Beware of #SONOFF Products in #HomeAutomation. If you have a choice, don't buy them! The #eWeLink App refuses to populate the WiFi Network to pair new devices if you do not deactivate 'Private WiFi Address' (MAC randomisation), 'Limit IP Address Tracking' & activate 'Location Services' and give access to 'Precise Location' on iPhone. #HomeAssistant . They even published a blog article about it, recommending to deactivate these vital protections, instead of fixing the App. #ChinaCloud#SpyWare 🤦
@danie10 I went through the websites & docs and it appears a monumental mission - either there are remarks of 'no longer supported' or you need to solder wires or this or that. Gees, if it is no longer supported, remove it from the list #Blackadder . And why such a mission to flash a Camera, while it could be easily done via SD Card. Or I am to new to all of this, to grasp it all at once.
@pee well if setup once then it works OK. I did buy a small USB-serial adaptor ages ago, and the wires coming out have those socket connectors on. I may have had to solder those pin things onto the Sonoff switch (can't remember as it was years ago) and then just connect the adaptor and flash. But I do also recall that things got easier as updates just required a file to be copied and reboot the device.
I've now collected 4 of the 5 stones needed to complete the #smarthome protocol infinity gauntlet after deploying an #ESPHome device (#ratgdo) for the first time last night.
Once completed, I'll be able to decrease my home's electricity usage by 50% at the snap of my fingers.
You can automate much of your home and devices with a Raspberry Pi and open-source Home Assistant
This article is a worthy reminder that are already many things in your home which you can automate from garage door openers, to your home router, to a solar system, to lights, to speakers, and so much more.
Home Assistant has hundreds of ready to ...continues
@pee only if you expose it - mine is all in the LAN and if I want to connect from outsid ethen I just flick OpenVPN on in my phone, do what I need to, and disable OpenVPN.
For #Zigbee remotes for light controls, do you use bindings, or #HomeAssistant automations to control the lights?
Seems like bindings is might be good idea because the remotes will still work if HomeAssistant/Zigbee2MQTT is down, but it seems you also lose some flexibility in terms of what action a button press takes?
@mhamzahkhan Our goal of setting up home automation in the first place was to have light switches work as expression of intent in context rather than usual direct mapping, so everything is automation here.
I really like the idea of #HomeAutomation. However, the available software systems just do NOT do it for me. My smart thermostat has been blinking that it cannot connect to my wi-fi for weeks, my #HomeAssistant is out-of-date because updating it is painful, my Z-Wave adapter is currently not functioning properly because somehow the adapter stack can't talk to it, ...
We recently got a wifi-enabled hot tub. Some enterprising soul had already created a HA addon to work with it, so I set about implementing #observability, #automation and #alerting.
Amongst other things, it now starts heating automatically if there's plunge pricing on #octopusenergy Agile
@ben another monitors for dips in temperature which usually means the wind has blown the spa cover open and alerts us.
I also track total energy usage with a shelly on the circuit of the spa. Which is also useful for alerting if the spa starts consuming energy when it shouldn't
In ongoing #enshittification, IKEA have decided that you can't use their Home Smart #HomeAutomation system app without sharing usage information with them. This is something I am not happy to do
@pemensik I think the major difference is that this one is ready-to-go. You just turn it on and set up. It has a storage, case, passive cooling, HA+OS pre-installed...
I just needed a single-purpose device to run HA and figured this was a more comfortable way than assembling it using RPi.
Otherwise it doesn't have major advantages over RPi. It consumes a bit less energy AFAIK - 1,5-3 W compared to 4-5 W.
Hello #homeassistant#homeautomation people. Today i learned about rechargeable 2032 batteries. Can you recommend using them with devices like temperature/humidity sensors etc.? Are there chargers for all common cell sizes? I can google myself, i like to hear your stories.