Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the HAH?
- I've built my HAH PCB and everything works ... except the RF control
- What types of RF adaptor are supported
- How hard is it to assemble the HAH?
- Is the unit noisy in operation
- How big is the device
- Must my PC be switched on for the system to work
- How do I make use of the internal relays
- How many inputs can I monitor
- How does the HAH attach to my home internet connection.
- How much power does the HAH consume
- How many RF mains adaptors can I have?
- How far can the RF adaptors be located from the HAH unit
The HAH is a powerful and flexible Home Automation Controller. The HAH project develops hardware and software to allow an 'off the shelf' router to be converted for use as an HA controller. Features include a web based UI, control via Twitter and Google Calendar, control of RF mains sockets/relays and reading of inputs and temperatures. See the HAH wiki for full details of the HAH's capability.
Have you remembered to connect the 15V supply feed from the Livebox PCB to the HAH PCB? You must solder a wire between the two boards. This one is easily forgotten.
We support the Lidl RF adaptors that are listed in the Shop. We also support HomeEasy (HE) and Bye Bye StandBy (BBSB) adaptors. BBSB/HE units can be bought from Amazon and eBay. Work is underway to support LightwaveRF products (available on eBay and at B&Q). With the new 'URF' facility, you can control a mix of the supported units.
As with most tasks, it really depends on where you are starting from & the skills that you possess. If you can't follow detailed instructions, you will need the help of somebody who can. You will need a PC, loaded with an FTP server, to break into the Livebox for reflashing with the HAH firmware (or buy a pre-reflashed unit). You will require basic soldering skills and some time to solder up the PCB.
No. Due to its low power requirements there are no fans at all.
Approx 21cm tall, 26cm wide and 7cm deep
No. Only a powered-up HAH and an internet connection (via a router) are required.
Up to four relays can be fitted to the PCB that is inside the HAH case. These relays are designed for switching low power, low voltage appliances or 'contact closure' switches. A frequent use for these is remote rebooting of PC or server equipment. The normally open and normally closed connection on these relays are exposed as screw down terminal blocks. N.B Do NOT use these relays with mains voltages (or even anything above 12V) - this would be highly dangerous!!
Four. On the custom PCB, there are four pairs of screw down terminal blocks. Switches can be placed across these. If you need to monitor more than four inputs, have a look at the PPE addon board - each of these can add 32 extra I/O points.
The HAH just plugs into a spare port on your internet router (using a standard RJ45 network patch cable). The HAH uses the DHCP server on the router to acquire an IP address. If you have fitted the optional LCD to your HAH, the IP address assigned to the HAH, by your internet router, will be shown on power up. After that, the LCD is fully addressable via xAP for displaying any text that you want.
Note that you generally can't use a Cat5 cable to connect your HAH directly to a network card on the back of your PC or laptop.
The unit is powered by an efficient (switched mode) 'wallwart' style mains adaptor. Typically, this will draw less than 7 Watts
Currently, upto 12 adaptors are directly supported by the web user interface. These can also be controlled via xAP messages. If there is sufficient demand, we might support more.
The maximum range of the adaptors will depend upon what environmental factors such as where you place the HAH unit. A typical installation will support a range of about 50 feet. If you want to maximise the range, try using an external magmount antenna.