What cool things have you done with home automation?

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › What cool things have you done with home automation?

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davidcole

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#1868126 18-Sep-2017 15:45

SumnerBoy:

davidcole:

So I've just been playing with mqttwarn (https://github.com/jpmens/mqttwarn) for notifications, and I've just added a new service of an sms gateway for sending SMS messages using this android app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.perfness.smsgateway.rest&hl=en

Then I have OpenHAB pulling any incoming messages received by the sms gateway phone (for low balance, or replies), funnily enough, those are then sent via boxcar back to my phone (though anything in mqttwarn could be used).

So what is the point of this? You generate notifications in openHAB, that mqttwarn publishes as an SMS via this app running on your phone? Sorry, probably being a bit thick but just can't quite see how you are using this all?

A different phone (I'm IOS). So I have an old android running at home that is an SMS gateway.

Its mainly used to tell my GPS tracker about my new IP address - since they don't do DNS. THe incoming messages is just handy for getting a return status from the gps tracker (could be a couple of days later it's used).

Mostly it's "because I can" factor.

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SumnerBoy

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#1868138 18-Sep-2017 16:17

davidcole:

Mostly it's "because I can" factor.

Ah I see. That is always a good enough reason.

mugs2000

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#1868151 18-Sep-2017 16:53

You could almost call this one home automation?

SWMBO had decreed that the printer must not reside in the house because it looks fugly.

So it got installed in the shed. I found at the beginning of last winter that it had a temperature sensor and would not print if the temperature was too low. The quick solution was to remove the paper tray and blow in hot air from a fan heater, but this became a bit tedious.

The current situation: Placed a 15W reptile heater pad under the printer and connected it to the output of a Siemens Logo! intelligent relay, with a temperature sensor connected to one of its inputs. Connected the printer to another relay output. At 6am if the temperature is below 5 Deg C the heater comes on and the printer turns on at 8am. At 8pm the printer turns off.

davidcole

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#1868179 18-Sep-2017 18:42

mugs2000:

You could almost call this one home automation?

SWMBO had decreed that the printer must not reside in the house because it looks fugly.

So it got installed in the shed. I found at the beginning of last winter that it had a temperature sensor and would not print if the temperature was too low. The quick solution was to remove the paper tray and blow in hot air from a fan heater, but this became a bit tedious.

The current situation: Placed a 15W reptile heater pad under the printer and connected it to the output of a Siemens Logo! intelligent relay, with a temperature sensor connected to one of its inputs. Connected the printer to another relay output. At 6am if the temperature is below 5 Deg C the heater comes on and the printer turns on at 8am. At 8pm the printer turns off.

Sounds like home automation to me. I have sensors that turn on my central heating, and a sensor that turns on two 120mm fans to cool my network stack. Same diff.

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