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Roomba Update: Works great, cats hate it, wife loves it.
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Sep 13, 2018 02:33
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Security cameras, is there a silver bullet? I have several systems and I haven't expanded a single one because there is always something that just isn't quite there. Each camera is on their maximum bitrate setting. Nest IQ outdoor: Pros: The image is quite good for a stream, the 4k sensor and the super zoom work excellent. The face recognition is really cool and the camera only notifies me when it detects a person or a face. Connects straight to my router's wifi. Cons: If my internet goes out there is no local CVR storage option for a backup. So I'm blind when that happens and my area has occasional outages. Arlo Pro 2: Pros: Has person detection, so it only notifies me when there is a person. It has a local CVR storage option in the event that I lose internet. Cons: These cameras are only good for close up situations or if I just need to know if someone is in my yard as the compression is absolutely embarrassing for "1080p." Even the local storage isn't better. It has a base station that has less reach than my router to my Nest, I've tried extending it by plugging it into a wifi extender, it didn't like it. Trivision IP camera Pros: Excellent video quality, good for catching a license plate if something happens. Local storage, cloud storage. Cons: Software has always been an issue, I hate motion detection and prefer a "deep learning buzzword smart thing" for detecting someone, so this one is only for reviewing if the other cameras notify me that something bad happened. I've tried software that does face recognition but it isn't really that great. This can't be hard right? - Face Recognition and notification (not just detection) - Good bitrate, crisp image - local and cloud storage options I feel like the Nest was *so close*
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Sep 13, 2018 03:35
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Have you seen my apex seals? I seem to have lost them.
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Photex posted:Roomba Update: Works great, cats hate it, wife loves it. How does one of these navigate a kitchen table with all the chair legs? Does it make it under the table easily, or do you have to put your chairs on the table like in high school? Asking for a me.
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Sep 13, 2018 14:22
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Speaking of robot vacuums, I’m looking at couple now. The article posted last page recommends the Eufy Robovac 30 which is on sale (20% off) for $214.98. The other one recommended on the thread is the Deebot N79S which is also on sale and has a digital couple so it comes down to $199. Looks like they’re both pretty close in performance so it comes down to the extra feature on the Deebot (wifi/app control) vs the Robovac 30 (quieter, the recommended option on the article, no wifi/app control). Both seems to run on batteries and have charging stations. The Robovac also includes boundary strips you can place to wall off certain areas/rooms. I don’t think I’ll need that but looks like a nice feature to have.
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Sep 13, 2018 15:06
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Happy Noodle Boy posted:Speaking of robot vacuums, I’m looking at couple now. The article posted last page recommends the Eufy Robovac 30 which is on sale (20% off) for $214.98. The other one recommended on the thread is the Deebot N79S which is also on sale and has a digital couple so it comes down to $199. Looks like they’re both pretty close in performance so it comes down to the extra feature on the Deebot (wifi/app control) vs the Robovac 30 (quieter, the recommended option on the article, no wifi/app control). Both seems to run on batteries and have charging stations. The Robovac also includes boundary strips you can place to wall off certain areas/rooms. I don’t think I’ll need that but looks like a nice feature to have. The Deebot isn't what I'd call loud. I often let it run while I read a book and it isn't distracting. While I really would like boundary strips, to me the indispensable thing is Google Assistant integration so I can just tell it to vacuum and tell it to charge. For $200 I haven't been disappointed in the Deebot N79S.
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Sep 13, 2018 15:14
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Aeka 2.0 posted:Security cameras, is there a silver bullet? I’ve tried a bunch of options, even home rolled solutions and have just defaulted to be Nest stuff. Sure it’s pricey and requires an internet connection, but it’s easy enough hat my wife can use it without any hassle and the video quality is great.
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Sep 13, 2018 17:06
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IUG posted:How does one of these navigate a kitchen table with all the chair legs? Does it make it under the table easily, or do you have to put your chairs on the table like in high school? I put two chairs up and it navigates the other two pretty easily, i could probably just put one chair up, just as long as it has a clear way to get under the table it can navigate the legs.
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Sep 13, 2018 17:14
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This is Home Automation adjacent but what actual light bulbs is everyone using with their in-wall dimmers? I have HS-WD100+'s connected to my overhead lights, however, I cannot find some normal/dumb A19 LED bulbs that: * Have a very wide dimming range. Similar to the low/high dimming level of the Hue bulbs, but a dumb bulb controlled from the wall. * Are not necessarily the filament/Edison style that are usually very orange. However, warm white is desired. * Reasonable cost * OPTIONAL, really optional, outright ignore this in favour of giving options at all, slim style since I know it works I've tried a few bulbs but bought them long before I realised I needed a wide dimming range, including the slim style above.
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Sep 13, 2018 17:36
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Photex posted:Roomba Update: Works great, cats hate it, wife loves it. We ended up getting rid of ours. Our cats track litter into the house and when the roomba wheels get a hold of it the litter gets ground into hardwood/linoleum and just destroys the floor. If we had carpet and tile I might try it again but as it stands it was creating more work than it was saving.
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Sep 13, 2018 17:41
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uPen posted:We ended up getting rid of ours. Our cats track litter into the house and when the roomba wheels get a hold of it the litter gets ground into hardwood/linoleum and just destroys the floor. If we had carpet and tile I might try it again but as it stands it was creating more work than it was saving. gotta switch to feline pine!
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Sep 13, 2018 19:00
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I've got a four way switch circuit for some lights. I'd like to add yet another switch in yet another location. If I understand correctly I can replace one of the existing dumb switches with a zwave 3-way switch and the use an add-on switch in the new location as long as I have a neutral and a traveler between the new zwave 3-way switch and the new add-on switch. Is this correct? edit: Answering my own question: yes you're right Thermopyle except you have to replace all the existing dumb switches with add-on switches. Thermopyle fucked around with this message at 23:38 on Sep 14, 2018 |
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Sep 14, 2018 21:23
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What's everyone's favorite plug-in dimmer module? I have some track lighting with dimmable LED bulbs installed over my desk that I'd like to have automatically adjust brightness throughout the day and turn on/off based on whether I'm at my computer. I'd prefer WiFi, but only if it can be controlled entirely locally. Some kind of HTTP based API would be preferable, MQTT or others are fine if needed, and I'm not against adding a USB stick for one of the Z protocols to my Hass box if there are better options on that end of things. wolrah fucked around with this message at 21:42 on Sep 15, 2018 |
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Sep 15, 2018 21:39
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I seem to recall that roomba > *, but does anyone have any advice on robovacuums? We had the crappy anker one for awhile, and were really unsatisfied - didn't clean that well, was dumb as hell, etc. I'm basically curious if there's any option under $600 that's worth it, because it sure looks like the roombas that are significantly better than anything else are up there.
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Sep 17, 2018 19:56
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Krakkles posted:I seem to recall that roomba > *, but does anyone have any advice on robovacuums? We had the crappy anker one for awhile, and were really unsatisfied - didn't clean that well, was dumb as hell, etc. I'm basically curious if there's any option under $600 that's worth it, because it sure looks like the roombas that are significantly better than anything else are up there.
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Sep 17, 2018 20:08
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Endless Mike posted:Like, the entire last page is about them. That wirecutter article seems to say that all the fancy mapping stuff doesn't really work out that well. It does strike me that perhaps robovacuums just kind of such in general right now, but the Eufy they recommend doesn't seem to be massively different than the anker I had before - which, honestly, was more annoying than anything.
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Sep 17, 2018 20:33
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Krakkles posted:I seem to recall that roomba > *, but does anyone have any advice on robovacuums? We had the crappy anker one for awhile, and were really unsatisfied - didn't clean that well, was dumb as hell, etc. I'm basically curious if there's any option under $600 that's worth it, because it sure looks like the roombas that are significantly better than anything else are up there. Roomba's are popular, have good aftermarket parts availability, they work well enough. Smartness depends on the model. My buddy has a 680 he likes. I've never had one. I have a Samsung Powerbot. Does pretty well for what it is, no real complaints. Smart enough to go recharge and pick back up where it left off. I like the cleaning width and the edge cleaning functionality. For me, the holy grail of robot vacuums is interior mapping, being able to tell it to just do a section of the house instead of it aimlessly wandering around. Supposedly the newest Roomba coming out will have it, the top of the line Neato has it, and the top of the line Samsung has it. I'm not willing to drop the 700 to 1000 dollars to find out though. My powerbot has some sort of vision system, it doesn't crash into anything and can go back and forth in a room pretty well. It doesn't bounce around in random patterns like the older roombas did. None of them clean really well in my opinion, they supplement normal cleaning, though the samsung does a pretty good job. I have about 1500 sq ft of tile in my house and I run it twice a week to help with crumbs and cat hair, it doesn't replace the full clean I have to do every weekend with a bissell crosswave on the tile, and sometimes having the kids push a dustmop around is faster. I still think of it as a toy mostly, a useful toy, but a toy. FWIW the Roborock gets really good reviews on Slickdeals for the features/price ratio. Issues with support though as some folks are getting them shipped straight from china.
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Sep 17, 2018 20:51
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Krakkles posted:Like, thanks! My anecdotal advice is to use Roomba's, they last forever and seem to do a really good job at sensing. Like any robot vacuum they can and do get stuck on occasion and you should be careful running them without supervision (especially if you have pets that may poo poo indoors). The latest 6+ series models have the network connectivity so you can trigger it remotely, overall I've been happy with my roombas on carpet forever (thought not so happy on other surfaces).
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Sep 17, 2018 20:53
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Do robot vacuums do anything for dog hair tumbleweeds on hardwood floors?
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Sep 17, 2018 21:45
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Tremors posted:Do robot vacuums do anything for dog hair tumbleweeds on hardwood floors? Either blow them around or clog, depending on how lucky you are.
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Sep 17, 2018 21:48
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So again I'm abusing the premise of this thread by asking about something work-related but is there a smart doorbell system that can plug into a door that can be buzzed open?
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Sep 17, 2018 21:55
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Rick posted:So again I'm abusing the premise of this thread by asking about something work-related but is there a smart doorbell system that can plug into a door that can be buzzed open? Doorbird IP Video Door Station appears to do what you want.
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Sep 17, 2018 22:03
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Kalman posted:Doorbird IP Video Door Station appears to do what you want. It is actually pretty close, thanks!
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Sep 17, 2018 22:06
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Rick posted:So again I'm abusing the premise of this thread by asking about something work-related but is there a smart doorbell system that can plug into a door that can be buzzed open? Any other requirements? Tie into a VoIP phone system? What kind of answering device? Does it need to work off-premises?
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Sep 18, 2018 01:56
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Tremors posted:Do robot vacuums do anything for dog hair tumbleweeds on hardwood floors? Kalman posted:Either blow them around or clog, depending on how lucky you are. That's exactly the opposite of my experience with cat hair tumbleweeds. It's the whole reason I bought the vacuum and it does a great job eliminating them.
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Sep 18, 2018 08:56
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Rick posted:So again I'm abusing the premise of this thread by asking about something work-related but is there a smart doorbell system that can plug into a door that can be buzzed open? We have aiphones at my office. They have a camera doorbell and a companion screen you put at your reception desk or wherever. Someone pushes the doorbell, you see them on the screen, you can talk back and forth, and you press a button on the screen to trigger the door strike.
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Sep 18, 2018 16:02
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n0tqu1tesane posted:Any other requirements? Tie into a VoIP phone system? What kind of answering device? Does it need to work off-premises? Tying it into a VoIP system would recreate the experience that they're used to. I would like the smart doorbell to have a mic so staff could talk to the people at the door. There currently is a speakerbox system, the hope is to replace it because it's wired directly into . . . .whatever you call the device that gets the intercom into the VOIP system and there is basically only one opening in the brick which means the device is in an awkward position that can't be properly moved from a spot that is frequently touched by staff accidentally, and the wires are constantly knocked loose. McPhearson posted:We have aiphones at my office. They have a camera doorbell and a companion screen you put at your reception desk or wherever. Someone pushes the doorbell, you see them on the screen, you can talk back and forth, and you press a button on the screen to trigger the door strike. A variation of this is what we're using, it is great in theory but because it means moving wire through brick we've had trouble in the "turn legacy intercom into voip device." Although maybe the actual solution is to just cut the legacy part off and get one of the modern interfaces available.
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Sep 18, 2018 17:32
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How do ceiling fans work these days? I ideally want to be able to control light-dimming and fan on/speed/off from wall switches (awesome if all of it in 1 switch’s space), plus via Alexa. Do I get some two-switch fan and use zwave switches? Do I leave fan control to a remote and Alexa? Can I do light only from the wall, or do I end up having to leave that switch on and remote-off the light if I want to be able to turn on the fan? Hunter has a wifi option on some relatively ugly fans. Haiku’s looks better but I’m not sure how the control works, and it’s like $600 plus shipping to Canada. I’m sure this is something actually-smart people have totally figured out.
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Sep 18, 2018 19:15
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Subjunctive posted:How do ceiling fans work these days? Depends on the fan, but the best option is probably a two-switch fan, leave the fan cord set to high speed (and the light turned on at the fan), and then use a z-wave light switch and a z-wave fan controller. That gives you both light and fan control at the wall and via app. (If you don't already have zwave stuff, you're looking at a controller/hub - $75ish? - plus two switches, which is probably going to be about $75 US, plus cost of the fan itself.) Also it doesn't tie you in to any particular manufacturers fan so you can pick one that isn't ugly and it gives you the widest range of compatibility in terms of hooking it into a home automation system. If you don't care about speed control you could just use a z-wave relay switch at the wall to turn the fan on and off, but that's not enough cheaper (~$10) to be worthwhile IMO. The fan+remote options are probably cheaper, but you're stuck with the remote to turn things on and off (or live with the wall switch disabling the remote, which may or may not be a big deal.)
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Sep 18, 2018 19:27
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Rick posted:Tying it into a VoIP system would recreate the experience that they're used to. I would like the smart doorbell to have a mic so staff could talk to the people at the door. Any modern IP intercom with door control will require at least one cat5 cable for network and one 2 wire cable to tie into a door control system. I've got one of these sitting on my desk that'll likely work for you. They've also got audio-only units as well, if you don't have video capable IP phones. The doorbell initiates a phone call to a designated extension/extension group, and the door release is triggered by a DTMF signal. Airphone also makes similar units. Sounds like the biggest issue is getting someone in to install it that knows how to run cables through/around the brick wall and mount it securely.
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Sep 18, 2018 19:44
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So I got a rude awakening 2 months ago when I bought a bunch of fans for my new house. I had similar hopes, and I ended up just scrapping the idea of controlling the fans via Alexa for now. Many of the new fans, especially the stylish ones are designed to work with their remote, and just 1 wall switch. I spent a bit of money to make sure every room in the house has 2 switches for the ceiling fans, only to find out that it was pointless and none of them are being used now. It doesn't help that many new fans are also moving to more efficient DC motors that don't play nice with normal speed controllers. I bought a bunch of Hunter RF remote controlled fans for the bedrooms, and the option I would probably need to look into is a Bond controller, or some other programmable RF hub that integrates with Alexa. Zwave wall switches are out. My living room fan is a 6 speed RF controlled DC motor fan, and I'm not sure if anything other than the factory remote would control it properly. There isn't much of a market for pure Wifi Fans right now (Hunter has a few, and Haiku), and the ones that are out there I didn't like or were too expensive. Home Depot has some Wink enabled fans from Hampton Bay I think, don't know much about them, but there are some threads on SmartThings forum about them. I didn't explore Lutron's solution, and Hunter's SimpleConnect platform is bluetooth of all loving things. So you can handle it all with the wall switches, but you need to make sure the fan you buy is an older pull chain style fan (preferably) with an AC motor and separate wires for the fan and light (usually blue and black). While it originally was a goal, honestly we don't change fan speeds often, and I keep the fan remote for the living room in a storage compartment of the couch so it's there if we need it. What makes me cranky is in probably less than 2 years they'll all come with wifi controllers. It hasn't been that big of a deal though. The biggest adjustment is using the remotes in the bedrooms instead of the light switch. In the living room we never use the ceiling fan light, I have some LED flushmount lights on a Zwave dimmer and 2 lamps on WeMo plugs for lighting.
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Sep 18, 2018 19:56
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skipdogg posted:My living room fan is a 6 speed RF controlled DC motor fan, and I'm not sure if anything other than the factory remote would control it properly. It's possible but I don't know of an off the shelf solution. I ended up reverse engineering mine and made an MQTT RF transmitter to tie it into hass and it works way better than it has any right to. Is your remote one of those with the lovely rubberized coating? God I hate that thing.
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Sep 18, 2018 21:27
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n0tqu1tesane posted:Any modern IP intercom with door control will require at least one cat5 cable for network and one 2 wire cable to tie into a door control system. That is definitely the issue. We had our phone provider install it previously, apparently.
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Sep 18, 2018 21:47
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They do make 2 wire to Ethernet transformers if you want to avoid pulling new cable. Eg https://www.zwaveoutlet.com/products/doorbird-2-wire-ethernet-poe-converter-a1071
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Sep 18, 2018 21:59
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Speaking of Botvacs. Woot has the Neato D3 Botvac (retails for $350 on Amazon) for $229 brand new right now. https://www.woot.com/offers/neato-robotics-botvac-d3-wi-fi-robo-vac?ref=w_cnt_gw_dly_img Also free shipping if you're a Prime member (Woot is owned by Amazon)!
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Sep 19, 2018 19:14
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Kalman posted:Depends on the fan, but the best option is probably a two-switch fan, leave the fan cord set to high speed (and the light turned on at the fan), and then use a z-wave light switch and a z-wave fan controller. That gives you both light and fan control at the wall and via app. Yeah, that sounds doable. I'd need a second power line run to the ceiling of course, sigh. skipdogg posted:So I got a rude awakening 2 months ago when I bought a bunch of fans for my new house. I had similar hopes, and I ended up just scrapping the idea of controlling the fans via Alexa for now. Hmm, I didn't know that about the DC motors. Thanks, I probably would have hosed that up. Maybe I do the Bond controller and save myself some wiring work, plus it seems like that might be compatible with more modern fans? I don't know if the Bond controllers work well or what. (And of course they only ship to the US.)
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Sep 20, 2018 10:21
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I caved in and turned the heat on today because it was 40F outside. What's a really good option right now to replace the analog thermostat in my apartment? I'm pretty sure there's not a neutral wire pulled to it because the light switches don't have it. I do see you can get wall plug adapters now to handle that though.
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Sep 29, 2018 20:43
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Casimir Radon posted:I caved in and turned the heat on today because it was 40F outside. What's a really good option right now to replace the analog thermostat in my apartment? I'm pretty sure there's not a neutral wire pulled to it because the light switches don't have it. I do see you can get wall plug adapters now to handle that though. my nest E works fine with just the two wires.
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Sep 29, 2018 20:48
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Kalman posted:They do make 2 wire to Ethernet transformers if you want to avoid pulling new cable. Interesting! At the very least this may be something that allows us to get the wire under the desk or just behind something people aren't regularly bumping against.
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Sep 29, 2018 20:48
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Casimir Radon posted:I caved in and turned the heat on today because it was 40F outside. What's a really good option right now to replace the analog thermostat in my apartment? I'm pretty sure there's not a neutral wire pulled to it because the light switches don't have it. I do see you can get wall plug adapters now to handle that though. I just installed a Honeywell pro thermostat in my house. I think if you have electric baseboards you need a specific type of thermostat. Any digital thermostat with 5/2 or 5/1/1 day programming should be good, I’ve been impressed by the Honeywell tho. I didn’t want to go with a smart thermostat because of the cost and security implications (maybe I shouldn’t open that can of worms in this thread) If you’re in an apartment shouldn’t your landlord replace the thermostat? The apartment I left a year ago had a central boiler with radiators and my only heat control was closing the valves on some of my rads.
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Oct 1, 2018 20:04
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mewse posted:If you’re in an apartment shouldn’t your landlord replace the thermostat? The apartment I left a year ago had a central boiler with radiators and my only heat control was closing the valves on some of my rads. After doing some research and pulling the analog thermostat off the wall I decided to go with the Nest. I'll just put the old one back when I buy a house in the next few years.
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Oct 1, 2018 20:21
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