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My latest smart automated thing that is dumb to purchase in such a small apartment is a smart plug. This one makes a little more sense. Since I started having breathing problems I started to sometimes have anxiety when going to sleep that is mitigated with a fan blowing up to the ceiling. The problem is that the fan is disruptive to my actual sleep, and wakes me up or leaves me with a scratchy throat in the morning. So I decided to get a smart plug that would turn this off at a set time, landing on the ihome finally. Unfortunately the app itself doesn't allow you to set an off time without a start time. Which is annoying because I don't want to use the fan every night. I then discovered HomeKit will turn it off at a certain time. Which is cool, except, if it is not on, the off trigger sometimes it turns it on (seems to be a general bug with the app as it does this with my lights sometimes as well). So this isn't really working. I think I might just use this plug for a space heater later in the year. I thought about getting another brand compatible with IFTTT, but if I'm honest, a fifty year old five dollar light timer is probably still better tech for my fan purpose. Not as cool, though. 
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Oct 9, 2016 11:13
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stevewm posted:Only thing I can say is I briefly tried OpenHab. I quickly got frustrated with it. Not to mention couldn't find a decent GUI for it at the time. I found HA and never looked back. Getting ZWave working was a little hairy since it uses a separate OpenZWave library for it. Thanks for the heads up on hass. I haven't got my echo yet, but set up hass which was pretty straight forward and connected it to my Vera (which was super easy), to try it all out and it's really neat. The automatic history is cool, something I often wanted Vera to do but never got round to looking in to how to do it. I tried it on a mk1 RPi but it kept freezing during the install, might have been the power supply I was using, but had a go on windows instead and it installed easily and runs great so far. I've turned on the emulated hue, but without my echo I don't know how to try if it's working yet.
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Oct 9, 2016 19:24
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Anyone having issues with the Hue? The app still works, but it ignores my routines, sometimes claims to have an update but fails to install, and HomeKit on my Apple Watch can't connect to it anymore.
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Oct 27, 2016 20:22
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I am about to take the plunge into having a smart thermostat (ecobee3), I also have an Echo, plus the usual phones/computers, security system, etc. Starting down the road of home automation and I want to setup various things with IFTTT. Is this the thread, or is there another thread for goons to converse about how to code/program with IFTTT? A cursory google suggests there are multiple 3rd party websites that allow for more in-depth chaining of conditional triggers.
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Nov 8, 2016 06:22
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I want to get a few Z-Wave light switches but I think I may have a snag. I opened up my existing light switches to make sure I have a neutral wire in there (and I do!) but there was no ground; The switches just have a load and line connected, and there's a bundle of neutral in the back of the box. Is having a proper ground an absolute necessity for these to work or can I get away without it?
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Nov 11, 2016 18:39
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Hey all, I'm pretty new to this space and looking to get started. What I want to understand is which is the best platform to get started with? Costco has an Insteon starter kit for $30 which seems like a steal but I don't know if Insteon is the right technology to commit to. What is the common goon-sensus on this and where to get started? I'd like to do/have the following in my future smart home: - Have a high amount of compatible devices (switches/etc) that I am not locked into expensive niche devices that also could be limiting looking forward (thinking of a dedicated smart light bulb, rather than the outlet that can control any light bulb) - Able to work with the current technology I have and preferably set up in such a way that future compatibility will not be an issue. Something that is nimble enough to move as technology progresses for 10-20 years. I have iOS devices, Apple watch, Nest, and will have an Echo soon. - Cheap switches/outlets/etc if possible. I understand that this is where they make their money but would prefer to stay away from the B&O equivalent of Smart Home technology. I need practical and affordable - Mostly simple for installation. I'm okay with running wires on occasion to fulfill a specific need I'm trying to fill but should be able to install these with basic installation like swapping out an outlet. Complex programming is not something I really want to tackle, but willing to explore that if it opens up flexibility and future compatibility. I'm not looking to do anything crazy from a Smart Home perspective at this point but who knows how deep the rabbit hole will go once I get started. My neighbor has an Insteon and really loves it. He's trying to get it to control a simple motor to automatically open/close blinds with the sunrise/sunset and not sure how much success he's having. If that's a limitation to the system or something else. I mention that to say that it likely the extent I'd probably take it and mostly stick to lighting/thermostat solutions. Appreciate any insight! I'll pick up that $30 starter kit today if that's a solid platform to use and that the hardware included isn't already working toward obsolescence.
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Nov 11, 2016 20:18
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On this note. I should be moving into a place I own within two months. I plan on going hog wild with automation. From my research, it seems like there is no perfect controller. I have looked into Vera, SmartThings, OpenHAB and HomeSeer. I have a home server, so spinning up a VM and passing through a Z-Wave stick or whatever isn't hard. Any suggestions to point me towards something that will function and I will not hate? Looking to use a thermostat, door lock, window/door/motion sensors and light bulbs/switches.
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Nov 11, 2016 20:25
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McPhearson posted:I want to get a few Z-Wave light switches but I think I may have a snag. I opened up my existing light switches to make sure I have a neutral wire in there (and I do!) but there was no ground; The switches just have a load and line connected, and there's a bundle of neutral in the back of the box. Is having a proper ground an absolute necessity for these to work or can I get away without it? They will still work without ground but if you have a metal box the ground might be a screw into the box.
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Nov 11, 2016 21:56
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Moey posted:On this note. I should be moving into a place I own within two months. I plan on going hog wild with automation. OpenHAB is absolutely terrible. Once it's up it's straight forward enough but I still run into quirks like not finding a GUI that works well with sliders and documentation being poo poo. HomeAssistant sounds way easier according to a friend that did both. Both annoy me because it seems like device support lags commercial hubs like Smartthings. At least for more exotic things like garage door openers. WhyteRyce fucked around with this message at 04:15 on Nov 12, 2016 |
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Nov 12, 2016 04:11
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Samsung Smart Things hub is $49 at Amazon/Newegg. Pricematch to your local Best Buy if you want it today (hopefully it doesn't go out of stock at Amazon/Newegg first). Also, the Home kit is $100 off, so $149 at Amazon and Best Buy. My insteon $29 thingy is going back to Costco today since it doesn't work with Google Home and is older tech (powerline communication). Good prices if you want to jump into the Smart Things world (Z-Wave)...
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Nov 13, 2016 17:57
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hotsauce posted:Samsung Smart Things hub is $49 at Amazon/Newegg. Pricematch to your local Best Buy if you want it today (hopefully it doesn't go out of stock at Amazon/Newegg first). I thought the costco one would use the RF that the insteon switches use. What does it take to make it work with RF if not?
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Nov 13, 2016 18:17
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TraderStav posted:I thought the costco one would use the RF that the insteon switches use. What does it take to make it work with RF if not? I don't know enough about it to be honest. What I do know is that zwave is a more widely supported and reliable protocol, so that's where I'm now spending my money. I guess if someone wants to have Insteon equipment and find open source 3rd party software to make it work better, go for it. I don't really want to deal with it, so SmartThings it is (IMO).
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Nov 13, 2016 18:39
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hotsauce posted:Samsung Smart Things hub is $49 at Amazon/Newegg. Pricematch to your local Best Buy if you want it today (hopefully it doesn't go out of stock at Amazon/Newegg first). I was just eyeballing that. I still think I am going to go with HomeSeer just because people always say ST works like 70% of the time. I wonder if a v3 ST hub is on its way?
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Nov 13, 2016 19:17
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I just grabbed the Costco one and see it's the 2012 version so it makes sense it's $30. Not sure the big differences. Can zwave switches work indepdent of the hub like Insteon or will they cease to work like normal switches if there's a drop in connection for whatever reason? Trying to decide which route I want to go before investing in hardware.
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Nov 13, 2016 20:26
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What do people think of Control4 here? It's been pitched to me as the most mature and stable system of them all.
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Nov 13, 2016 21:54
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Kalenden posted:What do people think of Control4 here? It's been pitched to me as the most mature and stable system of them all. Depends on what you mean by mature and stable? Control4 straddles the line between the ultra high-end, like AMX and Crestron where it is the least mature and stable but by far the most affordable and the nascent do it yourself, build as you go along home automation system. Yes, if you can and want to lay out the coin for a perfect home automation system Control4 is an excellent option that can be much, much more affordable than AMX and Crestron but it's an all or nothing proposition, there is no "starter" Control4 system, you have to go through a dealer and have it professionally installed and programed. My 5-10 year plan is to do a gut remodel of my home and I will probably put a Control4 system in but Control4 is a high 4 low 5 digit rip open the walls, run HDMI, put in an equipment rack project, not a slow do it yourself project.
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Nov 13, 2016 23:45
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hotsauce posted:Samsung Smart Things hub is $49 at Amazon/Newegg. Pricematch to your local Best Buy if you want it today (hopefully it doesn't go out of stock at Amazon/Newegg first). The Home Kit is super tempting to me, but I've been reading a LOT of mixed reviews with it. Anyone here have some insight as to it's reliability? My internet connection is up 99.9% of the time, so I'm not really concerned about that aspect of it. Would appreciate thoughts from folks here before I pull the trigger on it.
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Nov 14, 2016 15:52
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housefly posted:The Home Kit is super tempting to me, but I've been reading a LOT of mixed reviews with it. Anyone here have some insight as to it's reliability? My internet connection is up 99.9% of the time, so I'm not really concerned about that aspect of it. Would appreciate thoughts from folks here before I pull the trigger on it. I've used Smartthings for 2-3 years now and I'd say my up time is around 99%. The only time it hasn't worked for me is when my internet was out. It's very easy to use and setup and I'd have no problem recommending it to anyone.
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Nov 14, 2016 18:49
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wandler20 posted:I've used Smartthings for 2-3 years now and I'd say my up time is around 99%. The only time it hasn't worked for me is when my internet was out. It's very easy to use and setup and I'd have no problem recommending it to anyone. Smart things is great for home automation but honestly I wouldn't use for home security. Any knowledgeable thief is going to know to cut your cable before entering your home. Would be better to get a home security option that does both.
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Nov 14, 2016 19:12
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Regarding temperature automation things like the Nest, is there a standard connection that they and other thermostats use? Or do I have to check and see if my setup is compatible?
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Nov 14, 2016 19:55
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spiderbyte posted:Regarding temperature automation things like the Nest, is there a standard connection that they and other thermostats use? Or do I have to check and see if my setup is compatible? Nah, same power connectors as a dumb thermostat, they use wifi/mesh networking for the "smart" features. e: VV I stand corrected. I think that as long as you have fairly modern wiring you'll be fine though. My nest took all of 10 mins to install Lawen fucked around with this message at 20:21 on Nov 14, 2016 |
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Nov 14, 2016 20:08
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Lawen posted:Nah, same power connectors as a dumb thermostat, they use wifi/mesh networking for the "smart" features. Some are still incompatible, https://nest.com/widget/compatibility/ will tell you if your system is compatible or not.
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Nov 14, 2016 20:16
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I've mentioned it before but my Insteon setup is bulletproof because I use Indigo Domotics instead of the indigo hub. Benefits that apply to a few recent posts: Also uses zwave and other protocols GUI setup, but also allows for python coding for near infinite flexibility Great scheduling Easy device discovery, doesn't require writing down each Insteon address Rich plugin system to allow usage of Ecobee, Harmony Hub, Hue etc. Nice iOS app allowing for remote access and control. So it uses a power line modem to communicate and the switches are both rf / powerline. It lets me do cool stuff like adjust light temp based on time to/from sunrise and sunset, reset light brightness at 6am so the evening settings don't carry over and have multi control panels to advise if lights are on in rooms and the ability to shut them off from a single control panel at the door. I also tie in a few to trigger lights on the switch panel by the door to advise if a window is left open and it prevents the air con from being turned on. It errs on the side of complex but doesn't lock you into a single ecosystem of products and will let you go crazy if you want.
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Nov 14, 2016 22:36
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My Nest is shaping up to the the worst purchase I've made in a long time. Nothing supports the drat thing. I know I can set up some IFTTT stuff to glue it all together, but it would be real great if it "just worked." Learned that when I set up my Smart Things home kit yesterday. Nice, right? Jesus Google. Buy an Ecobee, folks.
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Nov 14, 2016 22:39
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hotsauce posted:My Nest is shaping up to the the worst purchase I've made in a long time. Nothing supports the drat thing. I know I can set up some IFTTT stuff to glue it all together, but it would be real great if it "just worked." Should stick with the Insteon. I just checked and despite the box it includes the most recent hub. Everything worked immediately for me. But perhaps the first outlet I chose to use was on the same 110v line as the hub and then the mesh network from that outlet reached the other. I'm in on Insteon now. Especially since I found different options to use as "hubs" that control every protocol, ties them together.
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Nov 14, 2016 23:47
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hotsauce posted:My Nest is shaping up to the the worst purchase I've made in a long time. Nothing supports the drat thing. I know I can set up some IFTTT stuff to glue it all together, but it would be real great if it "just worked." https://community.smartthings.com/t/release-nest-manager-4-0/60052 Yeah, things should work out of the box with other platforms and dealing with the Smartthings IDE can be difficult, but there is "unofficial" Nest support with Smartthings and it actually does work fantastic. Smartthings has a good user base and with the flaws of the parent company, the users help fill the gaps.
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Nov 15, 2016 04:05
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So I'm still wavering on the whole smart things setup. I guess my hesitance is since I currently live in an apartment, is it even worth it considering I won't be changing out electrical outlets or light switches, and the automations for motion and door entry beyond security seem...gimmicky and not needed. What else can this system do that I'm missing? I've already got automations going for lights with Alexa + Hue + Harmony hub setup. What more would adding in the Smartthings hub afford me? I know this is kind of a personal decision, but in your opinions what is the killer use case for implementing this? Having the lights come on automatically when I come home is definitely appealing and I can accomplish that with the hub alone as I understand it. Any reason I'd want to buy a bunch of sensors for it?
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Nov 16, 2016 18:05
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I live in an apartment and I had similar reservations. However, over the past year I invested in some hue lights, a harmony home hub and remote, and just last week a google home. On top of that I already have an xbox one that I use to power my tv and receiver. The most incredible thing I've found that I'm able to do is using light schedules, my mornings are incredibly organized. Lights turn on when I should get up. Lights change to one color when I need to get in the shower. TV comes on right before I should be getting out of the shower. Lights and TV turn off when I should be leaving the house. I'm living the future in 900 sq/ft. I'm disappointed I can't get a smart lock or a smart thermometer but there's enough out there in other forms to still make it worthwhile.
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Nov 16, 2016 18:19
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RevKrule posted:I live in an apartment and I had similar reservations. However, over the past year I invested in some hue lights, a harmony home hub and remote, and just last week a google home. On top of that I already have an xbox one that I use to power my tv and receiver. What about this setup needs a Smartthings hub to work, though? That's the part I'm missing. Edit: to be clear about my original request, my dilemma comes between getting the home monitoring kit versus just the hub. I don't see a use case for the motion sensor or the wall outlet for my current needs, but recognize that the bundle value is very good considering adding them after the fact will cost me substantially more. I'm looking more for guidance as to what types of automations I may not be thinking about using those things rather than the item itself. The "cool" factor of having the lights go off and come back on when I'm outside/inside the geofence is extremely cool. Just wondering what I would do outside of that really that I might not be thinking of. housefly fucked around with this message at 18:36 on Nov 16, 2016 |
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Nov 16, 2016 18:28
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RevKrule posted:I live in an apartment and I had similar reservations. However, over the past year I invested in some hue lights, a harmony home hub and remote, and just last week a google home. On top of that I already have an xbox one that I use to power my tv and receiver. So what happens if you stay home sick from work? poo poo just turns on all morning while you lie in bed? Is it just triggered by a timer?
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Nov 16, 2016 18:34
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HEY NONG MAN posted:So what happens if you stay home sick from work? poo poo just turns on all morning while you lie in bed? Is it just triggered by a timer? This is where the home and xbox come in. poo poo comes on, tell it to turn off. I also keep the lights lowish (like the deep blue is my fave for mornings) so once I get past the wake up one, I can usually sleep through the rest. I said I was living the future, I didn't say it was perfect  .housefly posted:What about this setup needs a Smartthings hub to work, though? That's the part I'm missing. I misread your question, my bad. However, I'm not sure you even need something else for geofencing. I think there's already apps that can do that, I think even the official Hue app offers some of that. Honestly, I've never fully understood the use of the SmartThings hub except for maybe older IoT things. I've always seen them as things that just meshes your IoT stuff together but if you already have other things that mesh it (alexa, home and ifttt) it seems unnecessary. Edit: Doing some deeper diving on SmartThings, still not for me. Yeah, most of these things would be ok if I had a home but an apartment has little use for them. RevKrule fucked around with this message at 19:10 on Nov 16, 2016 |
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Nov 16, 2016 19:00
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I completely glossed over the Hue bridge having this capability. I'll get this setup when I get back home (requires being on the same wifi connection). This might have saved me some money in the meantime. Thank you!
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Nov 16, 2016 19:42
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Is there any trick to getting the harmony hub to work well with alexa? It seems spotty at best so far. For instance U say turn on the wii u and sometimes it turns on the tv and the wii and sometimes only one. Same thing for turning off. Also if it selects the right tv input is spotty as well. Sometimes it gets it right, sometimes it doesnt change at all and sometimes it chnages but to the wrong input. Also how do I setup or change the programming of the remote itself? I cant find a section in the app.
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Nov 16, 2016 20:04
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Keystoned posted:Is there any trick to getting the harmony hub to work well with alexa? It seems spotty at best so far. For instance U say turn on the wii u and sometimes it turns on the tv and the wii and sometimes only one. Same thing for turning off. Also if it selects the right tv input is spotty as well. Sometimes it gets it right, sometimes it doesnt change at all and sometimes it chnages but to the wrong input. I have the home companion remote (all physical buttons and numbers, the best remote) so if you don't have that YMMV but in the app go to the Menu -> Harmony Setup -> Add/Edit Devices & Activities -> Remote & Hub and then you should have an option for remote customization.
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Nov 16, 2016 21:02
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RevKrule posted:I'm disappointed I can't get a smart lock or a smart thermometer but there's enough out there in other forms to still make it worthwhile. Wait, why not? Generally speaking you are allowed to improve your apartment, the only stipulation that might be there is the landlord makes you leave it when you go. And they make smart locks that control a regular deadbolt and temporarily mount entirely inside. That is unless you are like me and have a mortise lock which are popular on high end properties so I don't know why they don't sell a smart lock adapter for them yet. I could find one on the entire internet but it looks like it never made it into production.
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Nov 16, 2016 21:14
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housefly posted:So I'm still wavering on the whole smart things setup. I guess my hesitance is since I currently live in an apartment, is it even worth it considering I won't be changing out electrical outlets or light switches, and the automations for motion and door entry beyond security seem...gimmicky and not needed. What else can this system do that I'm missing? I've already got automations going for lights with Alexa + Hue + Harmony hub setup. What more would adding in the Smartthings hub afford me? I know this is kind of a personal decision, but in your opinions what is the killer use case for implementing this? Having the lights come on automatically when I come home is definitely appealing and I can accomplish that with the hub alone as I understand it. Any reason I'd want to buy a bunch of sensors for it? Why are you hesitant to change out light switches and electrical outlets? I live in an apartment as well, but switches and outlets are incredibly easy and straightforward to replace and when I move out I can take them with me and put the originals back in. I went with smartthings because I have several fixtures with multiple lights connected to them and it made more sense to get one z-wave switch for those rather than 8 bulbs. Plus there's tons of community support and z-wave/zigbee devices out there that work with it.
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Nov 16, 2016 21:45
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McPhearson posted:Why are you hesitant to change out light switches and electrical outlets? I live in an apartment as well, but switches and outlets are incredibly easy and straightforward to replace and when I move out I can take them with me and put the originals back in. I went with smartthings because I have several fixtures with multiple lights connected to them and it made more sense to get one z-wave switch for those rather than 8 bulbs. Plus there's tons of community support and z-wave/zigbee devices out there that work with it. It's not a matter of difficulty. Ive done plenty of electrical work in my day. I'd just rather be in a place that I own when I go about this. It's minimal benefit to me now, and I'm not changing out faceplates and fans/fixtures to support functionality in a place I don't own. There's little benefit given my setup. The only thing I'd want from that type of setup would be ceiling fan control and that is something I'd want to put together a full solution around in a place I own. Totally personal preference on my part. Also the place is really old so the wiring likely doesn't have a neutral. Not sure how important that really is.
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Nov 16, 2016 23:01
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housefly posted:Also the place is really old so the wiring likely doesn't have a neutral. Not sure how important that really is. It's essential, without a neutral there is no way to power the switch when the lights are off since it is a closed loop meaning if the switch has power the light has to be on.
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Nov 16, 2016 23:10
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Is it a Very Bad Idea to use the same standalone NAS unit for home monitoring camera feeds and also for streaming media?
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Nov 17, 2016 05:58
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signalnoise posted:Is it a Very Bad Idea to use the same standalone NAS unit for home monitoring camera feeds and also for streaming media? Not necessarily, although I probably wouldn't put those duties on the same disks (or sata controllers if possible?)
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Nov 17, 2016 07:22
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