Timothy Hasko wrote:
I've come across CastleOS brand by searching through Kickstarter for campaigns that have to do with home automation. I'm a us army disabled veteran w combat service in Iraq. I'm interested in a possible setup that would use a z-wave/zigbee/wifi OR BTLE "sound/noise" sensor to trigger an event to turn on the lights in my bedroom to wake me up from night terrors or even if i issued a verbal command while just awaking in fear to trigger the lights or a fan (to provide external stimuli (noise, wind) with the goal being to disassociate from the nightmare/bring me back to the present.
I'm looking for custom control and compatibility with my current z-wave hub Vera Lite which i think is starting to bug me with limited options, but more importantly, compatibility with the current ecosystems of home automation devices so, for me, i can tinker/invent uses like the example I supplied (which i'm personally looking to implement) to help myself and others like me suffering.
These are just my thoughts and wishes. I'm looking to work with someone like-minded to help me achieve this custom setup. Thank you. please respond here or send pm for more info. Thank you so much for your commitment to helping veterans.
Hey Tim! First and foremost, thank you for your service!! We'd be happy to help you get started.
Using sound sensors can be a bit tricky, as there is no real way to identify the sound, and in a quiet environment like a bedroom at night, any noise will likely set it off.
The verbal command is definitely doable, and I'd also recommend a "panic button" like device that when pressed, turns on the lights etc.
Going back to the sound idea, if you're a tinkerer and you don't mind suffering some false alarms (ie. getting woken up when it's not needed while prototyping), our upcoming release allows custom plugins, so you can create a routine around the sensor of your choice and only trigger the alarm based on what you prefer for variables. But that's a big of a DIY techie projects, I'm not sure what your skill set is..
For instance, with our plugin, instead of having the sound sensor simply go off at the moment a sound passes a threshold, which is their default function, you can have it so that it looks at sound over time. In other words, if after five minutes at 2am there's still a lot of noise, you're probably having a night terror. Unlike the Vera, we do offer the flexibility for you to create this type of plugin and/or script.
Just some ideas, let's keep the conversation going! I'd be happy to help where I can, I think this is a good project and we do want to make this as helpful as possible to disabled vets. Our focus has been on mobility disability primarily, so thank you for helping us understand how we can help in other ways as well!
Thanks,
Chris