r/smarthome

Hi all,

I am trying to add a ZBMINI to one of my light switches to make it smart but I'm not doing a very good job!

I have connected up the module and the existing switch works and the button on the ZBMINI also turns the light on and off. The problem comes when adding it to the eWeLink app or Home Assistant

I have a ZBT-2 and when I put the ZBMINI in pairing mode and search for it in Home Assistant (using the ZHA integration) it can't find the ZBMINI

Am I missing something?

Cheers,

Tom

Writing with the help of AI as english is nit my first language.

I'm just starting my smart home journey and could use some guidance.
Current setup: I have several Tuya smart switches (lights/fans) running on the Smart Life app. I also use Apple devices (iPhone/Mac/Apple Watch) for my daily tech, in case that matters for the platform.
The Goal: I want to start adding sensors (motion, door/window, etc.) to trigger automations. From my research, sensors from brands like ThirdReality or Aqara seem to be the community favorites.
The Problem: Is there a way to use ThirdReality or Aqara sensors to trigger my existing Tuya switches? What kind of hub or software (SmartThings, Homebridge, Home Assistant, etc.) would I need to make these mixed brands work together seamlessly?
Thanks in advance for pointing a newbie in the right direction!

thinking for a while on replacing the fridge and the memorial day french door refrigerator deals finally got me serious about it. our current one is way overdue and also we already have a decent smart home setup so i wanted something that actually fits into it, not just a fridge with an app that does nothing useful. spent a good chunk of last night going through specs and i still cant figure out whats a real feature vs just marketing. for anyone who has a smart french door fridge at home, did it actually change anything about how you use it day to day

I'm looking for a wifi switch to toggle some outdoor porch lights on/off over night. Any suggestions?

I have Home Assistant setup at home and normally use zigbee or z-wave for everything because of reliability issues with wifi in the past. But I'm setting this up elsewhere so all I can use is wifi.

I've heard good things about Shelly, so I'm considering one of their switches to turn a dumb switch smart. But I don't love that it results in the switch position being out of sync with the lights.

Ideally I'd use a full smart switch, but the TP-Link ones I've used in the past are hit or miss and all the brands I trust (Inovelli, Zooz, etc) don't do wifi.

I considered dusk to dawn light bulbs that have sensors built into the bulbs to automatically turn on/off when it's dark, but since these bulbs sit under a porch, I wasn't sure how reliable they'd be.

I’ve reached that point where my setup is getting a little too bloated and losing my mind trying to keep it organized. Started out simple with just some Hue bulbs and plugs, but lately I've added a smart lock, a Ring doorbell, and a couple of security cameras out front, plus some Aqara motion sensors to trigger the entryway lights when we walk in.

When it works, it's great. But lately it feels like a house of cards. There’s a 5 second delay between the camera seeing me and the door actually unlocking. My routines are starting to fight each other. Yesterday my roommate manually locked the door, but a stray motion sensor trigger overrode it and unlocked it again.

It's tiring to bounce between 4 different apps just to check on things.

Does anyone have suggestions to keep things "under control"?

I enjoy trying out new smart gadgets and I’ve been thinking more about how much data these devices might be sending out. Not in a paranoid way, just never really questioned it before.

Do people actually monitor or control this somehow, or just trust the default setup?

Hey everyone,

I’m part of a dev team currently working on a UI update for a smart security camera app, and we're at a crossroads regarding the main home screen design. Before we commit to a direction, I’d love to get some input from people who actually use multiple smart cameras daily.

We are testing two different design concepts for the device cards (see the attached comparison image).

• Option A (Minimalist UI): Maximizes the video feed size. The controls (Snooze, Events, Settings) are subtle, transparent icons overlaid directly on the video to keep the interface clean and focus on the live view.
• Option B (Quick-Action UI): Features a dedicated solid menu bar below the video. The buttons are separated with clear text labels for faster, more explicit navigation.

How to vote: Just drop an "A" or "B" in the comments.

What we really want to know: Beyond just a tally, we’d love to understand your UX preferences. From a usability standpoint, what makes your choice better for your daily routine? Do you prefer a larger, unobstructed view of your camera feeds, or do you value having settings instantly accessible with clear text labels rather than guessing icon meanings?

Any thoughts or critiques are highly appreciated. We want to build something that is actually intuitive for power users. Thanks!

https://preview.redd.it/fgehc7ogw82h1.png?width=3568&format=png&auto=webp&s=e7e7cedc0ca0d324f13ec5bee336ba8685a80130

Hey r/smarthome

Calgary gets enough random outages that I started thinking about what actually happens to my smart home gear when the power drops. HA server, cameras, network gear, it all just hard-shuts. Not great.

Picked up a used APC UPS off Facebook Marketplace for $40. Batteries were toast but the unit was fine, so I grabbed two replacement 12V 9Ah cells for about $80 and swapped them in. Picked up a cheap RJ50 by USB cable to connect to my router, maybe 10 minutes of work.

https://preview.redd.it/5xfnztdgxa2h1.png?width=1915&format=png&auto=webp&s=8d4714a6b39a96bc46cab5c46aa4eae8a40b2a75

Here's where it gets smart though. Set up NUT (Network UPS Tools) to monitor the battery and wired it into Home Assistant. Now I've got battery percentage, load, and estimated runtime right on my dashboard. Get a notification on my phone the second the power dips. When battery gets critical, everything shuts down clean automatically, no corruption, no babysitting.

https://preview.redd.it/oqcrtwxlxa2h1.png?width=828&format=png&auto=webp&s=a8f13a96aa2320b01d2380a739bf12256de81d13

Did a full test pulling the plug from the wall. HA picked up the outage instantly, sent the alert, and the whole stack came down in order. Power came back, everything booted clean. Here is the video i put together for those interested: https://youtu.be/Ts9vMLNeqgI

About $130 CAD total. The UPS itself is an APC Back-UPS, the used market is flooded with them because people toss them when the batteries die instead of just replacing the cells.

https://preview.redd.it/9r6ky02pxa2h1.png?width=1468&format=png&auto=webp&s=e85a221d7adb05439f6512a123b01cc22ca735fa

What are you guys doing for power protection on your smart home setups? I feel like this doesn't get talked about enough considering how much we all depend on this stuff staying online.

I’m renting with roomates and we currently don’t have access to 2.4ghz. I want smart bulbs tho. Any ideas?

Hey all,

I'm doing some research around smart thermostats and wanted to know your thoughts. What's your favorite feature that's unique to your smart thermostat and what's the thing about it that drives you crazy?

I'm really not sure if what I want is even possible.

I have five lamps spread across four different outlets in a large living room.

I would like to be able to turn them all on at the same time with some sort of smart plug. Ideally it would have a dimmer for them all at the same time.

I don't mind setting it up with my phone but once it's set I don't want to have to go to my phone to turn it on and off. So it would need some sort of physical switch or remote.

Timer functionality would be nice but not as important as dimming functionality.

Is there a recommended brand that can do this (as simply as possible)?

I never paid much attention to window cleaning before. If the glass didn’t look obviously dirty, I just ignored it. But earlier this year I visited a friend’s apartment with huge floor-to-ceiling windows, and the whole place felt way brighter and more open than I expected. I didn’t realize clean windows could change the feel of a space that much.

They were also using a window cleaning robot, which was the first time I’d seen one in real life instead of online. Watching it move around the glass by itself was honestly kinda interesting lol. After a while it stopped feeling gimmicky and just felt like another smart home device quietly taking care of a chore in the background. Do you guys think window cleaning robots are becoming more common in smart homes now, or are they still pretty niche?

I'm kinda new to this and feeling overwhelmed with the abundance of sw. I am in pursuit of making my own AI assistant. I would like to use it (voice controlled):

- simple automation tasks

- play music from a local hdd

- chat (general conversation)

It would be nice if I could choose or configure its voice.

Ill need to be able to add my own scripts in python or c# to integrate various other devices.

For the hardware I would like to use an Elitedesk minipc with a i5 7500 CPU, 16GB Ram, sdd but no graphic card.

I've just started to fiddle with ollama and open claw. But its soooo slow and I think it might be overkill for what I'm trying to achieve.

I don't own a rpi and I would like to use the hw I already have. Unless it's impossible or way too complicated compared to other hw solutions. Still, I would consider changing the hw if it greatly simplifies the project.

Can you guys help me out ? Thanks in advance

So I want to setup some smart bulbs for my room, I have the Apple HomePod mini. I bought the Phillips hue bulbs. Specifically making sure they work with Apple home. I was disappointed to find I still need to buy the bridge (unless I had Alexa). Even worse, I bought them in the US and even though I’ve not had any issues yet, I’m worried they’d burn out soon cause I saw they’re 120V bulbs. (I’m in the UK so they’re basically a waste of money now 🙂)

So basically I have to start all over and I need recommendations for bulbs. I want my system as simple as possible. I want bulbs that I can put in a lamp and they work when I say ‘hey siri’, without me using shortcuts or buying a hub or any of that. Please please please give me your recommendations.

For stuff like lights or cameras, I don't really care if the brand is newer. But for a front door lock, I feel way more cautious.

Would you personally stick with bigger brands you already know, or would you try a newer smart lock brand if the features and reviews looked solid?

Renting an apartment in Finland with a dimmer switch that I can't replace. Want to install a Govee Smart Ceiling Light Pro but dimmers and smart lights don't mix. Govee support confirmed it needs a regular switch. Bypassing the dimmer with Wago connectors would likely void my home insurance since DIY electrical work isn't allowed here without a license. What would you do, bypass anyway, or just leave the dimmer at max and hope nobody touches it?

I recently purchased a Smartwings Roller shade, and I'm really impressed by how the shade was sent.

First, the box was strapped (a LOT of straps!), has corner protectors, and has the expected battery warning and fragile stickers.

One long box!

Danger Will Robinson...

Taking off the straps, I found out that there was an inner box. This was marked with the info about my shade, and the room for which it is intended. (This is really great if you are planning to do your whole home, as you will immediately know what goes where.)

Still, double boxing to protect the product. Very nice!

The inner sanctum...

You can see on the label that it is a Zigbee controlled motor. That is what Smartwings / Amazon uses to do the integration. So you will need an Amazon Eco device that has a built-in Zigbee hub to make that connection.

I already had an Amazon Echo (4th Gen) so that was an easy thing. It has a Zigbee hub inside it.

Don't use knives. You will, so be careful.

Opening THAT box, there is even more protective packaging, bubble wrap, instructions, parts, and (of course) the roller shade. They also include a charging cable (USB-C) that is REALLY long for the battery operated models.

For those that ask: "Where is the motor and connectors?"... the answer is it is all IN the roller itself.

Sanitized for your protection...

Mounting stuff and the USB -C cable

I have to say if you order a Smartwings shade, you will absolutely get what you ordered, and in great shape.

---------------------

Now, how doe it look installed?

* - In our big window, open. You can see the shade up there, tucked in right by the frame.

They really are unnoticeable when open.

Can't even tell...

* - Half shut (to give you an idea of what it looks going down, should you want a close-up.

Nicely transparent AND private!

* - video of the shade closing based on Alexa command

\"Alexa\" warning: when you play this video, Alexa will try to close your shade! :)

One weird thing: Smartwings thinks a shade is "closed" when it is rolled up. And "open" when it is fully extended.

You can change that with an Alexa command, and I did, as my wife wanted "open" to mean that... well... that the the shade was open! 😄

So, not really a problem, just a thing to know.

I have to say that I am really happy with this purchase and saved a TON of money compared to the competitors.

Ask me anything!

Vincent