What Else Can We Be Doing?

R.O.R

The far end of the kitchen from the window can get very dark (not a huge kitchen but decent size), and it's a corner I have a Tradfri bulb in, so I repurposed an old Android phone I had to use as a light sensor.

Easiest option I could find was the IP Webcam app. Phone is in the kitchen window so I can see the back garden if I want. Once the light sensor says its less than 125 lux at the window, I have homeassistant turn on the light in the dark corner.

Has to be less than 125 lux for 1 minute before the light comes on and above for 2 minutes before the light goes off, and there has to be someone home for it to trigger.

Marlow

R.O.R wrote: »

I have a Tradfri bulb in, so I repurposed an old Android phone I had to use as a light sensor.

Isn't that a bit overkill, when an Ikea Trådfri montion sensor only is 20 EUR ?

/M

Bluefoam

R.O.R wrote: »

The far end of the kitchen from the window can get very dark (not a huge kitchen but decent size), and it's a corner I have a Tradfri bulb in, so I repurposed an old Android phone I had to use as a light sensor.

Easiest option I could find was the IP Webcam app. Phone is in the kitchen window so I can see the back garden if I want. Once the light sensor says its less than 125 lux at the window, I have homeassistant turn on the light in the dark corner.

Has to be less than 125 lux for 1 minute before the light comes on and above for 2 minutes before the light goes off, and there has to be someone home for it to trigger.

This strikes me as a hobby rather than smart home implementation... It sounds like you are trying to prove an idea, rather than simplifying things...

My belief is that the smart home is not ready for mainstream yet... It's still way too expensive, requires way too much tinkering and the software interface is a nightmare for the average person.

Marlow

Bluefoam wrote: »

My belief is that the smart home is not ready for mainstream yet... It's still way too expensive, requires way too much tinkering and the software interface is a nightmare for the average person.

If you want it on the cheap, then you have to tinker.

If you don't want to tinker, then you have to pay your way.

Simples. Every house is different. There is no one fits all solution. And it also is a question on how much you want to integrate or not.

And then there's the issue, what happens if any component fails ? Is there a fallback way of switching stuff or not. A lot of people don't think about that. A lot of professional implementers don't even think of that.

I've seen 5 digit worth of smart home stuff being ripped out, because whoever implemented left no fallback solution and one simple unit failed and took the whole system down for days without being able to get a replacement.

I mean literally to the point, where said person had to run extension leads throughout the house, because no sockets, no lights, nothing worked anymore.

By building it yourself and learning about your own system on the go, at least you know, what is needed to fix it or circumvent it, should you ever need to do so.

/M

Bluefoam

Marlow wrote: »

If you want it on the cheap, then you have to tinker.

If you don't want to tinker, then you have to pay your way.

Simples. Every house is different. There is no one fits all solution. And it also is a question on how much you want to integrate or not.

And then there's the issue, what happens if any component fails ? Is there a fallback way of switching stuff or not. A lot of people don't think about that. A lot of professional implementers don't even think of that.

I've seen 5 digit worth of smart home stuff being ripped out, because whoever implemented left no fallback solution and one simple unit failed and took the whole system down for days without being able to get a replacement.

I mean literally to the point, where said person had to run extension leads throughout the house, because no sockets, no lights, nothing worked anymore.

By building it yourself and learning about your own system on the go, at least you know, what is needed to fix it or circumvent it, should you ever need to do so.

/M

I didn't mean that as a negative... I agree that if you want to do it cost effectively then you can tinker... However, I don't agree that you can spend allot of money and have a straight forward solution. I don't think that second option is viable. You still need to tinker... The interface in consumer level automation is not ready.

Marlow

Bluefoam wrote: »

You still need to tinker... The interface in consumer level automation is not ready.

That's for sure. And that is why professionally solution (Control4 and others) often more go wrong than good.

/M

R.O.R

Marlow wrote: »

Isn't that a bit overkill, when an Ikea Trådfri montion sensor only is 20 EUR ?

/M

This cost nothing at all though.

Not exactly something which really had to be done but makes things easier, which is surely the whole point of home automation?

Marlow

R.O.R wrote: »

This cost nothing at all though.

Not exactly something which really had to be done but makes things easier, which is surely the whole point of home automation?

I guess, I also look at optics.

Do you have said mobile on a charger or does it need to be charged regularly? That is what would make or break it for me. Most of the motion sensors get along for a year on one battery and I can monitor their battery state in OpenHAB, so it will notify me of the fact.

I would prefer a wired solution, but the only one i found so far is the one for the Echo Flex and it's implementation requires internet access and a rather crude access implementation through the amazon website, so that killed that one for me.

/M

R.O.R

Marlow wrote: »

I guess, I also look at optics.

Do you have said mobile on a charger or does it need to be charged regularly? That is what would make or break it for me. Most of the motion sensors get along for a year on one battery and I can monitor their battery state in OpenHAB, so it will notify me of the fact.

I would prefer a wired solution, but the only one i found so far is the one for the Echo Flex and it's implementation requires internet access and a rather crude access implementation through the amazon website, so that killed that one for me.

/M

Phone is plugged in to a USB port next to the window it sits in so no need to charge, or even touch once it's set up.

Marlow

R.O.R wrote: »

Phone is plugged in to a USB port next to the window it sits in so no need to charge, or even touch once it's set up.

That's fair enough so. Just the optics, that would bother me. But hey .. that's me.

/M