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My mom asked for a smart doorbell for her birthday to replace the old powerline intercom at her house. I'm looking for something that's $150 or less and can tie into the old chime. I looked at Ring a bit last night, but was wondering if there was something a lot better?
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Dec 27, 2018 19:11
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Casimir Radon posted:My mom asked for a smart doorbell for her birthday to replace the old powerline intercom at her house. I'm looking for something that's $150 or less and can tie into the old chime. I looked at Ring a bit last night, but was wondering if there was something a lot better? I got a ring 2 and plan to return it. It drops frames / unsyncs audio like crazy. I have a gigabit internet connection and strong WiFi.
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Dec 28, 2018 01:09
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If you have a hardwired Ring, the fix to dropped frames or signal is to upgrade the doorbell transformer. Ring sells one for $30, or you can get one on Amazon for $20. I did the swap last week, fixed all my connection issues. A friend did the same thing, fixed his issues. Builder grade transformers are like 12v at 10amp, the replacement is 16v at 30amp. It took about 20 minutes to change, mostly because someone hamfisted the anchor screw and hosed it up. If I have to use pliers to turn a screw, someone was a dumbass.
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Dec 28, 2018 04:33
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Alarbus posted:If you have a hardwired Ring, the fix to dropped frames or signal is to upgrade the doorbell transformer. Ring sells one for $30, or you can get one on Amazon for $20. I did the swap last week, fixed all my connection issues. A friend did the same thing, fixed his issues. Builder grade transformers are like 12v at 10amp, the replacement is 16v at 30amp. It has a large removable battery you charge with USB, but it is plugged into the hardwire chime. I found the transformer, and it appears to be 10V, 10VA; pretty measly. Before I un-shrinkwrap the Nest Hello I got I'll try upgrading it first.
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Dec 30, 2018 05:16
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I'm finally diving into Home Assistant (Hassbian specifically) and it has been a brutal setup. I had to force install some Python poo poo, and it took forever to actually get the Home Assistant process running, but I somehow did it. I've got it with the Aeotech Z-stick and so far I've only connected one thing to it, since I'm still trying to figure out how all this works. Does anyone have like an idiots guide to it? I've found a few youtubes but they basically amount to "JUST LOAD IT AND PLUG IT IN AND IT WORKS" but that was far from the case for me and now that I'm working with Z-Wave, it seems like there's even less documentation. My end goal is basically the original Smart Things features but with way more automation controls.
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Jan 2, 2019 05:25
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Why Hassbian over Hass.io if you wanted something that just worked easily? As to Zwave, are you having trouble adding devices, or with something else? (Always add devices through the zwave control panel “add” and “add secure” buttons, don’t use the “unplug stick and move to device” technique.)
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Jan 2, 2019 14:55
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I'm looking to smarten up my apartment a bit, starting with the thermostat and bed/bath lighting (these are the rooms with the most annoyances - e.g. the bathroom has 8 incandescent track lights that nuke your eyeballs in the middle of the night and turn the room into a sauna in summer). I will be running OpenHab or HA on a Raspberry Pi with a Z-Wave/Zigbee dongle for now. It is a fairly open apartment so RF coverage of any sort is probably a non-issue. I think I have the lighting sorted, but I need a recommendation for a thermostat. I was going to go with an ecobee3 but I don't like that it apparently becomes a "dumb" thermostat if your internet goes down. Are there any cloud-free or cloud-optional wifi or Z-Wave thermostats that have energy/performance monitoring features? I don't mind doing some basic scripting with a documented API but don't want a massive project either. I don't think compatibility is an issue as the landlord told me other tenants had installed Nest thermostats successfully.
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Jan 2, 2019 21:20
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I'm planning on replacing my Zen thermostat (Zigbee) with a Radio Thermostat (with Z-Wave or Wifi modules). Apparently the wifi module can be operated via network without a cloud. I ordered the CT50 model and it should arrive Friday. Once I get set up, I can give a trip report.
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Jan 2, 2019 22:27
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Thanks, the CT50 looks like it might be a winner. Not sure why I hadn't looked at that more closely. Documented local API, runtime reporting (don't care if that is cloud based), and wifi is fine because the thermostat is literally 10 feet from my AP.
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Jan 2, 2019 22:43
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Total home automation newb, here. I've reviewed the last 15 pages of the thread and am finding myself even more confused. I have: 1 Android Pixel XL 4 Google Home Mini 2 Chromecast v.3 dongles 3 Samsung Smart TV 1 Sony Vizio Smart TV 2 Kasa Smart light bulbs I want to add: 4 security cameras 1 doorbell 4+ power outlets 1 security camera at rehearsal studio 20 miles from home. I see a lot of recommendations for dahua cameras as a budget alternative, it seems like these will fit my needs? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32956487923.html I want them to function within the Google Home architecture, ie I'd like to say "hey Google show living room /studio camera on bedroom TV/phone" etc and these guys will do it? I don't need rechargable / battery operated cameras. Most locations I want them have convenient power nearby. Why is IFTTT so awesome? What does it do that home / assistant don't? Let's say I am walking up to my house with an arm load of groceries and my phone in my pocket - I'd like my porch light and a specific living room light to turn on when I'm in range. Is this a thing that IFTTT does? Is there a reliable budget doorbell camera similar to nest but at dahua prices you would recommend? I get that Amazon and Google hate each other but I also have Amazon prime. Do u really need a fire stick to be able to boss prime video around via Google? Why does it seem like each brand of smart item (light bulbs, plugs) needs its own standalone app? Or can I delete the apps once the item is set up in the Home app? Sorry for the wall of text. It's all brand new to me, a former chronic early adopter. Tldr: "huh?"
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Jan 4, 2019 04:05
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Alarbus posted:If you have a hardwired Ring, the fix to dropped frames or signal is to upgrade the doorbell transformer. Ring sells one for $30, or you can get one on Amazon for $20. I did the swap last week, fixed all my connection issues. A friend did the same thing, fixed his issues. Builder grade transformers are like 12v at 10amp, the replacement is 16v at 30amp. Interesting, i have a similar problem but assumed it was wifi. Which one did you get off amazon and how is the installation? Is the transformer typically inside the chime box or somewhere else?
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Jan 4, 2019 14:33
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Clockwork Sputnik posted:Why is IFTTT so awesome? What does it do that home / assistant don't? I can answer a couple of these. In today's world of smart devices, there are a crap load of different manufactures with their own app and environment. Google Home and Amazon Alexa are trying to integrate many of them but there are still plenty of things that Google/Alexa can't do. IFTTT helps bridge that gap. It can tie together these different environments to work together as well as the ability to create scripts or triggers for you. I use IFTTT to bridge automation between my Google Home, Smartthings, and LIFX lights. I have a group of LIFX lights down at my horse pen and barn area that I can tell to turn on via Google Home, but I wanted to have a Smartthings physical button on the wall near our jackets and boots that we could press and turn on the back yard light, pool string lights, and the horse lights all at once. IFTTT makes that happen by connecting the environments together using the button pressed as the toggle. Your example regarding turning on lights when you arrive can be achieved by IFTTT (or another home automation system such as Smartthings). If you have the IFTTT app, you can setup either a geo fence or a trigger when you connect to your home wifi that says if you are in this area, turn these lights on. Home automation like Smartthings can be a step smarter. You can tell it if you enter the area and it's dark outside, then turn on the lights. Yeah, having a thousand apps suck. You are correct that if the device integrates with Google Home, after you get the device setup from the app, you can delete the app and Google Home will still recognize it. Just reinstall the app if you need to make settings changes. The rabbit hole goes deep in this world. It can certainly be confusing and is ever changing, but for the most part, it's changing for the better.
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Jan 4, 2019 15:07
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Keystoned posted:Interesting, i have a similar problem but assumed it was wifi. Which one did you get off amazon and how is the installation? Is the transformer typically inside the chime box or somewhere else? A friend and I each bought https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001POBN92?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd_title Our houses are around the corner from each other, and were built at the same time. In both of ours, the transformer was above the basement smoke alarm, and was powered off of that circuit. It's easy to install - (locate transformer), shut off circuit breaker and verify, undo wiring, wire in new one, turn on power. The line out wasn't polarized, it just competes the circuit. Mine was annoyingly close to the ceiling, but still a quick job.
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Jan 4, 2019 17:34
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After a few failed attempts to get Home Assistant set up on my RPi (the first-boot installer kept failing with unhelpful log messages), I have OpenHab up and running with a HUSBZB-1 Z-Wave/Zigbee combo stick. My first "project" is to try the circadian rhythm thing with my bedroom lighting. The plan is to use Sengled tunable white bulbs overhead and a color bulb in my table lamp. I'm testing the Ikea color bulb for this purpose but it's rather dim (40w equivalent IIRC). I want the color bulb to be the room's ZHA repeater since the room will have a few remotes and a temp sensor (though the latter might end up being Z-Wave since the Zigbee options all seem to have issues). Everyone seems to hate the Sylvania bulbs and the Sengled bulbs don't repeat - is Hue my only option here without buying a smart plug or similar device?
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Jan 8, 2019 23:08
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I'm still setting up my Home Assistant. I got the same USB stick as you, actually. Based on my experience with SmartThings, Zigbee hasn't been super reliable. From what I've read, it's even worse with that stick. I'd say stick to Z-Wave as much as possible, especially for critical devices like temperature sensors and thermostats. Every Zigbee device I've had has hosed up so far. I can't think of any issues I've had with Z-Wave. I'm not even sure how to tell whether a given Zigbee device is a repeater or not, but something like a bulb or a button isn't too bad if it falls out of the mesh. You just have to be prepared to pair it back up every so often.
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Jan 10, 2019 02:51
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I want 2 wall plugs that are HomeKit enabled, and I want to be able to sync the two up so that turning one on will turn on the other. What are my options for that in Europe? I see the elgato eve but it’s a bit pricey when I need to get 2.
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Jan 10, 2019 06:37
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Boris Galerkin posted:I want 2 wall plugs that are HomeKit enabled, and I want to be able to sync the two up so that turning one on will turn on the other. What are my options for that in Europe? I see the elgato eve but it’s a bit pricey when I need to get 2. I don't know for sure if the sync is in that but check out the Wemo minis, they're quite good and not expensive. You could probably set up an IFTTT applet to sync em. https://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F7C063/ I've gone Homekit for my automation stuff and it's nice to see a lot of new ones coming out at CES. Interested in the new smart locks and alarm system from Arlo.
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Jan 10, 2019 06:43
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priznat posted:I don't know for sure if the sync is in that but check out the Wemo minis, they're quite good and not expensive. You could probably set up an IFTTT applet to sync em. Those don’t look like they come in European variants though? I need the sync because I have 2 sets of lights in one of my rooms that are plugged into two different outlets, but both outlets are controlled by one switch. So I figure I want to get 2 smart plugs to plug each lamp into, and then a physical button to replace the hardwired switch. (And it should be HomeKit connected because all my other lights are).
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Jan 10, 2019 07:14
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Boris Galerkin posted:Those don’t look like they come in European variants though? Doh sorry I was in such a reply rush I failed reading comprehension for the European part  Mostly because I got one and am quite happy with it. Having a physical button (like the logitech pop) control more than one item is baked into Homekit and you could have it control a ton of different things simultaneously, so that’s easy! Not seeing a European variant of the wemo mini, unfortunately...
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Jan 10, 2019 07:22
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priznat posted:Doh sorry I was in such a reply rush I failed reading comprehension for the European part Neat, thanks for the info and that solves one question I had then if any button will work the same way.
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Jan 10, 2019 07:46
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Boris Galerkin posted:I want 2 wall plugs that are HomeKit enabled, and I want to be able to sync the two up so that turning one on will turn on the other. What are my options for that in Europe? I see the elgato eve but it’s a bit pricey when I need to get 2. Any smart plug that is HomeKit enabled can be “synced” with another device (including a plug) by creating a device group in Home.app. Echo can do this also (create a device group). It’s really just a matter of finding a plug that supports HomeKit or whatever.
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Jan 10, 2019 12:52
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Boris Galerkin posted:Those don’t look like they come in European variants though? https://www.belkin.com/nl/p/P-F7C027/ Looks like regular wemo smart plugs are available, at least.
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Jan 10, 2019 17:42
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azurite posted:I'm still setting up my Home Assistant. I got the same USB stick as you, actually. Based on my experience with SmartThings, Zigbee hasn't been super reliable. From what I've read, it's even worse with that stick. Trip report:  As to the repeater issue, it seems that generally mains-powered devices are repeaters and battery devices are not. The Sengled bulbs are just an exception. However, Zigbee has an extra kink in that Zigbee Light Link (ZLL - Hue, Tradfri, etc) and Zigbee Home Automation (ZHA - smart plugs, switches, etc) will form separate mesh networks. Unless, of course, you skip the dedicated light hubs and pair those bulbs to a ZHA network, in which case they will "fall back" and act as ZHA repeaters. It's a moot point now since OpenHab struggles with tracking whether a Zigbee device is really online or not (apparently its Zigbee support is much less mature than the Z-Wave bindings, and as you noted the dual stick is really a Z-Wave stick with a Zigbee library crammed in for giggles). I've already had to delete and re-pair both bulbs after unplugging and moving the lamps. Guess I'll just buy Hue setup and pay the premium to not be a light bulb janitor every time a guest flips a switch. The only other thing really holding me back from Z-Wave is that the remotes and scene changers are really expensive, and I haven't found a Z-Wave thermostat that definitively uses remote sensor input and isn't, again, stupidly expensive. It looks like the GoControl one does, although it is not as stylish as the Zigbee Centralite Pearl.
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Jan 10, 2019 23:09
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Discussion Quorum posted:
I gave up on this dream and use an ecobee along with HA and all my other zwave poo poo.
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Jan 10, 2019 23:13
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Plan A was to get a wifi CT50 and be done with it. However something is wrong with my C-wire (only getting 14.5V at the thermostat), and I doubt I can get it fixed. The leasing office didn't have any objection to me replacing their cheap battery-powered one (she even told me a lot of tenants use Nest), but told me to expect no maintenance support. Guess I can either get an external transformer for the CT50, try the poo poo-ugly $100 GoControl thermostat which appears to have a semi-documented remote sensor input over Z-Wave, or give in to the cloud bullshit. Not really liking any of those, but this is the one thing I really need (or rather, my very cold-sensitive pregnant wife needs, as our bedroom can be freezing while the living room is practically balmy)  I will probably go with the ecobee but will give a report on the GoControl if I try it.
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Jan 10, 2019 23:56
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https://bgr.com/2019/01/10/ring-camera-customer-feeds-accessed-creepy-privacy-violation/ Not great if true?
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Jan 11, 2019 00:02
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Subjunctive posted:https://bgr.com/2019/01/10/ring-camera-customer-feeds-accessed-creepy-privacy-violation/ I pretty much work on the assumption that all cameras are watching me and all of my Google Homes are listening to me. Sure they know all my secrets but I can ask them how old Stephen Baldwin is so it's a good tradeoff.
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Jan 11, 2019 00:12
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Discussion Quorum posted:Plan A was to get a wifi CT50 and be done with it. However something is wrong with my C-wire (only getting 14.5V at the thermostat), and I doubt I can get it fixed. The leasing office didn't have any objection to me replacing their cheap battery-powered one (she even told me a lot of tenants use Nest), but told me to expect no maintenance support. I was eyeing that GoControl as well, but the reviews gave me mixed feelings. I'm still loving around with the CT50, which is temporarily hooked up to SmartThings until I commit to my Home Assistant. It seems to be going well so far. The only (probably self-inflicted) problem I had was that the "hold" feature stopped working and it went back to the preset schedule it had. I think it was because I was messing with the device handler's settings in SmartThings, which may have been invisibly resetting some values to defaults. It's been stable for two days now, though. Also, the wifi module is a wireless G device, if that matters to you. I had to re-enable legacy support on my router to accommodate.
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Jan 11, 2019 00:54
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Subjunctive posted:https://bgr.com/2019/01/10/ring-camera-customer-feeds-accessed-creepy-privacy-violation/ I agree, but I assume this is the case with everything. Which is bad because of the apathy it breeds, but there ya go...
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Jan 11, 2019 01:28
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Well that just cratered my interest in buying a webcam/doorbell! They can monitor the status of my lighting though I don’t care about that.
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Jan 11, 2019 01:35
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Gotta be proactive about being spied on. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzAuXuxD0Oo
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Jan 11, 2019 02:23
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priznat posted:Well that just cratered my interest in buying a webcam/doorbell! I’m actually not concerned about exterior views, but the one aimed at my bed probably needs to go.
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Jan 11, 2019 04:31
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Subjunctive posted:I’m actually not concerned about exterior views, but the one aimed at my bed probably needs to go. You have a doorbell for your bed? Whatever rings your bell I suppose
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Jan 11, 2019 04:43
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Heners_UK posted:You have a doorbell for your bed? Whatever rings your bell I suppose We call it the fuckbell, but yeah.
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Jan 11, 2019 04:44
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Heners_UK posted:You have a doorbell for your bed? Whatever rings your bell I suppose Si Non Oscillas, Noli Tintinnare
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Jan 11, 2019 13:21
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Discussion Quorum posted:Trip report: What's wrong with the Ecobee for using a remote sensor? You can turn off the "follow me" behavior and then it should act just like a fixed remote. As for scene controls, I'm on the same page as you. I was eying the Insteon proprietary switches, which have the downside of a proprietary protocol and so requiring a hub to connect to a smart system, but the upside of affordable scene controllers (as well as a seemingly cool system that uses PowerLine Communication as a backhaul to improve reliability). Overall the breadth of products in the Insteon line is pretty good, but you do pay a little bit of a premium for them. HomeAssistant does have a "Local Push" platform for the Insteon hub, though, so it can operate with the same "purely local" requirement as you could do with Z-Wave if you so desired. In the end, though, I settled on using Z-Wave switches, and using the mult-tap scene control supported by the HomeSeer switches. At least I planned to -- I haven't set it up yet. Voice control has proven to be juuust convenient enough that I haven't felt the motivation to modify the Z-Wave Config XML and figure out how the scene switch is exposed in HA just yet. Aeotech also has a Z-Wave scene controller that's pretty affordable: https://aeotec.com/z-wave-wireless-switch I just wish it didn't have that "CES Showfloor" design aesthetic -- I just want something to disappear into my house, not look like I glued an iPod to my wall. e: looks like they have a basic looking in-wall controller https://aeotec.com/z-wave-wall-switch and a remote https://aeotec.com/small-z-wave-remote-control but they aren't available yer? Hubis fucked around with this message at 13:54 on Jan 11, 2019 |
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Jan 11, 2019 13:37
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Hubis posted:What's wrong with the Ecobee for using a remote sensor? You can turn off the "follow me" behavior and then it should act just like a fixed remote. More fundamentally, I didn't want to rely on the cloud for my gol-durn thermostat  quote:As for scene controls, I'm on the same page as you. I was eying the Insteon proprietary switches, which have the downside of a proprietary protocol and so requiring a hub to connect to a smart system, but the upside of affordable scene controllers (as well as a seemingly cool system that uses PowerLine Communication as a backhaul to improve reliability). Overall the breadth of products in the Insteon line is pretty good, but you do pay a little bit of a premium for them. HomeAssistant does have a "Local Push" platform for the Insteon hub, though, so it can operate with the same "purely local" requirement as you could do with Z-Wave if you so desired. Yeah, the thing I don't like about that (edit: I messed up the quote, I'm referring to the Aeotec) is that it's $60 vs $10-$15 for a comparable Zigbee device like the Sylvania controller. Something that expensive should really have better reviews than 3.5 stars on Amazon. Also it sounds like it has a non-replaceable battery, WTF? I'll look at Insteon. There are some really nice-looking lighting controllers in the Z-Wave products database (like this) but it looks like they're not actually available anywhere. Discussion Quorum fucked around with this message at 14:28 on Jan 11, 2019 |
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Jan 11, 2019 14:24
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Clockwork Sputnik posted:I see a lot of recommendations for dahua cameras as a budget alternative, it seems like these will fit my needs? I'll jump in and tell you to NOT buy any Dahua cameras off eBay/AliExpress. They'll have hacked Chinese-version firmware, and you'll never be able to update them. There's a great forum over at IPCamTalk, and a vendor named EmpireTech Andy. He sells the cameras on Amazon, and they've got international (not Chinese) firmware. He's been good to me, and supports the cameras better than anyone else selling Dahua. The Starlight cameras are awesome, and I highly recommend them. Also, if you've made any progress, please let me know. I just rented a shop for my business, and need to get some security cameras/sensors installed. Ditto at my house, now that I'm not going to be there 24/7. sharkytm fucked around with this message at 18:20 on Jan 11, 2019 |
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Jan 11, 2019 18:11
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I replaced my Carrier Cor thermostats with Ecobee's with 2 sensors on each one, and they may be my favorite thing I've done in the house so far.
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Jan 11, 2019 18:19
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Ubiquiti came out with some UniFi Protect software on their new Cloud Key 2 that looks like Nest/Ring/whatever with some additional reasonably priced cameras ~$79 MSRP... Not to bad, but I already have a Nest Hello and Nest Outdoor camera. I would rather host it internally though. No doorbell camera from Ubiquiti yet. If they had one I might consider switching.
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Jan 11, 2019 18:32
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