Help with the basics for a new build

Construction of my new house begins in February and I want to have c-bus, but i have a few questions. I have only just started looking into this so I know close to nothing at the moment.
1. Is there a getting started website or documentation?
2. I see that c-bus uses cat5e cable. I am putting a cat6 network throughout the house. Will c-bus be able to use the same network? i.e. Does it need its own network or will it co-exist with a TCP network?
3. I'm going to use Gigabit routers. Same question as 2.
4. Do c-bus switches, for instance, get allocated an IP address?
5. I want to future proof but currently need to keep my budget down. Should I run power and/or cat6 to everywhere I think in future I may want c-bus control? i.e. curtain rails, all light switches, air-con/heating etc.
6. Any other advice anyone can think of?

Cheers,
Dave.

 

Back to basics

Dave,
In answer to your questions, please find some responses below.
1. Is there a getting started website or documentation? -
You will find a whole heap of info in he technical resources section of the CIS website
http://www2.clipsal.com/cis/technical/technical_support/installation_instructions
2. I see that c-bus uses cat5e cable. I am putting a cat6 network throughout the house. Will c-bus be able to use the same network? i.e. Does it need its own network or will it co-exist with a TCP network? C-Bus is a standalone Cat 5 network. The Cat5e carries not only the actual data from device to device, but also carries the 36vDC to power the devices. The C-Bus devices do use an addressing method similar to TCPIP which allows C-Bus devices to be unique to one another. In C-Bus terms, these addresses are known as unit addresses3. I'm going to use Gigabit routers. Same question as 2.
4. Do c-bus switches, for instance, get allocated an IP address? - AS ABOVE
5. I want to future proof but currently need to keep my budget down. Should I run power and/or cat6 to everywhere I think in future I may want c-bus control? i.e. curtain rails, all light switches, air-con/heating etc. - CAbling is perhaps the most important aspect of any design. C-Bus and many other programmable systems and devices can be re-configured using software commisioning tools, but once the installaion is complete it is geerally difficult and quite expensive to install additional cabling. It is important to understand the systems you may wish to control and/ or include today and in the future and cable accordingly. Perhaps the best way to achieve this is to sit down, do a bit of research on the possibilties (magazines like smarthouse provide excellent ideas), and then determine how each system communicates with others. Some systems (Crestron, AMX, Concept security etc) provide RS-232 integration, where other systems may be controlled via IR or dry contacts.
6. Any other advice anyone can think of? - Check out the mags, and let you fingers do the work - there is prenty of info on the net.

All the best for the new home

 

The similarity with TCP/IP ends with the cable. Unlike TCP/IP C-Bus is topology free. This means you don't need to wire each device back to a central hub. C-Bus can be wired in series and branched here and there to reach other devices. The C-Bus cable carries the power as well as the data reducing the amount of wiring. Wiring for C-Bus is a *lot* more flexible that TCP/IP.

There is a C-Bus TCP/IP gateway. This can be used to allow you PC to access your C-Bus via ethernet (means you can use WiFi for instance).

 

Overview

If you look at the newbie question by Jaffacake you will get a better overview of how CBus works and the importance of getting the Wiring right. As DB said treat CBus as a totally separate, standalone network that can only be bridged to your Gigabit network by using the serial or network interface or via some compatible third party hardware.

An interesting point is that I believe gigabit networks generally only work at the speed of the slowest device connected to it. I am not sure that the Network Interface is much above 10/100 so if you leave it permanently connected it may hamper your network speeds.

Good news is there is no reason to leave it connected.

If CBus was to rely on windows however, whenever you got home, it would take three attempts to enter the pin code and another five minutes for the garage to open. If you were not careful the door may suddenly shut down as you were driving in. Furthermore, the more lights you had turned on the more unreliable the system would become and once a week you would need to turn off your mains to reset it. If a stranger were to visit and interact with one of the input devices, all hell could break loose with lights going on and off all over the place before the entire house would shut down and the system would need to be reinstalled from scratch.

Worst thing however would be when a new style of energy efficient light globe was released, said system would be unable to work with it and you would be left languishing in the past............ oh ****, was that a flying toaster?