Hi,
Since I reside in South Africa, personal security is a big concern. I've decided to rather spend $500 on a Netduino solution instead of paying a monthly fee of $50 to a security company. I'm now in the design phase, so I'm considering the various challenges and requirements ahead.
So far I've identified the following requirements:
- Indoor motion sensors for each room (3-4 rooms)
- A loud speaker in the ceiling
- A bright alarm light outside
- An activation/deactivation interface
I live in a cul-de-sac - I'm very well acquainted with all my neighbors and we're always on the look out for each other. My idea behind this system is not so much armed response but more of a 'scare away' tactical approach. I suspect the audible alarm and visual light will be sufficient enough to deter intruders.
When I consider that the motion sensors use analogue signals, the first challenge I can identify is the distance between all the sensors and the central Netduino. I would guess the average distance between each sensor to the Netduino would be around 15 meters. I can only imagine that I'd suffer from noise and loss of signal issues between the sensors to the Netduino.
I've considered using an XBEE approach, but what other alternatives are there?
As for the siren and light, I'll just use external power with a relay to get them going.
Is there anything I've overlooked here? I've got a bunch of nice toys lying around such as the Nwazet Go kit with touch screen, a GPRS shield, couple of Netduinos, sensors etc.
Where to now? 
Daniel
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P.S: I've got a Kinect, and some exposure playing around with the SDK, could this influence my decision? Hmmm...
Edited by Daniel Minnaar, 04 April 2013 - 07:16 PM.
We have plenty during the winter. 
