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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Reply # 1865094 14-Sep-2017 10:52

My wife refuses to use the HA since she says Alexa doesn't understand her!

Main issue which turned her off was replacing 3 hallway light switches with an Insteon micro switch. I had to have the Sparky basically disconnect one of the switches as it caused the Insteon to have issues. The Insteon is supposed to be able to detect if the switch is powered or not so you can control the switch either via the wall switch itself or via the Insteon app and hence Alexa. Could be a wiring issue but the switch does nothing at the moment which annoys my wife. So without talking to Alexa she could not turn the lights on or off :-(

In the end I gave up and bought an Insteon remote (!) which I mount where of the switches is. So she can turn the lights on an off using the remote which surprisingly if what she could do with the original wall switch. To be fare the remote can control up to 3 Insteon devices and I do have an Insteon smart wall plug which the remote can also control.

HA is a work in progress for me. I have a Harmony Elite (?) which one day I will install and plan to control the HT with it. I can just imagine what my wife will think when she can't turn on the TV without talking to Alexa.

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SumnerBoy

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Reply # 1865103 14-Sep-2017 10:57

Yep - that is the risk - things still have to work *as-before* so non-tech users can still do things without hinderence.

I think this is where your choice of device/protocol really comes to the fore. And you can only get this right by trial and error. I (luckily) chose Z-Wave early on and it has been rock-solid reliable and works with all my lighting circuits, some with 2/3/4 intermediate switches. Plus the modules are small and fit behind the existing light switches so users are none-the-wiser that a light switch, which still functions normally, can also be controlled remotely.

To be honest the wife and I never touch light switches anymore - aside from a wardrobe light I haven't automated and a few bedroom lights which I don't see the point. All the communal living lights and entry/security lights are fully automated and now I have the rules right we don't even think about them. They turn on each night as it gets dark and off once we go to bed. Pretty simple but we would be lost without it now.

frankv

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Reply # 1865123 14-Sep-2017 11:15

SumnerBoy:

I have a Wemos D1 Mini sitting up on the garage roof, which monitors a magnetic reed switch.

I'm curious about how you supply power to the D1. Do you have 5V wired around your garage? A 5V USB adapter plugged into mains? A 230V/5V buck converter to supply power to the D1? Batteries? Solar?

SumnerBoy

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Reply # 1865131 14-Sep-2017 11:21

I have a 240VAC socket up there, to power the garage door opener. I just put a double plug on that and have a 5V USB adapter powering the Wemos.

plas

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Reply # 1865256 14-Sep-2017 14:01

paulchinnz:

@sumnerboy interested in the open garage door notification. I've a garage without internal access, often leave it open by accident overnight.

I'm a novice in this area, but what's your garage door solution?

I use https://opengarage.io/. Pretty straight forward solution, I also use their sprinkler system which is all tied into Alexa via Openhab.

Latest project has been getting Openhab to control my Samsung TV via the api, I've gotten it to a point where you can tell Alexa to turn on Netflix and the netflix app loads.

davidcole

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Reply # 1866298 14-Sep-2017 15:16

Has anyone done anything with heating control? I kinda like the idea of some smarts like nest - but without a nest. Ie just the software componet (the presence detection + UI + learning of patterns). Was hoping I could find some sort of open source solution I could hack into OpenHAB rather than having to come up with my own rules etc.

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Reply # 1866307 14-Sep-2017 15:27

No "learning" just rules which adjust the living room "setpoint" depending on the time of day, who is home, and what the temp is like outside. Then depending on the setpoint and a temp sensor in the living room I turn on/off the heat pump (with a 1/2 degree hysterisis either side). Works pretty well.

E.g. when we go to bed or everyone leaves the house the setpoint drops a few degrees. If it is only me home it drops a degree as the wife is cold blooded and likes it warmer. If it is below 10 outside it raises the setpoint by one degree, as the *feeling* of being cold outside seems to require a bit of extra heating. Now I have it tuned I never touch it or notice it.

lchiu7

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Reply # 1867025 15-Sep-2017 17:27

davidcole:

Has anyone done anything with heating control? I kinda like the idea of some smarts like nest - but without a nest. Ie just the software componet (the presence detection + UI + learning of patterns). Was hoping I could find some sort of open source solution I could hack into OpenHAB rather than having to come up with my own rules etc.

I would imagine NZ houses that had central heating/cooling would be in the minority so something like a Nest might not be that useful but I am prepared to be corrected.

My only thoughts about automating heating are with my gas fireplace. It's triggered via a low-voltage relay so that lends itself to automation. Something like a low voltage relay controlled via Z-Wave. But then I would need to also get a Z-Wave hub in the house which I don't have. Then connect the thing up to OpenHab etc. and then Alexa, turn on the heater. I could even have it go off on a cycle. But the benefits are far outweighed by the actual hassle of doing this.

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davidcole

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Reply # 1867027 15-Sep-2017 17:29

lchiu7:

davidcole:

Has anyone done anything with heating control? I kinda like the idea of some smarts like nest - but without a nest. Ie just the software componet (the presence detection + UI + learning of patterns). Was hoping I could find some sort of open source solution I could hack into OpenHAB rather than having to come up with my own rules etc.

I would imagine NZ houses that had central heating/cooling would be in the minority so something like a Nest might not be that useful but I am prepared to be corrected.

My only thoughts about automating heating are with my gas fireplace. It's triggered via a low-voltage relay so that lends itself to automation. Something like a low voltage relay controlled via Z-Wave. But then I would need to also get a Z-Wave hub in the house which I don't have. Then connect the thing up to OpenHab etc. and then Alexa, turn on the heater. I could even have it go off on a cycle. But the benefits are far outweighed by the actual hassle of doing this.

I've got the control of it already, it was just designing the rules to turn it on off. Was hoping I could get something that could do the grunt work of learning, scheduling, UI etc, and just pull from that to flick the switch or not.

davidcole

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Reply # 1867028 15-Sep-2017 17:32

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).

enfield

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Reply # 1867285 16-Sep-2017 13:45

Saw some z wave sensors on slickdeals https://slickdeals.net/f/10520596-monoprice-z-wave-sale-garage-door-19-55-door-window-sensors-17-more-free-s-h , mainly interested in the the garage door tilt sensor.What sort of controller/hub who I need to run a sensor like that?

davidcole

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Reply # 1867286 16-Sep-2017 13:46

A USB one. But they'll be US frequencies.

SumnerBoy

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Reply # 1867303 16-Sep-2017 14:47

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?

kryptonjohn

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Reply # 1868083 18-Sep-2017 14:56

I've got a Harmony Hub setup to manage the TV, Soundbar, Sky Decoder and Roku, and have Alexa controlling all of that. So can say "Alexa, watch TV", "Alexa watch Netflix", "Alexa, turn up the TV volume", "Change to channel 51", "Change channel to Sky Sport 1" yada yada yada.

It's great. But, wife doesn't use it. Finds the TV remote that I've hidden and turns the TV off with that. Now it's out of sync. Don't have discrete on/off codes so I have to 'fix' it to the correct state with the harmony app.

Can also control Harmony Hub with Vera home automation hub, but can't see any benefit to that.

The HH can't operate the Mitsubishi heat pump - I think the sequence is too long and it doesn't seem to correctly learn it. Once I get my Broadlink RM3 Mini working I'll see if it can cope with it.

jnimmo

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Reply # 1868098 18-Sep-2017 15:32

kryptonjohn:

I've got a Harmony Hub setup to manage the TV, Soundbar, Sky Decoder and Roku, and have Alexa controlling all of that. So can say "Alexa, watch TV", "Alexa watch Netflix", "Alexa, turn up the TV volume", "Change to channel 51", "Change channel to Sky Sport 1" yada yada yada.

It's great. But, wife doesn't use it. Finds the TV remote that I've hidden and turns the TV off with that. Now it's out of sync. Don't have discrete on/off codes so I have to 'fix' it to the correct state with the harmony app.

Can also control Harmony Hub with Vera home automation hub, but can't see any benefit to that.

The HH can't operate the Mitsubishi heat pump - I think the sequence is too long and it doesn't seem to correctly learn it. Once I get my Broadlink RM3 Mini working I'll see if it can cope with it.

Definitely have some trouble keeping track of on/off states with Harmony, but I've started just playing around with other buttons on the remote to turn it on instead of the power button. i.e. you might find other buttons on the remote which turn the TV on which wouldn't turn it off again - like source button, info, volume up, etc.

That way at least if it gets out of sync, all you have to do is turn it off and back on again.

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