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Happy Noodle Boy posted:Not entirely automation related but if I can somehow figure out how to sync my work exchange calendar to google so I can get those heads up through the Home in the morning, it'd be perfect. Annoyingly Google doesn't even support their own business solutions. Both my personal and work accounts are on G Suite and it just tells me it can't handle those yet.
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Nov 26, 2017 19:50
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wolrah posted:Annoyingly Google doesn't even support their own business solutions. Both my personal and work accounts are on G Suite and it just tells me it can't handle those yet. Now I know I've made the right decision (to get an Echo) As for home automation, general question but I can't think of that many actual uses for my controllable outlets. The Coffee Maker, fan by the front door and some outdoor lights are the only uses so far.
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Nov 26, 2017 20:33
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wolrah posted:Annoyingly Google doesn't even support their own business solutions. Both my personal and work accounts are on G Suite and it just tells me it can't handle those yet. That's par for the course. G Suite stuff is pretty much always left behind or slow to get integration with any new Google features.
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Nov 26, 2017 20:38
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Happy Noodle Boy posted:Not entirely automation related but if I can somehow figure out how to sync my work exchange calendar to google so I can get those heads up through the Home in the morning, it'd be perfect. There is a workaround on Mac where you sync your exchange calendar with iCal and then iCal automatically syncs that with your Google Calender. If you aren't using a Mac I assume there is some similar workaround with Windows.
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Nov 26, 2017 20:45
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Three Olives posted:There is a workaround on Mac where you sync your exchange calendar with iCal and then iCal automatically syncs that with your Google Calender. If you aren't using a Mac I assume there is some similar workaround with Windows. Is there a quick dumb guide for this? I do have a Mac.
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Nov 26, 2017 20:55
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Heners_UK posted:As for home automation, general question but I can't think of that many actual uses for my controllable outlets. The Coffee Maker, fan by the front door and some outdoor lights are the only uses so far. Christmas tree lights.
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Nov 26, 2017 21:05
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Happy Noodle Boy posted:Is there a quick dumb guide for this? I do have a Mac. I think you just add both calenders to iCal and there is some option to keep calenders synced. I just know a friend of mine had the same problem and said he figured it with iCal syncing.
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Nov 26, 2017 21:10
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Thermopyle posted:That's par for the course. G Suite stuff is pretty much always left behind or slow to get integration with any new Google features. Yeah, I was an early adopter back when it was GMail For Your Domain (my personal email is still on a grandfathered free account) so I've been dealing with that for years. I understand why they might not want to immediately roll things out to the G Suite environment since they're mostly corporate users, but I've never been able to figure out why they still have such trouble offering it to those of us who have ticked all the "gimme the beta poo poo!" boxes. I have to imagine that a lot of the heaviest Google service users are the kinds of people who have personal domains running through G Suite. (also stupidest name change ever)
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Nov 26, 2017 22:11
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Heners_UK posted:Now I know I've made the right decision (to get an Echo) Not sure I'd go that far. Having an Echo with a family means most of the features go unused. No I don't want something someone in the family says added to my calendar. Google at least allegedly can tie voice profile to google account. For controllable outlets, I've done: Outdoor christmas Lights Christmas Tree Reading lamp in living room. Reading lamp in master bedroom. So yah pretty much what you've already covered. Though my previous owner installed 35ish GE Link bulbs so there's that at least.
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Nov 27, 2017 03:05
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Echo professes to do voice profiling now, but I haven’t tried it.
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Nov 27, 2017 03:16
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Hughlander posted:Google at least allegedly can tie voice profile to google account. This works very well.
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Nov 27, 2017 03:19
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How do smart plugs fare outside? I was thinking of getting a cheap one for my Christmas lights, and I'm thinking it'll be fine since my porch is enclosed, but just checking to be sure.
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Nov 27, 2017 04:07
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Pants Donkey posted:How do smart plugs fare outside? I was thinking of getting a cheap one for my Christmas lights, and I'm thinking it'll be fine since my porch is enclosed, but just checking to be sure. I've used this one, totally exposed to the elements: https://www.amazon.com/GE-Wireless-Lighting-Control-Outdoor/dp/B0013V8K3O It's reliable like 95% of the time. Sometimes it doesnt respond, but that could be a range issue (my ST hub is on the oppostie side of the house)
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Nov 27, 2017 04:09
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Thermopyle posted:This works very well. Yeah, this. It's great because my wife and I can have different playlists, calendars, reminders, and all that it never fails to know who it is who's talking to it. It might've been a little shaky when it rolled out but now it works great.
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Nov 27, 2017 04:37
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Subjunctive posted:Echo professes to do voice profiling now, but I haven’t tried it. I have, doesn't work for me. You're supposed to be able to ask it who you are after you've trained it but mine always comes back and says it doesn't know.
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Nov 27, 2017 04:58
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Hue bulbs are 40-50% off on Best Buy for cyber Monday. (You need to be logged in to My Best Buy). A19’s white and color BR30’s white and color
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Nov 27, 2017 12:56
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PBS posted:I have, doesn't work for me. You're supposed to be able to ask it who you are after you've trained it but mine always comes back and says it doesn't know. Do you have multiple profiles set up? I think it doesn't work until you do that, weirdly.
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Nov 27, 2017 13:33
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If I have a NAS running 24/7, does that mean I don't need a hue hub if I use something like Home Assistant? I think I get what HA does, it kind of ties everything together for different smart home stuff?
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Nov 27, 2017 17:14
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Matt Zerella posted:If I have a NAS running 24/7, does that mean I don't need a hue hub if I use something like Home Assistant? I think I get what HA does, it kind of ties everything together for different smart home stuff? I dunno, I have SmartThings and it can't do poo poo with Hue bulbs if you don't use the Hue hub. The ST people even told me it can handle them individually and it's just not the case, my Lutron dimmers "take ownership" of them basically.
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Nov 27, 2017 18:09
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Matt Zerella posted:If I have a NAS running 24/7, does that mean I don't need a hue hub if I use something like Home Assistant? I think I get what HA does, it kind of ties everything together for different smart home stuff? Does your NAS have z-wave and Zigbee radios, etc?
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Nov 27, 2017 18:22
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You need the Hue Hub to control the Hue bulbs. Hue bulbs use Zigbee to communicate, and while some SmartThings hubs do have a Zigbee radio, the Hue bulbs don't speak the same Zigbee protocol that SmartThing's supports. A recent development allows Home Assistant to talk directly with Hue bulbs without a Hub, but you still need a supported Zigbee radio stick setup for HA. Honestly the hub is the easiest and cheapest way to communicate with Hue bulbs. On the plus side Home Assistant natively supports the Hue Hub and will automatically discover it and the devices paired with it assuming it is on the same network.
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Nov 27, 2017 18:24
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Is there a thread for enterprise video surveillance? I need some advice on a software solution for 2 sites and around 40 cameras since we can't really afford to upgrade our current software, and most of them won't even sell direct. I'm looking for something we can just buy and install on our own without dealing with some shitheel security firm playing the middle man.
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Nov 27, 2017 18:47
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Ah, thanks, I didn't know the zigbee/hue thing. I'm an apartment dweller so hue and smart plugs are the only thing im really able to do right now. I'm focusing on things that work with HomeKit since im pretty heavy into the apple ecosystem. One thing that would be nice is a smart humidity sensor and my humidifier on a smart switch to turn it on and off. But I could also probably just do a scheduled thing to turn it on when i get home and turn it off in the morning.
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Nov 27, 2017 18:53
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Happy Noodle Boy posted:Hue bulbs are 40-50% off on Best Buy for cyber Monday. (You need to be logged in to My Best Buy). It looks like there's a limit of one per customer since every time I up the quantity it changes to the $31.99 price tag. Is this a glitch? I want to buy 6 of these, and having that extra few bucks off will make a difference.
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Nov 27, 2017 19:35
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housefly posted:It looks like there's a limit of one per customer since every time I up the quantity it changes to the $31.99 price tag. Is this a glitch? I want to buy 6 of these, and having that extra few bucks off will make a difference. It's annoying, but you can buy them through separate purchases. Thanks Happy Noodle Boy for the tip!
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Nov 27, 2017 20:31
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Matt Zerella posted:Ah, thanks, I didn't know the zigbee/hue thing. I'm an apartment dweller so hue and smart plugs are the only thing im really able to do right now. In theory Zigbee is the open standard for low-speed IoT type device mesh networking, with Z-Wave being a similar but proprietary solution offered by a single vendor. In practice Zigbee is too open and allows vendors to be shitheads that lock their devices down to only officially talk with other approved devices. IIRC at one point the Hue bridge used to work with a lot more devices, then a firmware update intentionally disabled this. Z-Wave's single vendor solution turns out to be an advantage in that the vendor mandates compatibility.
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Nov 27, 2017 20:54
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wolrah posted:In theory Zigbee is the open standard for low-speed IoT type device mesh networking, with Z-Wave being a similar but proprietary solution offered by a single vendor. Additionally, Zigbee was not originally designed for home automation. It was designed as general purpose, low speed, low power, mesh network. There originally was no standardized communications protocol for Home Automation devices; that wasn't introduced until 2007. Because of this many manufactuers went their own way, using Zigbee for the physical layer, and creating their own protocol ("profile" in Zigbee parlance) to communicate between their Zigbee nodes. This page puts it well: https://community.smartthings.com/t/faq-zigbee-application-profiles-or-why-not-all-zigbee-devices-work-with-smartthings/76219 ZWave was purposed designed for lighting control and automation with rigid command structures specifically for that purpose. Additional command sets for devices such as fans, switches, blinds, etc.. was added later. It is also developed and controlled by a single vendor as you pointed out which mandates compatibility for all ZWave licensees.
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Nov 27, 2017 21:29
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hostile apostle posted:It's annoying, but you can buy them through separate purchases. Just pulled the trigger on 6 br30s. That's too damned good of a deal and now my living room will be awash in glorious color. Here's hoping my bank doesn't bonk the purchases since there were six identical ones right in a row.
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Nov 27, 2017 21:46
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hostile apostle posted:It's annoying, but you can buy them through separate purchases. It seems Amazon is matching that price will let you buy quite a few in a single purchase, at least it let me add to cart: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M9AU8MB
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Nov 27, 2017 22:59
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n.. posted:Is there a thread for enterprise video surveillance? I need some advice on a software solution for 2 sites and around 40 cameras since we can't really afford to upgrade our current software, and most of them won't even sell direct. I'm looking for something we can just buy and install on our own without dealing with some shitheel security firm playing the middle man. I do system design for large scale systems for a living. The short answer is no. You can bodge together something like a bunch of 8 camera NVRs, or try to scale Blue Iris up to that but those are half assed solutions that have the issues that half-assed solutions have.
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Nov 28, 2017 03:39
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I bought a Google home mini on the urging of my wife and I have to say I kind of like the little thing. So far we've tied the tv and some Phillips Hue bulbs to it. It's nice to be able to get up to leave a room and just say, "hey google cut the living room" and all the lights go off. It's a small complaint but is there a way to make google call the lights something different. I don't like the long spiel of "Ok! I've turned off Phillips Hue Bulb number 1". Can I just make it say "living room light" instead?
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Nov 28, 2017 04:04
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Should just be able to add it to the Living Room in the Home Control menu option in the Home app.
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Nov 28, 2017 04:32
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General home automation question. Can one philips hue bridge control an entire house? Does it have a range? If I have it in the living room downstairs, will it still be able to control lights on the 3rd floor?
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Nov 28, 2017 05:10
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Megasabin posted:General home automation question. Can one philips hue bridge control an entire house? Does it have a range? If I have it in the living room downstairs, will it still be able to control lights on the 3rd floor? The whole point of zigbee is that it's a mesh, so each device is a repeater. Just make sure you have enough to carry the signal upstairs I guess?
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Nov 28, 2017 07:20
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I feel like I read someone online claiming they were running ~200. They were really mad when you had to buy a new bridge to support Homekit (not because of the cost but because how much of a pain in the rear end it was going to be to set them up again).
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Nov 28, 2017 07:26
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n.. posted:Is there a thread for enterprise video surveillance? I need some advice on a software solution for 2 sites and around 40 cameras since we can't really afford to upgrade our current software, and most of them won't even sell direct. I'm looking for something we can just buy and install on our own without dealing with some shitheel security firm playing the middle man. Set up a reliable RAID server to run ZoneMinder, and set up all PoE cameras (vandal proof like Axis brand IP cams), patch them all in to their own unmanaged switch. Yeah, there's more convenient ways to do it, but that one is pretty drat reliable. We did that at a psychiatric hospital. If you are sure your network is up to snuff, you could spin up a VM on an actual good local server, and put all the cameras on a VLAN on the existing switches, but doing it all standalone is a valid option if you're not confident all the network chatter won't impact production. Zero VGS fucked around with this message at 07:36 on Nov 28, 2017 |
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Nov 28, 2017 07:33
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Don Dongington posted:The whole point of zigbee is that it's a mesh, so each device is a repeater. Kind of, in theory yes but they mesh with known devices in a kind of hosed up way of how they are added, they don't automatically know they are in the same network group and automatically mesh.
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Nov 28, 2017 07:49
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Untrustable posted:I bought a Google home mini on the urging of my wife and I have to say I kind of like the little thing. So far we've tied the tv and some Phillips Hue bulbs to it. It's nice to be able to get up to leave a room and just say, "hey google cut the living room" and all the lights go off. First of all, yes, you should have renamed all your lights in the Hue app. Those names should be reflected in the Home app. Pick unique, easy names to say and it makes things way easier as you add bulbs. Megasabin posted:General home automation question. Can one philips hue bridge control an entire house? Does it have a range? If I have it in the living room downstairs, will it still be able to control lights on the 3rd floor? The range is determined by distance from other bulbs, so if bulbs were close enough you could have a string just go on forever.
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Nov 28, 2017 12:11
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LastInLine posted:First of all, yes, you should have renamed all your lights in the Hue app. Those names should be reflected in the Home app. Pick unique, easy names to say and it makes things way easier as you add bulbs. Well, not practically, right? You will get increased latency as you increase in depth, and as I understand it there is a maximum mesh depth (hops away from the hub) of like 15. Still, it should be fine so long as the hub is centrally located.
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Nov 28, 2017 13:38
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Don Dongington posted:The whole point of zigbee is that it's a mesh, so each device is a repeater. Just make sure you have enough to carry the signal upstairs I guess? Doesn’t mean they actually are though. The GE link bulbs in theory use ZLL but in practice don’t forward packets. I added some zigbee outlets to act as repeaters in my house.
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Nov 28, 2017 15:01
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