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    Home Unlabelled Home Automation Does anyone have any bright ideas for automating the cars’ locks such that they lock at 9 pm IF someone forgets?

    Home Automation Does anyone have any bright ideas for automating the cars’ locks such that they lock at 9 pm IF someone forgets?

    February 11, 2020

    Home Automation Does anyone have any bright ideas for automating the cars’ locks such that they lock at 9 pm IF someone forgets?

    Does anyone have any bright ideas for automating the cars’ locks such that they lock at 9 pm IF someone forgets?

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 02:34 PM PST

    I live in an urban area and if you forget to lock the car, it will 100% get rummaged thru. Annoying.

    Flash the cars computer to auto lock at 9:00?

    Build some button pusher for my key fob out of Ardurino and LEGO?

    submitted by /u/dfstell94
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    Where do you buy your Lutron Caseta switches?

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 10:20 PM PST

    looking to replace a majority of switches in my home (25+). I've subscribed to deal alerts but I haven't seen these go in sale for months. Where do you buy yours? any place to buy in bulk or anyone have any good tips? Thanks.

    submitted by /u/dynamyte43
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    Making an old apartment Intercom smart

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 05:36 PM PST

    Im currently renting an apartment with a old school intercom system. The model is a 5 wire Lee Dan IR-205.

    I want to try to make it smart so I can buzz to unlock the door from anywhere. It has a talk, listen and unlock building door feature. I don't mind if I lose the talk and listen function.

    https://imgur.com/a/3gs2tP2

    I want to be able to unlock the door from let's say work, so that my deliveries can be left inside the building.

    I was given nello as a option but it sadly does not support my intercom. Would anyone else happen to have any other recommendations?

    Thank you!

    submitted by /u/PNPBOi
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    dummy wall switch?

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 09:43 PM PST

    are there any smart wall switches that you can just throw up anywhere (battery enabled) that can control an idevices switch (lamp plugged in).

    thanks

    submitted by /u/average_daddy
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    Long range water tank sensor?

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 04:08 PM PST

    Hi

    So we've got a small farm with a number of water tanks dotted around the property. I'd like to automatically / electronically determine the water level in each tank and report that back to Home Assistant for display (and potential automation in the future).

    Anyway, I've got the measuring of the water level in a tank worked out with a prototype board using a NodeMCU and a JSN-SR04t ultrasonic range sensor. Works fairly well connecting over WiFi for the closeup tanks.

    There are a couple of downsides of my current prototype:

    1. WiFi connection will only work for some of the tanks, i.e. only for the tanks that are close enough to the house to be within WiFi range.
    2. The prototype seems to be fairly power hungry. Running of 4 x 18650 batteries I might get 4 days use out of them before I have to recharge the batteries. I feel 4 days is way to short to be workable especially when you multiply that out to 6 tanks... :-O

    Doing some research I think some Arduinos with LoRa long range radios and some custom code to check the tanks a couple of times a day and putting the Arduinos into deep sleep somehow in between would probably work well and be fairly power efficient.

    For me the question now is:

    ?? Which type of Arduino and LoRa hardware are well supported, work well and support some kind of deep sleep?

    Any suggestions much appreciated.

    submitted by /u/marksburgunder
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    automatically turn on/off hue lights based on plex running over tv

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 04:16 PM PST

    Is any robot vacuum actually good for pet hair? All of top-rated on CR say you have to manually remove pet hair from the brush

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 10:07 PM PST

    We have 2 Cardigan Welsh Corgis that only shed twice a year - January through June, and July through December

    submitted by /u/flaflashr
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    My experience getting into home automation - 1 month look back

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 02:30 PM PST

    hi everyone,

    i don't reply/post much, but i thought i would share my experience to possibly benefit those who are new (like i was), and maybe receive some guidance from some of the more experience automaters. this will be a bit of a wall, but there will be a tldr.

    ​

    to start, a little over a month ago, i would put myself just above a level zero when it came to automation. couple google minis, and that's literally it. sort of. my dad had actually gotten a deal on the nest thermostat/doorbell awhile back, but after i saw the guide on those and that there was some electrical work needed, i tabled the prospect of setting those up for awhile. i wouldn't say i'm a diy expert, but i've done some woodworking over the past year, but those are 2 very different things.

    ​

    so fast forward a bit (closer to the 1 month ago timeline), and i found out my (younger) sister installed a nest doorbell mostly by herself. so i asked her to give a bit of guidance and one day decided to just go for it, and installed the nest doorball. was pretty cool, and honestly not that difficult looking back, but i guess i was intimidated by never having done any sort of wiring before. having done that, i figured that the nest thermostat shouldn't be too bad either. and by this point, i'm starting to browse r/SmartHomes and r/homeautomation, just to see what's going on and get an idea of things. i take some time out, install the nest thermostat, and buy used, but like new, google hub ("hub") for a visual control center of sorts.

    ​

    by this point, i've started to read into the zigbee/zwave/wifi protocols, and see different automations people have posted, and my interest is increasing. i learn what a real hub is, how it can handle automations locally, without internet, and make a few home tasks a bit easier, and i decide i want to invest a bit more into the home automation deal.

    ​

    now this might be where others can learn from my experience. i wanted to make sure that if i bought something, it wouldn't be redundant or replaced if i bought more. i wanted to make it future proof in that sense that i can expand on it, not replace it. i like the idea of having a base that can always be built on, and with that, i was trying to decide between the "infamous" home assistant, and smartthings. i had seen smart things in the google home app (i also have a samsung phone) so it was more familiar to me than home assistant. but home assistant seemed to be a blank slate make what you will of it type of deal, and that appealed to me.

    ​

    i was on the fence for awhile, until i came across this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/ec58db/i_made_a_gif_to_illustrate_how_easy_it_is_to_get/

    ​

    seeing the simplicity of getting it set up, and the comments left by u/rufusmccoot, gave me some confidence, and i bought an rpi4 bundle off ebay to go down the home assistant hass.io route. this was maybe at that 1month ago mark that i keep referring to.

    the first, and maybe only thing, that i'll recommend, is that if you do go down the rpi/hassio route, consider an NUC pc unit thing (based on my little research, its stronger but more maintainable and expandable) OR if you want to get an rpi, consider the 3b+. i'm not sure if i'd recommend the 3b+ over the 4, but i say consider because the 3b+ is older, and therefore, you can use an external ssd quite easily, as opposed to the 4. i'll come back to why this is important later on.

    ​

    so i set up hass.io, after a bit of struggle since i thought i had to physically connect to the rpi for hassio (spoilers: you dont, you just connect to it using any web browser), so after a few re-flashes, i got it connected and ready to go. once that was done, i wanted to connect it to google assistant so it could work natively with my google devices. this was many, many hours of headache, and it came down to using the link with a port (http://likethis:port) when it actually wasn't needed. i don't know if i thought to take the port off or if i found another example not using it, but i got that working, and then i could get onto automations.

    ​

    so for hass.io automations, you can use the UI or you can code it like text in a file. having software dev experience, i thought i could pick it up. i would say i was right and wrong. YAML doesn't code like python or java or c# at all really. but the problem is, even if it did, you'd still have to know how to call entities or services and what not. basically, it's like me telling you to use objects/properties/methods without telling you what they are. you'd still have to spend time to learn those key words, so i'm not sure how much of an "advantage" i have with my background.

    ​

    but with all that said, i was able to get some basic google/hassio integrations. i invested in opengarage.io and got that set up as well, and things were going pretty decently. till about 1.5 - 2 weeks ago. when everything just stopped working.

    ​

    i couldn't connect to hassio from the browser, power cycle didn't help. i didn't know how to access logs or anything, and after trying/googling for awhile, i gave up and went with a fresh start. luckily, i had made a backup after getting google assistant linked, so i just had to redo my automations, but getting back to hassio + google linked wasn't so bad. now this is the part where i talk about the external storage option. i'm inclined to think it was an sd card failure, even tho i bought a samsung one. i thought it was the endurance one too, but i don't have it on me so i can't confirm. it could be bias though, since i've read a lot about sd card failures, and writing to an external ssd (that can easily be done on 3b+ compared to rpi4) makes it a LOT better.

    ​

    at this point in time, i added a few zwave outlets and things are working well. but when things went down, i had no idea what to do, and at that point i was thinking "no way can i recommend hass.io". with all that being said, i don't think hass.io is a terrible option, but that time investment is definitely there. i've seen people asking about hubs, but they say they don't want to put in the time, and honestly, smartthings or other hubs don't look like they need that time investment. plus, i don't think any family member would want to even look at hass.io, when smartthings might be more approachable (ui and mobile wise) than hass.io. i don't think hass.io is evil, but i also don't think its for everyone. but now i can see why people recommend it, because in an ideal scenario, it's the best.

    ​

    tldr - started with google minis. got nest doorbell/thermostat installed with a bit of help. felt empowered. got rpi4 for hass.io. struggled, but then got it to work. then added google assistant. struggled some more. then got automations working. then it crashed and idk why and i struggled a lot. but now things are working fine and i just make frequent backups.

    ​

    my next point of research is logging vs database and what i can do to keep my sd card alive.

    ​

    that should be it for now, but it's time for me to leave work so even if i had more to say i would cut it off. if i think of more, i will add it. please let me know if you have any questions, especially newcomers/those considering it.

    submitted by /u/deadlyrang
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    Run task based on more than one condition

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 07:42 PM PST

    My very basic stuff are just a few Philips Wiz multi colored LED's.

    I like them and I've done a few basic things (turn on at sunset with certain colors, etc). But I was wondering - is there any way to turn something like this on with more than one condition? I've messed around a bit with IFTTT and Alexa but haven't seen anything.

    Example: If it's after sunset & my team is playing - turn the lights to team colors (or bonus would be change the color if they win). I mean the logic isn't very complicated, but I realize you'd have to have a service that provided it.

    submitted by /u/hipsterdoofus
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    Tablet to properly support Fully Kiosk

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 03:07 PM PST

    I have an Acer tablet, works great with Fully Kiosk, but is a bit slow for anything else.

    I'm looking for a cheap reasonably fast 10" tablet to run fully kiosk, web browsing and YouTube.

    The problem I've found though is that some tablets use an AOSP ROM that can't have its webview updated, its locked in amber, so to speak. Here for details: https://www.ozerov.de/fully-kiosk-browser/

    The trouble is Fully Kiosk has to use the inbuilt webviewer rather than Chrome. A design limitation I think.

    I bought a new 10" quad core tablet for under $100 and ran into this problem. I know I could root it and try to install xposed modules, but I don't want to risk bricking the tablet as I will probably send it back

    So! Any recommendations that are reasonably priced, preferably quad core 2GB ram or more, and allow webviewer to be update?

    Thx

    submitted by /u/GrantAC
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    Cheap RGBW Homekit Controller

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 02:29 PM PST

    Hi all! I bought a couple of these https://www.ebay.com/itm/Smart-WiFi-RGBW-Voice-Control-LED-Strip-Light-Controller-Work-With-Apple-HomeKit/184090900418?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 RBGW LED Strip controllers, to use with my homekit setup! The RGB part works very fine and it was surprisingly easy to setup- but I can't get the W to work, do you have any experience or suggestions to what I could do?

    submitted by /u/Johanransdyr
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    It’s nothing amazing, but I’m pleased I was able to wake up my ancient non-HDMI-CEC TV along with the Apple TV using Siri Shortcuts and a Hue smart plug.

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 07:33 AM PST

    August Smart Keypad waterproofing ideas?

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 05:31 PM PST

    I've been using the August lock for the last few years with very few issues.....except this damn keypad.

    August claims their keypad is "effective against water jetting", but since moving into a house without a covered porch about 8 months ago, I call BS. I've been through 3 of these since moving. All lost to water damage.

    I've looked online and only found a couple options on Etsy and eBay, both 3D printed and with abysmal reviews. I've even tried getting waterproof wall outlet covers from Lowe's, thinking I could just add it to the door, surrounding the keypad, but I've found none deep and wide enough to accommodate (not to mention, that's an awfully sloppy and tacky solution)

    Anyone have any DIY ideas? I've been trying to come up with something for months. Just lost another pad a few days ago.

    submitted by /u/jaysunh
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    (Request) Anyone know what these smart switches are?

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 04:40 PM PST

    Simple wireless on/off button for Alexa?

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 04:32 PM PST

    I use Alexa to control my light and tv in my bedroom, but when I'm turning the tv on and off when it's late I have to use my phone so I don't have to talk loud enough for Alexa to hear me. (By the way I have an LED light strip around the tv which is also plugged into my smart plug and I like the LEDs to only turn on when the tv is on) So can I get simple buttons to velcro by my bed to control them quietly? Something as small as possible because the official buttons look ridiculous being so big and I want something small

    submitted by /u/anon00882
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    Universal remote + HDMI switch or Caavo

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 12:07 PM PST

    My TV only has 2 HDMI ports and I am looking for a solution to keep from having to constantly switch out what is plugged in.

    I was thinking that the Caavo was what I needed, but the more I look into it the more unsure I get about what I need. Help is appreciated!

    What I would like: Cost <$180 Add 3+ HDMI ports Change to the proper input Access the Hulu / Netflix app on my Smart TV Be able to control my sound bar Preferably closed cabinet compatible

    (Anything extra is a plus but this is what I need)

    submitted by /u/McGrubbers
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    Roborock S5 3.5.7 Firmware Not Loading Map on FloleVac

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 03:27 PM PST

    I recently upgraded the firmware on my freshly acquired Roborock S5 to the latest version (that I could find anyway), 3.5.7. Since doing so, the Flolevac app does not load the map created (and yes, save map mode is enabled) by a full house cleaning. The map is perfectly visible and accurate in the Mi Home app.

    The reason I need it to load in the FloleVac app is I've already got HomeAssistant running and I'd like to be able to use voice commands for certain rooms. FloleVac is how I was getting the room coordinates (before I upgraded the vac's firmware) to plug into my cleaning scripts.

    So, has anyone else encountered/solved this issue? Is there another app I can use to obtain coordinates? I know I can just downgrade to an earlier firmware version, but I'd like to save that as a last resort.

    submitted by /u/WhyteDem0n
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    1.5 yr old Zmodo Doorbell loses power when pressing button, I take off and put back and it 'works' until pressed again. Also, motion detection doesn't work

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 11:39 AM PST

    (Hope I can ask here, or direct me to doorbell troubleshooting)

    So when the doorbell is pressed, it just dies out until I flip the breaker, or remove it and put it back. When I removed it, all wiring looks fine. Recently I got the idea to cover the button and force ppl to knock.... But then I realized my motion sensor isn't picking up activity neither. I can view the live cam, and tinker with settings.

    Maybe I'm just i denial, is my doorbell dead? any ideas/thoughts to troubleshoot either issue.

    ​

    If dead.... Anything fun I can do with this semi working doorbell? use it as a live cam only somehow?

    submitted by /u/DiGiTaL_pIrAtE
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    Have a spare dimmer but need help with wiring.

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 02:37 PM PST

    So I have this dimmer and I want to put in the place of this switch but I cant figure out how this is wired. This is a single light switch to a light that isnt controlled by anything else but I'm not sure why it has two blacks. The previous lights only had black, red, ground configs. Any idea what each is?

    submitted by /u/Draeth
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    Old house has two wire switches need help.

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 02:16 PM PST

    So I am trying to get into home automation and the first thing I want to try is a simple one light bulb that is smart phone or Google home(that I already have) controlled.
    The problem is I only have two wires in my switch and the only solutions I saw that supported 2 wires are very expensive.
    Would I be able to install a smart switch between the bulb and the wires like you would with a smart socket? If that wouldn't work why? If it would what products would you suggest?

    submitted by /u/grenskul
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    An AMA with the IKEA Smart Home team over at /r/Tradfri today at 15:00 UTC

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 06:31 AM PST

    Most dependable and secure smart plug

    Posted: 11 Feb 2020 12:58 PM PST

    With google home recent block some smart devices due to security reason. What do you all think is the most dependable and secure smart plug on the market currently. Not sure how dependable tuya and efamilycloud is, Tradfri is pretty rock solid.

    submitted by /u/shoturtle
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