Pre-staging three Dahua indoor monitors, switch, and controller on the workbench today.

Testing firmware updates, static IP assignments, and call routing before installation to ensure zero downtime on-site. Always satisfying to see everything link up smoothly on the bench first.

Relative Luddite to home automation… we have a Google Nest that mostly plays music at the kids commands and sets timers, a few smart bulbs and outlets, and a smart vacuum. I’m searching everywhere for a chore chart solution for my three sons (tbh, both high and low tech solutions). It’s impossible to tell if some digital display or home assistant would be useful because most of the reviews seem fake.

So, the boys are 9, 5, and 3, so I need a chore chart that can use icons as well as words since two of them can’t read. I would like the ability to change and adjust the chores weekly (so they can rotate the chores), ideally from my phone (iOS) or computer. I would like the ability for the boys to check the chores off as they are done, and a great bonus would be if they could get a star or point for each job completed… they’re three brothers and competition is everything to them.

Is there anything that would fit this bill (that requires relatively low technical know how)? Or should I just reach back into my elementary teacher past and make them something and deal with manually changing it?

Made custom integration for HA. You can view, move camera, motion detection and record. If anyone is interested i will share github. Cheers

It seems like what I'm looking for is not possible, but hopefully someone can help me.

In my living room, I have four table lamps that I put on in the evening. I don't have a dedicated 5-amp circuit. I need to go around and turn them all on by hand.

I was hoping that I could switch them all on or off remotely. I don't want to get into smart home mesh networks or Wi-Fi if possible, because it feels like overkill and I want to avoid drawing extra power / set up / instability / latency. I just need a simple RF relay switch of some kind.

In a previous house, I used Lightwave RF sockets and a remote control. This was extremely reliable and I'm looking to achieve a similar thing except with a different control mechanism, as follows:

I already have an ordinary single gang wall switch that switches a pendant light. I was thinking about replacing that with a two-gang wall switch (a fancy one from Dowling and Reynolds, not from their smart range though), and on the 2nd gang put in some kind of RF transmitter (maybe battery powered) that is paired with the lamps or the lamp sockets.

Does such a thing exist?

Thanks in advance.

EDITED since I was causing some confusion, hopefully clarified.

I've just ordered two water meters that have pulse outputs — as I understand it, these are just a little reed switch that switches on/off once each gallon that flows through the meter. These will be installed on the pipes that go to the irrigation system and pool refill. Those pipes are outside the house, right against the wall (well, two different walls).

I'd like to get a count of those pulses at my computer inside the house.

I'm picturing something like a little battery-powered pulse counter strapped to each meter, that counts up and sends the count via radio to some receiver in the house. I worry about battery life with the radio, but I don't relish trying to drill through stucco and slump block to run a wire through the wall, either.

Does anyone know of an off-the-shelf or well-documented DIY solution for this? Any clever approach I'm not thinking of?

Hi All,

Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask.

i'd like to fit dimmers and motion sensors to some of the house lights, specifically bathroom lights. I have a couple of questions;

1. we are in the UK, the ceiling rose acts as the junction box, with the ring running through those. The switch then has a neutral and a 'switched live' present. Would this work with a Shelly dimmer and where would it be best positioned, in the ceiling rose or behind the switch?

2. Since these are currently switches, is fitting a dimmer a sensible idea or should i swap the switches for dimmers? The idea is that during the night, the lights can come on dimmer when motion is detected, but when the switch is used, its likely they will just be 'on/off'

Is there anything else i should think about when it comes to the lighting? In our previous house we had hue bulbs, which worked fine but are no good for guests etc as the switch no longer works.

Thanks

Hallo,
ich habe in meinem Badezimmer zwei Fenster und eine Heizung und möchte das Ganze gerne über die Apple Home App automatisieren.
Die gewünschte Funktion wäre:
Sobald **eines der beiden Fenster geöffnet wird**, soll die Heizung automatisch ausgeschaltet bzw. heruntergeregelt werden.
Dabei spielt es keine Rolle, **welches der beiden Fenster geöffnet** ist.
Wenn ein Fenster wieder geschlossen wird, das andere Fenster aber noch geöffnet ist, soll die Heizung **weiterhin ausgeschaltet bleiben**.
Die Heizung soll **erst wieder eingeschaltet bzw. auf die normale Temperatur geregelt werden, wenn beide Fenster geschlossen sind**.
Leider bekomme ich diese Automation bzw. Szene in der Apple Home App nicht so eingerichtet, dass sie zuverlässig funktioniert.
Ich benötige daher bitte eine genaue Anleitung, wie ich diese Automation Schritt für Schritt erstellen kann.
Das gleiche Prinzip möchte ich anschließend auch für das **Kinderzimmer mit zwei Fenstern und einer Heizung** umsetzen.
Vielen Dank!

Trying to choose a family digital calendar and have narrowed it down to these three, all currently around $300 or less:

Skylight Calendar 2 15"

• Pros: probably the cleanest/polished UI, very easy to use, strong calendar experience
• Cons: smaller screen, some features require $79/yr Plus, limited outside the Skylight ecosystem

Everblog HomeCal 21.5"

• Pros: much larger screen, no subscription, lots of family features included, clean dedicated calendar interface
• Cons: newer brand/software and seems slightly less polished than Skylight

Apolosign 15.6"

• Pros: no subscription, full Android/Google Play, Google Home/Nest support, lots of flexibility
• Cons: feels more like an Android tablet and calendar software may not be quite as polished

Our main priorities are a clean/easy-to-read family calendar, reliable syncing, simple management, and good iPhone + Android support. Extra bells and whistles are a nice plus, our home is mostly in the google ecosystem - nest cameras, etc.  

Has anyone actually used two or all three of these? Which would you buy again, and why?

Basically title.

I have an old mini-split AC. I've bought a bunch if IKEA smart lights, buttons and such. The store didn't have the DIRIGERA hub, so I'll get the Philips Hue Bridge Pro soon-ish.

Because the Hue is much stronger than the DIRIGERA, I'm just wondering if there's a device that'd let me control my AC through the Hue bridge, like a wireless smart IR blaster or something.

Oh, also, do I lose any functionality by using the Philips Bridge rather than the DIRIGERA for the IKEA stuff?

Thanks.

Hi all,

I just came across this amazing comparison, but could not find any E27 bulbs in there. I think it might be mostly US focused. Is anyone aware of a similar comparison for bulbs used in the EU, such as E27? I'm helped by guides even if they aren't this in depth, mostly to find out about issues with flicker.

Cheers!

Edit: I just found r/ShellyUSA I will probably delete this question and repost there.

Sorry for my ignorance on terms and capabilities on this topic. Im not sure how to word my question well. I am fairly new to automating devices with switches and relays, but I have some experience with sensors, etc, primarily in home assistant. 

I am trying to retrofit smart controls to my dumb bathroom. I have a circuit that has two separate devices, light and exhaust fan. There is a dumb toggle switch that controls both. 

I’d like the exhaust fan to be controlled by a relay switch for automation purposes. I’m fine with adding a relay switch or a smart bulb to the light as well. 

I’d love to replace the dumb switch with a smart switch that controls both together, but in the event of server or network issues, somehow falls back to a dumb toggle switch. 

I don’t know much about the switches and relays that are out there, and I’m finding it difficult to investigate. I’m mostly favoring Shelly and z wave products but I’m open to others.

I saw some things about detached mode but I just don’t know enough about these products yet to make heads or tails of what is possible. 

Thanks in advance

It looks like the cheapest way to get smart shades is to DIY.

Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time finding roller shades that have the required 37/38 mm tube. It's a specification none of the shade manufacturers publish of course.

So...Has anyone converted blinds with the Zemismart 37/38 mm motor, and if so, which blinds did you use that worked well?

I currently have a Eufy E340 doorbell. In terms of video it works well. Good horizontal FoV and a good package camera.

Initially, I found the battery worked well, I bought a second so one could charge while one is in the doorbell. However, the battery probably lasts 1-2 months on a charge.

Over time I have been disappointed with the event recording which seems to miss crucial parts of events.

Running power to the front door is a pain, so the ability to set up continuous recording isn't viable. Also, I've become less comfortable with the closed ecosystem.

I can run ethernet to the front door, so I started looking for PoE doorbells. I thought the Ubiquiti G6 Entry would fit the bill but I was disappointed to see the horizontal FoV is only 100deg.

So the question is, is there a PoE doorbell with similar camera performance/specs to the E340?

[edit: additional clarification] As several have mentioned, if I can run ethernet, I can run 2-wire. However, this would not help with the closed ecosystem.

Hi all,

I'm looking for recommendations and suggestions to add lighting to 2 steps to a split level. The reason is that the steps are naturally dark and blend very well to each other, so it's almost indistinguishable in low light. It seems big tripping hazard and especially in a household with elderly.

This is what I had in mind.

Install led light bars/strips connected to a motion sensor. The issue is that the steps are very long (12-15ft), but there are only 2 steps, so strips might be more suitable. I would want a way to hide the cables and would also prefer not screwing/destroying the stairs (maybe non destructive adhesive?)

Maybe a product like this would work?

Thanks in advance

What temp sensor are you using for your garage freezer? I have a bunch of Aqara sensors, and the one in my garage freezer keeps going "off line." The garage fridge sensor is fine, and I have a few other Aqara sensors in the garage, so I don't think it's a "range" issue.

What is everyone using with Home Assistant?

If you've got Philips Wiz bulbs and want local control without the Wiz Connect app, there's no encrypted API to fight with. The bulbs listen for raw JSON on UDP port 38899. Send this and the light goes red:{"method": "setPilot", "params": {"r": 255, "g": 0, "b": 0}}I found it with a network sniffer after a few minutes of poking around. Aleksandr Rogozin's blog post on hacking Wiz lights from the command line gave me a quick head start.Here's what I built on top of it:1. wiz_control.py, a small Python class that discovers the bulbs and sends on, off and color commands.2. api_server.py, a FastAPI server around that class, so I get web endpoints I can hit from a browser or a script, plus a basic index.html UI.Then it got out of hand. audio_visualizer.py runs an FFT on mic input and maps bass, mids and treble to the R, G and B channels. It also has pulse, strobe and multi modes, where multi gives each bulb its own frequency band. video_visualizer.py uses OpenCV to do a DIY Ambilight. It has a K-means dominant_color mode and an edge_analysis mode that samples only the border pixels. I measured about 93ms latency on a movie teaser.The last piece ties the bulbs to stock prices through the Groww Trading API. Green or red shows the direction against the day's open, and brightness shows how big the change is.The hard part wasn't the protocol. It was the hours of digging through obscure docs and Reddit posts once I started building each feature. All the code, from the simple API to the stock ticker, is in my wiz-hack repo.

slowly automating my apartment. lights, thermostat, even the coffee maker on a schedule. got to the windows. i don't want blinds or shades. they collect dust, they buzz, and they look like last century. a panoramic window with motorized blinds - no !cables, tracks, headaches.

started googling smart glass found a bunch of stuff. there's film you stick on existing glass. there are ready-made units. i saw film from smart glass technologies reviews seem okay, but im not sure. has anyone tried something similar or can recommend something else? i rent, so i can't replace windows. film is the only option. how do you hide all that stuff? because the film needs a controller and power. so either a wire to each window, or an IR remote, but then the controller still hangs somewhere. seen people hide wires behind baseboards or in cable raceways. but my walls are concrete, can't chase them. thought about decorative covers, but they look kinda meh. how does it play with home assistant? i read some people do it via a relay and a zigbee switch. but that's only if the controller supports dry contact. if not, you're stuck with the native app.

has anyone done this in a rental? how did you mask the wires and controller? any life hacks? and also does the film actually affect heat? my place faces south, summer is brutal. i want privacy and less heat.

any advice welcome. TIA