating audio file with the sound of a shotgun action racking…followed by the sound of gunfire…might as well have some fun at their expense since they had fun at mine.

As far the sirens go…I have a wifi D link and several Aoetec Gen5…and they are definitely not loud enough. I want to be able to activate before an entry…to scare them away. The only siren I’ve found that’s loud enough is the Fortrezz SSA3, which I love but had been discontinued. I haven’t been able to find any more.

If you know of a way to put a 120dbm siren for on-demand use, I’d love to know how.

Yes, I’m scouting for an older stereo worth a mechanical switch. I thought it would be much easier to find.

#10

for the lights, use the smart app Vacation Lighting Director. We use it while on vacation and seems to work very well.

#11

I have not been impressed with any the 3-4 pleasant-warbling 120db-rated sirens that I have heard. I like the unpleasant ones like the direct-wired RX-7 sounder - rated something like 90db but sounds much more obnoxious that the previous “120db” devices.

But operating a siren is not complicated. For example Elk “30watt”, 6-12Vdc, implies 2.5amp at 12vdc. So you find a plug-in 12vdc power supply that will deliver 3 amps, wire its output to the siren, and plug the power supply into a plug in Zwave or whatever module.

In actual fact it seems the listed power rating 30watt is not efficient if you want a really effective noisemaker. I suspect the power consumption is either exaggerated or intentionally wasteful, to motivate horn fetishists. It’s a thing.

A sign is a good idea. Piles of big-dog poop, car on blocks in the yard - good deterrence. Even a blinky red light that they can’t see what it is.

n.b. loud sirens are hard on neighbors, and 99% of alarms are false alarms. They can earn you problems.

#12

Id love to…but my panel is IQ and I’ve yet to figure a way to make it work with secondary hub.

#13

That’s my problem… My neighbors aren’t close enough to hear a siren. Id need something external mounted and loud…like an evacuation siren. That’s why I’m looking…and NOT finding…on demand solutions.

The plug in sirens are a joke. Not nearly loud enough to scare a fly.

#14

Sounds like a job for…

#15

My neighbors are seldom home. I have found that several recordings of a couple of large, angry, barking/growling dogs to be more effective. These are initiated by motion and vibration sensors and the doorbell, and played back as a playlist in iTunes via Airplay.

The audio video gear is controlled via a Global Caché iTach IP2IR (three emitters going to three different rooms). All of the scripts that trigger this stuff are run on a bare bones Mac Mini running HAM Bridge, triggered by an HTTP call sent from SmartThings.

I do have a 120v horn siren, mounted to an attic vent facing the street, controlled by a Z-Wave relay… but it only goes off when someone is actually in the house. So far, the ‘angry dogs’ have prevented break ins.

#16

I am not sure if it is what you are looking for, but I have an Onkyo HT-S9700THX Home Theater system and it has WIFI and there is a corresponding Onkyo App that gives you control of the receiver.

#17

Radio that has ir remote and harmony…

VLC Thing is another option…

I have harmony(s) and HTPCs that can do basically anything.

All of my PCs are completely controllable via SmartThings and I can open any app or play any song or video with the intergration that I did a tutorial on here:

#18

Hi,

Can the system be controlled from anywhere? Or do you have to be on the same wifi network to control it?

Thanks!

Amber

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