Best Way to Get into Smart Home Automation?

Opaquer on 30/10/2022 - 14:50

Hey guys

So, my wife and I have had some talks and decided that we want to start looking into smartifying our house for the first time. I've had a bit of a look at some options though and while there's a huge market for just about everything elsewhere in the world, it seems like we're a little behind on some of the stuff you can get in other places, and I'd just like to get some advice from all the other smart home users out there.

The first thing is how to connect to everything. I have an android and my wife has an apple phone, so we'd need something to work with both. I like the idea of something local like HA if the internet goes down, but that's a lot more work and effort than just getting a google hub or amazon alexa etc. That said, I currently have a spare media PC that's on 24/7 that I could probably install HA on without having to get a pi (I think you can install HA on a windows computer through docker for windows, right?) - has anyone done this and had it work well? The only issue is we have some things already (a TV with google, for example), so we'd need a way to integrate everything into one handy thing if possible. Also should I go with wifi for everything or try to find zigbee/z-wave stuff instead if I can?

Next though are the big things - we would prefer everything we get to have a backup if we don't want to use our phones for everything; so having a way to manually turn lights on/off is a big thing, and feel like it'll probably be easier to keep our lights dumb and install smart switches. Does anyone have any good recommendations on smart switches that can still be used manually? I saw the Shelly relays around and they look like they might be good, but not sure what else is around that people have had success with?

Lastly is expandability - if we wanted more things down the line like a door lock, making the garage/air con smart, and all that stuff, how has everyone gone about that? I know HA can integrate to a lot of things, but what options have people gone with that we can get down under here to make things smart that aren't already?

Sorry if these are all basic questions, I'm very new to this stuff and just trying to make sure we do it right rather than just having a paperweight in 6 months that we don't use. Also, let me know what smart tech you guys have in your houses and how it's been going! I'm super excited to get into this and have some cool ideas for what I'd eventually want the place to do, it's just a matter of getting there that's the issue.

Thanks in advanced

Electrical & Electronics Home Automation

Comments

  • websterp on 30/10/2022 - 15:25
    +4

    Have played, tinkered and installed a lot of smarthome gear including HA, Hubitat, Control4 and a plethora of Tuya and ESP based devices. If you are just starting with home automation I'd suggest holding back a bit longer without making a serious investment and committing to an ecosystem right now. This has just started but very soon Matter support would be widespread and quite possibly become cheaper once the Chinese manufactures jump onboard.

    Not saying Matter would be the be all and end all smart home solution as no one knows if it would end up being another smartthings but so far the signs are positive and all the big players in the industry seem to be supporting it.

    • Opaquer on 30/10/2022 - 17:53

      I've heard a lot about matter but my main concern is how many devices will we get down here that'll work with it? I'm mainly worried it'll be great overseas but here we'll not have access to as many devices

      • websterp on 30/10/2022 - 18:59

        Matter is predominantly a standard so multiple smart devices from multiple manufacturers can work together and integrate with multiple smart home assistants seamlessly, eliminating all the issues you have pointed out in the OP (multiple Apps, operate without internet, Apple & Android support, etc.) so there is no such thing called lack of features in Australia.

        Once this is properly established and widespread (there are Matter supported devices already in the market and rapidly growing) you'll be able to ask Google to turn on a light and later Siri could turn it off, all without multiple Apps or hubs or internet.

        • Opaquer on 30/10/2022 - 20:08

          That's true, but if I want a matter smart door handle I'll just have to wait for someone to make it, and same with smart switches and whatnot. Not the end of the world, but it just means waiting an unknown period of time for matter to be widespread enough that we'll get versions of the more complex hardware that can be installed by a sparky - then it just comes to figuring out whether we want to wait for that

  • bobbified on 30/10/2022 - 15:36
    +3

    I started doing it for fun with Philips Hue lights, but the fun ran out quite quickly because there was nothing else that was worth automating other than lights, entertainment system, blinds, aircon, security cameras etc. The stuff I have still works if the internet goes down.

    There are things like internet-connected fridges etc, but I find that stuff to be quite useless. It's like they've thrown in connectivity in there because "everyone else is doing it" to their products (rather than adding it for any useful functions). I can't see myself standing in front of the fridge to search for recipes etc - that's what tablets can be used for.

    • Opaquer on 30/10/2022 - 18:08

      Yeah, I agree about most smart devices like fridges and whatnot. Just seems silly - I'd rather spend less on a non smart device and spend the rest on a tablet or something else like you suggested

      And with your stuff you have, can you use it with manual switches or can you only use it with phones/devices etc?

      • bobbified on 30/10/2022 - 18:14

        I've got remotes for the things I have like lights and blinds. The remotes link to the hub that is connected to the internet. The remotes work with the hub even without internet connectivity. Without internet, I just lose remote usage and usage of the apps on my phone (even when connected in the same network)..

        • Opaquer on 30/10/2022 - 18:16

          Ah, that's clever. Are the remotes part of the Philip set up? So they all connect together?

          • bobbified on 30/10/2022 - 18:20

            @Opaquer: Yes.. Philips have remotes as part of their system - they're optional, but it's good to have in case the internet does go out. I've got one remote for each "area" that I've got setup and sensors for the balcony and the main entry point. The sensors act as remotes and still work when the internet is down.

            I should also point out that when the internet goes down, voice activation through Alexa (which is what I mostly use) also doesn't work.

            • Opaquer on 30/10/2022 - 18:50

              @bobbified: Hmm, after reading that maybe something like Philip hue isn't quite for me - the remotes for when internet doesn't work sound good, but we'd prefer to have a manual way to control it.

              Also I guess if it's something local like HA then I can still use voice if it's set up correctly, though we probably wouldn't, but at least the option is there

              • bobbified on 30/10/2022 - 19:32

                @Opaquer:

                but we'd prefer to have a manual way to control it.

                How would you manually control it? For all smart things, the power has to be constantly connected, except for where you replace the actual power switch with a smart power switch. The remotes have physical buttons and the only time they won't work is if the Hue Bridge damaged/broken or there's no power (which means no lights anyway! haha)

                One of the key things I had to consider was the ability for an 'outsider' to come in and work out the basics. I'm in a CBD apartment, so whenever I'm away, I hand over my keys to friends who might want to use the place. The remotes like this work well and give other people a sense of familiarity so I don't need to teach them anything.

                • Opaquer on 30/10/2022 - 19:58

                  @bobbified: I've seen some smart set ups that you can control lights using smart switches, but the smart switches have a manual backup and act like a normal switch if you turn it off/on, as if there's no smart component there at all. Shelly is a company that advertises some relays to make normal switches smart, while also allowing manual control, which sound good in theory, but it's hard to know for sure.

                  Also with the remotes, they seem OK, but not the solution for us I think. If the remotes get lost, we're in trouble, and some people who might be staying over aren't tech savvy at all (I had to point out to mum which button on her new TV remote was the power button), so while they do solve a lot of issues we have, I think it's not quite everything unfortunately

                  • bobbified on 31/10/2022 - 16:32

                    @Opaquer:

                    I've seen some smart set ups that you can control lights using smart switches,

                    Yes, there's those too, but there's advantages and disadvantages to that as well. For example, it'll be cheaper to go down that path, but you can only control on and off and possibly "dimming". You won't be able to modify the bank of lights that that particular switch controls. (The allocation of a particular light to that switch is hardwired). It will come down to what your own needs are.

                    Also with the remotes, they seem OK, but not the solution for us I think. If the remotes get lost, we're in trouble, and some people who might be staying over aren't tech savvy at all

                    For the remotes I've got, when I'm away, I just put them back on the wall where the old light switches were. It's literally a button that's no different to what was originally there before I fitted out all the smart lights. It's just got the added convenience of being able to remove the remote off the wall. In the event that one gets damaged or lost, it's a simple reassignment of a new remote in the app (I've got a couple of spare lights and remotes in the cupboard for this).

  • CheapandUsed on 30/10/2022 - 15:52
    +2

    Have you sat down and thought about what and why you want to automate something around the home?

    That would be the best place to start, then working out what products are needed to achieve it before deciding between hubs and brands

    • Opaquer on 30/10/2022 - 18:11

      We have - at this stage we'd like some lights to be automated/controlled through our phones, and down the line would also like a smart speaker. We'd also like to be able to control our TV from our smart set-up, and maybe turn our garage door smart if it's not too expensive to do it?

      At this stage that's what we want to do, but not necessarily all at once, but we might also want to expand that down the line for things like door sensors and whatnot.

      • bobbified on 30/10/2022 - 18:27
        +1

        We'd also like to be able to control our TV from our smart set-up

        This bit is not as good as it sounds. For turning on and off, it's good, but for things such as changing the channel and volume, I find that it's much more practical to use the actual remote for the TV.

        maybe turn our garage door smart if it's not too expensive to do it?

        This is probably the easy one - the popular switch for this seems to be the meross that's quite cheap and easy to do.

        • Opaquer on 30/10/2022 - 18:54

          Yeah, I don't think I'd want to do anything to crazy, but things like opening YouTube and putting music or videos on, or choosing to play something through Netflix etc would be good. I haven't tried to use voice control with the TV yet, but from the way it was describing it when we set up the TV, it sounds like we can do that

  • boomramada on 30/10/2022 - 17:44

    You need to be clear on what you want to achieve then invest on tech that supports it.

    HA on a Pi (ssd as storage) is more than enough.

    Some good info here as well https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/723494

    • Opaquer on 30/10/2022 - 18:14

      I replied to another comment saying it, but at this stage we'd like a system to handle some lights through our phone/voice, but also having manual ways to control them in case. But we'd also like to have a smart speaker, controlling our TV and maybe smartifying some doors down the line either with sensors or smart door handles etc

      The issue I'm struggling with for HA is finding smart things that work with it?

      • boomramada on 30/10/2022 - 18:24

        HA support https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/smartthings/

        You dont need to have HA based on your requirements. HA is like putting all together and adding the automation.

        • Opaquer on 30/10/2022 - 18:46
          +1

          I thought something useful about HA would be being able to control everything from one app - imshoukd have mentioned before but it seems silly to have multiple apps to control everything, so thought HA would help

          • websterp on 30/10/2022 - 18:54

            @Opaquer: For your proposed setup HA would be totally overkill. Yes you will have multiple Apps to configure the devices initially but for a handful number of smart devices just use Google Home once those are linked. That would be the one and only App you'd need from that point onwards on both Android and Apple.

      • OldSchoolHarry on 30/10/2022 - 19:54

        What do you mean? Home Assistant allows smart devices from many-many brands and protocols to work from a single app. WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave and even Bluetooth devices can be integrated in HA. All major brands have HA integrations.

        • Opaquer on 30/10/2022 - 20:06

          That's what I like about HA, but it's been hard to know what physical devices we can get here that I can get a sparky to install - like if I get some Shelly relays for example, how well they'll work and get installed etc

          • OldSchoolHarry on 30/10/2022 - 20:19

            @Opaquer: All Arlec/Grid Connect switches from Bunnings work well but they are WiFi based (which could be good if you don't want a hub but it is always better to go Zigbee for easy local control). You can attach a Zigbee receiver such as Conbee II to Rpi or PC for integrating Zigbee devices into HA.

            In terms of Zigbee light switches and power points, look at Mercator ikuu zigbee range. It seems very promising and I will likely get it installed soon.

            You can also look at Ikea Tradfri or Phillips Hue range for Zigbee devices that are supported in Homekit and HA alike.

            • Opaquer on 30/10/2022 - 22:09

              @OldSchoolHarry: Thanks for the suggestions, I'll check them out!

              The Mercator range sound good - will check it out and see what they look like!

              I like the idea of zigbee/Z wave but if I went that route I'd have to get a pi, right? Or can I get a controller and plug it into my computer and run HA through docker?

              • OldSchoolHarry on 30/10/2022 - 22:39

                @Opaquer: You can plug it into your PC’s usb port.

                • Opaquer on 31/10/2022 - 00:37

                  @OldSchoolHarry: Ah, that sounds perfect then! I might have to have a look into it and see how it all works on windows docker and see what I can get set up!

              • boomramada on 31/10/2022 - 17:11

                @Opaquer: HA through docker is the best way, easy to maintain when something goes wrong. I got HA in docker in RP, been using for years without any issue.

                And always have a backup plan, HA usually get upgrades for security patches, as a result other bits can breaks. HA sux on backwords compatibility at times. Hence avoid HA if your system is smaller. Plus configuration get complex when you need to integrate HA with google, unless you need to use their paid service, that's where you need to setup SSL, dynamic domain etc.

                If you don't have any zwave, try use Shelly. zwave good but very expensive. I got zwave, preform better but fricken expensive. Based on the review and comments, Shelly do the same job cheaper.

                Always have a goal, mine is to set and forget. Don't need to water the garden during winter/summer or raining, Don't need to check doors are locked when I'm out or no need to worry about turning on/off the AC ever.

                • Opaquer on 01/11/2022 - 09:38

                  @boomramada: Awesome, thanks so much - I'll keep that in all in mind!

  • Hargain Bunter on 30/10/2022 - 19:56
    +10

    All good questions, apologies in advance for the verbose reply, here’s a TL;DR:
    Home Assistant is great but time consuming. Run it on your existing server. All protocols have their pros/cons, you don’t have to stick to one option. Matter should be good for the industry, but there are no devices yet. There are many ways you can make dumb devices smart.

    The first thing is how to connect to everything. I have an android and my wife has an apple phone, so we'd need something to work with both. I like the idea of something local like HA if the internet goes down, but that's a lot more work and effort than just getting a google hub or amazon alexa etc.

    Home Assistant is great in that it can bring many different manufactures’ devices together and can make them easily controllable for both the Apple HomeKit ecosystem and the Android Google Home ecosystem. If you buy a device that is supported by Home Assistant, even if it doesn’t natively support Google Home or Apple HomeKit, Home Assistant can expose the devices into those platforms. I use Home Assistant, Google and Apple together.

    I use Home Assistant mostly as an central hub and automations engine, I also use it to provide additional data and dashboards. I use Google primarily as a voice assistant and for multi-room audio. Lastly, I use Apple HomeKit mostly for manually controlling devices and scenes as it has a nice user interface and is built into iPhones/iPads.

    You’re correct that Home Assistant will be a lot more work than just using Google Home or Amazon Alexa, or Apple HomeKit. However, it will provide you with much more flexibility in automations, a greater range of devices, local control (faster, more reliable control and better privacy) and potential to support a devices after the manufacturer stops their support.

    I currently have a spare media PC that's on 24/7 that I could probably install HA on without having to get a pi (I think you can install HA on a windows computer through docker for windows, right?)

    As you’re already running an always on media server, you likely already have the technical know-how to learn Home Assistant. The downside for Home Assistant is the time it takes to learn, and keep it updated, while keeping it running smoothly. For me, it is worth the cost, and I have really enjoyed it. As you might be able to tell from this post, I have gone a little wild and turned home automation into an enjoyable hobby.

    I run HAOS on a Pi 4, but running it on your existing server would be a good option. It would likely have much more power than a Pi, and you don’t have to go through the trouble of sourcing one. The Home Assistant dev team seem to be pushing running HAOS in a virtual machine as their preferred, and most supported installation method on Windows. I don’t have experience running in HA Core in Docker, but know it is a supported—yet slightly more technical installation method. Having said that, if you already have experience running Docker, that method should be fine.

    Also should I go with wifi for everything or try to find zigbee/z-wave stuff instead if I can?

    As @websterp said, a new smart home standard called Matter has just been finalised a few weeks ago and in the next few months we should start to see Matter devices hit the market. Matter is an interoperability standard that Google, Amazon, Apple, SmartThings, Nabu Casa (Home Assistant), Signify (Philips Hue), Ikea, Aqara, Tuya and many other smart device manufactures have been working on for the past few years. The goal is to have one standard that everyone uses. Devices be locally controlled and should “just work” with all platforms. Matter will communicate over a newer protocol called Thread as well as Wifi/Ethernet. It’s still very early days, but I’m hopeful that the standard will be a success and improve the smart home experience for users.

    I currently run almost all of the common smart home protocols. I have Wifi/Ethernet, Zigbee, Bluetooth, 433Mhz and Infrared devices. I also have some Thread Border Routers, but no Thread devices yet. I have just ended up with many different types as I like a bargain, and Home Assistant brings them all together.

    Personally if I was starting my smart home now, I would be trying to buy devices that support Matter, especially if the device is expensive, it needs an electrician to install it, or needed me to cut a hole in my house to fit it. That said, there aren’t any Matter devices available yet, just promises from vendors on some existing devices getting Matter support in the future. The Matter 1.0 standard only covers a subset of smart devices and including Light bulbs and switches, Smart plugs, Smart locks, Safety and security sensors, Media devices including TVs, Smart blinds and shades, Garage door controllers, Thermostats and HVAC controllers.

    Notably it does not include camera/doorbells, robot vacuums, kitchen appliances, or energy monitoring devices. So, I wouldn’t suggest waiting for Matter devices in those categories, because they could be years away.

    If you’re itchy to get started, I think Zigbee and Z-Wave will still be supported on Home Assistant for a very long time. Wifi devices sometimes rely on vendor’s cloud services to operate, so are subject to issues with cloud, internet and vendor deciding to end support. So you’ll need to find out how they operate, and if they can be controlled locally. The Home Assistant documentation lists if integrations rely on local or cloud connectivity.

    In addition to the local/cloud connectivity, each protocol has it’s pros and cons. Wifi means you don’t have to buy any additional hubs or dongles, but as you get more devices you may have to upgrade your router / access points. Wifi devices can also have a slightly higher security risk if they do not have firmware patches or are not appropriately firewalled. Wifi devices require a lot more power, so are not great as battery powered sensors.

    Zigbee, Zwave and Thread require less power, so are better suited for battery powered devices. They can create a mesh network, which allows communication to be relayed between mains powered devices back to the Zigbee coordinator/hub or Thread border router. For example, if I had a Zigbee leak sensor in my garage, just out of range from my coordinator/hub, I could install a Zigbee light switch or smart plug at the halfway point. This would extend my network and give ability to communicate with the sensor. Both Zigbee and Thread operate on the 2.4Ghz spectrum, which is also shared by Wifi and Bluetooth. This means you have to plan out which channels to use to minimise interference with each other.

    Zwave does not suffer from the same interference issues, but Zwave uses different radio spectrums in different countries, so US Zwave devices may not work here. This means the availability of Australian Zwave devices is more limited.

    The only issue is we have some things already (a TV with google, for example)

    TV with Google can integrate with Home Assistant. It can also be natively controlled through Google Home. Through Home Assistant (or HomeBridge) you can expose that through to Apple HomeKit too. I doubt it would get upgraded to support Matter in the future.

    The Home Assistant Integrations page can help to work out whether your existing gear is supported. Even if it’s not listed, there is often third party custom integrations that you can install to get it working.

    Next though are the big things - we would prefer everything we get to have a backup if we don't want to use our phones for everything; so having a way to manually turn lights on/off is a big thing, and feel like it'll probably be easier to keep our lights dumb and install smart switches.

    I have opted to just use devices that I can install myself without an electrician. I use a combination of Philips Hue, SmartThings and Tuya smart bulbs. I also use Philips Hue and other Zigbee battery powered switch buttons, which I mount next to the mains switch on the wall. We just leave the mains switches turned on all the time. If we need a backup, the mains light switches can always be used to turn them on or off.

    The Shellys are popular and well regarded, but I haven’t used them myself. When I eventually get a sparky in to do some work, I’ll probably get them to install a few Shellys for devices I can’t control yet, like my bathroom heat lamps, bathroom and toilet fans and some uncommon light fittings.

    A disadvantage to using smart switches/Shellys instead of smart bulbs is that you cannot control colour or temperature, and only some can control brightness.

    The advantage is, one switch looks nicer and don’t have to worry about batteries.

    Door lock, making the garage/air con smart, and all that stuff, how has everyone gone about that? I know HA can integrate to a lot of things, but what options have people gone with that we can get down under here to make things smart that aren't already?

    If you’ll indulge me, here is a little day-in-the-life of my smart-home. This includes some dumb devices, made smart, and some new smart devices.

    A Tuya Wifi curtain/blinds motor smartens up my curtains. The motor connects to the existing rope on the curtains. They are setup to open when my watch has detected I’m awake. My bedroom lights will also slowly transition on.

    Zigbee motion sensors in the bathroom and study turns the light on when motion is detected and off after no motion detected for a period of time. I also use a few other sensors to keep the lights on in the bathroom for longer, such as when the hot water or electric toothbrush is in use. The bathroom and toilet lights will turn on to different brightness levels depending on time of day/night.

    A Broadlink IR blaster (and temperature/humidity sensors) makes one of my reverse cycle air-conditioners and pedestal fan smart. A Harmony IR blaster give some smarts to another air-con unit.

    The Harmony also makes my IR controlled robotic vacuum smart. It will run when we are out of the house, or at a specific time of day if it hasn’t run yet that day. The vacuum’s dock uses a lot of energy when it’s idle, so an energy monitoring smart plug will turn it off when it’s finished it’s run and finished recharging.

    Using TP-Link/SmartThings energy monitoring plugs, smarts have been added to my dishwasher and washing machine, to send notifications when a load has finished.

    Energy monitoring plug also sense when the ducted gas heating is on. Combined with sensors on the external doors, this can give notification when doors have been left open, but heater is running. I also have a script which can be run to tell us if the temperature is more comfortable outside than it is inside, to let us know when to open the doors.

    I don’t have a door lock yet. Due to my door’s current locks, I’ll likely have to cut a new hole in my door, so I’ve been waiting on Matter (and Apple HomeKey) devices to become available.

    When we return home, certain Hue, Xiaomi, SmartThings lights will turn on at varying brightness levels, depending on who is home and the time of day. The garage door will open automatically based on my phone’s location. This is controlled with a a Meross garage door controller connected to my garage door motor. The Meross has been great.

    Combined with the door and motion sensors, the garage door is also connected to a security integration in Home Assistant. HA will send our phone’s “Critical notifications” (which break through Do Not Distrub / Silent modes) if door opens while the household is not home. It can also play a security alarm through all my smart speakers and flash lights blue and red.

    A Nest smart smoke alarm triggers an automation to turn all lights on in the house and send us critical notifications.

    A vibration sensor in my mailbox lets us know when mail has been delivered. This does give some false alerts when it’s windy though. I haven’t factored wind into the automation just yet…

    A smart video door bell turns on front porch lights when motion is detected and send us notifications. It also sends a feed to HomeKit which can do facial recognition. The facial recognition isn’t supported natively and is a little flaky though.

    The curtains close at sunset and Xiaomi smart lamps will then turn on if we’re home.

    Smart cat bowls will notify us if the cats haven’t been fed within their normal feeding window. We also use it to confirm if the cats are lying that they haven’t been fed.

    Our fridge and freezer get some smarts through Aqara door sensors. They alert us if they have been left open for too long.

    If we get a little overzealous with cooking dinner, a Xiaomi smart air purifier will turn on when it detects air quality has dropped and back off when it returns to normal.

    We use scenes to manually control a set of devices. The “Music Time” scene sends IR signals through the Harmony to turn the TV, receiver and Google TV on to the correct channels. It then plays Spotify through the Chromecast/Hifi and Google speakers in most rooms.

    The “TV Time” scene sends IR signals to turn the TV, receiver and Apple TV on to the correct channels. It also turns all the lights off except a lamp.

    “Winding Down” turns TV and all lights off except a few lamps, and finally, the “Good Night” will turn everything off.

    Again, my apologies on the long winded post, but I hope it might be helpful. Let me know if I can help further.

    • MrBear on 31/10/2022 - 10:14
      +1

      You are a true pioneer in the world of home automation, but how dare you accuse your cats of "lying"!

      • Hargain Bunter on 27/07/2023 - 13:54

        Whoops, look like I missed all the replies from last year. Haha thank you! Also, 😼😼.

    • Opaquer on 31/10/2022 - 11:29

      No need to apologise for the long post, that was amazing! I really appreciate you going through step by step of each part of your day with automation! I'm impressed that you could link HA, google and apple together so seamlessly.

      I like all the automations you have - even though we wouldn't get everything (we won't be getting cats so don't need to worry about them lying), it's still nice to think about how they all work together to make things easier! Also I take it that all the devices you've used can be connected with just HA if you wanted to, right?

      Thanks again for the in depth reply and run through your day - this is such good help for what I'm looking for - I'll definitely be coming back and looking at this when we get everything :)!

      • Hargain Bunter on 27/07/2023 - 13:56

        Whoops, look like I missed all the replies from last year. Thank you, glad it was helpful!

        To answer your question, yep can just connect with Home Assistant and not use Google/HomeKit. A couple of my devices do still rely on the vendor’s cloud though.

        Hope your automation journey is going well!

    • TimmyTims on 31/10/2022 - 13:10

      Fantastic post. You may have already considered it but I wanted to mention, since you said;

      I’ll probably get them to install a few Shellys for devices I can’t control yet, like my bathroom heat lamps

      Double-check if your exhaust fan is wired to come on at the same time as the heat globes. Some units are designed so the exhaust fan cools the back of the heat globes

      This is how my bathroom fan is wired so I had to write an automation that turns the fan on if the heat lamps are turned on

      • boomramada on 31/10/2022 - 16:52

        Lol i failed on automating the bathroom fan, as ladies take ×4 more time than guys when they washing thair hair. Best i could do is to add the moisturiser sensor and work on that.

        • TimmyTims on 31/10/2022 - 20:41

          I used a door sensor on the bathroom screen. Works pretty well as the only time it is closed is when someone is in the shower. Then the humidity sensor helps run the fan until there is a sensible amount of humidity in the room.

          One day I'll get an outdoor humidity sensor so I can calculate dew point, then run the fan until the dew point is above the predicted temp over the next 12 hours

      • Hargain Bunter on 27/07/2023 - 14:00

        Whoops, look like I missed all the replies from last year. Thank you! Yes fan and heat lamps are configured in that method, so would need to consider that.

        I’d be worried if an automation failed that things might melt, has that ever been a concern?

        • TimmyTims on 27/07/2023 - 16:36

          haha Blast from the past
          It is certainly something to consider for your install
          For my specific install I'm not too concerned for 2 main reasons;
          1, I only ever run the heat lamps while I am in the room. If the something goes wrong, I'd notice either the fan isn't making noise or the smell, well before anything too damaging happens

          1. I sit next to the guy who designed the fan at work. I've seen the internal tests that showed thermal cutouts activated well before any damage occurred. Even if the thermal cutouts failed, the heat lamps were tested for 2 hours without the cooling fan with no damage
          • Hargain Bunter on 28/07/2023 - 23:50

            @TimmyTims: Cheers! Mine has a “draft stopper” which is a plastic lid that closes over the fan/heat lamp for the purposes of insulation. When the fan is running, the air flow pushes open the lid. I’m not sure how well that would hold up to no fan running, and don’t really trust myself / anyone in the house to keep an ear out for the fan.

            I may end up replacing the whole thing when I finally get around to automating it.

            • TimmyTims on 31/07/2023 - 10:46

              @Hargain Bunter: If you want to be absolutely sure and know a friendly electrician. You could add a limit switch to the flap that will only supply power to the heaters when the flap is open. It would be totally separate from your home automation and be the closest to total piece of mind

    • thwarted on 01/11/2022 - 14:12

      Great info

      • Hargain Bunter on 27/07/2023 - 14:00

        Whoops, look like I missed all the replies from last year. Thank you!

    • djc on 27/07/2023 - 10:38
      +1

      This comment is solid, it has given me a lot of ideas

      • Hargain Bunter on 27/07/2023 - 14:06

        Reading back, it’s a long one. 😅 Thanks for reading, I’m glad it has been helpful, and still appearing in search results.

        About a year later, I think all the info still stands up to the test of time. Unfortunately that also includes the fact that there is still hardly any Matter devices in Australia. Hopefully soon!

  • sumyungguy on 30/10/2022 - 19:58

    Is migrating your phone from Android to iOS out of the question? Some of the home automation youtubers suggest Homekit has become a solid choice. I use Homekit with devices from SmartThings, Cygnett Smart, LIFX, Meross & Arlo. So far highly satisfactory, but I hope that Matter will make this whole caper a little more consumer-friendly. At the moment the low-cost options are fiddly, unreliable and suited only to hobbyists.

    • Opaquer on 30/10/2022 - 20:17

      It is unfortunately - as much as I've heard good things about home kit too, I probably wouldn't want to change over just for having home kit, so wouldn't be ideal unfortunately.

      • sumyungguy on 30/10/2022 - 21:41

        For what it's worth my main tips are (1) minimise battery-powered devices; the only ones in my setup are temperature/humidity sensors, non-critical; and (2) buttons/switches are an unecessary throwback - does anyone with motor vehicle keyless-entry prefer to press a button?

        • OldSchoolHarry on 30/10/2022 - 22:44

          I prefer having a physical switch albeit a wireless one like Hue Switch. It’s so much more convenient to have it by the bedside and control lights without having to open the phone app.
          Then, having wall switch is a nice to have, especially for guests or kids.

        • Opaquer on 30/10/2022 - 22:45

          That's fair enough about the battery powered devices - at this stage we wouldn't have any but it's something to keep in mind

          As for the switches, do you mean wall switches? We want to have switches still, and want to have them work as a manual, normal non smart switch if needed. We won't always want to use our phones or voices to turn things off, so a dumb switch would be good for us

          • sumyungguy on 30/10/2022 - 23:01

            @Opaquer: I acquired some buttons for my setup but found I didn't need them … being a Homekit user I can use simple voice commands and complex shortcuts. Whichever way you go, I'd suggest building in stages to decide what you need.

            • Opaquer on 31/10/2022 - 10:21

              @sumyungguy: That's fair - our concern is that we have people over who aren't tech savvy at all and wouldn't get how to use it without a physical switch, so even if we do end up using our voice/phone to turn things on/off, we still want a physical switch just in case :)

              • websterp on 31/10/2022 - 10:29

                @Opaquer: I sense some confusion here related to switches. Whether it is a retrofit smart switch or a shelly tucked away behind the existing(dumb) switch you'd always have the manual control so I'd suggest not to be overly concerned about it.

                The only way this could happen is by putting a shelly(or similar) and removing the wall switch and patching the plaster( or install a wall plate) or by using always powered smart lights and removing the wall switch completely but neither of these aren't going to happen so you shouldn't worry about not having a physical switch at all.

                • Opaquer on 31/10/2022 - 10:38

                  @websterp: Ah, sorry, my bad, I think I got confused with them. So if I have a physical switch like normal, I take it if I turn it off, when I turn it on again it'll be at the same settings as before? Or does it depend on the brand and whatnot?

  • shirec on 30/10/2022 - 23:29

    One thing to consider which I probably didn't realise at the start is that you will find a ton of automation you can do but will end up being slower or more cumbersome than the actions, such as speaking to turn lights on and off vs just using a physical switch.
    I personally use one called Homeseer on a Intel NUC with the lowest grade processor and specs as it has a very low power consumption and runs full windows OS. Has all the expected HA functions plenty of "if this then that" function however it is what I would call highly enthusiast spec. Though with that comes the maximum amount of automation possible. Such as (30 minutes before sun rise open the blinds to 20%) (20 minutes before sun rise open the blinds to 40%) and so on.
    Mostly requires hours and hours of troubleshooting to get all the sequences correct.
    Once it does all work seamlessly then its kind of fun and cool to live with.
    Many people seem to say zigbee works really well though I mainly use Zwave. I would try zigbee first as I have had plenty of problems dealing with zwave stuff and I pretty much have to use Fibaro zwave gear for everything to avoid delays in the network etc. (fibaro the most expensive)

    • Opaquer on 31/10/2022 - 10:29

      Yeah, even though some parts will take longer than doing it manually, it's nice to have a way to do everything automated if we want to. And I haven't heard of Homeseer, but I'll check it out! Thanks for the suggestion!

  • azero on 31/10/2022 - 09:46

    I'd say start with the hue starter pack. It has the bridge, 2 lights and a switch. The hue app is flawless.

    So far I have about 20 hue lights including RGB downlights 3 sensors, , 3 nest cams, 1 nest doorbell, nest wifi + a google speaker and a display.

    They all work fine and nothing depends on internet - as long as the wifi is working everything works fine. Since the lights + bridge is zigbee it does not need wifi either.

    All lights have dumb switches, I just leave them all on and use either the smart switch or the app to control - or just do voice commands with the google speaker. Best thing is since I have set the lights on timers / sensors I hardly have to touch the switches.

    When the lights start dimming, that is what tells the kids it is time to go to bed :)

    • Opaquer on 31/10/2022 - 10:37

      The thing is we don't really like the look of the hue bulbs, and the pendants we have are very open on all sides, so we wanted to stay away from hue bulbs - in fact, we haven't really seen any smart bulbs we like the look of, which is why we were thinking of going for smart switches instead.

    • tallkid123 on 31/10/2022 - 11:03

      I love Philips Hue so much.

      In my 3 bedroom apartment, I have:

      • 10x Colour bulbs + Bridge
      • 4x V2 Dimmer Switches
      • 4x Lightstrips + 4x 2m extensions
      • Gradient Lightstrip (75inch)
      • Hue Sync Box
      • Philips Hue Go 2.0 Portable Light

      OP, apart from the light bulbs you don't like, Philips Hue also has many entertainment based products. JB Hifi locally has the biggest range, I believe.

  • jcsteadman on 31/10/2022 - 10:23

    Give the free app ‘Smart Life’ a crack — it’s what I use now and connects all my IoT devices into the one app and allows me to control them all from there.

    I’ve got a range of lights of all different brands (Vue, Philips, Arlec/Grid Connect etc.), smart speakers (Sonos, Amazon Alexas, Yahama surround sound), temperature meters (Zigbee), weather gauges (Holman), smart plugs (Arlec/Grid Connect), AQI meter and so on.

    They all connect through the Smart Life app and then I can set automations, scenes, or triggered IFTTT events.

    As my smart plugs are also energy meters, I can get an overview of my real-time energy usage and then aggregates by hour/day/week/month etc. in a nice graph.

    Just wish my solar would connect with it, so I could connect automations based on my solar output.

    • websterp on 31/10/2022 - 10:33
      +1

      OP does not want dependency on a cloud server and smartlife is just that.
      You probably have voice control for Sonos and Yamaha via Alexa direct connectivity but Smartlife has nothing to do with those as it only works with Tuya based devices.

      • jcsteadman on 31/10/2022 - 13:57

        Correct; but OP doesn’t specifically mention this in the post, just that they’re looking for some handy dandy ‘all in one’ option which allows for future connectivity and works across devices—of which this is a pretty simple one in my opinion.

        I’ve done the HA route and it’s a pain to set up in comparison to this, which works straight up, and getting an emulator on your computer means you can also use it on there.

  • Tigercjn on 31/10/2022 - 14:14
    +1

    Just start simply, a google nest 2 display is currently around $80 which is a great price, it's great to control everything.

    For Split systems, you simply add an ir sender like this one for $30. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003146539954.html?spm=a2…

    Our Samsung TVs work well just with google so we can turn them off and on by voice.

    I like the Sonoff range of products and these link well with google home or the ewlink app when I am out. You can easily control things remotely.

    Everything has a learning curve so don't go too complicated at first. I just recently added a garage door open detection to light a light in the passageway as we left the door open once, we love it now that we know when it's open.

  • beOson on 27/11/2022 - 01:30

    Hi all, I am also trying to get into home automation for some really basic security setup. Been eyeing the Aqara ecosystems, feeling like they are 'user-friendly' and would suit my current the best.

    Quick question, with the Aqara M2 Hub (the one with built-in speaker) + Aqara Motion Sensor P1 comobo, will I be able to config it so that it only triggers the alarm (via the M2 Hub) during night/sleep time?

  • jfk-automation on 13/03/2023 - 11:15

    If you are in Sydney and just want some advice on Home Automation feel free to contact us via our website and we will be happy to help you.
    We can help you with the following:
    Lighting & Climate Control
    Audio Visual
    Security Systems
    Home Networking

  • morkoz on 13/03/2023 - 20:18

    I started with Hubitat Elevation and I love it, combined with Philips Hue to do some smart bulb lighting, along with Mercator Zigbee switches. I mostly use Zigbee/Smartthings/Philips Hue sensors, which work great, but they are battery operated which can be a bit annoying but nothing major. Hubitat has a steaper learning curve than some (yet very powerful), certainly no more than Home Assistant, but it's a little easier to deal with as an out of the box option instead of the configuration fun with Home Assistant. Both are good though, and some use Home Assistant and Hubitat together to get the out of box ease of Hubitat with the device support of HA. The nice thing about Hubitat is that it works with Google Home / Alexa / Homekit for free and keeps all its automations local and fast. Downside is the interface (pretty basic and web based) and the lack of a decent mobile app, though many use alternatives or just control devices via Google / Alexa.

    They have just released a new version which is ready to support Matter later in the year. It has great device support for Zigbee / Z-Wave / LIFX / Wiz / Shelly / TP-Link Kasa devices, but Wifi locked devices like Tuya Smartlife and Bunnings GridConnect won't work (at least until Matter opens some doors there). https://smartguys.com.au/hubitat-elevation-c8.html and https://hubitat.com. Pop over to https://community.hubitat.com to ask questions of the community before purchase if interested. Very active and helpful folks over there. Plenty of custom user integrations available as well for things that Hubitat doesn't support themselves.

  • djc on 31/07/2023 - 09:07

    I'm hoping someone can confirm these parts will work together or have some feedback on alternatives to make my life easier:
    * Home Assistant (HA) for Server: https://www.home-assistant.io
    * Garage Door Controller: https://www.bunnings.com.au/orion-grid-connect-smart-garage-…

    I prefer to use HA to control everything from phones/tablets within the house, and phones outside the house.

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