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    Wednesday, November 25, 2020

    Home Unlabelled Home Automation Forget Pura Smart Diffuser. Just get a smart plug and hook it up to an Airwick

    Home Automation Forget Pura Smart Diffuser. Just get a smart plug and hook it up to an Airwick

    November 25, 2020

    Home Automation Forget Pura Smart Diffuser. Just get a smart plug and hook it up to an Airwick

    Forget Pura Smart Diffuser. Just get a smart plug and hook it up to an Airwick

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 04:57 AM PST

    How I made the cheapest home cctv system with Wyze Cams and HLS

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 07:56 PM PST

    How I made the cheapest home cctv system with Wyze Cams and HLS

    ​

    https://preview.redd.it/ue6tpcxc7b161.png?width=1034&format=png&auto=webp&s=74900039606560a0dfe8d29d5a82158c4f59bf0d

    Hello there. I would like to share my experience with making the cheapest home cctv system.

    I'm a fan of WyzeCams and was trying to fit it into my smart home system for a while.

    It's super cheap and specs are pretty good, but the only flaw is not stable RTSP firmware.

    ​

    So, I made a solution that allows you to convert mp4 files from NFS to HLS stream.

    That HLS stream could be fed to any modern video surveillance system.

    Here is the URL to my repo: https://github.com/n1ckyrush/wyzecam-hls

    It's pretty simple nodejs script with ffmpeg.

    It's based on NFS hack (props to the original author!), you will find all instructions inside my repo.

    ​

    After many months of fighting with RTSP and Wyze now it works flawlessly.

    Hopefully it will make somebody life easier ✊

    Feel free to shoot me any questions.

    P.S. If you are interested in my whole journey with it, I made a long post about it: https://n1ckyrush.com/en/blog/3-how-to-make-wyzecam-stream-stable-hls-instead-of-rtsp

    submitted by /u/n1ckyrush
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    Is there a smart lock that works with this type of lock? Elderly parents keep losing keys.

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 06:35 PM PST

    Eve Energy Smart Plug Review (2020): Automating Our Victorian Farmhouse

    Posted: 25 Nov 2020 12:21 AM PST

    Robot vacuums and mops, what's the best?

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 04:32 PM PST

    We got a brava a while back but had to return it due to unrelated issues but we were never perfectly happy with it. The main issue was with it getting lost or being unable to map the entire floor.

    We have a 2k sq ft floor to clean, all tile or hardwood. Ideally we need mapping so we can tell it to only clean one room or some rooms, not the entire house.

    We were planning on waiting for the narwal but I have no idea when or if it will ever come out.

    Suggestions?

    submitted by /u/mntgoat
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    Best voice assistant for only triggering automations?

    Posted: 25 Nov 2020 01:11 AM PST

    I've been using Home Assistant for most of my automations and have found it cumbersome to trigger a Home Assistant routine via Alexa and Google devices: I need to come up with clunky automation names to not confuse the assistant, the trigger phrasing is hard to fully customize, and I often find myself repeating myself to get things to work.

    I think part of this is because the assistants are geared towards doing a lot more than just home automation, so even though I may only have a dozen commands I want them to respond to, they are trying to do a lot more and thus are easily confused.

    Does anyone have any tips or voice assistants they prefer specifically for home automation?

    submitted by /u/arkmastermind
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    Help determine if I have a neutral wire

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 05:38 PM PST

    I'm want to replace a dimmer, specifically, with a smart switch and was going to order the GE Z-Wave Smart Dimmer. It says a neutral wire is required, and I think I have them (circled in the third photo linked below) but they don't appear to be connected to any of the switches and it looks like they all terminate in a wire nut. Is that accurate?

    If that's the case, do I just pick any of them and connect it to the GE switch or do I have to pick a specific neutral wire?

    If that's not the case, what other smart dimmer would you recommend that doesn't require a neutral that works with LED bulbs?

    Thanks so much for your help!

    Photos

    submitted by /u/shawncberg
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    SwitchBot Curtain Review

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 10:23 PM PST

    This is a review of my experience with the SwitchBot Curtain, purchased through a crowdfunding site. I tested the device on two sets of curtains, both grommet and back-tab styles. The curtains are moderately heavy, and mounted on extendable rods.

    I have a number of home automation devices, controlled through both SmartThings and Google Home, and tested integrating it with my setup.

    Opening and closing curtains

    As the main purpose of SwitchBot Curtain is to actually open and close your curtains, you'd expect it to do this well. Unless you have a very basic curtain setup of single non-adjustable rod with lightweight curtain, you'll likely be disappointed here. Perhaps the experience is better with rail style curtains?

    • Gets stuck on the "bump" where curtain rod extends from wider to narrower width. That's a pretty big showstopper, and especially surprising since SwitchBot specifically advertises it handling this situation. My curtains open in the middle, so I was able to get one side working. Yay? Other people have had the same complaint on Kickstarter, but the company has not posted any public response other than to contact them through the app feedback. Some people have gotten it to work by smoothing the transition out with tape, but I think that workaround would look ugly personally.

    • The Touch & Go feature is supposed to assist when you try to operate the curtains by hand. Instead, nothing happens and the device actually makes it harder to move the curtain.

    • The plastic hook part that goes over your rod projects a fair bit from towards your wall. If you have a double curtain rod, this might not be enough space. This was the case with one of my curtains, although I was able to get it working but flipping it around (which makes the calibration backwards, and puts the solar panel input port on the wrong side, but it works).

    Noise

    It's not so noisy to be bothersome, but definitely loud enough that I wouldn't want to use it while I'm asleep. This defeats the use case of gently waking you up with some natural light before your alarm. You can also choose a "silent" mode which promises quiet while sacrificing some power to move heavier curtains. As the silent mode is more of a high pitched shriek, I decided to stick with the normal mode lest people think I'm torturing my curtains.

    Hardware

    The overall build quality is decent. None of the little plastic parts broke during installation. The solar panels connect nicely to a port on the back, and come with a usb c cable if you need to mount them elsewhere. (I have not done enough testing with the solar panels yet to offer a review on them. My rod is either mounted too high, or not getting enough light in the winter, for them to charge.)

    Automation

    Connecting to the device remotely or through other services requires an additional purchase of a SwitchBot Hub Mini. It's small and has limited range, although one Hub Mini can control multiple curtains if they are close enough. You can also connect other SwitchBot devices to the same hub. It would be nice if this could connect via zigbee, zwave, or wifi directly without another hub, but it does work.

    It comes with some basic automation in the SwitchBot app, as well as compatibility with other home automation and voice assistant systems.

    Native App

    You can schedule it to open or close for a specific time and days of the week. But you can't set it based on sunrise/sunset, exterior light level, or synced with your alarm, so I wouldn't recommend using this feature.

    Even with the cloud connection working, it doesn't seem to be able to change curtain settings here from a different room in the house.

    Google Home

    Simple to set up, and voice commands work as expected!

    SmartThings

    Simple to setup the connection, but the actual automation settings are a bit confusing. In setting up my "if" condition, I can select closed, open, partially open, "open or closed", or a shade level percentage. In the "then" statement, I can only select shade level percentage. Does partially open include all the way open? Is shade level 100% open or closed? Who knows without experimenting. I'm not sure if this is on SmartThings' end or Switchbot's.

    Customer Service

    My experience with customer service was great! They promptly replied to my problem and issued a full refund, no hassle there. For backers, they also included extra hooks and curtain clips, which is a nice bonus in case they break.

    submitted by /u/Pollox
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    Can ESP32 boards be assigned to perform multiple tasks? (capture bluetooth sensor info and control LED strip)

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 05:41 PM PST

    Hey All, Noob here. I'm smartening up my home and I have a few projects in the pipeline. Some of these projects require these wifi development boards and I was wondering if I can have one board handle multiple tasks.

    Example: I want to follow this guide to use a esp32 capture info from a bluetooth temperature sensors and have it send it home assistant.

    I also ordered some SK6812 and WS2812B LED strips and want to have home assistant control the light as a notification light. This requires a esp8266 / Wemos D1 mini to control.

    I was wondering If I can just use one esp32 to perform both these tasks, of capturing bluetooth sensor info, and controlling the led light?

    ​

    Thanks

    submitted by /u/sulfate4
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    What's your favorite hub for running Home Assistant?

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 05:30 PM PST

    And why? (I made the z-wave decision, and am in on-the-one-hand mode with HA vs HomeSeer) So, what's ur favorite hardware for a hub? (I'd like to buy a couple of z-wave dimmer switches and play, but that means actually buying a hub to bring it to reality).

    submitted by /u/purpledust
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    Good youtube Smart Home/Automation reviewer?

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 09:08 PM PST

    Looking for a youtube channel that does Smart Home/Home Automation ideas/reviews (IE: What's the best smart lighting strip).

    FWIW I am mostly using Home Assistant. The only channel i've found so far that's decent is "Smart Home Solver". Looking for other channels.

    ​

    Thanks!

    submitted by /u/mercfh85
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    Smart millivolt wall switch

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 08:37 PM PST

    We have moved into a new house with a gas fireplace controlled by a wall switch. I took the switch out to look at it, and it seems to be a SkyTech fireplace millivolt on/off switch. Connected into the switch are three wires: ground, red and white, which appear to be low voltage, similar in appearance to a doorbell wire.

    I'd like to change this switch to make it controllable, ideally with Alexa, but I'm open to any suggestions. I don't think you can just replace it with a standard 120 switch, and of course there's no neutral wire. Has anyone had success doing this?

    submitted by /u/getridofwires
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    Smart hub?

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 08:26 PM PST

    I have a schlage BE469ZP lock that I want to be able to control from my phone. What smart hub do you recommend? I was interested in the smartthings hub but I believe they will not be supporting that no more in the near future? idk. I plan to do more automation in my new house like smart switches etc. I do have a ring doorbell. Thanks.

    submitted by /u/Gurus_Mindset
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    Smart bulb with local http API?

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 03:39 PM PST

    Hi,

    I'm just getting into home automation so I'm not really aware of what's out there and was hoping someone could point me in the right direction for this. I'm looking for some light bulbs that I can control completely locally without an internet connection.

    An ideal candidate would be something with a simple get/post http API. For example, the smart outlets I have now can be controlled through simple requests like hostname/cm?cmnd=power%20on.

    So far the only smart bulbs I can find require a cloud service/internet connection though, which is a no-go for me.

    Thanks,
    Matt

    submitted by /u/11matt556
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    Maybe someone here will be able to help. Did I fry my leds? Controller? Govee h6117

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 03:29 PM PST

    I attempted to extend one side of my controller so that I didn't have a bulky power supply sitting in the middle of my shelving but I think I must've blown my leds or something. Neither side light up even though the controller connects in the app and says it's connected and sending signal. Video is attached of controller CB. I ordered another set of the same stuff but don't to screw the next ones up either. Anyone have any suggestions?

    https://youtu.be/TIzr8mSiEVM

    submitted by /u/Vaderzer0
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    IFTTT alternative to for Magic Home...

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 09:41 AM PST

    Since IFTTT has become another subscription model, I've deleted the account.

    *IMO it's WAY to slow to pay for.

    Either way, I have a couple LED strips setup with Magic Home controllers that work fine for voice activation and with the IR remote, although previously I used a smartThings motion sensor to activate them on the stairs through IFTTT.

    Now that IFTTT is no longer a useful option, I'm curious if anyone has got their motion sensors to work with it directly or at least through a "Smart" speaker home or echo.

    ​

    Thanks

    submitted by /u/tcypher
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    Which bulb (or minimal, cheapest setup) can change colors 5 times in a day on a set schedule and then turn off using wifi? Sounds easy, but is it?

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 06:25 PM PST

    Hi everyone,

    ​

    So I'm trying to change a room's color on a set schedule like below. I have not found a smart bulb alone that can accomplish this with wifi. Is there such a bulb? Do I need an additional device? I have wifi of course, and my phone uses iOS. I'm new to automation; I appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

    ​

    Early morning: Color 1

    ​

    Late morning: Color 2

    ​

    Early afternoon: Color 3

    ​

    Late afternoon: Color 4

    ​

    Night: Color 5

    ​

    Late night: Off.

    submitted by /u/junk1066
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    SMART PLUG heater automation -- Need a simple 1500 watt electric heater with mechanical on/off

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 10:01 AM PST

    I have a couple 1500 watt cabinet heaters. Neither power back on into heating mode after being unplugged/plugged. Trying to figure out if anyone knows of a similar style heater I can purchase with a just mechanical on/off switch or simple enough to resume heating mode when powered back on. I'd also be interested in modifying the ones I have to bypass the temp controls to simply turn on full blast when powered up.

    I already have a couple heavy duty smart plugs rated to handle the load.

    My heaters are both slight variations of this -- https://www.amazon.com/LifeSmart-Element-Remote-Infrared-Heater/dp/B00F4BHC24

    submitted by /u/jimia
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    [US] Light switches

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 05:06 PM PST

    Let's have a concise discussion about the currently available options for smart light switches. It's long overdue to have it all neatly in one thread, so please share your thoughts but succinctly for posterity. (Also as the tile has it, USA market is the focus here.) I'll start the thread below.

    submitted by /u/Discoveryellow
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    Best smart switch

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 04:49 PM PST

    So I just had a GE paddle switch seem to go out. My garage lights were going on and off. The switch was audibly clicking with each on and off so you could definitely hear the power being cut. A quick google returned a Reddit thread where someone else experienced this and the cause mentioned was a bad relay.

    Are GE switches known for this? I have a few others with zero problems but didn't wanna pick up another if they are known to do this after a few years.

    I'm also running on Hubitat if that makes a difference in choice for anyone. I keep it pretty simple, just wanting my lights on at a certain time and the ability to turn on/off remotely if needed. My only complaint when I was setting up the Hubitat with them all the mesh network didn't seem to work. Only way I got this switch connected was getting a long Ethernet cord and bringing the hub closer.

    submitted by /u/ftblplyr46
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    Smart switches and smart colored bulbs. When to buy both?

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 03:37 PM PST

    Okay, this is a totally newbie question.

    One bulb. I want to turn it on/off just like now (from a switch... just one switch). But I also want to change the color. But sometimes I want to turn it on without the switch. So, do I buy a smart switch and a smart colored bulb?

    Generalized: When do you buy just a smart switch vs just a smart (tunable colored) bulb vs both?

    submitted by /u/purpledust
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    WiFi-enabled servo (not DIY)

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 02:54 PM PST

    I've been looking into different ways to have a servo controlled from anywhere. I see a lot of DIY solutions but not a real finished commercial product. Is it surprising to anyone that this doesn't seem to be on the market or maybe I am missing it?

    This product would basically be a servo in a small box, which contains a decent battery, and once it's all configured, it has an API or MQTT to control it. It's for people who like to code, don't want to fidget with wires, soldering, amps, or volts.

    submitted by /u/bark-carrot
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    Would slomins shield door sensors work with other z wave hubs?

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 02:50 PM PST

    I moved into a house in the beginning of the month. I've been getting some automation up and running and was wondering if the door sensors and motion sensor the previous owner left might work with hubitat. They're z wave, as per the manual. The slomin wall panel was left as well, the owner terminated his contract so I disconnecred it. I haven't removed the door sensors yet, but I haven't been able to figure out a way to pair them with hubitat.

    I tried googling but got nothing.

    submitted by /u/BeerHR
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    Nest system basically bricked IMO

    Posted: 24 Nov 2020 11:03 AM PST

    So I bought a nest camera/alarm system in 2017. And it was great. In late 2018 I really started to get into Home automation and the works with nest system worked out with Alexa. I like that you can ask Alexa to show a camera and it throws it on the tv. However I'm annoyed by how limited things are when google bought nest. As if I've lost functionality after paying the heavy price tag for nest equipment

    So ignorantly when google bought nest I migrated my account thinking things would be fine. But they were not fine. I'm annoyed that not only IFTTT is basically disabled but I'm also annoyed that you really can't utilize the motion detection to turn on lights. Most annoying, I would love to use google nest hub/Alexa show to alert me while I'm sleeping if people are on porch deck. However it only alerts google nest hub if they ring the doorbell and not for general recognizing of people on my porch in the middle of the night. Ideal id like to use the show or google hub as a alarm system to let me know if people are on my porch?

    And I total SOL on this one? Or does anybody have any clever workarounds? Any help guidance or validation is appreciated. TIA

    submitted by /u/absolute_justice
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