DIY Home Automation with Apple Homekit

[rage2]

I've been wanting to do home automation for years, but being a cheap fuck, I've always looked towards the DIY systems that are out there. I've had my experience back in the day with X10, and have been waiting for a solid system to hit the market that works almost as well as a commercial grade system.

Apple's Homekit promises to be a nice standard that allows everything to talk to each other. A couple of my co-workers already have piece meal setups at home, so I started buying a couple of hubs and devices and played around. Focusing on lighting, I wanted to try all the systems to get a sense of how they work.

The 3 systems that are available locally were the Insteon Bridge + dimmer switches (through the Source), Lutron Bridge + dimmer switches (through Home Depot and Gescan wholesale), and Wink (though everywhere).

First one I tried was Wink using Lutron switches. Wink supports tons of devices, but there's no real homekit support, and you have to mess around with Homebridge to get Homekit integration. Strike 1. Next up, coupled with the Lutron dimmers, there was a lot of lag when I selected an action to when it actually does something. Strike 2. Connecting multiple dimmers was a PITA. I had to reset shit a few times to get it working properly, and once it was connected, the actions would be a little random, so the lights would turn on or off a few seconds apart when I wanted to turn on a group of lights. Really fucked with my OCD. Strike 3, so that was it for me with Wink.

Next up was Insteon, and really, this was ruled out purely due to availability. Only the Source carried it, and the city had 1 dimmer in stock.

With Lutron, there isn't a lot of supported devices. Basically, it supported their line of switches and dimmers, their motorized shades, and Nest thermostat. It's not a HUGE deal if you use Homekit (I'll get to that later) but with it's own Bridge and dimmers, it just works very well together. Shit turns on/off and dims instantly, using the app was exactly like using a physical switch in terms of responsiveness. Plus, the hub looks pretty nice sitting on the main floor entertainment stand.

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/rage2amg/7CE7281D-5660-4C8D-957C-0E1409F42A9B_zpsqyvnqcvq.jpg

The switchgear is top notch as well. Lutron suggests that you switch to their Clara wallplate system, which forces each dimmer/remote to line up perfectly against wallplates, but for now, I just ghetto rigged it and lined it up manually as nice as possible with the standard wall plates. My OCD will line each switch up properly probably by the weekend haha.

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/rage2amg/930F41E5-542D-42E5-B0A2-DB504D3B0940_zps6ovfeijt.jpg

You'll notice that one of the dimmer switches looks different here, and that's because it's actually a remote that's not connected to anything. With 3 way switches (2 switches + 1 light) you basically disable one of the switches and replace it with a remote that mounts just like a normal switch. It controls through RF instead of mucking with the wires, making wiring very simple.

The Lutron Hub can support up to 49 devices, and the range is excellent. A single hub on the main floor had zero issues connecting to dimmers in every floor and every room of the house. Each one of the remotes for 3/4 way switch installs uses up a slot on the hub as well, and even though I swapped out the entire house, I'm only at 27 devices. This leaves me with 22 free for motorized shades (next project). So yea, tons of leftover junk...

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/rage2amg/38BB2991-D191-45CD-BF1B-4FA8FC73343D_zps2l6uqwag.jpg

While replacing the switches, it turns out that for low voltage lighting (my basement 12V potlights) it needs a special dimmer that's compatible with the Magnetic transformer. Only the Pro dimmers supported it as it needs a neutral wire connection to dump off voltage spikes. Lutron Pro gear is only sold to installers, but an electrician suggested I go to Gescan, who sells them to retail customers in store or online as well. That fixed my basement dimmer issue.

So what happens when I want to add stuff that Lutron bridge doesn't support? Well this goes into how Apple Homekit works with these systems. Homekit is nothing but a database that runs through iCloud and Keychain, so the Lutron app publishes all the devices into the Homekit DB. I can add a second bridge (say Insteon), add their devices, and it too publishes it to Homekit. Then, I use the Home app (a whopping $15 on the app store) which lists every single device in the Homekit database, and I can start doing grouping and automation triggers through that. Pretty sweet.

So Homekit allows you to group devices by Room (ie living room, dining room, kitchen), then you can group Rooms into individual zones (ie main floor, basement, upstairs). Finally, there's scenes, where you can create individual personalized light preferences with as many devices as you want (ie good morning, bedtime, watch movie). Then there's triggers, where you can set it to turn on a scene at sunset. So now, when the sun starts to go down at sunset, my lights will come on at low levels, so the transition to darkness is nice and smooth. When I'm driving home, it detects my location via my phone, and turns on the driveway lights if it's past sunset. By 11pm, it automatically shuts down all my outside light so I don't piss off the neighbors. Homekit also fully integrates with Siri, so I can just Hey Siri my phone, tell her what I want and it'll trigger whatever I need through the house. "Set living room to 30%", "turn off basement lights", "bedtime for kids" for triggering room, zones, and scenes.

So, how much did this shit set me back? As I mentioned, I swapped out 27 switches throughout the house, some being "remotes". So to cover all that, I had to buy the starter kit (Bridge + Dimmer + Pico Remote) @ $150, 18 switches + pico remote kits @ $60, and 5 Pico Remote mounting kits at $6.50 for a total cost of $1262.50 + GST. Not too shabby as something like this would be in the $10k range getting done professionally.

One final thought on this project, I'm not an electrician, and have a huge fear of getting zapped. The first few switches I was taking my sweet ass time and took a solid 45 mins each, by the end, I was swapping them out in 15 mins flat. Lutron support is awesome too, never any hold time, and the techs would walk you through everything. For my low voltage lights situation, the tech had me ID the model # of the lights, and checked compatibility against their database to tell me which dimmer to use, what additional parts I needed (I didn't as my transformer was magnetic and not electronic) as well as explanation of what neutral wire is, how to ID it in the gangbox, etc. Basically, walked this noob through the whole process.

Next project are the motorized blinds. I just picked up 1 to see how it looks, and at $600 a pop for window, that'll be $$$$$. I'll update once I get that shit installed!

[jwslam]

Originally posted by rage2
So yea, tons of leftover junk...

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/rage2amg/38BB2991-D191-45CD-BF1B-4FA8FC73343D_zps2l6uqwag.jpg
I'm interested in one man's crap. Seriously.

[The_Penguin]

Interesting. Please keep us posted on how well it's working.

I'm using Insteon with a Universal Devices ISY controller. Very flexible system.

BTW, Memory Express carries some Insteon stuff, and anything they don't have I get from Aartech in Ontario. Aartech have a fair selection of automation stuff, and pretty decent prices for a Canadian dealer.

[R154]

Eecol will sell direct and they are cheaper then Gescan. 403-243-5594 ask for the order desk and get a quote. PM me the p/n's if you dont have any luck.

Brews is a good place for knowledge. Speak with Myles or Avneet. Nice guys and they are always willing to help.

[killramos]

Rage does this work with your harmony remotes?

I personally hate using my iphone for anything like this. A bit touch screen phobic personally.

I have been looking to do this exact thing for a long time actually. Just been too cheap to do it right.

Thanks for the writeup.

[rage2]

Originally posted by The_Penguin
Interesting. Please keep us posted on how well it's working.
A couple days into it, it's working well. Shared out homekit to the gf's account and she can trigger everything using Siri. The most used scenes are "kids are awake" which sets hallway and bathroom lights to a dim level so they don't whine about being too bright for the morning ritual, "breakfast" which sets the downstairs lights properly so they can go downstairs on their own, and "bedtime" which kills/dims the lights in areas they need to leave and full lights on stairs/hallways to get them upstairs. It's like herding cattle haha.

As for automation stuff, haven't used much yet, just outside lights when coming home after sunset, and shutting down outside lights after 11pm. The manual scenes which groups all the lights together are what's most effective for us right now. When I get the blinds installed, I'll probably have more automation triggers set up, such as if it's sunny at 1 hour after sunrise, then lower blinds.


Originally posted by killramos
Rage does this work with your harmony remotes?

I personally hate using my iphone for anything like this. A bit touch screen phobic personally.

I have been looking to do this exact thing for a long time actually. Just been too cheap to do it right.

Thanks for the writeup.
It works with the newer remotes that uses the hub. I have my watch movie activity on harmony set up to automatically trigger my movie lighting scene. And ya, you can use the remote to trigger scenes throughout the house.

On the smartphone side of things, you can either use Siri, or you can set up the widget for the Home App to your favorite scenes and accessories.

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/rage2amg/CD9C19CE-BBF2-4282-8102-F63CC9E83F7E_zpsebyj4h6e.png

Of course if you're really old school, you can install a 4 button scene controller on your wall to easily change scenes.

http://www.lutron.com/en-US/HeroImages/PicoWirelessComp_01_hero.png

[never]

OCD and all of the screws in your plate aren't lined up properly? WTF????

;)

[rage2]

Originally posted by never
OCD and all of the screws in your plate aren't lined up properly? WTF????

;)
Don't worry, the Lutron Clara plate systems has no visible screws haha.

[never]

BTW, the setup sounds pretty sweet...have been thinking about automation too. Maybe it's time to go for it.

[rage2]

One additional note about Harmony Remotes, it's not Homekit compatible (thought it was). But it does support a small # of home control stuff. Not listed on website, but I pulled this out of my add device page:


SmartThings
Honeywell WiFi Thermostat
Philips hue
Nest
Lutron Smart Bridge
LIFX
Rheem Water Heater
Insteon Hub
Ecobee Thermostat
Hunter Douglas

[never]

Can you tie in a garage door opener too? And maybe driveway gates?

[rage2]

Originally posted by never
Can you tie in a garage door opener too? And maybe driveway gates?
With homekit, not (natively) yet. Insteon has a garage opener:

http://www.smarthome.com/insteon-74551-garage-door-control-status-kit.html

But it doesn't support their Homekit compatible hub yet.

http://www.insteon.com/support-knowledgebase/2015/5/26/supported-insteon-devices-with-insteon

Chamberlain myQ has one too but no Homekit support yet so it can't link to other devices for automation tasks. Support is promised for 2016.

Now, if you're a bit of a techy, you can get all this stuff setup using Homebridge, which publishes non supported devices to homekit so they can all link to one another. See here:

https://github.com/nfarina/homebridge

[benyl]

Originally posted by never
OCD and all of the screws in your plate aren't lined up properly? WTF????

;)

He has Hublot watches. He is used to screws not lining up.

[rage2]

Originally posted by benyl
He has Hublot watches. He is used to screws not lining up.
Well played.

[killramos]

How does the Lutron system work as far as switch programming is concerned? Is it iOS app? PC? Proprietary cable connection ( a lot of older systems use these which is a huge pain in the ass )

This is the caseta bridge you are using? I think they have different hubs depending on if you are a professional or not.

My original plan for home automation integration was just non smart Lutron IR dimmers controlled by harmony. But your setup sounds far better. ( not to mention avoiding IR is always a plus).

I have got some reading to do.

[rage2]

Originally posted by killramos
How does the Lutron system work as far as switch programming is concerned? Is it iOS app? PC? Proprietary cable connection ( a lot of older systems use these which is a huge pain in the ass )
1. Plug hub into power and Ethernet (to talk to iCloud).
2. Load the Lutron App. Go through guided setup to read QR code off the hub.
3. Enter your home name, location (for sunrise/sunset and timezone).

That's it for setting up the initial hub. Adding a switch is just as easy.

1. Fire up the Lutron app. Select add device and choose device type (dimmer, switch, remote).
2. Follow the pretty graphics for the device, and hold down the button on the device.
3. Name your device.

Pretty simple.


Originally posted by killramos
This is the caseta bridge you are using? I think they have different hubs depending on if you are a professional or not.
You can get the pro bridge, single dimmer, plus remote at Gescan for $150. Smoking deal as that pro bridge alone is worth $200.

The difference between the standard bridge and pro bridge is that the pro supports alarm integration (which counts as 1 of 49 limit), as well as more expensive roller shade options. Now, with Homekit, things should integrate at the homekit level, so realistically you get a Homekit compatible alarm and you're good to go without wasting a device slot on the Lutron Hub. The pro bridge integration to some of these products doesn't expose it to homekit at all and only allows Lutron specific triggers and scenes, which can't be shared out through homekit. Homekit is still new, so there's not a huge amount of supported devices yet, and that's where the pro bridge has a small advantage in that it supports a few more things without relying on homekit.

I wish I went with the pro hub but already picked up the $99 standard hub before I found out Gescan carries this stuff.


Originally posted by killramos
My original plan for home automation integration was just non smart Lutron IR dimmers controlled by harmony. But your setup sounds far better. ( not to mention avoiding IR is always a plus).

I have got some reading to do.
Yea, Caseta is fully RF. I can turn off all the lights with 1 command from my bedroom.

[spikerS]

I have wanted to do home automation for years, but it is still just way too expensive for me.

[killramos]

I might just have to go pickup that pro kit just for testing purposes. Worst case just for the cost of the kit i automate my media room main lights ( only need 1 dimmer switch ). If i really like it i can expand to the rest of the house, as budget allows. Nice that it doenst all have to be done at once.

As a note do you know if there is option to do fireplace controls with this system? Probably just a low voltage switch with dimming disabled ( on-off fireplace ).

My brother is back in residential electric so hopefully i can buy a bunch of these fuckers in contractor price bulk if I commit.

:thumbsup:

edit:

Dammit looks like they have pulled the 150 dollar kit from their website ( perhaps a pricing error as you mentioned its cheap). I notice they have a Calgary branch, did you go directly there to buy or did you order online?

The website still shows it on search but the product page is inaccessible.

Got immediately forwarded to a supervisor when i inquired about product availability on their support chat. mentioned that i would like to buy it at advertised price :rofl:

[sputnik]

Originally posted by benyl
He has Hublot watches. He is used to screws not lining up.

:rofl:

That was the FIRST thing I noticed when looking at a Hublot watch.

[killramos]

Originally posted by killramos


Dammit looks like they have pulled the 150 dollar kit from their website ( perhaps a pricing error as you mentioned its cheap). I notice they have a Calgary branch, did you go directly there to buy or did you order online?

The website still shows it on search but the product page is inaccessible.

Got immediately forwarded to a supervisor when i inquired about product availability on their support chat. mentioned that i would like to buy it at advertised price :rofl:

Ok so talking to Gescan:


Okay, so yes it is a fantastic price we had however we were told we had to take it offline. Lutron would not allow us to have it at that price available online. The product is available at the Calgary branch, and you will have to get it in store.

Sounds like they have made a major goof on this price, if anyone is interested in one for 150 dollar I would act soon as it is likely being revised.

I am personally interested in the pro as i would like to potentially integrate tensioned shades for my bathroom skylight

[rage2]

Originally posted by killramos
As a note do you know if there is option to do fireplace controls with this system? Probably just a low voltage switch with dimming disabled ( on-off fireplace ).
No homekit fireplace controls yet from either Lutron or Insteon. The Insteon setup has a low voltage IO Module but is non homekit only. Of course, all this stuff can be homekitted using homebridge if you're tech savvy enough.


Originally posted by killramos
Dammit looks like they have pulled the 150 dollar kit from their website ( perhaps a pricing error as you mentioned its cheap). I notice they have a Calgary branch, did you go directly there to buy or did you order online?

The website still shows it on search but the product page is inaccessible.

Got immediately forwarded to a supervisor when i inquired about product availability on their support chat. mentioned that i would like to buy it at advertised price :rofl:
It's not a pricing error, it's in their monthly sales flyer/pdf. Just go to Gescan (by Toma's old shop) and pick it up. They had a bunch there last week.

[killramos]

Originally posted by rage2

It's not a pricing error, it's in their monthly sales flyer/pdf. Just go to Gescan (by Toma's old shop) and pick it up. They had a bunch there last week.

When i spoke to their customer service guys online they wouldn't even guarantee they would honor the price TODAY. Told me that i better hurry in ( implied it was changing), the supervisor had to consult with his boss and even then no concrete answer.

Regardless I'm gonna take off work a few minutes early and pop in. No sweat. Either they sell it to me or they don't.

[rage2]

Gave Philips Hue a try, probably returning it tomorrow. HomeKit integration works well, Siri and scenes kick in perfectly. The problem is the $200 price tag for 3 bulbs and bridge, as well as colored lights being completely gimmicky. I couldn't get the room to look as vibrant as the Philips ads. So the only neat thing was setting the lights to the color of a photo.

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/rage2amg/8077BCB4-5271-4086-9CA9-6CB05AA20228_zpsxizudsqy.png

Presto, RC-F shitter!

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc475/rage2amg/485DD4D9-B5BF-4AA7-B73E-FE9F80968898_zpskqgrrpi7.jpg

[killramos]

My god turning lights on and off with Siri is fun. My wife is already fully irritated.

Picked up the kit yesterday and was an easy install. Ran into some non standard wiring that I didn't want to risk so I had my brother take a look. Just some sloppy work by my builder so easy go forward. Took longer flipping breakers to turn off the power than to swap the switch.

Spent a bit of time playing with HomeBridge as well, need to do some more reading but the goal is nest integration as well to go with automated shades on my top floor skylights.

Works great with my harmony as well I have just left it in home automation mode on my elite (dedicated bottom buttons that are not activity specific) so nothing as automatic as "movie mode" or anything. Which is the way I like it tbh. Press a button to turn lights on, press longer to turn off. Has a dimming toggle as well if I so chose.

Time to count how many dimmers, IO, faceplates (I really like the Clara screwless faceplate looks), and remote mounts I'm going to need. Then I'll get my some quotes from some distributors that my brother will price for a "client request" lol

Should be able to beat retail by a bunch by his guess.

Thanks for pointing out this system Rage. It's exactly what I have been wanting. Didn't even know it know existed.

[rage2]

Since homebridge doesn't have the required encryption to connect to iCloud, your devices mapped to HomeKit through homebridge only works locally. For thermostats, ecobee is nicer than nest, can have tons of remote temperature monitoring through the house, and is fully HomeKit compliant. In the future, when you can get automated heat vent registers that are HomeKit compliant, you'll be able to control temperature evenly through the house.

When you're specing out parts to purchase, remember that the dimmer + pico package plus the pico wall mount is significantly cheaper than buying a dimmer and pico separately. It adds up when you buy for the entire house.

Playing with the hue lights last night, I mapped my shitter color to a picture of my poop as a joke. Mibz suggested a sensor to detect toilet usage and to trigger the poop colored lights for 10 mins to warn people not to use the bathroom. Discussed this with some engineers at work, and we think we can use an eve room sensor to detect actual shit smell, trigger hue light color as well as fan, so that it can quickly clear out the air as well as warn users that the shitter stinks. So ya, that's a project on the roadmap lol.

[never]

Originally posted by rage2
Playing with the hue lights last night, I mapped my shitter color to a picture of my poop as a joke. Mibz suggested a sensor to detect toilet usage and to trigger the poop colored lights for 10 mins to warn people not to use the bathroom. Discussed this with some engineers at work, and we think we can use an eve room sensor to detect actual shit smell, trigger hue light color as well as fan, so that it can quickly clear out the air as well as warn users that the shitter stinks. So ya, that's a project on the roadmap lol.

Hahahahaha, that's some creative shit!

[Chandler_Racing]

Rage, interested in doing something similar in my house.

What do you think of this: http://www.smarthome.com/insteon-whole-home-automation-kit-4-bedrooms-2-5-bathrooms.html

[A2VR6]

Originally posted by Chandler_Racing
Rage, interested in doing something similar in my house.

What do you think of this: http://www.smarthome.com/insteon-whole-home-automation-kit-4-bedrooms-2-5-bathrooms.html


Currently have that system in my place. I like it a lot. Been too lazy to set up port forwarding on my router so I can access it remotely but while im in my home it's been great.

I do have a few issues with the outdoor motion sensor. Right now I have it set so it only turns on the exterior lights after sunset and then turns off after 30 secs. However sometimes after sunset the exterior lights switch on and wont turn off until i physically turn off the exterior lights (via switch or app).

[Chandler_Racing]

Did you have an electrician wire it or do it yourself?

[A2VR6]

Originally posted by Chandler_Racing
Did you have an electrician wire it or do it yourself?

Not too sure since the previous owner of the house put it in. I'm pretty sure it was a DIY

[rage2]

Oh ya this is gonna be awesome haha.

ofbB7hcYn0k

[Buster]

You can get Insteon at both Amazon.ca and Costco now.

[HiSpec]

Originally posted by rage2
Oh ya this is gonna be awesome haha.

ofbB7hcYn0k

How do you select which blinds to open/close around the house?

Definitely cool!!

[rage2]

Originally posted by HiSpec
How do you select which blinds to open/close around the house?

Definitely cool!!
You have to uniquely name each shade during setup, so you can ask siri to open xxxxxx shade and it'll do it. The shades are grouped by room (ie living room, dining room) as well as zones (ie downstairs, upstairs) so you can just say open living room shades, or open downstairs shades for controlling multiple ones at once. You can also setup scenes (what I did in the demo) to manage things by a more customized group. You can't really see it, but that open shade command opens the shades and turns down the light there. Close shade would close and turn on the lights there to 30%. That's all homekit/siri, and how each compatible device is managed.

[nzwasp]

Rage have you tried to control anything outside with the hub? ie outdoor lights or a camera mounted outside?

[JustinMCS]

I have a wink system and they finally have local wifi to make it faster when youre on the same network as the hub. doesnt have to go through the cloud. i have all lutron caseta and clara wallplates :)

[rage2]

Originally posted by nzwasp
Rage have you tried to control anything outside with the hub? ie outdoor lights or a camera mounted outside?
My outdoor lights are controlled this way. They're tied to a switch inside the house. Same with my Xmas lights, turn 'em on and off that way.

Not sure what there is to control for camera. It's always recording.

[rage2]

Originally posted by rage2
Gave Philips Hue a try, probably returning it tomorrow. HomeKit integration works well, Siri and scenes kick in perfectly. The problem is the $200 price tag for 3 bulbs and bridge, as well as colored lights being completely gimmicky. I couldn't get the room to look as vibrant as the Philips ads. So the only neat thing was setting the lights to the color of a photo.
Update. While I still think the Hue setup is gimmicky, the kids absolutely love it. We've created several scenes from photos that look great, from the default deep sea for an aquarium look, to a beach/ocean look from a photo of our trip to Hawaii. There's reading/homework scenes, as well as bedtime story scenes.

I ended up installing 2 bulbs on the ceiling, one on a desk lamp, one in a clip on lamp for the top bunk bed, and an LED strip for the lower bunk. Each kid has their own switch on the wall that controls their individual lights as well (on/off/dim), and installed a master switch on the wall that turns all on/off + dim control.

Because Philips Hue needs constant power, I had to rewire things up to be constant on. From a user perspective, it's the same, from a wiring perspective, it's completely different.

There's apps for Hue that does stupid stuff like this:

_WLdzbzJt_4

Excuse the song, it was a joke video for Earth day or whatever. Anyways, the kids use this app, play their music and have their own little club lights in their bedroom. Hope they don't get seizures haha.

[FLARE]

I've updated my house with the Lutron Caseta (thanks for the push Rage... I really needed to spend a grand right now LOL) hardware and it works flawlessly. With 3rd generation Apple TV it works well for remote access... as long as your wi-fi provider doesn't suck (and lets be honest... they all suck).

I'm an electrician with great reviews on beyond. I can do this for very low cost if anybody is interested.

All in All - this is a fantastic product for people who don't require SERIOUS home automation... your getting into 5-15K no problem with that kind of stuff.

[lilmira]

Used my gift card to buy the Schlage sense lock. Works pretty good with Siri. Looked into the Chamberlain MyQ as well but it's not Homekit ready yet, no one knows if a software update will make it work. I'll hold off on that for now.

[rage2]

Software update won't work for the MyQ. It'll be like Philips Hue upgrade, new hub that includes the Homekit encryption hardware.

I've been holding out on all the locks as well, as they're all BT which limits functionality with Homekit. You have to be within range to trigger actions, and you can't schedule triggers with BT devices.

[killramos]

Locks is a big one that I want to do. Basically all i want is comfort access for my house like my car so i never have to touch my keys again :rofl:

I would like to do MyQ as I'm partially retarded and leave my garage open a couple times a year.

No wifi in my garage though and unfortunately none of the of myq hubs have an Ethernet port ( so i could power line it from the house. ). Seems like a waste to put an AP in my garage just for a door opener lol.

[lilmira]

The Schlage Sense can communicate with Apple TV so if you have it you can operate the lock from anywhere. Otherwise you'll have to be close enough.

Looks like a lot of people are holding off on getting the MyQ as well and Chamberlain won't say anything on release date lol. It would be nice to be able to ask Siri to open the garage door.

Hunter has two ceiling fans that are Homekit ready. No more fumbling for remote in the dark.

[rage2]

Originally posted by killramos
No wifi in my garage though and unfortunately none of the of myq hubs have an Ethernet port ( so i could power line it from the house. ). Seems like a waste to put an AP in my garage just for a door opener lol.
You don't need to do all that. The wifi hub sites in your house, and the garage opener can talk to the wifi hub up to 100-150ft. So just mount the hub inside the house where there's wifi.

[killramos]

I'm confused, with the kits it comes with 2 pieces that the instructions say go near the opener?

There is the big puck ( hub ) which talks to opener and connects to wifi. Then smaller puck which is the door sensor?

Can the big puck really be in my house across the yard and still work?

This is what I am talking about: http://www.chamberlain.com/smartphone-control-products/myq-garage/model-myq-g0201

This is what i am most familiar with when people reference MyQ.

Also what is the difference between that and this: http://www.chamberlain.com/smartphone-control-products/smartphone-connectivity/myq-internet-connectivity-kit

Which i think includes Ethernet connectivity ( which i can easily add with a powerline kit to my garage) ?

I looked on the weekend and my current dumb opener is a chamberlain liftmaster so because of that I should be able to use the ( cheaper ) second kit to enable MyQ functionality?

[lilmira]

The smaller MyQ garage is the one I'm talking about. It's just like another remote that you'll have to pair with your garage door opener. The door sensor just detects the position of the garage door. You can communicate with your MyQ through your wifi network. The MyQ sends a signal to your garage door opener when it gets a command and it can tell you the door position. It just doesn't work with Homekit at the moment. That's how I understand it anyway.

[killramos]

Doing some more reading it seems like the second link i posted ( MyQ Internet Connectivity Kit ) does exactly the same thing as the MyQ Garage Hub. But only works with their products. Bonus is that it uses Ethernet connectivity rather than WiFi which is better for me anyways.

Little more difficult to install, need to replace the garage door opener controller on the wall with a new "smart" Security+ controller ( 2 cables lol ) and then plug the internet connectivity thing into power and Ethernet somewhere nearby. It also has the ability to turn the opener light on and off automatically with motion sensing ( and the rest of the lights in the garage with an additional kit ) which is pretty convenient.

The hub based kit is less integrated, and just sends signals to the opener, whereas this kit is converting my existing system into a smart system. Using the liftmaster's own sensors and hardware to send the signals. But the Hub has the plus of being stupid easy to use and compatible with damn near any opener ever instead of just their own products.

Am I reading into this wrong?

[lilmira]

Just wait for the Homekit ready version. It's not as cool if I can't ask my phone to do it for me, like I have to push a button on my phone, screw that lol.

[phreezee]

Originally posted by killramos
I'm confused, with the kits it comes with 2 pieces that the instructions say go near the opener?

There is the big puck ( hub ) which talks to opener and connects to wifi. Then smaller puck which is the door sensor?

Can the big puck really be in my house across the yard and still work?

This is what I am talking about: http://www.chamberlain.com/smartphone-control-products/myq-garage/model-myq-g0201


I have this one.
The hub goes on the garage ceiling and needs to be within wifi-range. The door sensor has to be in line of sight of the hub for it to sense if it's closed or open. So no, the hub cannot be in your house.

You can add lamp switches using the MyQ hub also... not sure if you can do that with the $119 one.

[killramos]

Lamp switches work with both from what i can see ( internet gateway is the second one i was talking about) I think functionality is the same.

Unfortunate that it only works on lamps, what i would like is to replace my light switches in garage for exterior alley, interior ceiling, and exterior yard with MyQ controlled ( ie turned on whenever i use the garage ), then turn off 2 minutes later or something. Who has lamps in their garage lol.

[rage2]

Got all my shades installed. Finally able to block out that fucking sun from 14 windows lol.

UsT0IQeJdsQ

[G]

That is cool as shit. Good job!

[TYMSMNY]

Now you need to replace those blinds with *bulletproof* shutters.... you know.... for the apocalypse and all.

edit *bulletproof*

[roopi]

Originally posted by killramos

I would like to do MyQ as I'm partially retarded and leave my garage open a couple times a year.

No wifi in my garage though and unfortunately none of the of myq hubs have an Ethernet port ( so i could power line it from the house. ). Seems like a waste to put an AP in my garage just for a door opener lol.



Originally posted by killramos
I'm confused, with the kits it comes with 2 pieces that the instructions say go near the opener?

There is the big puck ( hub ) which talks to opener and connects to wifi. Then smaller puck which is the door sensor?

Can the big puck really be in my house across the yard and still work?

This is what I am talking about: http://www.chamberlain.com/smartphone-control-products/myq-garage/model-myq-g0201

This is what i am most familiar with when people reference MyQ.

Also what is the difference between that and this: http://www.chamberlain.com/smartphone-control-products/smartphone-connectivity/myq-internet-connectivity-kit

Which i think includes Ethernet connectivity ( which i can easily add with a powerline kit to my garage) ?

I looked on the weekend and my current dumb opener is a chamberlain liftmaster so because of that I should be able to use the ( cheaper ) second kit to enable MyQ functionality?



Originally posted by killramos
Doing some more reading it seems like the second link i posted ( MyQ Internet Connectivity Kit ) does exactly the same thing as the MyQ Garage Hub. But only works with their products. Bonus is that it uses Ethernet connectivity rather than WiFi which is better for me anyways.

Little more difficult to install, need to replace the garage door opener controller on the wall with a new "smart" Security+ controller ( 2 cables lol ) and then plug the internet connectivity thing into power and Ethernet somewhere nearby. It also has the ability to turn the opener light on and off automatically with motion sensing ( and the rest of the lights in the garage with an additional kit ) which is pretty convenient.

The hub based kit is less integrated, and just sends signals to the opener, whereas this kit is converting my existing system into a smart system. Using the liftmaster's own sensors and hardware to send the signals. But the Hub has the plus of being stupid easy to use and compatible with damn near any opener ever instead of just their own products.

Am I reading into this wrong?

You seem to be really over complicating this. I'm not sure if you mentioned this or if I missed it but does your current opener show the MyQ logo on it?

If so go buy this:
https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.myq-internet-gateway.1000663928.html

You don't need ethernet/wifi in the garage for this to work.

[phreezee]

On Schlage sale today: https://www.amazon.ca/Schlage-BE469NXCEN619-Touchscreen-Deadbolt-Intelligence/dp/B00AGK9KJQ/ref=lp_9283008011_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1465245866&sr=1-2

I'm on the fence. Life was cheaper when I didn't know things like this existed.:D

[lilmira]

thats good deal

[lilmira]

Anyone has problem with their homekit accessories with IOS10?

After updating the firmware and the Schlage Sense app, I can't communicate with my lock remotely now. It works fine still via Bluetooth obviously. May be I have to reinstall the app again :dunno:

[rage2]

They got rid of Apple TV 3 compatibility for remote access in iOS 10. You now need an Apple TV 4.

edit - ATV3 still supported, but with limited features.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207057

[lilmira]

Yeah that's what I have.

The lock is shown in the home app. Something glitchy is going on. I'll try resetting it from scratch.

[rage2]

Lemme know. I just picked one up today too, and hoping that my ATV4 (in basement) is close enough in range to make it work remotely. My ATV3 is showing as disabled in the Homekit settings.

[lilmira]

Removed the lock from my phone. Paired it again fine. Read the Homekit code again and that went fine, the lock is added to the Home app automatically. Works fine via Bluetooth with the Home app or Sense. Tried to get through remotely via my cell network, nothing. How do I know if remote access is on or off for homekit? I couldn't find the toggle switch. I'll have to ask Schlage WTH is going on.

[lilmira]

Ok fixed it now. Went to check my iCloud account on my Apple tv and my home is not shown there for some reason. Signed out and signed back in, my home popped up and the lock worked remotely. Yay I can unlock my door remotely now, so useful lol. It was more frustrating that I couldn't see the status of my lock remotely.

edit: spoke too soon, signed out my AppleTV accidentally, signed back in and my home is gone. :banghead:
Now I know it's an Apple problem.

[rage2]

Mines been working fine all night. Funny enough it stopped working after the firmware update too. Had to reset it from scratch.

[cet]

I’ve just installed a bunch of Caseta switches and dimmers in my place so I thought I’d update the thread with some more information and thoughts. Some of this may be repeated from what Rage and Killramos have said

Starting with the bridge you have the option of the Smart Bridge and the Smart Bridge PRO. The two main differences are that the PRO version can control a couple of other shades (Sivoia QS Triathlon and select Sivoia QS) and can integrate with select A/V and security systems.

The PRO kit, from Gescan is $223.44 and comes with the Smart Bridge PRO, a dimmer (non PRO), Pico Remote and a wall plate.
The Smart Bridge, from Lowes is $219.95 and comes with the Smart Bridge, two dimmers (non PRO), two Pico Remotes, and two wall plates.
I opted for the Pro kit for the added versatility.

Next up, dimmers and switches.

There are three, well now four, different options for dimmers and switches with Caseta.

Dimmer PD-6WCL regularly $82.10 on sale now for $59.97 or at Lowes for $64.99

This is the regular dimmer. It doesn’t need a neutral wire and works with compatible dimmable LED’s up to a maximum of 150W and incandescent and halogen bulbs up to a maximum of 600W. If you want to use it in a 3way situation you pair it with a Pico remote.

Dimer Pro PD-10NXD regularly $105.95 on sale now for $75.97

The PRO dimmer works with most types of lights and increases the maximum wattage. MLV up to 1000VA, compatible dimmable LED’s up to a maximum of 250W and incandescent and halogen bulbs up to a maximum of 1000W. One of the things I like about the PRO dimmer is the extra option you have to deal with a 3way location. As with the regular dimmer you can pair it with a Pico remote, however, you also have the option of pairing it with a regular toggle switch. I wasn’t excited about having a bunch of Pico’s mounted in the wall plates that would run out of battery and force me to take off the plate each time. So this was a perfect solution for me. That second location has to be an on/off toggle switch, you can’t use a dimmer. Since I plan to use my phone or voice to control the lights, this isn’t an issue for me.

Switch PRO PD-5WS regularly $87.29 on sale now for $69.97
Switch PD-6ANS

The two switches seem pretty similar. Both can use toggle switches in 3way stations and both can control fans. I installed one on my master bathroom fan.

The new one is the PD-5NE. This one looks like a Pico Remote but is a hardwired switch. Works with all load types, has a favourite button, but no option for a toggle switch in 3way.

A note about the maximum wattages. I just learned this whilst reading the instructions AFTER installing everything. All of the switches and dimmers have tabs on the side of them which make them wider than a normal switch. In the instructions they show removing those tabs when installing in a multi-gang box. What I didn’t read until after is that the more of those tabs you remove, the lower the maximum wattage becomes. For example, if you have one PRO dimmer by itself with the tabs intact you have a maximum wattage for halogen and incandescent bulbs of 1000W. Now let’s say you have three of those dimmers grouped together in the same box. You remove the tabs on one side for two of the dimmers and on both sides for the middle dimmer. Your maximum wattage for the outside dimmers has dropped to 800W and for the middle dimmer has dropped to 600W. Just something to keep in mind before removing a bunch of the side tabs if you don’t need to.

Overall I’m pretty happy with the system. I like that it will turn lights on for me when I return home so I don’t enter a dark house, or how I can set it to turn on and off lights when I’m away. I like that I can control it with Siri but have also looked at getting an Amazon Dot so I don’t have to pull my phone out.

I do wish I could control it a bit more though. This could be me not fully learning it yet but I can’t figure out how to get lights to turn off at a certain time. I can see where to schedule them to turn on but it doesn’t give you an option for turning them off. I would like to be able to do things like turn my Christmas Lights on at sunset and off at midnight or have a shower scene where when turning it on it turns on my bathroom lights and fan and then automatically turns off after 30 mins. Maybe that is something I can do with Home Kit.

[rage2]

Originally posted by cet
I do wish I could control it a bit more though. This could be me not fully learning it yet but I can’t figure out how to get lights to turn off at a certain time. I can see where to schedule them to turn on but it doesn’t give you an option for turning them off. I would like to be able to do things like turn my Christmas Lights on at sunset and off at midnight or have a shower scene where when turning it on it turns on my bathroom lights and fan and then automatically turns off after 30 mins. Maybe that is something I can do with Home Kit.
You can do it from the Lutron app or Homekit.

In the Lutron app on the main page, Press + under scenes, select Schedules, + again to add a schedule, name it, set the schedule and time, then select the lights you want to turn off and choose the off setting for that light.

On the Homekit side of things, you create a scene first, so press + on the main page and add scene. Add your accessories, then force touch (or hold down if you don't have force touch) to choose what you want to do (turn off) for each accessory. Once that's done, go to Automation, set up a schedule and choose that scene.

The advantage of doing it on the Homekit side is that the scene can use devices from different manufactures that's on your homekit. For example, my 11pm scene turns off outside lights, closes all my blinds, and locks my doors.

There is no automation (currently) that can turn something on for a set duration of time, then turn off. The closest is using the upcoming Hue motion sensor, but I'm not even sure if motion sensor can work under Homekit rules, or if it only works under Hue's rules for control. The motion sensor can turn on lights in certain time windows (ie only between sunset and sunrise) and turn off after no motion for a set period of time.

[phreezee]

Originally posted by phreezee



Originally posted by killramos
I'm confused, with the kits it comes with 2 pieces that the instructions say go near the opener?

There is the big puck ( hub ) which talks to opener and connects to wifi. Then smaller puck which is the door sensor?

Can the big puck really be in my house across the yard and still work?

This is what I am talking about: http://www.chamberlain.com/smartphone-control-products/myq-garage/model-myq-g0201


I have this one.
The hub goes on the garage ceiling and needs to be within wifi-range. The door sensor has to be in line of sight of the hub for it to sense if it's closed or open. So no, the hub cannot be in your house.

You can add lamp switches using the MyQ hub also... not sure if you can do that with the $119 one.


Update on this one.
New house has 2 MyQ compatible Liftmasters and I was able to use the Chamberlain MyGarage hub from the old house without the door sensors! So technically the hub could be in the house.

I've got 2 garage doors, a lamp and the front exterior lights working on MyQ now.

[cet]

Originally posted by rage2

You can do it from the Lutron app or Homekit.

In the Lutron app on the main page, Press + under scenes, select Schedules, + again to add a schedule, name it, set the schedule and time, then select the lights you want to turn off and choose the off setting for that light.

On the Homekit side of things, you create a scene first, so press + on the main page and add scene. Add your accessories, then force touch (or hold down if you don't have force touch) to choose what you want to do (turn off) for each accessory. Once that's done, go to Automation, set up a schedule and choose that scene.

The advantage of doing it on the Homekit side is that the scene can use devices from different manufactures that's on your homekit. For example, my 11pm scene turns off outside lights, closes all my blinds, and locks my doors.



So in the Lutron app I essentially have to set two schedules then. One for turning the lights on and one for turning them off. That seems a bit cumbersome but I guess will work no problem.

I haven't tried playing around with the Homekit scheduling yet because I don't have an Apple TV. My iPad is at home most of the time so I think I'll try setting that up as the hub for now.

I'm assuming when controlling everything through the Homekit you don't add any scenes to Lutron? That would help getting around the duplicate naming.

[rage2]

You can mix and match. Right now all my scenes and triggers are in HomeKit for simplicity sake but there are use cases to mix and match. For example, if you want a schedule to happen x minutes before or after sunset, HomeKit doesn't support this while Lutron does. A schedule like that would make sense sitting on the Lutron side.

[cet]

got it - thanks for clearing up some of the scheduling quirks.

[rage2]

No probs. Eventually HomeKit would incorporate more complexity in its allowable rules. We didn't even get sunset based triggers till iOS 10. In iOS 9 it only had sunset based time qualifiers (i.e. Enable scene when I arrive home between sunset and sunrise).

Edit - another interesting thing to note is scene naming for different manufacturers. While Lutron scenes do not export out to HomeKit scenes because of features such as sunset offsets, that may change in the future. Hue scenes all export to HomeKit. So as a general rule of thumb you should use unique names to not cause problems with future updates.

[cet]

Hopefully we will see more products and things will become more robust as more companies and consumers jump in to DIY home automation

[rage2]

Ya HomeKit and other iot/automation platforms are still in its infancy. HomeKit is not terrible where we're at today and it's gotten to the point where setup is a little convuluted but once it's setup the usability is simple enough that even kids can handle using it without help and reliable enough where there's very little maintenance after it's running. Probably the most mature single platform solution today with the exception of hardware support because of Apple being anal with security.

[ZeroGravity]

Setup the hue white ambiance kit as wake up lights in the kids' room as a test last weekend. Now I've ordered a Caseta kit. Thanks to you folks who've detailed how to "by pass" 3 / 4-way switches. More money gone :banghead:

Looking at the available kits / models in the Caseta line, I imagine I will have an excess of pico remotes in the future when I expand my setup. Bare in-wall dimmer for 65 or in-wall dimmer + remote for 70 :nut:

[Xtrema]

So with all these people with Hue systems, when are they going to be all bricked by someone doing Zigbee war flying or driving?

:rofl:

http://www.techhive.com/article/3138872/internet-of-things/researchers-hack-philips-hue-smart-bulbs-from-the-sky.html

[rage2]

The fix came out a month ago, I'm good to go. Until the next exploit. :rofl:

[cet]

Anyone having issues with apps not connecting to things at the moment?

It started yesterday in the afternoon; I'm having issues with three apps.

Telus Optik TV remote app and the app for my amplifier both won't connect to their respective boxes from my phone. However, both work fine when used on my iPad.

HomeKit takes forever to communicate with Lutron. It takes over a minute to update on the status of any lights or change the settings. Siri now just says that she hasn't had a response when trying to use voice commands to turn lights on and off. The Lutron app works fine from my phone.

I have tried rebooting the router, reconnecting to wifi, turning off my phone and starting it up again and nothing has worked.

[ZeroGravity]

Originally posted by cet
Anyone having issues with apps not connecting to things at the moment?

It started yesterday in the afternoon; I'm having issues with three apps.

Telus Optik TV remote app and the app for my amplifier both won't connect to their respective boxes from my phone. However, both work fine when used on my iPad.

HomeKit takes forever to communicate with Lutron. It takes over a minute to update on the status of any lights or change the settings. Siri now just says that she hasn't had a response when trying to use voice commands to turn lights on and off. The Lutron app works fine from my phone.

I have tried rebooting the router, reconnecting to wifi, turning off my phone and starting it up again and nothing has worked.

Probably unrelated, but for the past couple of days, my reprogrammed (using iConnect Hue) Philips Hue dimmer remote seems to be slow / unresponsive to trigger the Hue lights / strips. Hue app itself still seems to be fine most of the time, even though sometimes light status show unreachable. My lutron lights seems fine. Haven't checked homekit connection for either set.

[rage2]

No Homekit issues yesterday. Was actually demo'ing it to a neighbor. Worked fine both locally and remotely.

The Hue problem, I get this once every 3 or 4 months. I unplug and re plug in the Hue hub and it fixes it. Really annoying when it happens because the switches are all useless.

[ZeroGravity]

Originally posted by rage2

The Hue problem, I get this once every 3 or 4 months. I unplug and re plug in the Hue hub and it fixes it. Really annoying when it happens because the switches are all useless.

Good to know. Doing the light fade manually on the hue app while waiting for my son to fall asleep two nights on a row :( Will unplug the hue hub tonight.

[cet]

So whatever that issue was that I was having yesterday seems to have cleared itself up. When I got home yesterday everything was working as it should.

[rage2]

Originally posted by cet
So whatever that issue was that I was having yesterday seems to have cleared itself up. When I got home yesterday everything was working as it should.
Good to hear. Based on your description it sounded more like a wifi/network problem than a homekit problem.

[killramos]

Just as a review i finally added in the Lutron audio switches for my sonos system, they work great and the range is awesome. Working beyond the listed range for the caseta system ( from my basement all the way to the top floor ), i was a bit worried at first i would need to move the hub.

Must have add on for an integrated sonos system.

Hard to find in Canada so i had my brother order them from his wholesaler for ~43 each plus 10 bucks for the wall plate mounts.

I personally like just being able to hit the button on the wall rather than pull out my phone, unlock it, select sonos, select the room, play. This is much better.

[sillysod]

so do you guys find these "home owner" automation systems work well enough for you? I see a huge difference between the more costly industrial systems I put in to plants and the stuff you can get at home depot. I put in a hue system with 12 lamps, a nest stat and a couple wemo switches for the outdoor lights and I find I am constantly messing with them. I'm to a point where I'm debating swapping this shit out for a some proper HMI's. As soon as I'm out of town I get from my wife the non stop "I reset the router and now nothing works" and "the outside lights never came on" or the garage doors aren't connected anymore.

Is this kinda normal for this stuff and just par for the course or do I need to spend some time sorting this shit out? If this was going on at one of my customers sites I'd go bankrupt lol.

[rage2]

Originally posted by killramos
Just as a review i finally added in the Lutron audio switches for my sonos system, they work great and the range is awesome. Working beyond the listed range for the caseta system ( from my basement all the way to the top floor ), i was a bit worried at first i would need to move the hub.

Must have add on for an integrated sonos system.

Hard to find in Canada so i had my brother order them from his wholesaler for ~43 each plus 10 bucks for the wall plate mounts.

I personally like just being able to hit the button on the wall rather than pull out my phone, unlock it, select sonos, select the room, play. This is much better. Lutron's range has been nothing short of amazing here as well. Single hub goes to every single corner of the house with zero problems. Compared to the Hue hub (which uses zigbee) sitting right beside it, it couldn't go upstairs and 1 room over and I had to move the hub upstairs to a neighboring room. Lutron uses their own proprietary and patented wireless standard called Clear Connect and just works so well.

[rage2]

Originally posted by sillysod
so do you guys find these "home owner" automation systems work well enough for you? I see a huge difference between the more costly industrial systems I put in to plants and the stuff you can get at home depot. I put in a hue system with 12 lamps, a nest stat and a couple wemo switches for the outdoor lights and I find I am constantly messing with them. I'm to a point where I'm debating swapping this shit out for a some proper HMI's. As soon as I'm out of town I get from my wife the non stop "I reset the router and now nothing works" and "the outside lights never came on" or the garage doors aren't connected anymore.

Is this kinda normal for this stuff and just par for the course or do I need to spend some time sorting this shit out? If this was going on at one of my customers sites I'd go bankrupt lol.
It really depends what DIY setup you go with. If you're talking about components, like I mentioned in the last post, Lutron has been perfect here. Hue has been pretty good, I do need to reboot the hub here and there, but I have noticed since 2 firmware updates ago that I haven't had to reboot the hub at all. My Ecobee has been really solid as well, but every couple of months HomeKit can't talk to it and needs a reboot. My locks have so far been flawless after I replaced the original one which broke after a day. Wemo has been terrible for me. Laggy, and at times just doesn't work when I'm away from home. Your experience is typical based on the manufacturers that you went with.

For the centralized system that ties everything together, I wasn't a fan of Wink, although I hear it's gotten better. I chose HomeKit since my mobile devices are all Apple and zero problems now (it was glitchy for away from home control before the Apple TV4).

Like I said in the OP, DIY home automation is still catching up, it's not perfect but it's getting close. The huge factor was cost, a full on commercial HA system can easily set you back well into 5 figures, while DIY costs a fraction of that. You get what you pay for, and I'll bet in the next couple of years the functionality and reliability gap will close significantly. I've been toying with DIY setup for years now, and the last 12 months it's at a point where the wife and kids can use it without issues which is a massive improvement.

[killramos]

I was chatting with my brother this weekend who wants to get a few professional automation credentials so he can make a couple extra bucks on high end homes they are wiring that they usually bring in a third party to setup the controllers etc.

He really likes the Lutron Caseta stuff as well, at the end of the day if I wanted to I could upgrade the caseta hub to RadioRA ( which the Caseta system is just a stripped down version of ) and still use all of my remotes, switches etc. and be on a full pro automation system. But i wouldn't currently gain anything by it.

As long as you know the limitations going in and don't buy into an ecosystem based on vaporware promised features etc. you will have a good time.

The only trouble I have with the DIY stuff is its still expensive at the end of the day to retrofit, so i just do it in chunks replacing whatever it is bothering me this month and go from there.

End goal is have it working seamlessly and integrated enough to bump up the value of the house a bit when I sell.

If i was to build new i would definitely go with a full pro install like control4 or something. but thats $$$ too

[cet]

Control4 has come down a lot in price as well. My plan is to get a lot of the DIY systems in place (Lutron, nest, Sonos, etc) and then tie them all together with Control 4. I was talking to my alarm installer a couple of months ago. He mentioned that I could get one of the new EA-3's programmed, with a remote for something like $1800. I didn't think that was too bad.

[Buster]

I've got some legacy wire runs throughout the house from the old security system. I'm trying to determine if I can re-purpose these wires to power a usb port for a wall mounted android tablet for home automation purposes.

Any thoughts on this?

Perhaps a transformer in the equipment room running line to 24v, then through the wire, and a subsequent transformer at the destination to convert 24v to usb?

Thoughts?

[rage2]

Originally posted by Buster
I've got some legacy wire runs throughout the house from the old security system. I'm trying to determine if I can re-purpose these wires to power a usb port for a wall mounted android tablet for home automation purposes.

Any thoughts on this?
I had an iPad with the original 3rd party Homekit app running, and realized quickly that we never used it. Having to go to 1 place to set a scene gets tiring, and having a tablet in each room is a bit overkill and aesthetically terrible. We all had smartphones around us, a quick "Hey Siri" and the request or scene does the trick. As most of what we control are lights and blinds, I've added Lutron remotes that allows guests to controls favorite scenes. Much simpler solution.

[The_Penguin]

Originally posted by rage2

We all had smartphones around us, a quick "Hey Siri" and the request or scene does the trick. As most of what we control are lights and blinds,

Yeah, voice control is great.
We have our Amazon Echo integrated with the ISY automation controller.
Great to voice control blinds and outside lights.
This year it was extra nice to be able to say "Alexa, turn on Christmas tree."

[rage2]

The novelty of voice for Xmas lights wore off quick. I automated it to turn on when we got home or sunset, and turn off at 11 haha.

[pzuckermanaz]

Thanks for starting this great thread, Rage. I found lots of helpful info from you and others that have contributed. I know you didn't like Wink much when you tried it, but they improved it a lot since then. It no longer depends on the server when you turn lights on and off, so it's pretty much immediate now, even when used in conjunction with Amazon Echo (Alexa). In fact, there's not much discussion about Alexa in the thread, but I can't imagine not having voice control from virtually anywhere in the house without touching any device or remote. The low cost of the Echo Dot makes it easy to have in every room. I haven't tried Google Home, but I expect it's just a good. Can Siri listen to you from anywhere without touching anything? (I'm not as familiar with the Apple stuff).

[cet]

The issue with Alexa is that it's not readily available up here yet. When I am next in the States I am going to pick up a few of the dot's to bring back. I like the idea of not having to carry my phone around to control things.

Siri can listen without you touching anything but it has its limits. Sometimes it works well when I'm a few feet away. Other times it doesn't.

[The_Penguin]

The Echo hardware is surprisingly good at hearing voice commands from a distance, or from another room.

[TomcoPDR]

Anyone know if there're smart switches that can hack motorized items? (i.e. motorized item where you have to hold the up/down button to move an object)... any smart app enact devices out there? (not just an on/off smart switch)

[lilmira]

Anyone experienced the Apple TV switching on on its own? I'm suspecting that it's my neigbhour trying to airplay. I don't think they can actually do anything without the passcode. I used to have my Apple TV controlling my TV so that the TV will turn on or switch to the input whenever the Apple TV is on. Lately my Apple TV would randomly turn on when I'm watching cable. My TV would then switch to my AppleTV, annoying as hell. I have since turned the control off. I can still see my Apple TV turning on randomly.

[Thaco]

Originally posted by TomcoPDR
Anyone know if there're smart switches that can hack motorized items? (i.e. motorized item where you have to hold the up/down button to move an object)... any smart app enact devices out there? (not just an on/off smart switch) could be easily done with an arduino or esp8266 (i use the wemos D1 Mini) and a relay

[rage2]

Ikea's TRÅDFRI line added Homekit, Alexa and Google Home integration today.

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/search/?query=Tradfri

Much cheaper alternative to Philips Hue if you don't care about color changing.

[killramos]

MyQ also just added homekit support to their garage door openers with a retrofit hub.

[RX_EVOLV]

Moving into a 'new' (recently renovated) house this weekend and looking to do a bunch of DIY home automation to the house. Just picked up

1) Google Home
2) Ecobee 3 + extra sensors
3) August door lock
4) August door cam
5) Nest Protect
6) Receivers with built-in Chrome Cast (to control the in-wall speakers in the living room + basement).

In parallel I'm also looking into the following ( I need to do more research; what do you guys recommend here?)

Lights - It's all spotlights so looking to upgrade all the light switches to Wifi switches (WeMo or TP-link?) rather than Hue bulbs
Camera - Looking to setup Nest Cam or equivalent. Don't know too much about it yet.


Anything else I can easily DIY?