Design Considerations

Probably the most inportant part with such a project is determining the proper design considerations for such a projects. Some of the key elements that need to be considered with such an undertaking are listed below.

• Cost: Since there will be a panel unit in almost every room, the cost per unit needs to be as low as possible
• Flexibility: Although there may be an initial set of features that will be integrated, the design should allow the addition of new features and sensors with little effort
• Ease of Use: The user interface is an important part. Although, I am the geeky type. Non-geeks, such as my wife, need to be able to use the system
• Easy of Installation: The idea is to make the installation process as easy as possible. Since we already have an old system in place, we want to use as much of the existing infrastructure as possible (as long as it does not interfere with other design goals)

Step 1: Determining the right platform for the panels