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    Monday, April 27, 2020

    Home Unlabelled Home Automation Anybody knew that mozilla had an Smart Home IOT OS that is compatible with RPi ready to use ?!

    Home Automation Anybody knew that mozilla had an Smart Home IOT OS that is compatible with RPi ready to use ?!

    April 27, 2020

    Home Automation Anybody knew that mozilla had an Smart Home IOT OS that is compatible with RPi ready to use ?!

    Anybody knew that mozilla had an Smart Home IOT OS that is compatible with RPi ready to use ?!

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 11:37 AM PDT

    Is very good time to time look eBay auctions, this NIB kit for only 40 eur

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 01:40 AM PDT

    Anyone got any ideas to put led strips on top of the cabinets even though they’re in sections? Like is there a light strip out there that works separated or on the same network? If so would I be able to control them both at the same time?

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 09:36 PM PDT

    Meet Plonk - he can now control the blinds and lights in my wife's room

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 09:01 AM PDT

    LED bluetooth controllers - where do I start?

    Posted: 27 Apr 2020 01:14 AM PDT

    I bought about ten SP110E bluetooth LED controllers that should be capable of addressing individual LEDs - these are really affordable and perfect for a few projects that I would like to tackle, but so far the only way I can find to control them is with a pretty underpowered app called "LED hue" that is not quite featured enough for my purposes.

    I have a few main questions. Are bluetooth controllers using a general control protocol for interfacing with smartphones or other devices? If so, is there a range of software/applications that utilize that general protocol? Does anyone have any recommendations for how to integrate these devices into larger systems? Are there any "favorite applications" or interfaces for these kinds of addressable led strips? They seem super useful for home automation, and I feel like I'm missing out by having only a "vague familiarity" of how they work.

    Thanks for your help :) sorry if this question has been asked before, but I haven't been able to find a good overview.

    submitted by /u/The_Grand_Blooms
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    Bathroom odor sensor

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 11:34 PM PDT

    I've found some forum exchanges from five years ago discussing how to detect bathroom doors and the general conclusion was that it would be prohibitively expensive if possible at all.

    I was wondering if anyone has any knowledge of newer sensors that might be able to help in this area. My bathroom fan gets turned on when the humidity is too high (shower time), but I'd also like it to turn on when there are other reasons!

    I know I can use other sensors to detect a person, assume an activity, etc. but I'd much rather do a direct sensor.

    submitted by /u/robdejonge
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    RGB-CCT downlights and electrical code. Need help and suggestions.

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 10:54 PM PDT

    Undergoing a major remodel. I want to install down lights that support RGB with warm white control. Have found (and tested) these, which provide full api control as well as robust functionality with some of the home automation things I want to achieve: https://miboxer.com/productdetails.aspx?id=281&typeid=110 (also sold under Mi-Light brand on amazon)

    My electrician says he can't install them to code. Says the controller can't be put in the ceiling and he can't put it in a J-Box.

    I respect this guy's opinion, but just wondering if anybody has any feedback or options. Is there any way these could be installed to code? What other lights provide this flexibility for retrofit as well as the full functionality of RGB-CCT and api control?

    submitted by /u/Everymemberajanitor
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    New build - What the most modern way to build a new home audio system that gives you the most flexibilty?

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 02:39 PM PDT

    I have been planning an upgrade to my house to have multizone audio. The typical system I see people using is a russound or similar system that has multiple inputs and multiple outputs.

    The issue with that, is that lets say I want to be able to listen to spotify on three different rooms and each one should be a different Spotify station, I would need to have three separate devices that can play Spotify hooked up to 3 separate inputs.

    There are some players that have built-in clients that can play Spotify directly, like the Nuvo Player series. But I don't think the Nuvo has a method of integration.

    So what would be the best most modern way to be able to design a multi-zone (lets say 6 zone) home audio system? Is there a 6 zone amplifier that can do this off the bat that supports an API? Or is it better to get 6 audrino type devices and have them hooked up to a single zone dumb amplifier? But then you have the issue of controlling audio, and then you would need to be controlling two separate devices for each zone. And how are you going to handle lets say a non-digital audio source, like a microphone jack?

    Any suggestions?

    Thank you

    submitted by /u/ytruhg
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    Any reason why I don’t have a power switch or widget capabilities on my teckin led strip(chimney lights)?

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 12:24 PM PDT

    Whole Home Automation - AirPlay 2

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 10:00 PM PDT

    Hey Guys -

    Myself and family are all Apple people are invested into HomeKit ecosystem. I want to wire up a whole home audio system, with each room being its own zone/individual audio and use AirPlay 2 as the control method.

    From the research I've done, the easiest way that you used to be able to achieve this was to get some in ceiling speakers, run them to a multi-zone amp (or multiple/individual smaller amps) and then connect those to Airport Express stations and voila.

    However, with the Airport Express being discontinued, what is the best route to go to achieve this? I cannot seem to find any amp that has at least a 4-5 zone AirPlay 2 room breakout.

    I also thought of a self-contained Airplay 2 in ceiling speaker, but only kind of option I found was the Sonance. Even then, I'd still probably need a small amp for them.

    Has anyone achieved anything like this? Any ideas for achieving this without the Airport Express method?

    submitted by /u/TwoSocEmBoppers
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    Remote camera to watch a dog

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 05:46 PM PDT

    Looking for recommendations for a remote viewable webcam that is secure. I know changing the access codes and such, but concerned about secure servers since it's for my adult daughter. She wants it so she can check in on her dog, when the dog walker comes by, and also to be able to say things to her dog since she works long shifts. TIA.

    submitted by /u/rlar2013
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    Is there an app for Android/iOS to combine feeds from various cameras?

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 03:32 PM PDT

    Over the years I've amalgamated Nest, Arlo, Canary and Ring video devices. Whilst they are all lovely, I need to jump between 4 apps to view the footage. Is there an app that can pick the footage from all 4 and show all in one place?

    submitted by /u/Vladimius
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    Meeting indicator light?

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 09:48 AM PDT

    Hello there!

    My husband sometimes closes the door to his office during the day, oftentimes because it is loud on the other side of the house, but sometimes because he is in a video call. I have accidentally walked into his video calls several times, and I really wish I knew when he was in one without opening the door. Often times these meetings just pop-up, so sharing a calendar doesn't always work, and he can get really into his work and forget to message beforehand.

    What I ideally would like to do is have a light or lit sign outside of his door that changes color or lights up when he is in a meeting.

    I was thinking this could either happen with he uses his webcam or when he opens his web conferencing software. I'm not sure if I would need a microcontroller like Arduino or if the solution is just software on his computer. We use Bluetooth-enabled Hue lights, but I'm already looking into getting a Hue Bridge, so that's probably how we will manage the lights.

    He uses a Windows 10 computer, his work uses Zoom for video conferencing, and his webcam is a Logitech C920. In his office, he has a Google Wifi node in here that is not the main node, but hardwiring into the internet wouldn't be very difficult if necessary.

    [I know that we could probably install some sort of button that he could press to change a light, but 1) I worry that he would forget, and 2) I think this could be a cool project .]

    Thank you so much for your help! Have a great day.

    submitted by /u/UncleIrohPlsAdoptMe
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    Looking for a light strip that dims really low

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 07:48 AM PDT

    Hello, I like the hue light strip as they perform very well in low light situations. However, they are pricey. Other cheap strips I found to be too bright even on the lowest setting. Is there an alternative that dims very low?

    submitted by /u/beiwint
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    Just want some simple smart bulbs...

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 11:20 AM PDT

    Hi all,

    Just looking for a two or three simple smart bulbs for my small little house.

    I have a Hive hub already, which is used with our Hive heating system, so it would make sense to get Hive bulbs which would work with that hub.

    That said, I already have a TP-Link Kasa smart bulb and their app looks nice, and again doesn't need a hub. Bulbs are about £18 each, slightly cheaper than the Hive ones.

    However, I've seen a brand on Amazon called LE (Lighting Ever) and I can get two of their white smart bulbs for £20. Seems like a good deal, and doesn't need a hub. I already have a TCP Smart Light bulb and the app for that is pretty poor, it works but it's not intuitive and looks messy, anyone know if the LE app is just a relabeled version? From screenshots I've seen it looks so...

    Lastly, if I go with standalone wifi bulbs without a hub, does that inadvertently affect WiFi speed? Or would you need a ton of bulbs for that to happen?

    I realise this is a lot! Thanks all.

    submitted by /u/fabioucc
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    3-way smart dimmer switch?

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 07:04 AM PDT

    I have TP-link Kasa switches installed in a few places in my home in order to use an amazon echo to control my lights. One of the places I want to put a smart switch is a 3-pole switch with a dimmer. Only one switch to this light has a dimmer.

    In the past, I've been able to use one 3-way kit for two lights, since you really only need one of the smart switches per light fixture.

    Would it work if I used the 3-way smart switch on the side without the dimmer and left the "dumb" dimmer switch on the other side? I wouldn't be able to voice control the dimmer but could would the dimmer still work manually?

    I know other brands have smart 3-way dimmer switches, but I'd like to stick with the same ecosystem so I don't want to use a different brand.

    submitted by /u/Alpacalypsenoww
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    Web based solution for controlling addressable LEDs?

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 01:22 PM PDT

    Hey everyone!

    I'm aware that most RGB LED strips come with a plug-and-play controller out of the box, usually with a small wireless remote to change the LEDs to the color you see fit. However, I'm wondering if there's any open source software that takes the remote/controller out of the equation, and rather provides that functionality through a nice web UI?

    I'm sure this would require additional hacking, such as getting a microcontroller to send the data values to the LED strip, and getting the data from the web app to the microcontroller as well, but that part is out of the scope of this post. I'd just like to know if anybody knows of a good web UI that will allow me to customize LED strip configurations.

    Thanks!

    submitted by /u/ImmutablePig
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    Need help installing Leviton DW6HD switches. Unsusal set-up.

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 01:16 PM PDT

    So, we have a few of the Leviton DW6HD WiFi dimmable switches installed in the house already and they work fine for us. Today we tried to install one in our dining room, but the existing switch doesn't have a neutral wire. Directly behind that switch is another that's part of a three way circuit for the light on our stairs. (Another switch for the stair light is that the top of the stairs.) Originally we tried to piggyback of the neutral for the stair light, but that caused all three switches (dinning room, and the three way circuit for the stairs) to control both lights. Then we though, maybe we'd use the neutral going to the switch at the bottom of the stairs for the dinning room light, and then install another DW6HD in the switch at the top of the stairs and make it a normal switch (not a three way circuit with the one at the bottom of the stairs), essentially getting rid of the switch at the foot of the stairs. But when we do this, it causes both the lights to flicker/strobe. Any suggestions would be great! We pigtailed the neutral wires so I don't believe that's the issue.

    submitted by /u/SuburbanWitch6
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    Using door sensors for fridges? Works off distance or alignment?

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 05:52 AM PDT

    So I'm thinking of making a foray into home automation by buying a door sensor for my fridge (so it will send a notification to my phone if fridge door is left ajar for more than a minute).

    At the moment I'm undecided as to underlying automation framework so I won't touch/focus upon specific technologies (Homekit-based, Zigbee or z-wave) too much, unless there are only a limited number models capable of the below.

    Because of how the sensor would go on my fridge door, the sensor would need to be capable of detecting how far away the magnet is - ideally in a sensitivity range of a few millimeters. Do door sensors work this way - or do they only detect/alarm if the magnet is out of alignment with the sensor?

    submitted by /u/Mrdini
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    SmartThings appears to be down again for the second time in three days......HomeAssistant?

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 09:05 AM PDT

    So two days ago ST had an outage and half my sensors stopped reporting and my automations failed. I spent an hour trying to fix my stuff before I found out it wasn't "my stuff" that was the problem. This morning the exact same things is occurring but ST isn't reporting an outage yet.

    I've been avoiding HA like the plague because I feel like I already have my hands full trying to learn about Z-Wave and Zigbee and working out automation logic to create good rules and find effective solutions to various scenarios but I've got to be honest........the lack of local control is already getting under my skin.

    With two outages in three days, even though HA's learning curve appears to be nasty, ST is on my shit list. I don't want to learn HA because it's really intimidating but I'm afraid my inner geek won't allow me to stick with ST for much longer. When I set something up and it works I expect it to just work but because of the cloud that's never going to be a guarantee so the only option I have is to jump ass deep into something I don't want to do in order to get full and complete local control as soon as possible.

    I've joined the HA subreddit and I'm shopping for a Pi4 now but I was hoping the hive mind could show me some good beginner guides for getting started on this journey. I'm good with reading articles and figuring things out rather than asking a million questions for people to hold my hand but I'd like to find the GOOD guides rather than just googling and hoping for the best.

    submitted by /u/Venmaru
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    Thoughts on Roomba 600 Series?

    Posted: 26 Apr 2020 07:33 AM PDT

    Basing my research purely on this: https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-robot-vacuum/

    However I have been looking around the subreddit and there are soo many recommended. We mainly have small hardwood floors and not a ton of space. Repairability is a big deal for me and I know roomba at least is very good at being able to replace parts.

    Trying to stick to the 200-300 range.

    Is there any reason I should get something else? Anyone with a Roomba 600 series have any opinions?

    Thanks!

    submitted by /u/mercfh85
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