HomeKit - Anyone going down this route?

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › HomeKit - Anyone going down this route?

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# 2346724 31-Oct-2019 11:47

Actually I am interested in smart stuff, but as I say its still too Wild West for me to put my $$ into.

I am also looking for work at various systems for monitoring -80°C freezers and other equipment. We get into commercial stuff for this with Auto dialers for alarm situations, multiple people able to retrieve data over periods of months and so on for sample verification, etc, reducing access into secure labs by removing manual monitoring and so on.

filboz

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# 2346764 31-Oct-2019 13:30

Over the years I've installed a Vera and then Alexa, and now use one of these https://automationbridge.com.au to configure HomeKit options

The automation bridge was a bit buggy at the start but is ok now....

richms

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# 2346783 31-Oct-2019 13:37

sir1963:

I have a real issue with "smart" technology.

I have liven in a house that was 100 years old, still had the same locks on the doors, the old round light switches and a couple of rooms had pull cords for the light switches.

It worries me that people still have houses with that old stuff in them.

Richard rich.ms

sir1963

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# 2346786 31-Oct-2019 13:42

richms:

sir1963:

I have a real issue with "smart" technology.

I have liven in a house that was 100 years old, still had the same locks on the doors, the old round light switches and a couple of rooms had pull cords for the light switches.

It worries me that people still have houses with that old stuff in them.

Steel Conduit, the rolls Royce of wiring systems. Rats can't chew into it, fire proof, contains electrical shorts (if they happen), no one cares what numpty stands on it when putting in new insulation into the roof. Brilliant stuff.

Handle9

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# 2346894 31-Oct-2019 16:45

sir1963:
I have a real issue with "smart" technology.

I have liven in a house that was 100 years old, still had the same locks on the doors, the old round light switches and a couple of rooms had pull cords for the light switches.

Are any of these tech companies going to be around in 100 years ?

Is any of this "smart" technology going to be supported in 10 years time ?

Are you locked into proprietary technology/protocols ?

Just go and look at the hype of 3D TV, it's now dead. Early "smart" TVs now abandoned by the manufacturer, how garbage Android updates are.

On the Apple stuff look at Firewire 400, Firewire 800, Thunderbolt 1 & 2, Apple TV 1 & 2, Airport base stations.

What do you do in 10 years time when something dies, get something new that incompatible with what you have, or up grade everything.

"Smart" technology looks too much like a fashion item where by they keep changing to keep you buying. WHEN a set of international standards on protocols gets forced onto all players and that there are multiple compatible competing vendors and warranties on these devices becomes 20 years or more, then and only then will I consider smart tech in the home. Until then I see it as a noddy toy and a liability.

I have pulled apart and repaired locks 50 plus years old , replaced electrical fittings , door hinges, etc etc etc because I can, who you going to call when proprietary software and hardware dies ?

What non-smart electrical control products currently have a warranty of 20 years or more?

sir1963

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# 2346960 31-Oct-2019 21:00

Handle9:
sir1963:

I have a real issue with "smart" technology.

I have liven in a house that was 100 years old, still had the same locks on the doors, the old round light switches and a couple of rooms had pull cords for the light switches.

Are any of these tech companies going to be around in 100 years ?

Is any of this "smart" technology going to be supported in 10 years time ?

Are you locked into proprietary technology/protocols ?

Just go and look at the hype of 3D TV, it's now dead. Early "smart" TVs now abandoned by the manufacturer, how garbage Android updates are.

On the Apple stuff look at Firewire 400, Firewire 800, Thunderbolt 1 & 2, Apple TV 1 & 2, Airport base stations.

What do you do in 10 years time when something dies, get something new that incompatible with what you have, or up grade everything.

"Smart" technology looks too much like a fashion item where by they keep changing to keep you buying. WHEN a set of international standards on protocols gets forced onto all players and that there are multiple compatible competing vendors and warranties on these devices becomes 20 years or more, then and only then will I consider smart tech in the home. Until then I see it as a noddy toy and a liability.

I have pulled apart and repaired locks 50 plus years old , replaced electrical fittings , door hinges, etc etc etc because I can, who you going to call when proprietary software and hardware dies ?

What non-smart electrical control products currently have a warranty of 20 years or more?

Warranty no, realistic life expectancy hell yes.

I am currently replacing switches that PDL stopped making over 30 years ago, and some of the flats I own have ones from the mid 1950's in them.

I have stuff at work that is dead because a chip they made in the early 2000 is no longer made.

Our computers at work are replaced every 4 years even if they are just used for data entry.

AKT

300 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 2346998 31-Oct-2019 23:12

Highly recommend the Aqara HomeKit enabled hub - it means super cheap HomeKit sensors and switches. I paid about 50NZD at the time for the hub. Sensors and switches range from $15-$25.

This sounds very interesting to me although they don’t seem to do double sockets (and the ones on their website seem an odd size). They also don’t have the in wall hidden dimmer and like another poster on this thread, our house is more than 100 years old so the white plastic ones they have don’t really go. Where did you get them from as their website suggests amazon is coming soon but doesn’t say if there’s other retailers.

Thanks

A

MrMonos

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# 2347008 1-Nov-2019 04:51

AKT:

Highly recommend the Aqara HomeKit enabled hub - it means super cheap HomeKit sensors and switches. I paid about 50NZD at the time for the hub. Sensors and switches range from $15-$25.

This sounds very interesting to me although they don’t seem to do double sockets (and the ones on their website seem an odd size). They also don’t have the in wall hidden dimmer and like another poster on this thread, our house is more than 100 years old so the white plastic ones they have don’t really go. Where did you get them from as their website suggests amazon is coming soon but doesn’t say if there’s other retailers.

Thanks

A

Aliexpress for them all. Must get Zigbee version. I have yet to find any elegant solution for wall switches for old NZ wiring. So where I said power switches, I should have said smart plugs - Sorry!

Fibaro make behind the wall socket switches that work with HomeKit so you can use your existing switches and make them smart, but no idea again if they will work with our old wiring. You'll need to investigate.

AKT

300 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 2347011 1-Nov-2019 06:50

Just been looking on Aliexpress - would this work as a behind the switch HomeKit switch? Unfortunately I think it requires a neutral line.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33002596353.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.3.6cd6599dcq2P0l

Thanks

davidcole

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# 2347013 1-Nov-2019 06:57

One person supports this post

The only problem I have with homekit (and equally applies to google home) is you’re dependant in the companies finding enough value in it to keep going. And you’re tying your hardware choices to it.

As opposed to making your platform (homekit/google) fit with the hardware that you have.

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MrMonos

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# 2347029 1-Nov-2019 07:57

AKT:

Just been looking on Aliexpress - would this work as a behind the switch HomeKit switch? Unfortunately I think it requires a neutral line.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33002596353.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.3.6cd6599dcq2P0l

Thanks

A

I have no idea, and would love to know the answer to that too.

jonolynn

43 posts

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# 2347031 1-Nov-2019 07:59

davidcole: The only problem I have with homekit (and equally applies to google home) is you’re dependant in the companies finding enough value in it to keep going. And you’re tying your hardware choices to it.

As opposed to making your platform (homekit/google) fit with the hardware that you have.

This is why I am going down the route of using HomeBridge with an MQTT plugin. Worst case scenario I can swap out to a different “controller” (Home Assistant or the likes).

davidcole

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# 2347045 1-Nov-2019 08:34

jonolynn:
davidcole: The only problem I have with homekit (and equally applies to google home) is you’re dependant in the companies finding enough value in it to keep going. And you’re tying your hardware choices to it.

As opposed to making your platform (homekit/google) fit with the hardware that you have.

This is why I am going down the route of using HomeBridge with an MQTT plugin. Worst case scenario I can swap out to a different “controller” (Home Assistant or the likes).

Yeah it's my thoughts also. I actually have homekit being populated by homebridge (a tv), openhab (couple of simple temp sensors) and home assistant (pretty much everything, temp humidity sensors, garage door, thermostat, tv switch, stereo switch, and the house alarm is the primary one).

AKT

300 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 2347824 3-Nov-2019 15:59

MrMonos:
AKT:

Just been looking on Aliexpress - would this work as a behind the switch HomeKit switch? Unfortunately I think it requires a neutral line.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33002596353.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.3.6cd6599dcq2P0l

Thanks

A

I have no idea, and would love to know the answer to that too.

It does require a neutral line but I wonder if it could be put in the ceiling behind the light fitting as there should be a neutral line there, shouldn’t there?

A

sir1963

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# 2347828 3-Nov-2019 17:09

Unless you can get a AU/NZ code of compliance certificate you are certifying these devices yourself.

This means that if a fire occurs, you have no insurance.

I have had the dubious pleasure of making various items from China "safe" for use at work.

I have seen green used as a Phase colour

I have seen earthing missing

I have seen incorrectly labeled items (110v labeled as 240, etc etc)

I have seen under sized wire used

I have seen 100v rated switches used for 240v input switches

I have seen low voltage power supplies without adequate isolation/gap between the mains side and the low voltage side

Knock off Apple laptop power supplies in China we so bad (people electrocuted) that Apple were replacing them with genuine ones for free

I have had to solder in components that missed being soldered in during assembly and we found sitting on the bottom of the case.

Anything we buy from China is dissembled are checked, things are often cheap for a reason.

And yes, we have put stuff straight in the bin it was so bad.

But there has also been some stuff that was well made, it just not as common though.

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