...that are easy for the lay person to setup as well?

I have had this thought since the launch of Amazon's Alexa, and I'm sure many more have as well. And with the recent launch of Windows PCs and other hardware all featuring so-called dedicated "NPUs", it has me thinking we should be pretty close, right?

Basically, cobbling together Matter/Thread devices; Home Assistant or Hubitat; a dedicated PC with a powerful "enough" NPU/CPU/GPU combo and offline multi-modal Gen-AIs etc, I feel we've gotta be close to someone or some group rolling out an AIO solution for getting home and saying;

"Henri, flip on my office lights and get netflix started in the kid's room... Oh, and please add a reminder to call Mom to my calendar for tomorrow."

And having the only external network call be an API call to Google Calendar that looks like you saved an appt.

Am I thinking crazy here?

Also, in this vein (and provided other things don't end most modern living), I feel the plug and play scenario of taking such a home AI will be the norm at some point. Home tours may include or highlight server cubbies or a server room for an integration point, much like how many homes come with Cat-5 terminals as a mention these days in new constructions.

A stretch, but I don't think too far of one... thoughts?

I'm planning to get a smart ring to track my sleep and wake me up when I'm in a light phase of sleep (around a certain time) by initially opening my blinds which will be controlled by an ESP32. The ring and ESP32 will both have bluetooth capabilities but rather than connecting them both to my phone and using a combination of shortcuts and home assistant I would prefer to connect them directly, I just don't know if its even possible to do this so any direction toward something to look into would be appreciated. Cheers

I use the Yale YRD226 lock with the Yale WIFI module at my Airbnb. A guest left then returned AFTER her reservation was over and managed to, in my opinion, hack the lock. She couldn't enter with the 4 digit code she had been assigned and had been using throughout her reservation. However, when she returned after having left at the end of reservation, she brought some guy with her who remained in the car while she kept trying the door. Eventually, I got an alert that she entered with the MASTER PIN. This is just terrifying. How in the world did they accomplish this? It also appears that she didn't randomly guess it. She also didn't pick the lock. We have Ring cameras that don't show her bending or using any tools to pick the lock. Also, I, along with the owner, are the only 2 people who know the Master Pin and neither one of us used it during her reservation. We were barely at the property while she was there. How did they enter with the Master Pin?

I had bought the Wink Hub years ago (before there was a monthly subscription) and the go control premium package and had set them up. Then Wink decided to start charging monthly so it sat unused.

The system no longer works since i am not paying the monthly fee and i am wondering if the door sensors, motion sensor and siren can be used any other ecosystem? It does say Z wave plus on the package, though i do not understand what that means. Also if this is possible do i have to de-register the widgets from the current hub or will the new system be able to use them as is?

Also if i toss or sell the hub is there personal information on it i should wipe and if so how do i do that?

Thanks

I currently have a dumb ceiling fan on a switch with smart bulbs that i would like to control from one switch. Is there any switch that allows for both remote control of a dumb device and smart control of the light bulbs that would work with home assistant? TIA

I wish to make a scene with a scene switch to

1. Decrease the current brightness of a bulb by 10% when pressed
2. Increase the current brightness of a bulb by 10% when pressed

Is this possible? I am using the Smart Life application.

If it has to go through Hoobs thats ok. It’s already up and running.

My father in law has a sound system in his basement that consists of a 400 disc cd player connected to an audio receiver. I'm wanting to gift him a (reasonably priced) touch screen that can connect to the audio receiver and play music from Spotify, Amazon audio, etc , and possibly store music internally. I haven't really been able to find what I'm looking for. The audio receiver is not Bluetooth capable. Thanks in advance.

Hi there, I startet a while ago with homeassistant and sonoff zigbee stick i bought some sensors which work pretty good, including sonoff indoor temp sensors, that cost not much, like 12€. But it seem there is almost no outdoor temp sensors available and the few I found are pretty expensive. I need an zigbee outdoor temp and hum sensor from at least -25 to +40 Celsius and ZigBee connection. Could with waterproof housing or better with an cabled probe. I need two, so I can get data from outside the house and inside the fridge.

I found for example one an aliexpress from aubess with an probe for 40€ which seems quite overpriced

has anyone used this on and is it worth the money? Any recommendations on other similar devices?

Thanks

hello,,

We are renovating a house and I will try to get some automation in it. I have read thoroughly this cohmment from u/diito (thanks again !). And I have some questions :

I already installed, some years ago, a small system using a raspberry pi with domoticz, rfx433 and some oregon captor for temp/humidity/rain/wind/and some switches (chacoon I think).

If I understand correctly, rfx433 is quite discontinued, domoticz is not so much used, so I would probably start with home automation and zigbee (I must start now to know how much humidity in my basement :)). I want to add thing progressively, automate shutter, probably lights, maybe the front door... I want to do it myself, I am not a tech ninja, but I like to spend time playing with such tools (so no cloud solution, no closed system).

Here are my questions :

• first is there something I misunderstood so far ?

• for using zigbee, I have to get a controller (maybe something like this ?), but what should I plug it on ? Is a raspberry pi a good choice, or would I need more power ?

• the first advice of the comment is to get as much hardwire as it is possible. But what wires are we speaking ? I was thinking to have RJ45 all over the house, but is there other thing ?

That's all for now, thanks for your inputs :).

QUESTION

Hi there, I startet a while ago with homeassistant and sonoff zigbee stick. I bought some sensors which work pretty good, including sonoff indoor temp sensors, that cost not much, like 12€. But it seem there is almost no outdoor temp sensors available and the few I found are pretty expensive. I need an zigbee outdoor temp and hum sensor from at least -25 to +40 Celsius and ZigBee connection. Could with waterproof housing or better with an cabled probe. I need two, so I can get data from outside the house and inside the fridge.

I found for example one an aliexpress from Aubess with an probe for 39€ which seems quite overpriced (Can't post link because reddit removes my post immedately)

has anyone used this on and is it worth the money? Any recommendations on other similar devices?

Thanks

I have a couple of dumb lamps with three-way switches that I want to use a smart colored LED bulb in, and be able to physically control the brightness. I don't care how it's controlled, as long as the control is intuitive and lamp-like, for example by turning a knob on the lamp or touching it.

I really don't want to do any custom programming or soldering. Does anyone know of anything out-of-the-box that could achieve this? e.g. something attached to the wire that sends a zigbee or zwave command when there is/isn't load, or a touch sensor that I can connect to the lamp base.

hello,,

We are renovating a house and I will try to get some automation in it. I have read thoroughly this comment from u/diito (thanks again !). And I have some questions :

I already installed, some years ago, a small system using a raspberry pi with domoticz, rfx433 and some oregon captor for temp/humidity/rain/wind/and some switches (chacoon I think).

If I understand correctly, rfx433 is quite discontinued, domoticz is not so much used, so I would probably start with home automation and zigbee (I must start now to know how much humidity in my basement :)). I want to add thing progressively, automate shutter, probably lights, maybe the front door... I want to do it myself, I am not a tech ninja, but I like to spend time playing with such tools (so no cloud solution, no closed system).

Here are my questions :

• first is there something I misunderstood so far ?
• for using zigbee, I have to get a controller, but what should I plug it on ? Is a raspberry pi a good choice, or would I need more power ?
• the first advice of the comment is to get as much hardwire as it is possible. But what wires are we speaking ? I was thinking to have RJ45 all over the house, but is there other thing ?

That's all for now, thanks for your inputs :).

Hello,

I am thinking of creating a setup to put in my door.

Sometimes I where headphones and may not be able to hear if someone is outside my door even if they are knocking. The monitor I would be facing means my back is towards the shut door.

I am thinking of a setup where I place a wireless switch/signal to my door, and mount a small light bulb on my monitor.

So anyone could tap the button on my door, and the light will tell my someone is there.

Is there a DIY solution for this design I'm describing. It's not a necessity, and if I can DIY instead of buying a pre made setup, that would be pretty cool too.

Thanks.

Looking for a outlet device that only does power monitoring - not switching or dimming. I want to connect this inline with a power strip for my fish tank, and I don't want any chance that the power will be shut off inadvertently. Rather I just want to use the power monitoring feature to let me know if the pump for the filter has stopped running (less power usage) or is working too hard as in if it's clogged (more power usage).

Every outlet device I've seen that has power monitoring features also includes a switching capability.

Would prefer zigbee, but open to any communication protocol at this point.

Located in US, so 120V and NEMA 5-15 plugs.

Wondering if anyone here knows of such a device.

Installed a Yale assure lever (YRL236) with a Yale WiFi smart module. I added to my home app, can see it but will not let me unlock or lock. I must be missing a setting somewhere. I tried removing and turn my phone off and the. In and reinstalled. Called Yale and was told it must be an apple thing.

I'm about to order from them but when it comes to which protocol to choose I get stumped.

I've not really paid attention the Matter and I'm not sure if my existing equipment qualifies or do I need a Matter bridge/router?

I have Alexa and also Apple ecosystem in my home as well as Google but Alexa gets most of if not all the action.

I have the latest Apple devices (Iphone 15, Apple TV 4k) and also several Echo devices. I do not have a Homepod.

Is this enough or should I just stick with Z-wave?

Watching youtube videos don’t take me far (as I think a lot of youtuber have a biased meaning bv they probably get sponsored by a brand)

I doubting between the eufy doorbell or the reolink doorbell. (I already own reolink nvr system with 4 cameras)

I have a Nest thermostat. I’m planning to buy a window AC unit. A lot of AC units are wi-fi enabled, but I’m having difficulty figuring out which ones are compatible with the Nest thermostat.

Hello,

I'm currently using HomeAssistant with the SkyConnect stick on an 64bit platform.

My problem: I have two Ikea Fyrtur shades that aren't moving anymore. Neither from HomeAssistant or with the buttons on the shades themselves. I already tried resetting them, charging and changing the battery and leave them without battery for a couple days, but nothing solved my problem.

Does someone have similar problems or some ideas how to fix them?

And sorry for my bad english, im German.

I live on a private hilly road. At one point its almost impossible to see over a hill and if there is another car coming, and the driver isn't being cautious, there is definitely the potential for an accident.
I've seen some houses in the area use convex mirrors mounted to poles to provide views of obstructed areas when driving.

I'm trying to find something electronic to do the trick. I think an outdoor battery / solar powered motion sensor might work as long as it would turn on duing the daytime as well (it'd be even better if it could detect cars only and only turn on if it senses a car).

The issue is that searching for "motion senor light / alert for obstructed view" (or anything related) only shows devices for use while driving - car blind spot sensors - not what I'm looking for.

Does anyone know of a sensor like the one I'm looking for (needs to be outdoor, battery or solar operated, work in day or night, and "alert" - turn a light on when it senses motion, definitely cars)?

Sorry I'm a newbie to this but I'm looking for a product recommendation. I want to be able to sit and work at my computer with loud music blasting through headphones, but I also want to be alerted visually if my doorbell rings. I don't necessarily need a camera, but that would be nice. Also on my work PC I don't have admin rights so cannot install any app. Not sure if I need a little lightbulb to light up on my desk, or a Nest Hub screen to achieve this? Thanks

I am travelling to the US and wondering if there are devices that are easily available the US but not in the EU. Would need to worry about the voltage difference for anything mains powered.

Had a quick look online but did not find anything different. I have a robust ZigBee network and planning on starting on Z-wave. Perhaps some niche sensors or something USB powered?

Thanks!

Hi. I'm thinking of buying touch smart wall switches butI would like to have more information before going ahead. I have narrowed it down to a brand called sonoff (T2UK) and an unknown chinese brand. ● Anyone can share experience with sonoff? ● What's your experience with it? ● What's the impact on your electricity bills? ● Any connectivity issues with their respective apps?

All my lights dim 30 minutes before sunset. Or they did. I was in the shower and all of a sudden it was dark. So I had to reform my dimming rules.

So I changed it from 80% in the day, to 50% at 30 mins before sunset. Then 30% at sunset then 1% at 30 mins past sunset. These are based on my lights max and min settings.

What do you do for your night brightness changes?

I have an old house which does not has neutral wire. I am planning to replace all switches and dimmers with smart switches. I ideally want a hub where all dimmer switches are connected and then I can create my automations via google assistant.

Lutron Caseta Solution overall looks most recommended but switches are very normal looking.

Any other brand out there that provides complete solution for both dimmer and switches and look slightly better ?

I do have a smart blinds that has Zigbee motor, if I can find a hub that can also pair with it will be great.

I am new to this any and this is my first smart switch dimmer project, Any tips pointers are highly appreciated. Thank you.

Does Ecobee or another smart thermostat work with my current setup? My home currently only has a black and red wire where it's just a simple system to control the furnace and AC. I tried to do some google searches but I'm not finding a straightforward answer. Thanks

https://imgur.com/a/7so2Uhi

What This Fixes

We have a cat that likes to go out to our enclosed patio or our garage. When he is ready to come in, he will stand next to the door and meow (yell). We open the door and let him in. No problem.

But, he frequently stays out long enough for us to forget. More than once he was outside yelling and we were oblivious. That's problem #1.

It is also complicated by the fact that he likes to yell anyway. He will lay on the ground wallowing and yelling just for the fun of it. That causes "false alarms". We would think he wants in, but all he was really doing is enjoying life. Frustrating to us (but I think it secretly amuses the cat). That's problem #2.

Somehow, we needed a device that would: A. Alert us when the cat wanted inside (fix Problem #1) B. Ensure that was really his intention (fix Problem #2)

Clearly, we needed a Cat Doorbell.

The Journey

I tried using the Raspberry Pi (v2), ESP32s-S3-EYE (v3). Each approach had issues. Raspberry Pi worked - but required a complex collection of components. The ESP32 simply didn't have the capacity to do what I wanted.

Hacking Android

Finally, it dawned on me (after over a year of tinkering) that a decommissioned Android phone would be the perfect platform. They have lotsa disk, CPU, and a mature (i.e. Linux) OS. And, as it happens, I had 2 old Pixel phones. Cool.

While I didn't know jack about writing Andriod apps, after surprisingly little work (and the magic of ChatGPT), I got it running. :)

The Repo + Documentation

Here is the result. The details about the Android app and the AWS component are in the repo.

Hi folks.

I'm looking to put a smart lock on my side gate. I want to be able to unlock remotely, or from either side. And obviously it needs to be rain proof.

Has anyone got feedback, good or bad, on models they have tried?

I’m having a heck of a time connecting this damn Schlage Encode Plus lock via thread to my Apple TV 4K gen 2.

The lock has thread and WiFi support. The ATV gen2 has thread support too.

I’ve read things like the gen 2 AtV can’t connect non Apple accessories via thread but this lock is HomeKit compatible. That said it’s unclear to me if that compatibility statement is a related to WiFi and not thread.