So currently on the search for a speaker for my sleeping/working room. It’s not that big but i would like to listen to music without headphones or watching a video without headphones. Sadly my monitor speakers are not so good… The only thing i would really need to is Apple Air Play - not necessarily Siri control as i use spotify anyway. What would be the best bang for the buck option? Ofc Stereo would be cool but not necessarily. Thanks for recommendations!!!

I've found a bunch of repeater / extenders you plug in. But are there any that are battery operated?

I already have my heating thermostat replaced by a smart system (Netatmo).

My hot water is controlled separately by a dumb panel which has a weekly schedule programmed in. When the hot water is on, it fills up the separate hot water tank.

How can I add to my setup by replacing the dumb programmer with something that has Apple HomeKit?

I’d like to be able to remotely turn off my hot water for instance, e.g. if I forgot to do so and I’ve gone away.

Most apps like Netflix, Spotify, Prime etc. allow speed controls for the content and you can choose options like 1.25x or 1.5x on phone or iPad but this option is disabled for TV. I wonder why? Please share your perspectives.

Looking. To make my ducted aircon and heater smarter...

I have NFI where to start with this. Any advice gratefully accepted. Also I'm new to this all but willing to learn

I'm Australia based and have a preference for zigbee/wifi

How do they work? Do I just buy the camera? or I'm assuming there's a fee I have to pay every month?

Which ones are the easiest to set up? I need one that a small child could hook up and use because that's about the level I'm at when it comes to technology lol. I also need one that has good night vision and picks up/records when someone comes into my yard and not just when the bell is rang. I do already have a doorbell but it's off to the side pretty far so I'm thinking I could just put the doorbell camera closer/right next to the door.

I'm a single mom living in a pretty crappy city alone with a 5 year old. Someone just rang my doorbell twice at 8pm and I'm kinda freaking out.

If possible please share links.

Hello! I'm trying to set up smart lights to pair with my Alexa (older model--I think a gen 3?). I like the idea of having backdrop lighting for my TV. I was going to go with light tape/strips of some sort, but the entertainment center I bought has three lightbulbs installed in the top (pics 1 and 2). I thought it might be simpler to put smart bulbs in there and call it good. The original bulbs (pic 3) in the entertainment center appear to be G16.5 with a "medium" or "E26" thread. A regular size smart bulb fits in the space fine, but it sticks out a bit. I landed on A15 bulbs with a medium thread as being an adequate fit, but I can only find two brands on Amazon that carry smart bulbs in that size; DOGAIN and LEDEPLY. In your opinions, which of these options makes the most sense for this setup?

1. Buy a LEDEPLY 3-pack of bulbs, which use the Smart Life App (cheapest option)
2. Buy two DOGAIN 2-packs of bulbs and have an extra. Uses its own app (more expensive)
3. Use regular smart bulbs despite the awkward size (I'm between amazon basics, govee, or kasa as the brand.) Side note: what bulbs have the best Alexa connectivity for a budget price, in your opinion?
4. Forget about the built in light bulbs and get a smart LED strip/tape instead. If you think this is best, what are your recommendations? I've never used them.

Also, is there any merit to upgrading the Alexa? She seems to work fine for my needs, and I live in a small space.

Thanks guys!

https://preview.redd.it/fntj592u9byc1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=046e35946775cd2ba9f6ac8a23c7ffc2a419d677

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https://preview.redd.it/ihtnl42u9byc1.png?width=724&format=png&auto=webp&s=4fedef9b25fe665641a92c48885d389643abff7d

Hi, I was trying to install smart lock but looks like it is glued?

Hey guys my bathroom is a long hall like Jack and Jill bathroom with the light switch on only one entrance which is a pain, so I just installed a Kasa KS200M motion sensor switch this week. The motion sensor works great for turning it on, but I'm struggling to find a duration they should stay on for (without motion). Ideally it'd be like a minute, but I'm worried about the lights cutting off when someone is in the shower or my kids are in the tub. Within the app I see where I can set different rules based on a schedule (see picture), but I don't have a hard set time when I shower, and I don't want to have to navigate the app and save settings Everytime I shower. I'd prefer that be based on a trigger other than a schedule, such as a Google command or even an NFC tag that I can tap. Does anyone know if there's a way to set a routine or command that changes that duration setting or something similar?

Thanks in advance!

Changed out my dumb pro1 thermostat to Honeywell. The old had wired a red into the RH with metal piece connecting to the other R(I assume the jumper?) trying to wire my new Honeywell, I put all respectable wires where they need to be and plug in and no power. C is in the correct spot. I pulled the jumper plug as the instructions said pull the plug if you have an r and rh wire. I only have one but that wire piece that was in both the r and rh on the old thermo makes me think that the system was running on both terminals. I have put the red RH in the Honeywell R and RC terminal and neither have turned it on. I have also tried with the jumper plug on and the jumper plug off. Any recommendations before I try to return?

Hi, I recently moved to a new apartment, I'm fairly new with smart devices but I have these:

1. Refoss smart lamp
2. Wiz candle lamp
3. Meross led strip
4. Meross smart switch

I use Apple Homekit and have an Apple TV that I'm using as my hub. Everything was working fine before I moved, pairing was not a problem when I first got all of these smart devices. But after moving they all stopped working which makes sense. I couldn't get them to work again so I unpaired them from the Apple Home app. I haven't been able to pair any of them since then, even after numerous tries.

1. The Refoss smart lamp has an Apple Homekit QR code on it, which I can scan but it after minutes of waiting for it to pair with the Home app it just says it's not able to pair.
2. The Wiz candle lamp I'm able to find using 'other options' (bluetooth?) after putting it in pairing mode by turning it on and off 3 times. Then it asks me for a passcode which I can't find anywhere, obviously I dont have the packaging since it's been half a year since I bought these.
3. Meross led strip: not tried yet
4. Meross smart switch: not tried yet

​

If anyone has any tips on how to pair these devices, please let me know. Google or the manufacturers websites aren't any help.

Thanks in advance.

Hey folks, need some wisdom here. Is diving into the world of smart home security worth it? Picture this: a setup with door/window sensors, motion detectors, cameras, and sirens. But does it actually stop burglars in their tracks, or are they just gonna waltz in regardless, unfazed by a mini-siren and a camera? I'm torn between feeling like a tech-savvy and wondering if I'm just throwing money at glorified tech toy. Also, I had this genius idea: when the alarm goes off, the shutters go up and the house lights up like a Christmas tree. Thoughts? 🤔

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Hi domotica enthousiasts,

Are you also always looking for new home automation ideas?

I started to summarize mine on a single page.

Over the years I found, on all kind of forums, newgroups and videos, different (and sometimes unexpected but cool) home automation ideas. I integrated those to my house and also add some ideas here already for future projects.

I hope I can inspire you for some new ideas!

Can you inspire me with your cool automations? Please let me know!

My page >> Home Automation Ideas

I am planning to install a couple of door sensors in a large building with decent WiFi coverage. I want to connect these sensors to a homemade (3D printed) board with LED lights. Whenever a door opens, a corresponding light should turn on. Is this possible, and where should I start? I have basic knowledge of soldering, Python, and LEDs (strips). Any guidance would be appreciated

what would be the simplest and fastest way to tell mqtt and openhab that my linux pc is on or off?

i want to start few things automaticaly on power on and turn them off when shutdown. ive got iotlink on windows pc but nothing for linux.

thanks

edit: made it work with network binding

Currently trying to find a way to set up something in a particular room that hears talking and automatically sets a five minute alarm, but i don't know where to start. I'm very ADHD so sadly remembering to set the alarm does not work and i tend to get accidentally distracted with long conversations and only notice half an hour later.

It seems like having noise detection and then a macro or something to set a timer should be easy, but I'm getting stuck on the noise detection part. Not even sure what to Google to find something. I use Google home to control most of my smarthome stuff and ideally it would use those speakers for the alarm but open to any other suggestions

Thanks in advance

What do you think about smart locks still having a mechanical key option? Is this a useful feature? Are the reliability and security of smart locks good enough these days that you don't really need a mechanical key anymore?

If you have a smart lock, how much do you use the key? Are there any situations where the smart lock fails and you need to use a mechanical key?

Hey guys so I'm new to this smart home stuff and I'm trying to get my room automated at first. I have a switch that opens and closes my blinds but I have to keep holding it for about 30-35 seconds for it to fully open or close and also they're actually two switches one for closing(going down) and one for opening(going up). I thought about the switchbot pro but I'm jot sure if Its able to hold a button for that long plus the price js quite expensive seeing that I might need two of them.

Does anyone have the Soma Smart Shades 3 or Ryse Smart Shade and could tell me if either supports thread yet? Looking at buying one but don't want to also have to buy the $70 dongle to get it to work with Google Home or Apple Homekit.

I found mention of the Soma Smart Shades 3 supposedly having thread support "in the future" but can't find anything about it releasing. Couldn't find any mention of it for the Ryse so I assume this one just doesn't support it.

I’m looking for a camera that can record if wifi is unplugged but streams to my phone when connected to wifi. My roomate is malicious and will unplug the wifi to go in my room so i need it to record when the wifi isn’t working.

I wanna actually turn on and off classic sandwich maker … does it works?

I may be searching for a unicorn here - I'm not sure if it even exists! I've been happily using a variety of smart timers to irrigate our gardens for years.

All of these systems require you to turn the water source/hose/wall hydrant on, and leave it on continuously, to automatically irrigate on a schedule.

My issue is that, as it turns out, modern wall hydrants aren't designed to be under constant pressure. I've got a leaky one now, after a season of being on constantly.

Is there a solution that actually turns the water on and off, so that the fixture isn't under continuous pressure? Does this smart gardening unicorn actually exist, or am I doomed to become really good at replacing wall hydrants?

I got the Switchbot motion sensor for my birthday, and I need help with it…

On the package it says it can be connected to Google Home (my main smart home platform). And it can, but it just doesn’t work. Google home recognizes it as a light.

I had to find a solution to automate my light with the sensor. Lucky for me, my lights can also be connected to Amazon Alexa, so can the sensor. When that idea came up, I felt like an absolute genius! 🧠

So I made an Alexa account a connected all of my lights and motion sensor to it. And it al worked perfectly! I was almost dancing in my room, but I celebrated too early…

I made a routine, when my Switchbot motion sensor detected movement -> it would turn on the lights. But it didn’t worked. When I moved on in front of the sensor, it sees me, in the Alexa app and the Switchbot app. But it didn’t started my routine.

My question: How to solve this??? I am really frustrated about it because it was a birthday gift. But I can’t find anywhere to solve this problem. Maybe I am the only one and is it a problem with the sensor or the connection. But please help me…

(I do have the Switchbot hub mini!)

I have a TV cabinet with two doors on simple Amerock hinges and a magnetic catch at the top. I'm looking for a solution to remotely push open the doors from my smartphone and/or via Alexa when I'm in the adjacent kitchen or dining room. It doesn't need to close the doors, only open. The cabinet has 120V AC outlets available, but a battery based solution would also be fine. Are there any products/setups you've seen that might work to accomplish this?

Hello all,

I'm having two small kids that are waking up at anywhere between 6 and 8 AM. Since they (still) share a room and me and the missis prefer to wake up a tad bit later, many times they will quietly play in their room until more decent hours (like 7 - 7:30).

Problem is that, if we don't hear them in the morning, we'll only find out late in the afternoon that that day they woke up very early : the house would be more akin to an screamo concert.

So I started thinking of way to detect and record their waking times:

• PIR or radar presence sensor positioned somewhere above their heads: if would probably be the best solution. I'm not sure how well would it deal with movement during sleep and there will certainly be noise in the records if they go to the toilet and back to bed.

• Pressure sensor under the pipi pad (with less than 21 kg to work with, under the mattress it probably won't detect anything): I would have to have a large sensor as their beds are full size (200 x 90 cm) and they tend to migrate during the night.

• Sport band with sleep detection: I would avoid that since it would introduce more hassle (charging it regularly, maybe having to take it off during the day as the kindergarten won't allow it, non-local implementation, they might not accept it, etc)

Has anyone tried something like this?

Any ideas are welcome!

Thanks!

Hello. Newbie over here.

So, yesterday I started my smart hoje journey by installing 2 shellys to control blindfolds.

So, at this point, the question is: where to go next?

I want to be able to control my dumb AC units, control door opening, and the remaining 3 blindfolds.

How would you do?

Thanks

I'm on the market for a smart window AC unit. However I need one with a power cord of about 10 ft as I'm trying to avoid an extension cord. Unfortunately most product listings I've seen before don't seem to show power cord length so I was wondering if anyone can vouch from personal use.