HOME AUTOMATION TOUR - KITCHEN

The Kitchen is reasonably well equipped with network points and X-10 modules. 12 CAT 5e network points serve the kitchen, although this may well not be enough. By the time telephone, washing machine, microwave oven, dishwasher, combination boiler, coffee maker, fridge, freezer, cooker and TV are taken into consideration, that's 10 network points accounted for immediately. Connected domestic appliances will however take a while to penetrate the home market, so there is at least time for me to fit more network points.

Network Points

The Kitchen is currently only equipped with 12 CAT 5e network points fitted in groups of 4, in 3 double wall boxes. Again, these are used for distribution of phone, LAN and HAN points without having to trail wires everywhere. The advantage of having network points close to domestic appliances will become more important as appliances gain connectivity capabilities. Consequently, network points have been fitted close to the fridge and the freezer, as well as close to the washing machine, microwave oven, coffee maker and combination boiler.

So far, only the combination boiler has any form of connectivity - much to my surprise, it turned out it has a modem on its main electronics board, something I only found out by accident.

Video

Video in the kitchen will be supplied solely by means of the CAT 5e network.

Audio

Speaker cable is chased into the wall to allow connections to be made to loudspeakers without having to trail speaker cable around the room.

X-10

As with the other rooms in the house, the X-10 devices I use in the Kitchen are wall plug models so they can easily be swapped around. Within the kitchen are 2 LM10U lamp modules and 2 AM10U appliance modules.

1-wire Network

The kitchen represents one room where several temperature sensors could be useful for feedback as to whether various X-10 modules need to be switched on or off - this is especially the case where they are connected to devices such as Kettles and Coffee Makers. The only thing lacking is some means of checking if there is water in the kettle. I have seen numerous ingenious solutions to the water in kettle problem, but I've yet to see one that I think would work reliably.

The wire has been fitted in anyway, and I shall experiment over time with various sensors.

Current Status

Visually a mess, but functionally semi-operational.