r/smarthome

Hello, good evening. Not long ago I saw a TikTok video of a guy who bought a smart switch and, to avoid using the Chinese company's app, he deleted the data and installed new software.

I've tried searching to copy this, but I can't find it.

Does anyone have a similar video or know how to do it?

I want my whole house to work with the same Home Assistant system.

if i put sensor or magnet on the door frame, it wont work obviously.

i guess i have to drill 2 pockets, in the door and frame to completely hide the sensor/magnet, correct? im trying to avoid that as this is a steel door.

any other options?

https://preview.redd.it/o6umof20hdkh1.png?width=788&format=png&auto=webp&s=215754db5e5f2a54698a1ea734c59a1e4acbf200

The number of low-voltage devices we use has increased dramatically over the last few years.

They're everywhere now. At home, in businesses, labs, music studios and live setups, IT infrastructure, clinics, smart homes, security installations, etc.

Routers, fibre ONTs, switches, access points, cameras, Raspberry Pis, mini PCs, smart-home hubs, controllers and countless other devices all run on something like 5V, 9V or 12V DC.

But almost all of them are still powered the same way: a small AC adapter plugged into the mains for every single device.

And I think there are two problems with this.

First is power reliability.

Low-voltage electronics can be sensitive to surges, dropouts, brownouts and momentary outages. Their little AC adapters don't guarantee a truly continuous DC supply. A tiny interruption can be enough to reboot a router, ONT, controller, camera system or other device.

And these devices increasingly depend on each other.

Your camera may depend on the network switch. The switch depends on the router. The router depends on the ONT. A smart-home controller depends on all of them.

So one tiny power interruption can bring down a whole chain of equipment.

Then there's the physical mess.

Every device comes with another power brick. Before long you have 10 or 15 adapters, you've run out of sockets, you're adding power strips, sometimes strips into strips, and the whole installation starts getting ridiculous.

A traditional UPS isn't really designed around this problem either.

It typically takes DC energy stored in a battery, converts it up to 120/230V AC, and then every little adapter connected to it converts that AC straight back down to 5V, 9V or 12V DC.

So we're converting DC to AC, then to DC just to keep DC devices running.

There can also be a short transfer period when some UPS types switch to battery. Depending on the UPS and the adapter, that can still be enough for sensitive equipment to reboot.

So I've been wondering:

Would there be a real need for a high-quality UPS designed specifically for low-voltage devices?

I could find some of these UPS but they are small, can only power a couple of devices and don't seem to be of great quality. Battery is small and not replaceable.

Something that provides continuous battery-backed DC power directly to the equipment and replaces the pile of individual adapters with one central power system.

My thinking is that it should be modular, so you can add more outputs as your setup grows.

For example, modules for 5V USB-C devices and modules for 3V / 5V / 6V / 9V / 12V devices.

And every individual output could be monitored and controlled, so you could see:

- what each device is consuming

- whether it's online

- how much battery runtime you have

- which devices should stay powered longest during an outage

- and remotely power-cycle a single device if it freezes

Basically, one proper low-voltage power and backup system instead of an AC UPS + power strips + a pile of adapters.

I'm interested in whether this is something people actually need, not just whether it's technically interesting.

So I'd love to know:

1. Would you find a high-quality low-voltage UPS like this useful? Why or why not?

2. How many low-voltage devices would you typically want to protect?

4? 8? 12? 16? More?

3. What devices would you connect to it?

4. Assuming it was a genuinely well-designed, reliable, high-quality product with a replaceable LiFePO4 battery, modular outputs, monitoring and remote control, how much would you realistically be willing to pay for it?

And please be critical. If your answer is "I don't need this at all"* or *"I already solve this for $50", that's just as useful to hear.

I would like to build an always on calendar that shows what's going on each day. I live in an area that has lots of events, but looking them up manually is a pain, what options are out there that I could build for a small screen in the kitchen? TIA!

So I’m trying to automate my bathroom lights and I’m losing my mind a little.

My whole apartment is Philips Hue, except the bathroom, which has Amazon Basics smart bulbs. I also have the Hue Hub for everything else.

I just bought a Third Reality motion sensor, and I cannot get this thing to pair with Alexa at all. It won’t show up, won’t connect, nothing. I’ve tried resetting it, moving it closer, all that. No luck.

The whole reason I bought it is because the bathroom lights only work if the physical switch stays ON, and I’m tired of constantly saying:

“Alexa turn off the bathroom lights.”
“Alexa turn on the bathroom lights.”

I just want the lights to turn on when someone walks in. That’s it.

Am I missing something here?
Do I need a different sensor? A different hub? Are Amazon Basics bulbs just weird with motion sensors?

Any help would be awesome because I feel like I’m overthinking something super simple.

We’re building our first home, so I finally have a chance to set up a proper smart home.

I use iphone, but I don’t want 20 different apps or sensors everywhere. I’d rather focus on things that actually make everyday life easier.

For those who’ve done this before:
what would you plan during the build that’s hard to add later?
what product is a must-have?
what things that don’t seem exciting at first but end up being really useful?

Is there such a thing as a smart bulb if the light is hardwired I’m thinking specifically of the light at the front door. I’d love to be able to open it before I get home at night so that I have light to get in the house.

Do I have to do something with the wiring or can I just get a bulb that will do the trick? I have Siri and Alexa, if either one of those can tackle it.

Am right in the middle of planning significant renovations for my recently purchased subsale property (terrace house). It's decades old and I plan to re-do all the wiring, so obviously am considering how much tech/smarts to put in.

Based on r/HomeNetworking (stuff I'm more familiar with) I'm pretty set on ethernet to CCTV locations, every room, extra to the main living area (multiple computers), ceiling AP locations, and a central network closet.

Where I'm less familiar with is smart home things. I've only ever used wifi based stuff (like for turning on/off my split aircon unit remotely). I've been trying to read up on it, first I'll summarize the recommendations I've collated (based on what I expect to be useful to me, for example I don't ever expect to use a smart doorbell in my country), and then I'll list down some clarifying questions I have. Thanks to those who take the time to read/advise.

Recommendations:-

1. Make sure switches have neutral wires
2. Smart blinds
3. Speaker wiring
4. Presence sensing

Questions:-

1. Would neutral wires mean that I can just use normal LED strips/bulbs in the lighting fixtures themselves and all the smarts (whether on/off or dimmer) would happen in the switches? I guess the same would apply to ceiling/wall fans? Are the switches connected to HA by zigbee/matter?
2. I can't really find these wired in my country, the only thing I can find are those wireless motors which manually actuate existing blinds. From reading between the lines it appears this would just involve a single set of wires (not ethernet) to one side of the window? Where's the other end of those wires go to?
3. I've looked at whole-home audio and gotten scared off by scope and cost. Seems more reasonable to have alexa-like devices in certain rooms, and audio quality to be handled by wiring speakers to those devices. What sort of wiring is needed here? I saw mention of 14/4, 12/2, 14/2 but this all assumes a base level of familiarity which I lack. Audio cables for me means quarter inch, 3/8 inch etc.
4. Do all presence sensors just use zigbee/matter or similar? Is there an advantage for providing power points where such sensors should go (normally relatively high up I'd guess), or is POE even an option?

Thanks all, I'm having trouble wrapping my head around all of this.

Oh, and one last thing, I see a lot of recommendations for conduit, so just to say that yes I'm considering some form of conduit, but also that construction standards in my country (brick and concrete for all walls) makes conduit of any decent size much less attractive than in a drywall construction country, and I'm trying to wire once and for all rather than maintain flexibility for future fibre etc.

I’m setting up my first apartment and I’m pretty tech-savvy. I’ll be setting up Home Assistant as well, so I’m wondering which appliances are actually worth buying smart.

Would you recommend buying smart appliances from the start, or is it better to buy normal ones and make them smart yourself with sensors/DIY solutions? (Freezer, fridge, oven, washing machine, etc.)

I’m especially interested in:

• Which smart appliance has been genuinely useful?
• Which one you regret buying smart?
• Anything you can’t really replicate with DIY sensors?
• What you’d definitely buy smart again?

Would love to hear your experiences :)

When it comes to smart lighting/home automation in India, it feels like I know only one or two brands like Phillips Hue and Wiz. But there must be many more companies doing well out there.

So where is everyone else actually selling? Is most of this a B2B/project-based industry? or something else.

Do I as a customer would be dependent on my architect for a good brand? Genuinely curious how this industry actually moves product, since it's not obvious from the outside at all.

Hey everyone

I'm trying to show my wife that this is worth it &wanted to ask what the following smart house should be valued at if it:

*Never collects data as it's made independent from any big company

*keeps data local

*offers reminders based on where user is in the home *is integrated with food & battery household inventory *helps keep track of chores/division of said chores *helps keep track of medication/supplements taken & inventory

*connects to wearables that can show when user is not feeling well

*asks user if they want to make adjustments to home if user is not well & time of day *is contextually aware of where user is to be more helpful

*uses phone's gps to detect when user might the grocery list for a particular store Thank in advance

I'm looking for a lock for my workshop door that will unlock when I'm near it and doesn't require taking a key fob out. Anything like that on the market?

The issue is that I need to go in and out of this door a lot while carrying something in my hands and I want to prevent visitors and other family members from entering the workshop for safety reasons.

Hey guys I am looking for some input on what smart speakers to go in on, me and my wife just moved into our first house and we are looking to put some smart speakers around the house and we are torn between which ones we want to do. The only smart devices in the house we have as of now are a google neat thermostat and a Phillips door lock.

For the smart speakers I’m looking for them to link up together and be able to hook up to the TV aswell. We would only need about 3 speakers for the house and I am wondering which would be the best. Right now the only ones we really know of are Apple, Google, and Amazon home speakers and I’m wondering which ones yall would recommend.

Thank you!