How Has "Home Automation" (IoT) Improved Your Household?

nomster on 28/08/2019 - 10:31
Last edited 28/08/2019 - 13:07

Currently sussing out how wifi bulbs and home hubs fit into our live within the confines of an apartment.

I note there has been consistently increasing mentions of:

  • hue bulbs, lifx,

  • smart locks // smart door cameras

  • smart thermostats // smart air cons

  • smart cooking devices // vacuum cleaners // lawn mowers

  • xiaomi, belkin, phillips,

  • pods, hubs, homes,

  • bixby, siri, google assistant,

So I wanted to put it out to the community for some realistic feedback.

Have you improved the quality of your life?

Does your kettle boil water and garage door open when your wifi connects? or does the aircon turn on when it gets too warm? or do you get a sms when your lamb roast is done?

What actual value does it have over the manual way if theres such a downside for inflexibility since everything has to go through a hub or tablet or command.

  • eg, i tried a smart bulb and whenever i wanted to switch it off from the wall, it obviously stopped the wifi commands for future use until i flicked it back on, a bit inflexible.

I can see some value, but no specifics currently, can someone help me with their innovative ideas?

Thanks!

Home & Garden

Comments

  • GG57 on 28/08/2019 - 10:36
    +2

    You need a poll?!!
    Me - no automation (apart from a few manually operated remote controls for the TV, aircon, garage door, etc.). I live a simple life and am happy.

    • KenDiaMoi on 07/09/2019 - 02:26
      +1

      Congrats but that's not what this thread is really asking is it

  • [Deactivated] on 28/08/2019 - 10:42
    +7

    I have full automation. Over a hundred Hue bulbs on three hubs, Neato Botvac, all my doors have Samsung Biometric locks, irrigation sensors and smart irrigation.

    To do list
    - smart garage doors
    - hook up a weather station and integrate into smart irrigation.
    - dam level sensors and work out a system to collect the overflow
    - smart blinds and sun roof

    The tech is very mature. I haven't had to do much remedial work except for the first few weeks after a new addition.

    I have my pantry, hallway, garden, garage and driveway lights on sensors. The garden is set and forget (as long as irrigation tank is full. Need to set up dam automation to prevent failure).

    Between Google pay and biometric doors, I haven't carried a wallet or keys in 2 years. Cars are mostly keyless.

    • ihbh on 28/08/2019 - 11:06

      New(ish) home?

      I have Federation home - is it easy to set up?

      • [Deactivated] on 28/08/2019 - 11:13
        +2

        Fairly easy. I'm in an old house too.

        The smart lighting is either bulbs or downlights so that's essentially a 1:1 replacement.

        The door sets fit our typical 32mm thickness. I have slightly thicker external doors but the door sets accommodate even thicker. Depending on the existing setup, you may need a new door. Ie, if it is a glass ornate door or existing door set is super large or has multiple systems.

        Neato is easy since I bought furniture with height and width clearance in mind.

        Irrigation is tricky if you're trying to be conservative with water. A dumb set up will be very reliable but it will trigger even in the rain. It's okay if the set up is convenient for you to tap the manual off.

        • Osprey06 on 28/08/2019 - 11:28

          If you don't mind me asking, why bulbs & downlights instead of smart light switches?

          How do you control it all? Individual apps, or a hub?

          I'm looking at a new build in the next ~12 months and know very little about automation. Trying to do as much research as I can. At the moment keen on something like openHAB (co-existing on my HTPC?) to control smart light switches, blinds, irrigation, door locks, door bell/camera, dog door, skylights/ventilation, space heating/cooling, vacuum, pool. Maybe garage door, bath tub, home security/CCTV…? I'm not yet convinced of the merits of connected kitchen appliances.

          • [Deactivated] on 28/08/2019 - 11:41
            +3

            @Osprey06: Two major reasons and several minor ones but I'll cover the two.

            1. Biggest factor - I have ("had" since it was sold) connections in Hue :)

            2. I wanted something main stream. I have bought niche brand items for various reasons and I am always frustrated by lack of forum support.

            Minor reason that may be major to some - smart switches are more hardware than software. If you wanted to make changes such as grouping or special effects, you'd have to make wiring changes. It still has software so it still has all the drawbacks for software driven tech.

            Special effects I am referring to is something I call "halo" lighting. I'm sure there is a proper term or maybe even a monetized solution but in an open plan living area, I have multiple groups and sections of lights. I don't want to just have a binary option of some lights being in or off, or dimmed. I group them so if I am in the dining area, instead of having a dark living room, if I click "dining", it sets the lighting for rooms visible from the dining to dim. (Even if they're off).

            Similarly, if I move from dining to living, I flick "living" and the living room is bright but all rooms visible from the living area is set to dim.

            I'm not sure what people mean by "smart" CCTV. I think the term "smart" has become diluted with anything pairable to the phone. If it is, my security is also smart but that's just having wifi functionality. Doesn't qualify as "smart" to me.

    • Some Human on 28/08/2019 - 12:53
      +1

      Comparatively, I’m living like a caveman.

      • [Deactivated] on 28/08/2019 - 12:56

        What a pleb. L2A (learn 2 Arduino) or L2RP (RaspPi).

    • Bid Sniper on 28/08/2019 - 14:04

      "Between Google pay and biometric doors, I haven't carried a wallet or keys in 2 years. "

      I need to set mine up, I hate wallets

      • [Deactivated] on 28/08/2019 - 15:04

        You should. It is life changing.

        Even food tastes better.

    • giftcardinspector on 29/08/2019 - 07:57

      Came across this the other day. Might suit your needs for garage door

      https://www.garadget.com/keyless-access/?gclid=CjwKCAjwzJjrB…

      • [Deactivated] on 29/08/2019 - 08:19

        Looks cool. Will compare it to GoGoGate, my current first pref.

    • rysith on 29/08/2019 - 12:39

      Can I ask which Samsung locks you went with? I've got an aging Korean fingerprint deadlock from the previous owners and it is failing.

      Looking to replace it with something that has a few more features - fingerprint/pin doesn't bother me too much, preference was for no physical key lock as I've read these can be picked, etc.

      Probably look to integrate it with home automation in the future but at least buy something that is future proof.

      Thanks

      • [Deactivated] on 29/08/2019 - 12:45

        DP728 and SHS-H705 (or regional variant. I bought a couple from Amazon 4 years ago. Can't seem to find it anymore).

        Both work great. The DP728 is much nicer but was $800+. The other one I got for ~$300/ea. Works just as well but the biometric sensor cover doesn't consistently flip up.

        I get over 12 months of battery life out of them and we are above average users.

  • Salmando on 28/08/2019 - 11:46

    What your needed was a smart switch in place of your regular light switch. It will toggle the lights on/off without disconnecting wifi.

    I like it for my lights. A simple 'hey Google' is heard pretty much anywhere in the house. Good for turning off all lights.

    My pool pump switch wasn't in the best spot, but is now activated remotely through command, or a timer (runs about 4 hours during peak solar activity)

  • wallet72 on 28/08/2019 - 12:33
    +2

    Let me start by saying I work with automation in some form or another most of the time.

    Saying that, there is nothing in my house that must have automation or the world will end. does it make some things more convenient? Yup, sure does. Could it be done manually? Yep, that's what used to happen.

    Apart from motion tracking security cameras and lights, with remote and local recording and alerting, nothing I've put into my home is vital.

    Now that's out of the way, automation makes some things more convenient and allows us to do multiple actions with a simple command ('hey Google, it's bed time: that turns off the entertainment system, the house lights and turns on the bedside lights). things like that are cool and if you are like me they are fun :)
    we've even got a hub in the kitchen and we've used it for recipes, videos, music, even seeing who rang the doorbell.

    Like I said, nothing that NEEDS automating, but it's really cool and convenient to have the automation.

  • spackbace on 28/08/2019 - 12:50
    +1

    A few smart bulbs, a smart plug, ir blaster for the tv hooked up to google, google home and a mini.

    Simple stuff really but certainly helps. I like being able to dim the bedside lights to certain levels depending on what I'm doing. Smart bulbs in my daughters' rooms that can change colour, acts as their night lights.

  • coxjon on 28/08/2019 - 12:53

    My favourite is the garage door opener + smart lock in the garage. I talk to Siri in my watch while driving up the street and the garage door opens. The dead bolt opens as I pull in to the garage due to proximity.

    I also have an automation that turns on my treadmill, the fan facing it, the gym TV and the light to 5% brightness which is handy too.

    Otherwise, just saves me getting up to turn lights on and off (also dimmable) or to find the TV remote.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/08/2019 - 20:16

      I also have an automation that turns on my treadmill, the fan facing it, the gym TV and the light to 5% brightness which is handy too.

      Why would you want the treadmill on if you're not on it?

      • coxjon on 28/08/2019 - 21:19
        +1

        Saves me bending down to the power switch :) just turn everything on and then the Roku tv is loading while I put my shoes on

        • [Deactivated] on 28/08/2019 - 21:24
          +2

          Make sense. I have a colleague who used to do something similar with his walking desk. He would turn it on via automation while he was sitting on one of the comfiest sofa in the staff lounge, eating chips and checking his emails and then would wonder why he wasn't losing any weight 😂

  • trankillity on 28/08/2019 - 12:54
    +3

    My home automation setup isn't that extensive just yet, but I certainly have a lot of ideas and have done a lot of research. Here's a few ideas/justifications:

    • Shared shopping lists with a voice assistant are great! "Hey Google, add lettuce to the shopping list".
    • Lighting that automatically changes brightness and colour based on the time of day (circadian lighting, similar to F.Lux app on computer).
    • Setting up motion sensors to never need a light switch again.
    • Robot vacuum cleaners may seem expensive, but you have to think "how much is it worth to me to never have to vacuum again?"
    • Control all your media devices with a single remote/UI (Logitech Harmony/IR Blaster).
    • Can't be bothered to get off your butt to get the remote? "Hey Google, play Daredevil on the Lounge TV".
    • Presence detection is magic!
      • Turn everything off when everyone leaves (and return to previous state when people arrive home).
      • Open the garage door and unlock the front door when you return home, then automatically close/lock them again automatically after a few minutes.
      • Get a reminder notification when someone is at the grocery store so that you can quickly add some sneaky snacks to the shopping list.
      • Turn the AC on when you're 10 minutes away from home to get it to a nice temperature.
    • True automated climate control using a combination of temperature sensors and IR blasters for AC control.
    • Flash the lights blue if it's forecast to rain before you leave for work as a reminder to take an umbrella.
    • Announce when the washing machine is finished its cycle as a reminder to hang out the washing.
    • Security and peace of mind
      • Get notifications when you've left your door/window open, or one of them opens when you're not home.
      • Set up live video feeds and recorded security cameras for relatively cheap with full notifications and sometimes even smart "person" detection so that it doesn't trigger for pets.
      • Got a dodgy hot water system? Set up a water leak sensor to notify you when it's busted.
      • A connected smoke alarm can notify you when it's running low on batteries and if it detects a fire. So you can know as soon as something happens, and even silence it remotely.
      • Set up a "fake home" schedule for when you go away on holidays which will randomly turn on lights/TV/music.
    • "Fun stuff"
      • "Hey Google, make it spooky": Lights to orange/red, play Thriller on the speakers.
      • "Hey Google, sexy time!": Lights to pink/peach, dim lights, play sensual playlist.
      • Broadcasting messages around the house, effectively like an intercom
    • arkie0 on 28/08/2019 - 13:12
      +2

      More fun stuff - "hey google, warm up my pleasure robot", you can automate that to sync with the lights and music.

    • elektron on 28/08/2019 - 16:31

      True automated climate control using a combination of temperature sensors and IR blasters for AC control.

      I use two Sensibo Sky devices for that (got them at a great price as well) - really easy to set up and they work incredibly well. Last winter I dreaded coming back to a cold home from work or a night out, but this winter has been nothing but a pleasure. Hands down, one of my favourite gadgets. Can also be easily incorporated into the "good night" routine to set the bedroom to a cooler temperature, etc. I've noticed that my smart displays have recently been updated to show the temperature settings at a glance on the 'swipe down'. I just with getting the detailed info for each thermostat required less of a drill down, so I tend to use the phone app for that instead.

    • ldt on 06/09/2019 - 12:19

      How do you do the "Turn lights off when everyone leaves"?
      I can only see if one person leaves which is super frustrating for anyone else who hasn't left!

      • trankillity on 10/09/2019 - 14:59
        +1

        Depends on the home automation system you're using. I'm using Home Assistant with Node-RED, so I've set up a few checks when people leave. Basically it checks if anyone else is home first, then if no one else is home it sets the home to "away" mode. I then have another trigger which starts some automations when the home changes to "away" (turning all lights/switches off).

        If you haven't fallen quite that far down the rabbit hole yet, you can achieve a similar result using Life360 and IFTTT.

    • Chandler on 11/09/2019 - 09:21

      Shared shopping lists with a voice assistant are great! "Hey Google, add lettuce to the shopping list".

      Use this all the time. Probably one of the best use cases for the Google Home minis (in my opinion)

      Setting up motion sensors to never need a light switch again.

      Personally probably going to go with some sort of presence detection, possibly incorporating some motion detection, Bayesian sensors.

      Robot vacuum cleaners may seem expensive, but you have to think "how much is it worth to me to never have to vacuum again?"

      But is that true? Most robot vacuums (not that I have a lot of experience with them) don't do a perfect job. Great for day to day cleanup but.

      Get a reminder notification when someone is at the grocery store so that you can quickly add some sneaky snacks to the shopping list.

      Did you steal this quote from somewhere? Sounds terribly familiar…

      True automated climate control using a combination of temperature sensors and IR blasters for AC control.

      How have the IR blasters gone for you? Any hiccups? Not sure I'm going to trust RF/IR to get things going every time.

      Flash the lights blue if it's forecast to rain before you leave for work as a reminder to take an umbrella.

      And to remind you to close the windows!

      Announce when the washing machine is finished its cycle as a reminder to hang out the washing.

      Going to be doing this myself!

      • trankillity on 12/09/2019 - 08:30
        +1

        Setting up motion sensors to never need a light switch again.

        Personally probably going to go with some sort of presence detection, possibly incorporating some motion detection, Bayesian sensors.

        Presence detection is definitely required in combination. There are some experimental ways to use Google Homes as BLE sensors for room-based presence detection, but motion sensors are honestly much easier and much more reliable.

        Robot vacuum cleaners may seem expensive, but you have to think "how much is it worth to me to never have to vacuum again?"

        But is that true? Most robot vacuums (not that I have a lot of experience with them) don't do a perfect job. Great for day to day cleanup but.

        Depends on the surfaces and the quality of the robo-vac, but generally - yes it's true. The only spot cleaning you'll ever really need to do is right in the corners where the robo-vacs can't get to.

        Get a reminder notification when someone is at the grocery store so that you can quickly add some sneaky snacks to the shopping list.

        Did you steal this quote from somewhere? Sounds terribly familiar…

        No?

        True automated climate control using a combination of temperature sensors and IR blasters for AC control.

        How have the IR blasters gone for you? Any hiccups? Not sure I'm going to trust RF/IR to get things going every time.

        I don't have IR for climate yet (I don't have air con at all yet, buying my first house very soon), but I've been using the Harmony Hub for at least 5 years and it hasn't skipped a beat. That's especially impressive because I have TV + Receiver + game consoles/nVidia Shield which are all controlled via Harmony.

        I've actually recently picked up a Wyze Cam v2 + Wyze Sense starter kit and am loving it. The sensors are the smallest I've ever seen, and the responsiveness is amazing. It's enabled me to make some very fun automations, and the Wyze Cams seem quite decent for security too. I will likely be grabbing a bunch more very soon.

        • Chandler on 12/09/2019 - 11:57

          Thanks for the reply!

          True in regards to presence detection. I irregularly listen to the Home Assistant Podcast and they were talking about some ultrasonic sensors for presence detection I wouldn't mind looking more into. Nothing worse than sitting quietly in a room and having the lights turn off because you weren't moving enough for the motion sensors. Actually happened to me (a number of times) in the office at a previous job.

          What model robo-vac do you have, if you don't mind me asking?

          Have been interested in getting a Harmony Hub - but they're (usually) more than I'd like to pay.

          Will look into the Wyze cams - thanks for the recommendation!

          • trankillity on 13/09/2019 - 08:34
            +1

            @Chandler:

            True in regards to presence detection. I irregularly listen to the Home Assistant Podcast and they were talking about some ultrasonic sensors for presence detection I wouldn't mind looking more into. Nothing worse than sitting quietly in a room and having the lights turn off because you weren't moving enough for the motion sensors. Actually happened to me (a number of times) in the office at a previous job.

            You've just gotta be smart about how you handle that sort of stuff. Using other sensors in a room to prevent stuff from turning off is the best course of action. Like if you're in your office, you're likely using the computer - so have a power monitor on that power point and disable the automated turning off of lights while it's above a certain level. Likewise if you're watching a movie, don't change the lights if you can ping your TV or if there's a currently-running Harmony activity.

            What model robo-vac do you have, if you don't mind me asking?

            I've actually got a super old Roomba. I think it's a 980 model, but it's at least 7 years old. Have had to replace the brushes in it twice, and the battery once - but aside from that, no issues. It's not a "connected" device, but it does have scheduling so it's still "smart". I will likely buy a Xiaomi Roborock 2 when I buy my house and have one for downstairs and one for upstairs.

            Have been interested in getting a Harmony Hub - but they're (usually) more than I'd like to pay.

            Yep, definitely can't argue here! I would only recommend the Companion, not the Elite. You can pick them up for around $190 generally either from Amazon/eBay or from JB when they have a 30% off Logitech sale. You could also look at just getting the Hub by itself if you really don't need the physical remote, however we find ourselves using it for everything when controlling our TV devices.

            You could also look at the Broadlink RM Minis, but they're apparently a real pain to configure and aren't as reliable. I will be using the Broadlinks for AC control in my new home as that will really be their sole purpose.

  • mooney on 28/08/2019 - 13:27
    +2

    Ive gotten similar smart home items as most listed here. I love my Google Homes, Hue lights and even cheapy Broadlink RM Minis… however the best thing I've bought is robot vacuum. No human has vacuumed my home in over 2 years and my floors look super clean. I think Robot Vacuums are same as Dishwashers, once you have it its bloody hard to go back.

    My two are Neato Botvac Connected & Xiaomi Roborock S50.. based upon cost vs quality I would recommend the Xiaomi.. neato is marginally better, but its very marginal and I can get x3 Xiaomi for same price.

    • ldt on 06/09/2019 - 12:20

      I'd love one, but I don't think I can justify it as every room has a step into it. Would it drive you crazy carrying it around etc?

  • readeral on 28/08/2019 - 13:28
    +1

    My living room and kitchen lights are all automated with presence detection and are time sensitive (different warmth for different times of the day) - haven't touched the switches since we moved in 6 months ago. My bedroom lights turn on to wake me up and it's waaaaay better than an alarm.

    I have other small automations which I like (like pre-heating my coffee machine, etc.), but these are by far the best.

    My next goal is to gather data from my solar inverter and turn on some appliances while the sun is shining to make the most out of self-consumption.

    Edit: Oh and the robot vacuum. Forgot that. It's been AWESOME.

  • profar on 28/08/2019 - 13:32

    Anyone know the solution to NBN always resetting losing the security cam ? Only way is to is to physically reset with a pin the NBN box. Not much good if far away . I would like to somehow have a backup or system that always is active not requiring that physical reset . Thanks any ideas ?

    • trankillity on 28/08/2019 - 14:35
      +1

      Talk to your ISP. That's not normal and they likely have some incorrect settings. Incorrect line limiting/line power or something was the cause last time this happened to me. Zero dropouts since then.

  • readeral on 28/08/2019 - 13:38
    +1

    Also, I know they're not for everyone, and are expensive, but my Apple Watch is an excellent way to control my house where automation doesn't. I have Google Home Minis as well, but they are predominantly media controls (music/chromecast) and my Apple Watch is the one I go to for adjusting my lights/smart outlets when necessary - because it's a lift to activate siri and I don't need to say 'hey google' and I can speak far more discretely into my watch than I can reliably for google home.

    • Crocfreefree on 28/08/2019 - 14:09
      +1

      Good tips.

      Also, do you have HomeRun on your Apple Watch?

      It’s an app that lets you assign scenes/triggers to buttons that show on the watch screen. When combined with the HomeRun complication (for the watch’s home screen), you can turn on any device in just 2 taps.

      Sometimes speaking to the “lady in the cloud” just takes too much energy!

  • theguyrules on 28/08/2019 - 13:54
    +2

    I get angry at Google Home often.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/08/2019 - 14:11
      +1

      My Google Home is Homeless.

      • theguyrules on 28/08/2019 - 15:00
        +2

        It's getting worse and worse.
        Last night:
        Me: "Turn off the living room lights"

        Turning on the living room lights

        Me: "Turn OFF the living room lights"

        Brightening the living room lights

        Me: "TURN OFF THE LIVING ROOM LIGHTS"

        Turning off the living room lights

        Me: "FINALLY, (profanity) this thing"

        • Sergeant Salami on 28/08/2019 - 15:34
          +1

          Turning on the toaster!

          • [Deactivated] on 29/08/2019 - 12:49
            +1

            @Sergeant Salami: "Okay. Burning down the house."

        • trankillity on 29/08/2019 - 08:29
          +1

          Two things:
          1) You should definitely re-run Voice Match. It's obviously got a bad voice model for you. And another tip when running it is to do the responses at 3 stages - close to the device, a little bit away from the device, and far away from the device. That way it will know how you sound under all circumstances.
          2) If you've set up your rooms correctly, Google Home can understand context. Simply saying "Turn off the lights" will turn the lights off in the room where the Google Home is set up.

          • theguyrules on 29/08/2019 - 08:30

            @trankillity: I'll re-run the voice match, good idea.

            Yeah we have 3 Google Home Mini's in our apartment, so if all the doors are open, any one of them could be the one to hear and action our request, so we have to be specific in our request.

  • Sergeant Salami on 28/08/2019 - 14:43
    +2

    I've been using the cheap Kmart Genio globes and Bunnings brilliant smart plugs. I have Hassio automations that perform the following:

    • Turn on both bedroom lamps and loungeroom lamp on at sunset
    • Make my bedside lamp wake me up at my set time - it gets brighter and brighter without the use of annoying alarm sounds
    • Turn on lounroom lamp and set to a random colour when the tv turns on (also have cheap RGB light strip powered by USB which turns on when the TV turns on - no wifi enabled as its not required)
    • Flash the lights when Uber driver arrives and play a sound to google home mini saying "Uber has arrived" in Google's TTS voice
    • Play sound when there is motion detected on the porch
    • Change the lounge room lamp to a blue pulse when it is raining outside
    • Turn on pc, pc speakers, monitor when motion is detected in the study

    Next I want to setup:

    • A camera near the rangehood so I can keep an eye on the stove when I'm in the study
    • Setup a BLE tracker in the cars so my AP can track them when they are home to turn on lights upstairs
    • Garage door opener and sensors
    • Change my thermostat from analogue to wifi enabled so I can set the temperature
    • Build my own BRUH Multisensors to place around the house in key areas
  • GG57 on 28/08/2019 - 15:14
    +3

    I can understand some things that people have contributed here, such as:
    - Motion / presence sensor for lights
    - Voice command to turn on or turn off
    I can see that those might be useful, and could save energy.

    But some of the others, such as:
    - time based activations (lights turn on at certain times)
    - automated climate control
    Do you change these types of automations if you are not in your usual routine (e.g. if you have a normal work day at home, or if you were not at home at your usual times)?
    If you just leave them to run regardless, wouldn't some of these be energy inefficient?

    • Sergeant Salami on 28/08/2019 - 15:32
      +1

      I have presence detection. It will only run some of my automations if my wife or I are home, otherwise they don't run. Others I have set regardless if anyone is home or not.

    • jace88 on 25/09/2019 - 19:45

      There was a time when my coming home time from work was inconsistent and I lived in an apartment which was pretty easily accessible so I had smart lights which adjusted the on/off time based on sundown, and I always had it set to automatically turn off at night as well.

      But nowadays my main use is the sensor lights/voice control/ability for both my wife and I to use our phones or physical dimmer switches, etc… the sensor light near the baby change table has proven invaluable when we're trying to find our way in the dark and it turns on all the Hue lamps en route to a suitable brightness.

      I'm currently planning to install another sensor and lightstrips in the kitchen so we get enough light to do bottles/etc and automatic activation when we walk into kitchen without turning on main lights which are too bright and would potentially disrupt the baby's sleep when doing dreamfeeds.

  • sraymond on 28/08/2019 - 16:30
    +1

    I love the sensibo on my air con. Turn it on just before I leave work to cool the lounge room before I get home. The google home mini I put in the shed got rid of that crackly old radio I used to put up with. Plus a couple of smart plugs to control lights and compressors etc. I have a couple more minis in the house mainly used for radio and casting audio. I’m looking to get one more mini with my Telstra plus points and use it for lamps in the lounge room.

  • Bourb on 28/08/2019 - 16:48

    After seeing a video of someone using a Bump Key on Youtube, I immediately purchased and fitted a keyless Smart Lock to my Front Door.

    • nomster on 28/08/2019 - 16:52
      +1

      How is the door powered?

      How do you get in if there's no power?

    • Drpepper666 on 04/09/2019 - 00:02
      +1

      Have you seen another alarming YouTube video called "sledgehammer meets door" or even "rock thrown through window"? They will change your life

  • crentist on 28/08/2019 - 17:37
    +2

    I like to live simple, and don't like to have anything in the house that's smarter than me.
    I'm down to just the toaster, and even that's borderline.

  • Peaches on 28/08/2019 - 18:20

    I have maybe 40 different Xiaomi devices running through home assistant on a NAS, most of them gathering data for purposes yet unknown. But the 2 use cases that add value are both using Xiaomi WiFi power sockets
    1) I turned a cupboard into a Comms Cupboard, I have temperature sensors on each shelf, as soon as any get above x degrees then it turns on my 2 repurposed noctua pc case fans as ducting, then turns them back off when all temperatures are back below x degrees
    2) I have a mosquito trap that turns on 30 minutes before the sun goes down and turns off 2 hours after the sun has gone down. It runs all year and changes time based on the sunset api. Breaks the mosquito mating cycle, can you tell I hate mosquitos?

    The door sensors let me double check I’ve closed the doors after rushing out in the morning.

    • wakk on 09/03/2020 - 01:19

      Mind sharing the mosquito trap the you are using?

  • MilkDrinker on 28/08/2019 - 20:00

    I've found that for my elderly parent, smart devices are a thing he usually ignores. Installed hue lightbulbs, remote switches and some google minis around, and he still manually turns everything on and off at the wall.

    However there are things that he does respond to, I've set the google mini to say to him if he has taken his medication each morning, so its a good reminding system, even if he does say "yes I did google". It is also a good way to communicate when I "broadcast" stuff I need him to hear. Chromecast is pretty much a must these days for him, lets him use the tv sound system to play music instead of his phone. As well as streaming netflix and amazon prime so he is always entertained. Also the heated toilet bidet is a godsend for him, even if he doesn't like/use the water part.

    For me its helped in the automation of waking up and going to bed, alarms and lights turn on at the right time, music to my own taste wakes me up and sets me to sleep.

    Additional cons would be the price to entry (ie $30 for a light switch in each room with a hue) and time to adjust automation(getting devices to work in the way you want).

  • billy3000 on 28/08/2019 - 20:49

    OK google. Turn everything off

  • skid on 28/08/2019 - 23:41

    I have set up a few things:

    • Turn on the AC heating in the morning if the room temp is cold. I have a temperature and humidity sensor in the room.
    • Turn on the surround sound system and switch the TV to it if I start up the media player app on the TV. Turn the sound system off if I switch out of the media player.
    • Turn on the surround sound system if a bluetooth device connects to it.
    • Turn off the laptop charger if the laptop is fully charged. I might set this up for the power tool battery chargers too.
    • Turn off the toothbrush charger after a set time.
    • Solar powered motion detection lights in the hallway, bathroom, pantry, and garden.
    • Turn on the electric blanket before bed and in the middle of the night if it is cold. This is based off a temperature sensor near the bedroom.
    • I use the garage door as a smart door operated from my phone. Too lazy for keys, fingerprint or pin pads.
    • The robot vacuum cleans the house while I am out.
    • The hot water temperature is set so that the shower just needs to be turned on rather than trying to find the right temperature. I'll hook this up to the automation system later so that it will be based on temperature of the day.

    I might set up automated fans this Summer.
    I'd like to set up automated blinds and curtains. I'd like to have them open and close based on the direction of sunlight as well as the temperature of the room.
    I'd like to set up cameras mostly so I can monitor appliances remotely.
    Further down the track, I'd like to set up a system for watering the garden.

    I tried to set up an automatic garage door opener based off the wifi connection of the car, but it was not reliable. And I need it reliable so that the door won't close while the car is underneath it.

  • mikekiwimike on 29/08/2019 - 07:35

    My use case is fairly basic: I have Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri. Alexa is much better for my use case, which is currently:

    • Dictation for shopping lists and tasks
    • Wake up news, weather and traffic reports

    And most critically………

    • my bed is always warm because Alexa controls my electric blanket!
    • nomster on 30/08/2019 - 12:20

      You'll be first to be cooked alive when amazon takes over the world!

  • [Deactivated] on 29/08/2019 - 21:43

    My toddler once told his friends that he had 2 mummies : Nessa and Alexa. He went on to add that mummy Nessa gave the best cuddles while mummy Alexa was the nice one that never said 'no'. One of the staff at his kinder gave me a discreet heads up, thinking that one of those women was my mistress.😂

  • Chandler on 30/08/2019 - 13:26

    I've been looking into getting into home automation myself but yet to make the full dive until I've nutted out what I actually want to do and how I want it to work.

    The big things I want are: connectivity - system does not require internet/cloud connectivity to work; resilience - system fails gracefully and recovers as expected (i.e. from a power outage); usability - not be a requirement/burden (i.e. lights can still be switched on/off at the wall and don't affect automations).

    I've got a few ideas of what (I think) I want to do but need to really think about it some more and then obviously look into components.

    At present, my only automations are a few Google Home routines (mainly some pre-configured timers, a goodnight routine for the kids) and my bedside lamp turning on at sunset via a HS110 (Kasa). These all obviously require internet connectivity.

    I've also got a Raspberry Pi I'd be looking at loading Home Assistant (or HASSIO) onto to operate/manage the system (Home Assistant's big draw card being local control - no internet required. Also no data mining of my house).

    In regards to your questions:

    Currently sussing out how wifi bulbs and home hubs fit into our live within the confines of an apartment.

    In regards to bulbs, the system I'm wanting to build doesn't have the controls in the light, so you can just use normal bulbs. You could however (potentially) lose some features (i.e. colour changing).

    Have you improved the quality of your life?

    Not drastically, but I haven't really started yet. Big automations I'd be wanting to do is lights and curtains. How many times have you had to turn on the same lights, open/close the same curtains, all (around) the same time of day, every day… Boom #automated. This is what it's about for me.

    Does your kettle boil water and garage door open when your wifi connects?

    Personally won't be using smart locks as the sole access method - happy to have one that is the sole access method when someone is home, but if we go out that door is getting hard-locked. Likewise for the kettle and oven etc. Don't trust it enough yet to trust it with something that could potentially burn my house down. Yes, a smart plug/light is just as (if not more) likely to do it, but it feels safer.

    or does the aircon turn on when it gets too warm?

    Air conditioning is a funny one, as I don't want to trust that the IR system has worked (you get no feedback) but it looks like that might be the only way. Having said that, it'd be nice if as part of my goodnight routine for the kids our 12mo's air conditioner switched on if the temperature overnight was going to drop under xx°C.

    or do you get a sms when your lamb roast is done?

    I have an iChef2, so yes - I get a notification on my phone when the roast is done :D. Uses bluetooth but, so need to be in range.

    What actual value does it have over the manual way if theres such a downside for inflexibility since everything has to go through a hub or tablet or command.

    Not everything does, and if you've not gotten the hint above that's exactly how I want my system to work. Nothing has to be done a particular way, the automations are just another way (that's hella convenient).

    eg, i tried a smart bulb and whenever i wanted to switch it off from the wall, it obviously stopped the wifi commands for future use until i flicked it back on, a bit inflexible.

    See my second paragraph at the top.

    I believe there are systems that exist that already do all/most of this (potentially C-Bus?), but they're quite expensive and proprietary - the latter really not being what I want.

    Can I have what I want? I believe so, given enough time and (hopefully not) money. My biggest issue currently is working out the wiring/connection for the light switch control. Having a relay act as part of a four-way switch (potentially latching to cope with outages) with a second relay providing feedback seems to be the way that I'll go, but how to do so in compliance with law/regulation etc (me not being an electrician) is where I'm up to.

  • impoze on 02/09/2019 - 08:55

    what is everyones solution to the regular light switch?

    I just got the Hue ambience kit which comes with the dimmer so I've placed the remote above the traditional switch.

    In my pantry, I have a Xiaomi button next to the light switch which toggles the light on/off.

    I have downlight everywhere else in the house but am considering to change the switch to a smart switch instead of individual GU10 bulbs - https://www.amazon.com.au/Standard-Wireless-Automation-Light…

    • trankillity on 03/09/2019 - 08:11

      My solution is to not have them. Motion sensors mean a truly automated experience.

      • impoze on 03/09/2019 - 09:47

        are these in main living areas or closed spaces like pantry?

        can you share some of your automations?

        • trankillity on 04/09/2019 - 08:25
          +1

          Main living areas only. No point putting them in closed spaces, better to use a door sensor or non-connected automation there (you can get super cheap LED lights with motion sensors built in for that purpose).

          I have one in the bedroom, one in the office, one in the dining room, and one at the front door (temporary until I can get a video doorbell).

          Depending on your automation platform, you should be able to set the lights to turn on at different brightness levels depending on the time of day. So my bedroom lights only turn to the lowest brightness from 10pm until 8am.

          The front door sensor turns the light on if it's after sunset, announces over all my Google Homes that someone's at the door (provided someone's home), and sends a notification to our phones that someone's at the door (if nobody's home).

          I specifically don't have one set up in the lounge room because we often use custom coloured lighting in there based on what we're using the TV for, so a motion sensor would interfere with that.

          • impoze on 04/09/2019 - 10:07

            @trankillity: thanks for sharing, are you using the hue motion sensors?

            I was trying to set up one of my Xiaomi aquara motion sensors last night with home assistant but it has a 2 minute delay before going to off mode. Can change this but requires some customisation in the code.

            • trankillity on 04/09/2019 - 10:33
              +1

              @impoze: Yes, mostly using the Hue motion sensors. They're currently paired to Hue and connected using the API integration in Home Assistant, not directly to a Zigbee stick. Unfortunately, the default Home Assistant Hue integration only polls the Hue Hub every 5 seconds for events - so it could be up to 5 seconds after motion is detected that it triggers an event. There's a custom integration that has very frequent polling, and also supports the dimmer switches which I will likely move to in future.

              I had heard that the Aqara sensors have a 2 minute internal cooldown, which turned me off them so I avoided them altogether. I actually literally just received the Wyze Cam v2 with Wyze Sense (which I managed to get for $80 from the US) kit yesterday as there's a custom local integration for the Wyze Sense sensors. I'm actually super impressed with this setup! Pairing the sensors was a breeze, the sensors are about half the size of any other sensors I've seen (so tiny!), and it uses the 900mhz radio band so less interference and also better wall penetration. There's a very high chance that I'll be going fully with Wyze stuff from now on. The only downside is that they're single-purpose sensors (only motion/only contact) whereas the Hue/SmartThings ones all have built in temperature sensors too.

  • skillet on 03/09/2019 - 10:10

    I don't have centralised system because once it's compromised a hacker can do too many things to my house so it's mostly powered by raspberry pi and Arduino with wifi each having their own ports NAT on my router to the internet.

    Security aside, it's really helpful.

    I use NFC to unlock my doors. It also disables the alarm system at the sametime. There's also a fall back to normal key if the battery fails. This is more like a gimmick but I am used to it.

    The house thermostat can be controlled from my phone so I can turn it up or down wherever I am. I find this particulary useful when the kids forget to turn it off when nobodys at home. I can adjust the temp before I reach home which is also very nice.

    All the roller blinds draw themselves according to our schedules. This is quite useful I like sleeping in very dark room and waking up to a brightroom is really good experience.

    The alarm security system I get to remote control everything and the installed network cameras provide constant monitoring which is really handy when I go out of town. It arms itself when it detects no human presence after certain set time.

    The garden watering system is automatic and can be controlled remotely if required. I can water the plants from any web browser whenever I think they need a drink. I need more soil moisture sensors around the house as some areas see the sun more.

    These are the things I find useful I am not into those gadget like disco lightbulbs and smart kettle which needs to be refilled. I find some of these silly and unnecessary.

    I'm a electronics hardware high level and I code in various languages including assembly. It still took me quite a long time to figure things out and really good time waster to do all these if you are into it. It's a long term project that you will never stop because there are so much improvement and updating to do.

    • trankillity on 04/09/2019 - 08:29

      Curious about your blind system. Did you DIY it? Or are you using a commercial solution?

      I'm sure you've already looked at it, but you should use micro segmentation for your IoT devices for increased security. I have 4 separate VLANs at my place: Private/Secure, IoT, IP Cameras, and Guest networks. The private VLAN can communicate with everything, but no other network can talk to the private network (except for one or two key exceptions for NAS access).

      • skillet on 04/09/2019 - 11:23

        I bought a two different ratio gearhead motors from DX.com to prototype my roller blind mechanism. By the time I was finished it was sold out and it was difficult sourcing it especially with center drive output. I gave up and bought kits that converts manual roller blinds and added my own arduino control with solar panel for charging. A raspberrypi as master control and webserver for handling internet controls. The rasppi controls the arduino nano clients via NRF24L01 low power radio, cost $4.50 for each blind.

        The commercial kits came with a remote control which is handy and it was easy to piggy back my arduinos to the clients.

        I recommend going the commercial solution if I went on with prototyping my own mechanism I wouldnt have any working blinds until today it took way too long and constantly tweaking the parts at the metal lathe was time consuming and it never got to the finish stage as there were so many parts to make perfect.

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