Smart Home Automation
- Thread starter ChaoticUnreal
- Start date
Finally getting back to smart home stuff after moving.
Just bought the required gear to smartify my garage doors (and they shipped in 15 mins after ordering highly recommend https://www.thesmartesthouse.com/ they have been great every time I've bought from them.)
I'm not 100% when I'll find time to actually install them but probably in the next week or so at which point I'll post about it since I haven't done anything like it yet.
Just bought the required gear to smartify my garage doors (and they shipped in 15 mins after ordering highly recommend https://www.thesmartesthouse.com/ they have been great every time I've bought from them.)
I'm not 100% when I'll find time to actually install them but probably in the next week or so at which point I'll post about it since I haven't done anything like it yet.
I've got mine setup in a VM on my FreeBSD NAS via their HassOS VM image, but that's just one way. Mine is also dual-homed between my public/internet VLAN, and an IOT VLAN which is isolated and doesn't connect/route to anything else.
Using ZigBee via a ethernet-serial bridge via Tubes ZB. As far as devices, I'm a big fan of Athom, which uses F/OSS Tasmota/ESPHome/WLED (or HomeKit/HomeBridge) firmware on all of their devices.
So... are chicken sacrifices sufficient to obtain a Pi to run it on, or are the stock shortages up to goat levels?
Your first born at this point it seems.
But nearly anything can run HA well enough, so long as you don't have crazy automations or what not, doesn't take a ton of CPU.
I actually think I have an old mini-PC around somewhere, if I can find it, if you want to pay for shipping.
Something like https://smile.amazon.com/Celeron-Fanless-Computer-Support-HDMI2-0a/dp/B082VVCFNG would run it just fine as well, possibly even better than a Pi since it has eMMC, or you can through a 2242 sized SSD into it to supercharge the storage.
Thanks to the people that pointed me to this thread. Here's my current state of things.
* I got Home Assistant installed on a Docker container on my Synology NAS. Things seem to be working OK so far.
* I cannot get my ecobee thermostat set up. Whenever I follow the HASS instructions and try to log into the ecobee developer account, it says my account is locked. I've contacted ecobee support on this.
* I go into HASS and my devices says that I have a Thermometer HomeKit Controller. It asks me for a pairing code in the form of XXX-XX-XXX. I have no idea what this device is. No idea if it is related to my ecobee or if it is something with HASS itself.
* Ultimately, I want to get some water detectors and when one of them is triggered, another devices cuts the water off to my entire house. That's my main thing.
* Any other cool things I should look at?
* I got Home Assistant installed on a Docker container on my Synology NAS. Things seem to be working OK so far.
* I cannot get my ecobee thermostat set up. Whenever I follow the HASS instructions and try to log into the ecobee developer account, it says my account is locked. I've contacted ecobee support on this.
* I go into HASS and my devices says that I have a Thermometer HomeKit Controller. It asks me for a pairing code in the form of XXX-XX-XXX. I have no idea what this device is. No idea if it is related to my ecobee or if it is something with HASS itself.
* Ultimately, I want to get some water detectors and when one of them is triggered, another devices cuts the water off to my entire house. That's my main thing.
* Any other cool things I should look at?
For your Ecobee? Dunno, don't have any thermostat stuff setup.
Maybe check the bottom/stickers on your HomeKit controller and see if there's a pair code or something? Or is there an app that you use to connect to the controller? Check around in there?
Other things, perhaps some temp/humidity sensors around your house, just sorta keep track of actual temps and humidity and what not. Maybe also door/window sensors, you can do things like you open the door and it turns your lights on in that room or something.
Maybe check the bottom/stickers on your HomeKit controller and see if there's a pair code or something? Or is there an app that you use to connect to the controller? Check around in there?
Other things, perhaps some temp/humidity sensors around your house, just sorta keep track of actual temps and humidity and what not. Maybe also door/window sensors, you can do things like you open the door and it turns your lights on in that room or something.
So I haven't been active in here since I moved in October and haven't put any smart tech into the house yet (not really anyways).
I'm running into the issue of wanting to smartify a 100yr old house where the electrical has no neutral wire (some of the light switches aren't even in outlet boxes just a space in the wall
). So now I'm looking into getting some Z-wave light bulbs which are ~30$/bulb and can't even do all of those cause we have 3-4 different types of bulbs (Edison, GU10, BR20, halogen tubes (in the basement)).
I have added some z-wave temp/humidity sensors and I did try some GU10 wifi bulbs but those kept resetting (I suspect the power is flakey enough to reset them). I've also bought the pieces (z-wave relay and sensor) to smartify one of the two garage doors (the other one is too smart already so need to figure out how to add that) but I haven't got around to actually connecting it.
So going forward I'm looking at expensive as fuck light bulbs, expensive as fuck rewiring my house (Money not being an object I'd prefer this but have no idea how expensive it would be and it was done once already since originally the house was knob and tube at one point (there are some left but they aren't powered)), or give up on smart lighting (I'd rather not since I do enjoy the smart lights and have wife approval from the last house)
I'm running into the issue of wanting to smartify a 100yr old house where the electrical has no neutral wire (some of the light switches aren't even in outlet boxes just a space in the wall
). So now I'm looking into getting some Z-wave light bulbs which are ~30$/bulb and can't even do all of those cause we have 3-4 different types of bulbs (Edison, GU10, BR20, halogen tubes (in the basement)).I have added some z-wave temp/humidity sensors and I did try some GU10 wifi bulbs but those kept resetting (I suspect the power is flakey enough to reset them). I've also bought the pieces (z-wave relay and sensor) to smartify one of the two garage doors (the other one is too smart already so need to figure out how to add that) but I haven't got around to actually connecting it.
So going forward I'm looking at expensive as fuck light bulbs, expensive as fuck rewiring my house (Money not being an object I'd prefer this but have no idea how expensive it would be and it was done once already since originally the house was knob and tube at one point (there are some left but they aren't powered)), or give up on smart lighting (I'd rather not since I do enjoy the smart lights and have wife approval from the last house)
I have a Aeotec water leak sensor sitting right over there that I need to try to get set up with Home Assistant.
Given the overall state of wiring, I'd pay the piper and just get a full rewiring of your house. A bunch of it is probably cloth wrapped wiring or even aluminum. Especially if you don't want to take apart the walls, it's going to get $$$$. And might as well standardize the light bulb sockets as well, and so on. Huge project, but you'll probably thank yourself 6 months after the hassle is over with.
Plus if you're that far into it, you almost might as well upgrade the breaker panel to one of the newer smart type ones you can monitor power usage, remote on/off, etc as well. And make sure you have a spot for EV charger attachment at that point.
Plus if you're that far into it, you almost might as well upgrade the breaker panel to one of the newer smart type ones you can monitor power usage, remote on/off, etc as well. And make sure you have a spot for EV charger attachment at that point.
Yeah the problem would be convincing the wife that is needed since besides not being able to do smart outlets the power seems fine. I'll probably bring it up since some of the "boxes" I've looked into don't seem up to code so I'm slightly worried about them in general.
I need to find someone to give me a quote to start with I think. I had an electrician friend but his wife has said he isn't able to do side jobs any more (he was unable to say no to anyone so would do his normal job then spend most of the time doing side jobs and not spending time with his family).
But yeah if I'm redoing the wiring anyways there is a bunch of "minor" things I'd like changed like the fact all the bedrooms have single switch ceiling fans with pull cords for lights/fan control. And then my office has a single light switch at the bottom of the stairs (it is in the attic) with another pull cord light tied into the switch for the storage area off the side.
With wiring that old and mixed, especially with switches not even being in boxes, I'd definitely be very concerned. Nowhere near vaguely modern code! And for adding solar and/or EV charging, you almost certainly would need a breaker redo/replacement.
And adding features for fans/switches/etc that she might find nice and useful could certainly be worth pushing. "You'll love it when it's done! So much nicer for you!"
You probably have a "neutral" but you don't have a ground. Ground wiring started being required in the 50s but receptacles were only required to be 3-prong by (IIRC) the 60s or so. The problem with that is that appliances commonly have their metal cases bonded to the ground wire for safety, and not having ground makes GFI devices less effective. With wiring that old, I'd also be concerned with corrosion and with things like the plastics in receptacles and switches becoming brittle and falling apart (I've had this happen).
You mention that some switches weren't even put in boxes properly, and I'm pretty sure that would have been a code violation even in the 50s, so I'd be wondering what other corners would have been cut and if the wiring matches the breakers appropriately and the right wiring type is used. If some of the work was done in the 60s, there is good chance that you have some aluminum wiring, and those are a HUGE fire hazard. Aluminum wiring increases fire risk by 20 *times* over copper wiring, and the older it gets, the more the risk goes up, so just because it's been "fine" for 30 or 40 years does not mean that it won't suddenly cause an issue.
As painful as it is, I'd re-wire, or at the very least, have a competent electrician take a VERY hard look at the wiring and verify that you don't have an immediate hazard lurking.
Once it's done "right", implementing smart appliances will be much cheaper, too, so that may offset part of the cost, and having the home be brought up to modern-ish code standards may also lower insurance costs (there is usually a premium for homes known or suspected to have knob/cloth wiring or aluminum wiring - sometimes very substantial).
Going nuts on thermostats and hvac in general. Contractor uses Daikin and it seems their public APIs are via their remote servers only. I don’t want anything internet connected. But I do want air quality sensors able to activate ventilation systems. Anyone found good local api compatible solutions?
I'm interested in that too. We've got a Daikin minisplit in our mother in law apartment and it'd be nice to have remote control over it when we're between tenants, like right now, or if we decide to go the Air-BnB route. It's a small unit and the thermostat doubles as handheld remote control. I haven't thought about it very long, but my initial thoughts think the easiest hack would be mounting a little wi-fi connected microcontroller with IR capability.
Daikin has wifi modules for much of their lines, depending on how old your model is. If you don't care that wifi means connect to their cloud service for control.
But people want cloud based convenience. I like being able to see / control the AC from anywhere, over a mobile connection.
I agree having both local API and cloud control is better, but I don't think there's actually enough demand for it, even Daikin's app has a tiny install base, and maybe 1% or less of those are interested in integrating with Home Assistant or whatever other local controller.
I agree having both local API and cloud control is better, but I don't think there's actually enough demand for it, even Daikin's app has a tiny install base, and maybe 1% or less of those are interested in integrating with Home Assistant or whatever other local controller.
I have a Synology NAS. It is running Docker. I have a Home Assistant container running on it. I'm trying to get a Zigbee controller working on it to do some leak detection. And honestly, I'm about to give up on the entire project.
A quick comment for folks who may be considering mini-splits.
I recently had a Bryant mini-split installed and opted for the Wifi/app enabled version - a choice that I've regretted as I found that Bryant hasn't invested in the ecosystem, and that there are essentially no supported integration points for it. So the app works, but it's a standalone. In fact, they seem to not really have much of a plan around their entire suite of products.
I wanted more automation capabilities, and ran across Sensibo. For <$100, it promises to app enable most devices that use a remote.
Yep. It does exactly that. I got a Sensibo Sky, although they also have models that do Homekit integration and air quality measurements if you want to go fancier.
Setup was easy - aim the remote at the unit, push the button a few times, suppress disbelief that it was that easy. The app setup isn't perfectly intuitive, but as far as HA stuff goes, not bad.
I wondered if I'd have to get silly with mounting the unit - nope, I can mount it to the wall *under* my mini-split and it'll still control it. I wouldn't have minded a longer micro-USB cable - the one in the box is maybe 5 feet long, but that's easy enough to replace.
I've been using it for a couple of weeks, it works nicely with Alexa, tells me to turn on the device if it's off, and checks the boxes that Bryan's own tools didn't.
A couple of caveats: the Sensibo seems to only do 2.4 Ghz WiFi (which...so many other HA devices also rely on, so you're likely already there on this). Reviews also note that there's no account sharing - this isn't key for my use, but could be for yours.
TLDR: If you're buying a mini-split or other unit that uses a remote, consider skipping the manufacturer's "smart" add-ons and buy a Sensibo. For <$100, it works well and is an easy solution.
I recently had a Bryant mini-split installed and opted for the Wifi/app enabled version - a choice that I've regretted as I found that Bryant hasn't invested in the ecosystem, and that there are essentially no supported integration points for it. So the app works, but it's a standalone. In fact, they seem to not really have much of a plan around their entire suite of products.
I wanted more automation capabilities, and ran across Sensibo. For <$100, it promises to app enable most devices that use a remote.
Yep. It does exactly that. I got a Sensibo Sky, although they also have models that do Homekit integration and air quality measurements if you want to go fancier.
Setup was easy - aim the remote at the unit, push the button a few times, suppress disbelief that it was that easy. The app setup isn't perfectly intuitive, but as far as HA stuff goes, not bad.
I wondered if I'd have to get silly with mounting the unit - nope, I can mount it to the wall *under* my mini-split and it'll still control it. I wouldn't have minded a longer micro-USB cable - the one in the box is maybe 5 feet long, but that's easy enough to replace.
I've been using it for a couple of weeks, it works nicely with Alexa, tells me to turn on the device if it's off, and checks the boxes that Bryan's own tools didn't.
A couple of caveats: the Sensibo seems to only do 2.4 Ghz WiFi (which...so many other HA devices also rely on, so you're likely already there on this). Reviews also note that there's no account sharing - this isn't key for my use, but could be for yours.
TLDR: If you're buying a mini-split or other unit that uses a remote, consider skipping the manufacturer's "smart" add-ons and buy a Sensibo. For <$100, it works well and is an easy solution.
I put up a more general call for advice in the Boardroom, but does anyone have experience with smart locks that interface well with AirBNB?
Interesting. I'm looking at mini-splits right now for my garage. I'm tired of only being able to comfortably work in there for 4 months out of the year. I'm already wired for 220 with a spare 30A breaker in the box, and I've got a really good spot for the unit and condenser that I could do with a 15ft tube run.
I'll take a look at reviews on the wifi unit that they suggest before buying anything, but it's nice to see that there's a backup.
Currently looking at the Alpine Home Air units. If I pay someone to leak test, pull vacuum, and start up the unit I can keep warranty.
I'll take a look at reviews on the wifi unit that they suggest before buying anything, but it's nice to see that there's a backup.
Currently looking at the Alpine Home Air units. If I pay someone to leak test, pull vacuum, and start up the unit I can keep warranty.
We had a pro install ours because they could handle all the warranty requirements as well as the state permitting for a hardwired unit.
Sensibo works really well with Home Assistant, there is a decent integration that uses the API key Sensibo will provide from there website. Once in HA you can fully control it, and link it any to any automations you use.
Yeah, I'm being cheap, or maybe overestimating what it would cost to get it installed. I wouldn't be opposed to paying someone, but I'm not paying a grand for an install. My understanding is that startups are usually in the $2-300 range and only take them 60-90 minutes.
The hardest part of the whole thing for me is going to be drilling through hardiboard.
Maybe I missed it, but did you look at the Mr. Cool DIY kit? That's what I'll be doing.
It's essentially the same product as the Alpine one. The install manual is identical... like it's the same manual. I'd just rather deal with a company other than Home Depot for the purchase, and these guys supposedly have better performance for parts in the future. A 2ton 17 seer unit (with kit) is ~$1580. Their kit had the disconnect and some other stuff that I didn't see in the Mr. Cool kit.
And I just realized what thread this is. Oops.
And I just realized what thread this is. Oops.
I have been thinking of adding in some cameras to my Home Assistant set-up and was wondering if anyone had some recommendations for ones to look at. I'd prefer something that didn't have a cloud component or a subscription requirement. Also a major want for them would be to integrate them into HA and ideally as easy as possible without jumping through a bunch of hoops.
I'm not quite sure of where I'd be placing them, but think a couple of outside ones could be useful and if so would probably prefer something battery powered. I do have a few outlets near where I might place a camera, but of course it also makes it quite easy for someone to just unplug them. And while I could probably get power to from inside to them feel like going with battery, even with the potential limitations that come with it, would be easier. And could also upgrade in the future to a wired power one assuming they have ones in that format.
I have been playing around with a Kasa Spot that mostly works with HA. Someone created an add-on for it that seems to work with it. It's not great and the add-on puts a noticeable load on the RPi running HA, but seems fine for the one camera I'm using. Haven't tried adding in a 2nd one to see how it does yet as I didn't want to invest too much if I decided to go another direction. Also not sure if this add-on would support some of the other camera options from TP-Link like their outdoor cameras. So would likely prefer something that had better support with HA than relying on an 3rd party add-on that may or may not be supported.
So any recommendations on brands to look at that would work for me?
I'm not quite sure of where I'd be placing them, but think a couple of outside ones could be useful and if so would probably prefer something battery powered. I do have a few outlets near where I might place a camera, but of course it also makes it quite easy for someone to just unplug them. And while I could probably get power to from inside to them feel like going with battery, even with the potential limitations that come with it, would be easier. And could also upgrade in the future to a wired power one assuming they have ones in that format.
I have been playing around with a Kasa Spot that mostly works with HA. Someone created an add-on for it that seems to work with it. It's not great and the add-on puts a noticeable load on the RPi running HA, but seems fine for the one camera I'm using. Haven't tried adding in a 2nd one to see how it does yet as I didn't want to invest too much if I decided to go another direction. Also not sure if this add-on would support some of the other camera options from TP-Link like their outdoor cameras. So would likely prefer something that had better support with HA than relying on an 3rd party add-on that may or may not be supported.
So any recommendations on brands to look at that would work for me?
Been slowly building up smart things, air filter, then an Ecobee, then a sense-power meter after a coworker raved about it.
Sense helped me find a ceiling fan with bad wiring. It had been like that for 10 years+.The light was drawing a little more than my other one (5-10watts). Sure enough bad connections (wirenuts aren't that hard to use) and I could tell it was getting warm. It was in my office and never used. Might have prevented a fire, or been found when I replace the fans this year (smart fans?). Most of the light fixtures are from when I bought the place. Went through and checked them all. No other issues)
Kasa power strips tied into the sense with a few of those outlets. I cut my power bill significantly.
I tried Hue, but it seems really unreliable. Every few weeks I need to reboot a lightbulb. That's stupid. Should have stuck with Kasa.
I'm almost at the point I need Home Assistant. Google home is way too basic for lots of stuff.
Sense helped me find a ceiling fan with bad wiring. It had been like that for 10 years+.The light was drawing a little more than my other one (5-10watts). Sure enough bad connections (wirenuts aren't that hard to use) and I could tell it was getting warm. It was in my office and never used. Might have prevented a fire, or been found when I replace the fans this year (smart fans?). Most of the light fixtures are from when I bought the place. Went through and checked them all. No other issues)
Kasa power strips tied into the sense with a few of those outlets. I cut my power bill significantly.
I tried Hue, but it seems really unreliable. Every few weeks I need to reboot a lightbulb. That's stupid. Should have stuck with Kasa.
I'm almost at the point I need Home Assistant. Google home is way too basic for lots of stuff.
I’m going to get this sensor just to mess with guests… https://www.fibaro.com/en/products/motion-sensor/
Amongst other things, that link states "Full Mobility". I took that to mean the eyeball could move around and follow guests. Not so, otherwise I'd have been all over it.
In other news, I have HA, Z2M, Zigbee controllers, switch, router, modem and a single WAP all hanging off a UPS. I just moved the UPS inlet power to a smart switch. On the first Sunday of every month (if I am at home), power to the UPS is cut for 1 hour and then restored. HA logs the remaining charge state/load, etc.
As you can imagine there are a few contingencies to try and ensure I don't cut myself off at the knees and to abort the test if the batteries get too low.
I'm quite pleased with this automation - especially when it actually works!
Do you want an NVR or do you just want to see a live view in HA?
Mainly looking for a live view in HA and perhaps on-camera storage as well. The Kasa's have been doing a decent job so far so might just add a few more of them and call it a day.
In fact I'm pretty impressed with how much they pick-up at night even with the IR LEDs turned off. I'm currently using a couple as "outdoor" cameras by sticking them in some windows so if the IR emitters are on it blows out the image due to the reflections from the window. But with those off and it being pretty much pitch black out I can pick-out stuff well past the end of my yard even if there's a bit of noise due to it trying to compensate for the low light.
Frigate NVR is pretty awesome stand alone and has great integration with HA. The problem is it really likes certain cameras and works very well with a Coral.AI device in the mix.
I tried getting Frigate up and running a while ago, didn't stick with it and wasn't apparent it was working soon. Might just have been my camera tho.
I've heard good things about Blue Iris, but I've never pulled the trigger for a NVR setup.
As have I, but it's Windows only AFAIK, and my NAS is Freebsd with VMs for services, traditionally Linux. I suppose I could get a Win10 Pro license and use that in a VM, but that's a PITA IMO.
I would like to be able to monitor temperature & humidity inside a metal box, but use Zigbee to get the results to zigbee2mqtt. Obviously the sensor will need to be inside the box and the transmitter outside. I can drill through the box for fly-leads.
Are there off the shelf devices like this? Perhaps designed for a fridge? Otherwise, has anyone had any luck pulling say a Sonoff apart? Or do I need to build from scratch?
Are there off the shelf devices like this? Perhaps designed for a fridge? Otherwise, has anyone had any luck pulling say a Sonoff apart? Or do I need to build from scratch?
That are ZigBee? No, nothing like ESPHome flexibility for ZigBee DIY stuff. I can't recall of any ZigBee devices that have wired temp probe. Check AliExpress, maybe there.
Would be easier for you to use ESP8266 and ESPHome to do a wired temp probe. I think there are some good sleep/wakeup timing settings in ESPHome that's make it feasible to use with a battery, I'd that's your need.
Would be easier for you to use ESP8266 and ESPHome to do a wired temp probe. I think there are some good sleep/wakeup timing settings in ESPHome that's make it feasible to use with a battery, I'd that's your need.