New to the scene, feeling a bit lost and overwhelmed. Live in USA. Want smart plugs that function over wifi or bluetooth, must be able to function via command from pc or phone. Can I get a hero to link me a quality product with good documentation?

I just picked up a Lumary wifi / bluetooth smart light from a thrift store for really cheap. It was new in box and works perfectly. I have it linked to the app and it works as it should. I want to use it for my daughters bedroom (shes 15mo) and would like to have a physical light switch to turn the light on, in addition to the app.

Reasons are simple- 1 its easier and faster when your standing right next to the switch to just press it. 2- sometimes I don't want to have to get my phone out or call google-assistant right after she fell asleep.

I could just leave the current switch there which would turn off the light, and I believe this bulb goes back to its last used state, so it would turn back on via the switch as well. Of course when its off I loose all smart connectivity to it and turning on it takes some time to re-join wifi to then be usable via the app again.

Light in question: https://www.lumarysmart.com/collections/all/products/lumary-smart-rgbai-can-light-with-gradient-accent-night-light-4-inch-9w-780lm ( I got the 8" version)

I’ve been thinking about a specific automation challenge and wanted to see if anyone here has experimented with something similar.

One thing I find myself constantly doing is adjusting the volume on my music or TV based on what’s happening around the house. For example:

• When the HVAC system kicks on, the noise makes it harder to hear my entertainment.
• The same thing happens when someone is cooking, washing dishes, or even when there’s just general background noise.

What I’d love to achieve is a system that uses a decibel detector (or some kind of ambient noise sensor) to automatically adjust the volume of my entertainment to compensate for these changes in room noise. Ideally, it would:

1. Detect the ambient noise level in real-time.
2. Adjust the volume of my TV, speakers, or other devices to maintain a consistent listening experience.

Has anyone tried setting up something like this? If so:

• What hardware or sensors did you use?
• Did you integrate it with a specific platform (e.g., Home Assistant, SmartThings, etc.)?
• Were there any challenges or unexpected behaviors you ran into?
• Any tips or lessons learned?

I’m curious to hear about your experiences or even alternative approaches to solving this problem. Thanks in advance for sharing!

I have an old valve on my main water line that is worn out and needs to be replaced. Naturally, I figured this is the perfect opportunity to install a smart valve so that I can set it up so that if a water sensor detects anything it shuts off the water to my home and prevents bad water damage. I talked to a local plumber who is pretty reliable and while he didn't know a lot about them (he said he's only installed moen flo), he recommended I don't get one. He said that a lot that he has installed the homeowner has had him remove because the valve keeps shutting when it shouldn't and other issues. I wanted to see if anyone had thoughts about this, is it just the moen flo or are smart valves in a place where they're kind of unreliable?

I live in an apartment but want to do some automation stuff. So, I can’t use smart switches directly wired into the wall and don’t want to just go the WiFi bulb route since I really like still having the option for physical “switches” alongside controlling from HomeKit and such.

From my research, essentially the plan is to use “remotes” to act as switches (I’d just leave the power on to the bulbs from a wall switch at all times). I understand I’d need to buy “smart” bulbs / outlets that can talk to the remotes and I’d prefer to do this over non-wifi protocols (zigbee?). I’d be looking for RGB functionality as well.

Anyone have any recommendations for this setup? I’m brand new to this so let me know if I’m thinking about something in the wrong way as well!

I’m about to renovate my house and I need some help with the smart lighting setup. Here goes:

• I would like to have nice, beautiful switches around the house that can turn on and off the lights, at maybe 50% intensity, good for all around needs. I like the convenience / muscle memory of this action. It probably means dumb switches.

• I would like to use smart light bulbs, that can adjust color temperature throughout the day, have automations or even change color according to the scene. So far I’ve been using the Ikea smart bulbs, I’m happy with them.

I am wondering what’s the best way to achieve both scenarios. My first thought was to have a smart relay behind each light switch, but as far as I understand, turning off the lights would mean cutting power to the bulbs.

Is there a smart relay that could make a dumb light switch act like a smart scene button?

Or is there any other option that I’m missing?

Other considerations: signal power would not be a problem; ecosystem preference is to be compatible with Apple Homekit, but could achieve this via Home Assistant running on a mini pc; Europe based, regarding device available and voltage.

Thanks!

Hello. Kitchen fitter installed Sensio titan drivers for two runs of smart LEDs. https://www.sensiolighting.com/products/titan-smart-kinetic-driver?variant=46603729633568. I couldn't be less impressed with their smart integration, the dimmer function isn't compatible and with Google home and they sometimes won't switch on via GH either. I'm wondering if I can switch out the driver for something else that will work. I cannot now get to either the power or led tape easily so I am hoping I can switch the driver for something that will work with the existing power lead and led tape. I wonder if I could swap the driver for a dumb driver and a smart controller?? Tia

Hi,

I have heard that in HomeAssistant there is a feature that describes a picture of a webcam. I don't use HomeAssistant and would like to have an API for this (sending image, getting text result). As a first idea, I wanted to use ChatGPT for this, but is there a better system to use? Even free of charge?

I’m redoing my kitchen, living room, dining room, and pantry. Heard great things about Lutron for switches. Is there a good basic guide out there. There are so many options on website! Oh, and not sure if it matters but we are an all Apple ecosystem and house was built in 1956, so maybe neutral wires aren’t available? Thanks!

Hi, just got RM4 Pro, my fan that uses RF isn't listed so tried the learning option, it learns the button I press but when I test it from the app, RM4 Pro doesn't send the signals.

The Aeotec Z-Stick 10 Pro is available sale on the Aeotec store. It includes both Z-Wave and ZigBee.

The title says it all any suggestions?

Hi all, I learned of Smart Wings here after spending nearly 2 years dragging my heels on window treatments. 🫣 I want woven wood shades. I’d consider nice rollers but currently don’t feel as excited about them. Are there any competitors to Smart Wings that you would recommend I check out before purchasing? I am wary of SW due to the nature of their website and marketing. I usually would avoid a company like this for such a permanent fixture in my home but the price is good and people seem to feel strongly that the product is good.

I work irregular shifts. Same time each shift it’s just different random days of the week. Is there a way to get Alexa to adjust the temperatures in my house at certain times based on whether or not I work?

Hi all. Anyone know of battery powered motion sensors that log time of last movement. Don't need it to do anything else. Just have a log of movement.

Battery to last as long as possible

Thank you in advance.

This is probably not doable but I figured I'd ask. Basically, I have 3 monitors in different rooms all connected to a GTX 1660 Ti. I frequently switch between the monitors I use throughout the day/night. This GPU can only do 4K @ 144Hz on 2 monitors simultaneously. I'd like to set this up so that either Windows, Alexa, or Google Home can respond to a voice command that actives the third unused monitor and duplicates that one with the primary display whenever I switch rooms. Right now, I'm having to switch them manually from the primary whenever I do so. Ideas? For the record, yes, I am aware that all three could do 4K @ 120Hz simultaneously and I suppose I will just settle for that as a last resort.

I recently purchased 6 smart TRV's from Drayton. They came as a package deal, so there was the hub and the display-thermostat as well. Now as I understand, the TRV opens the radiator valve and sends the signal to the hub to fire up the boiler until it detects the required temperature in the room. Cool. That makes sense. What I don't understand is what the hell the thermostat(one with the display) is doing. I have it installed in my foyer, where I also have one of the TRV's installed on the radiator as well. In the case where none of the TRV's need heat, what happens if the thermostat signals for heat? It's added to my app just like the TRV's, so it can trigger when the temp goes below 16 - but trigger what? If I take the thermostat outside the house where it's cold, what is it going to do, exactly? For some reason the radiator in the foyer is constantly hot too. It's a bit confusing. Any help is appreciated.

We have an old all in one touchscreen PC that isn't being used, and I thought it'd be cool to repurpose it as a family hub to view a shared calendar, chores, dinner plans, shopping list, etc. I was going to mount it on a wall near the kitchen so it's easy to glance at for important info.

Is there an application designed for Linux or Windows that can do all this in a seamless and elegant way?

Hi guys,

I'm one of the stupid early adopters of one of Germany's first Smarthome appliances from RWE. Later they were renamed to Innogy Smarthome and finally to Livisi. And then they discontinued everything and went out of business (the manager how messed this up calls himself „serial entrepreneur“ on LinkedIn).

OK, I'll stop complaining. I've over 30 different actuators and gladly are able to operate the devices bridging them to OpenHAB even remotely. But as I move into a new flat I'll beed additional hardware and I can just rarely find some which is reasonably priced.

I'm thinking to switch to Bosch Smarthome. Mostly because I like their design and they are compatible with the Apple stuff (I own some HomePods, Apple TV etc). Also most of my white ware is from Bosch and I'm happy with their quality. I've also some DIY ESP based sensor stuff, Raspis etc

I've about 12 windows, 6 doors and 4 heaters - distributed over 140qm and 2 floors. Also there's a garage, a cellar with washing machine, a garden and balcony.

Would you safely recommend taking the Bosch route?

My apartment complex has quite a few power points in the garage. We would like to share them for slow charging of EVs, as an interim solution before doing an expensive power upgrade for better chargers.

It seems it should be possible to wire a sub-meter that authorizes individual users to charge and logs their power usage, say via a login link. However, found only one commercial solution (in Australia, AlchemyCharge) but they are too expensive per kWh, and I wonder whether I can rig up my own. Even something that just works on one power point to start with, as a proof of principle, would be ok.

Hi all, I own a Vitogas100 with Vitocell300 controlled by Vitotronic200.

Since I love collecting data, I'd like to read any and all parameters these units have to offer. I actually do not want to control anything but it would be a nice bonus, obviously.

Does anyone have ideas or even solutions which do not involve Vitoconnect? I'd like to keep it basic, ideally some RaspberryPi solution with any kind of sensors. I'd rather not replace the gauges but I'm open to suggestions.

I have Bali smart roller shades that originally use reloadable battery packs. There's a few windows that needed two reloadable battery packs connected in series due to increased width/power requirements.

However, these reloadable battery packs have been a headache for months; opening the shades has no issues, but when it's time to close the shades, the connection between the battery packs and motor is flaky and sometimes does not close. I have to get up to the motor and battery, and wiggle the battery around in it's mount to re-establish a connection.

I've received a plug-in transformer for free and this is a viable solution for me. However I'm not getting any more for free. I was wondering if I can buy a third-party power adapter and appropriate cables for a safe and cheaper alternative? Looking at the factory adapter, it seems to be a 15V 1.6A adapter.

Would having shades that needed two reloadable battery packs (12V) change anything?

Hey guys,

I live in Switzerland. We use a Type J power socket, which makes it quite hard to find a suitable smart home power plug. I want to make sure it has solid Home Assistant integration and was searching for one that is Zigbee. I wasn't able to find one and I'm not sure if there are even Zigbee power plugs for Switzerland, which is why I'm here. Do you guys know of any Zigbee smart plugs for Switzerland with power metering and a power switch?

If there isn't a Zigbee plug for Switzerland, I found this as a possible alternative: https://www.athom.tech/blank-1/switzerland-plug-for-esphome and would be interested if anyone has any experience with these plugs.

TLDR; Looking for a Type J (Swiss) Zigbee Smart Power Plug with power metering and a power switch

We have a problem in our house where we do a load of laundry, then it sits in the dryer for 4 days waiting to be unloaded. To solve this, I have a Shelly 1PM and Home Assistant monitoring the power draw of the dryer, then sending a notification when the power falls to zero, indicating that the laundry's done.

A one-time notification isn't enough. It's too easily swiped away or ignored, so I need a persistent indicator that resets only when the load is retrieved from the dryer. (Right now, it's color changing under-cabinet LED strips. If the kitchen is awash in bright blue, some one needs to unload the dryer)

Monitoring whether the unload has happened has been a challenge. I've tried the typical door sensor (this kind), but the shape of the door is bulging and rounded-- there's no good surface where the magnet and the sensor reliably meet up. Thought about a tilt sensor, but I think the the left-to-right swinging motion of the door won't be picked up well.

BUT... what about the existing door switch, which very reliably indicates when the door is opened and turns on an led?

This switch is fed with 120 volts. When open, it triggers a relay that sends 12 volts to the led.

My electronics knowledge fails me here. Is there a zigbee, z-wave, or wifi device that will monitor the state of a dryer door switch, or monitor whether 12 volts is passing through the wires to that lead to the LED?

Here's a wiring diagram, the switch I'm talking about is bottom-left: https://imgur.com/a/KyvOBbD

Hey all, based in the UK.

A family member has just bought a home and is planning to rewire it. They've seen my HA setup and are very keen to do similar - but my setup is a mesh of things that have mostly been "tacked on" after the fact (relay switches, smart plugs etc).

They are in the rare position to be able to do things in walls with relative ease, and I'd like to be able to help them plan that (and avoid kicking themselves later like I have).

So I thought I'd draw on the wealth of experience in this sub. If you had the opportunity to redo some things from scratch, what would you have planned to do?