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    Home Unlabelled Home Automation Sensor to detect if someone is sitting in a chair?

    Home Automation Sensor to detect if someone is sitting in a chair?

    December 21, 2020

    Home Automation Sensor to detect if someone is sitting in a chair?

    Sensor to detect if someone is sitting in a chair?

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 05:27 PM PST

    Anytime my wife and I are in the Livingroom, after 6PM, she will ask Alexa to turn off the hallway lights and then ask Alexa to dim the living room lights. This happens basically 100% of the time. So obviously I have to find a way to automate this but having trouble.

    My idea is that if I had a sensor to detect when she's sitting on the couch then I could make an IFTTT applet to do the lights anytime the sensor detects someone and the time is after 6PM.

    Does a sensor like that exist?

    submitted by /u/Redmanjbj
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    Quick test: Lidl Smart Home LED Bulb E27 9W (with Ikea Zigbee gateway and app)

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 04:38 AM PST

    Moved into a new home with HomeSeer and zwave devices - looking for a beautiful, easy to use, mobile interface for my devices

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 03:50 PM PST

    Hopefully somebody can help me as I'm new to the smart home space.

    I just moved into a house with a Homeseer smartstick+, a metric ton of Homeseer switches, dimmers and sensors as well as a zwave thermostat, alarm system, blinds and locks. I've set it all up pretty much with the existing server the previous owner left behind running HS and I've been trying to love it but I find their user interface is so dated and clunky. I tried the main interface, the Homeseer app as well as HSBuddy. HSBuddy came closest out of those after hours of making the nicest dashboards I could, but overall they all seem to have very dated and clunky UIs. What I want is a beautiful and well organized interface to control lights, thermostat, blinds, locks, alarm and if possible cameras. One that is simple that even my mother could use on her phone as she struggles with technology. I'd also like to lose the server if possible as well.

    Google Home app seems to tick the box of beautiful, easy to use, interface. It groups room lights for one click switching, organizes things simply, is very responsive and is overall easy to use. Issue is the HS integration seems poor... My blinds show up as lights so they get grouped with room lights and voice controls are clunky where you have to say stuff like "turn window blind off" which closes the blind (HomeSeer website suggests halfway workarounds for this problem and I saw a couple threads complaining about this issue), my camera streams from HS don't show up, my locks show but can't be controlled and my thermostat shows with a beautiful interface but doesn't seem to respond.

    I considered scrapping my whole HS system and using all those zwave devices with SmartThings Hub as it seemed to tick all my boxes as well as having a seemingly better Google Home integration, however now it appears it is end of life and even if it wasn't, it's seemingly impossible to buy in Canada. I also am considering Hubitat but they don't have trial software and their UI seems more complex than I need from videos I've seen as well.

    TLDR

    given that:

    • I have a bunch of zwave devices, with a Homeseer smartstick+ (but open to buying another hub)
    • I have some ethernet connected cameras
    • I want to use Google assistant and will probably be adding nest devices in the future
    • I want a beautiful, easy to use, mobile interface that even somebody who is clueless with tech could navigate the home with after I set it up.

    What do you guys suggest?

    submitted by /u/scoops22
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    Allow iPhone internal wifi access in home, but block it from using internet data use?

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 11:42 PM PST

    I have limits on my home's internet data use, but not for the most part on my cellular plan. So I need our phones to use their own cellular at all possible times and not my home's wifi for internet. But I also have to keep wifi on, because I have tons of HomeKit and other devices that I need to stay connected with.

    Advice how to wrangle this set-up? phone side options or router side options?

    I tried using my router parental settings and blocking my device from internet use, that doesn't seem to work since the phone is bad at accepting the block and getting back to cellular for data. It randomly tries and fails to load stuff over wifi and gives errors. iPhone has an option for not using cellular data, but no similar option for only using cellular data or preferring it, this is a failure my Apple

    House set up: 2x iPhone 11 iOS14.3 Velop mesh triband wifi router HomePod minis as hubs

    submitted by /u/RivkaChavi
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    How to log metrics from homekit?

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 07:52 PM PST

    Has anyone found way to query homekit devices for metrics to store i to InfluxDB/Elasticsearch/prometheus/etc... and dashboard into Grafana?

    Looking for way to present a dashboard of metrics such as when various lights/plugs are on, when devices are present, and such in a homekit ecosystem.

    Also have several smart plugs (Koogeek P1) that store monthly power use metrics that can be seen in the koogeek app, but nowhere else...

    Any ideas?

    submitted by /u/FabrizioR8
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    [AT90S2313] Add GPIO Ports to PC/Laptop via USB CDC for connecting various digital sensors and actuators (Source Code in Comment)

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 05:18 AM PST

    Want to have adjustable white color (kelvin) but still be able use a wall switch for on/off and dimming.

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 07:30 PM PST

    Tried searching around on this subreddit and elsewhere. I'm lost on my options. Wyze bulbs look like they meet my requirements for adjustable kelvin, but I'm not sure how it'll work having them on a smart dimmer switch.

    Thanks!!!

    submitted by /u/pterosour
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    Hub calling motor? Has anyone connected this motor to a Z3.0 hub successfully?

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 06:14 AM PST

    Smart plugs always need reset

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 08:33 PM PST

    Noob here--have mercy on me;-)

    I have simple switches like the Teckin Smart Outlet 15A (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CVFD2KC) to turn lights on and off when I'm not at home. The problem is that, within a few weeks they tend to bug (not sure why) and need to be reset. If I'm around, it's a snap (unplug then replug), but I don't know any way to do it remotely (they simply start appearing offline in the Smart Life Android app I use to control them). So if I'm away from the house for the summer this problem quickly makes the switches completely useless.

    ​

    Is there a way for me to prevent this problem? Or circumvent it?

    ​

    If not, what should I look for in the equipment I buy in order to avoid such issues?

    submitted by /u/opuscule22
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    Device that will send satellite signal?

    Posted: 21 Dec 2020 12:09 AM PST

    Hi, we never know when our mail comes and we can't see the mailbox from the house. And wifi doesn't reach it. Is there a device that could send a signal via 3g or something from the mailbox to my server, so I could then take action from there? I was thinking maybe a motion or magnet sensor could be on the mailbox, and then feed that to the 3g signal sender.

    submitted by /u/Jimbo733
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    C by GE bulb with smart switch - brightness level limit? (CROSSPOST from r/googleHome)

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 07:46 PM PST

    RGBMaster - a free, open-source desktop app that syncs your RGB peripherals

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 03:25 PM PST

    IR camera and motion sensor lighting

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 10:14 PM PST

    Is there anyway to prevent my IR camera from triggering my motion sensor lighting? I have a camera in the garage that looks at the roll-up door and it triggers my new motion sensor lights. Is there a way to prevent it and still use the motion sensor ability?

    submitted by /u/jarlisle2
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    How to Connect an IKEA TRÅDFRI Wireless Dimmer to a PHILIPS HUE BRIDGE with Touchlink Method

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 03:54 AM PST

    Linking up a wired doorbell to a flashing light

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 02:18 AM PST

    Need to link up flashing lights to a doorbell for a person with hearing difficulties. Unfortunately, condo rules prohibit changing the existing doorbell for a wireless version. Current thoughts center on hanging a wireless transmitter off the hard-wired bell mechanism, so it activates when the button is pushed. Can't help thinking this is a kludge-in-the-making, however.

    Suggestions please.

    submitted by /u/mudfish99
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    No internet and no hub. How can I control a light switch that is in a bad location?

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 06:22 AM PST

    Without internet and a hub, I am trying to help a friend with his switch issue. One of their light switches is in a very inconvenient location hidden behind a door. Is there a way I can put a hubless light in the main switch and control it with a button that connects only to that light switch that would turn it on and off? Thank you very much for any help.

    submitted by /u/chasm_of_sarcasm
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    Non-Nest smart thermostat recommendations

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 08:57 AM PST

    I am looking to replace my current thermostat with something smarter. I need to be able to control heat cool and the whole house humidifier. Nest cannot do the humidifier function. Radio Thermostat CT80 could but it appears to have been discontinued.

    submitted by /u/nbraymarks
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    Are there any great video channels for setting up a Raspberry Pi, installing on it either Home Assistant or Homeseer, and then using them?

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 08:24 AM PST

    I know for sure that I want to us zWave. Awesome. Decision made.

    But as much as I've read up on both HomeSeer and Home Assistant, I'm still blocked. I don't have a sense for what it's like to actually set each one up (from acquiring and setting up the raw hardware, a hub on a pi), set up sensors and use cases, and then actually use the things. I'm sure that if we lived in a real world where we could see people that I'd somehow be able to find a (new) friend who had each of these systems installed. By actually seeing them and talking to the owner/users of them I know that I'd get a sense of what they're like to use, how difficult they are to set up, manage, and use. But I just can't get that sense from what I've been able to read so far.

    And so I ask: are there videos that any Home Assistant (and separately, HomeSeer) users have that show the who darned thing, from dead start? I figure if I watch a couple of hours of each then I'd know for sure which would work for me, and I'd be able to reassure myself if I had the technical ability to do it all myself without frustrating myself.

    There must be a couple of great channels for this on the HomeSeer and Home Assistant universes. What can y'all recommend?

    Oh, also, I do not own a pi nor a monitor for it, so I'd have to (and am happy to) acquire everything. I'd just love to see videos of the whole process on these two platforms. Thanks!!!

    submitted by /u/purpledust
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    Smart bulb recommendation running on iOS 14.x?

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 07:53 PM PST

    So I went on Amazon and I purchased two different sets of smart bulbs that advertised they supported iOS but unfortunately after trying to set up both on iOS 14 and higher and also reaching out to both manufacturers they have confirmed no current support for iOS 14+.

    I have had to return both sets of bulbs so far and I was just wondering if anyone here on this sub can just send me some smart bulbs that actually work with iOS 14 as it seems to be a huge problem for the ones from China on Amazon and I'm not quite sure which ones to buy now because almost all of them say they work (because they did prior to iOS 14) when they don't end up working.

    Thank you!

    submitted by /u/iJakobb
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    Using HOOBS or Homebridge - Heres a Guide to understand Config.json used to Expose Devices for Apple HomeKit Ecosystem & Making Your Home Smart !!!

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 07:25 PM PST

    Using HOOBS or Homebridge - Heres a Guide to understand Config.json used to Expose Devices for Apple HomeKit Ecosystem & Making Your Home Smart !!!

    For the not so programmers in us - here's a brief understanding on config.json and the types of plugins available that you will use & need to expose your devices to Apple HomeKit using HOOBS or Homebridge platforms. This video will be good for those who are just getting started and for those over the fence to start - this will give that gentle nudge to begin.

    ​

    https://preview.redd.it/qngc60hmlg661.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=1ef6523ae9de445a1cc6f18e3498130a22564068

    submitted by /u/eddieblackdaddy
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    Digital picture frame - Echo vs nest hub vs Lenovo?

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 06:18 PM PST

    Buying my non-tech savy parents a hub for digital picture frame purposes, they don't own any smart devices minus an Arlo and potentially a doorbell in the future. Won't be using the voice features, etc.

    Which device do you think is better for the primary purpose of digital photo frame? I'm thinking echo show 8 since it at least has a video camera but I also understand the ambience mode on the nest hub is great.

    submitted by /u/CR00KS
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    MagicHome LED wifi strip controller no appearing in wifi list.

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 08:22 AM PST

    I just got the MagicHome LED wifi strip controller and I am trying to connect it through the app but when it scans for devices it says that there are none there. When I tap manual connection it tells me to go to the wifi list and tap the one that starts with LEDnet but that one isn't on the list. I have tried resetting the wifi, I have tried resetting the lights. But nothing works. Can someone please help me? Thanks in advance.

    submitted by /u/HeyImDog
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    Help, need advice about smart switch flickering my lights!

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 05:36 PM PST

    So just spent a couple hours installing a handful of GE Enbrighten Z-Wave light switches, I seem to have done everything right because they work but they've made my lights flicker. I have pot lights installed in the ceiling, they were already installed when we moved in so I'm not sure which brand/model they are but I can pull one out to check in a bit.

    Previously they were hooked up to Lutron Maestro dimmers and that worked great, they were dimmable with no flickering (they did have one quirk though, they wouldn't dim all the way down to zero, at maybe 30% brightness there would be a sudden jump down to like 1% brightness). So, stupidly I didn't do a whole lot of research about compatibility because I just assumed these were dimmable bulbs.

    Anyway now with the new Enbrighten switches installed, there's just a ton of flickering. One weird thing though is even at 100% on there is still flickering, the other similar issues I'm seeing online people say that the flickering only happens when dimming lower. For me at 100%, the flickering is super fast, almost like an old flourescent bulb. And then as it dims lower the flickering gets slower and more dramatic. If I fiddle with it for a minute, turning up and back down, I was able to get it to stop on a point around like 75% brightness where it's not flickering. So luckily I don't have to rip them back out tonight in the dark, I can get by like this for a day or two, but it's so finicky that I definitely can't leave it like this.

    As for my lights, there are 3 on one circuit and 6 on the other, and some of those are up high on a vaulted ceiling, so it would be kind of expensive and quite annoying to change them all out, I'm really hoping I don't need to do that. Is there anything else I can do? Does anyone know of any better Z-Wave switches that do whatever my old Maestro switches were doing to not flicker?

    (One thing I did come across is this Aeotec bypass that seems to be made specifically to stop flickering - https://aeotec.com/z-wave-low-voltage-dimmer/, but the instructions say to install at the light rather than the switch which wouldn't work with how many lights I have, I'm not sure if it can be installed another way)

    submitted by /u/poolontheroof
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    Shelly 1L on a three-way switch?

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 06:35 AM PST

    Hi there,

    Has anyone looked at the new Shelly 1L? With the regular Shelly 1 you can hook it into a three way switch circuit but it requires an extra unswitched mains line. With the 1L I am wondering if that is still needed since it steals power from the supply line.

    Thoughts?

    submitted by /u/Rileywil
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    sensor to tell me if an outlet is in use

    Posted: 20 Dec 2020 04:24 PM PST

    I'm looking to add more automation to my living room fireplace. I have Hubitat, Alexa, and a zwave low voltage relay. I'd like to get a smart fan switch and some kind of current sensor.

    Here's my scenario:

    Alexa turn on the fireplace - after the fireplace heats up the internal fan that is connect to a receptacle turns on - the ceiling fan turns on.
    Alexa turn off the fireplace - fire goes out - the blower continues to run until cooled off - ceiling fan turns off when blower shuts off.

    The blower receptacle is already wired to a thermal sensor and turns on and off via temp. I want a current sensor to sense when that blower turns on/off to control the ceiling fan switch. What are my options for a smart current sensor?

    submitted by /u/DPM43
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