# Home Automation



## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

I have been thinking about setting up some home automation. I have looked into Home Assistant and I have a QolSys panel as well that I could link everything to. I am leaning toward Philips Hue lights and the QolSys does not talk to Zigbee. I would eventually plan to install smart blinds and replace all bulbs/fixtures with smart versions. I already have Ecobee thermostats and Rachio Irrigation. Add in the alarm interface (which runs the door locks and garage), camera system, and I am starting to collect a lot of apps to manage the house. It would be nice to put it all on one interface.

Anyone have a home automation setup and what do you like/dislike? Obviously, none of this is critical, but it would be fun to play with.

There was an old thread a few years back on this, but that one seems to have died.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I've been using home assistant for a while now and I like it. I'm running it in a raspberry pi with a USB ZigBee zwave stick. I have the ecobee, rachio, Google, myQ, ect connected to it. I have a cell phone app on each of our cell phones to arm/disarm the alarma if no one is home or when at least 1 returns.

The setup is the hardest part, but once it it setup, it just works.


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## Austinite (Oct 4, 2018)

I use Google Assistant. Virtually everything in my home is connected to it. Over 350 devices connected. Every light, window shades, outdoor motorized shades, garage doors, door locks, mag locks, vacuum, mop, rachio, cameras, TV's, thermostats, fridge, shower temperature regulator, my car, alarm, fans, fireplace, battery chargers, smoke detectors, leak detectors, whole-house audio or designated area audio, Ambient Weather Station, soil moisture meters... I'm sure I am forgetting other stuff...

I started with Philips hue lights. Depending on your needs, it may work fine. For me, I hated being limited to 50 bulbs per hub. That ran out real quick. I still use the 50, but since then I have been using other brands compatible with Google Assistant. Where I like hue the most is the motion sensors that trigger lights. So I installed those in the Pantry, closets, laundry room etc... so you just open the door and the light turns on.

The routines work flawlessly. For example, I say Good Night, and all the lights turn off, all the blinds and shades close, the doors lock, garage doors close, driveway lights dim to 65% brightness, bedroom TV turns on and google tells me the temperature downstairs and tomorrows weather forecast. I have tons of routines, mostly automated but some triggered by voice command.

If I forget to say I'm leaving, and Google sees that I am not around anymore, it reminds me and asks If it should lock doors and arm the house.

Right now I am working on a home perimeter exterior pest control setup using misting tubes. Hoping when done I can find a way to automate that as well.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

@Austinite What do you prefer over Phillips Hue?

@g-man and Austinite - why HomeAssistant or Google over another automation setup? I like the idea of Home Assistant being open source and don't relish the idea of giving Google or Amazon even more data, but it isn't a deal breaker.


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## Austinite (Oct 4, 2018)

bernstem said:


> @Austinite What do you prefer over Phillips Hue?
> 
> @g-man and Austinite - why HomeAssistant or Google over another automation setup? I like the idea of Home Assistant being open source and don't relish the idea of giving Google or Amazon even more data, but it isn't a deal breaker.


I actually use lots of varying devices. Govee is probably the more dominant one for LED's and spot lights around the house and yard. Govee has been most reliable.

I chose google about 4 years ago. I don't think I researched much when I started, and I am sure today many devices work great. Just never really got into the others. I did use Siri HomeKit for a short while but I did not like the way it functioned, and Google was one of the first to have a touchscreen display so that was attractive to me. Now my house is full of these Google Screens and their speakers. I guess I can't really answer the question because I didnt experience Alexa or anything else. I also find that with IFTTT I can get just about anything done even if Google doesnt offer it. Like turning my pendants blue when it rains for example.


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## sneakbreeze (Sep 2, 2020)

I second home assistant. I prefer to use z-wave devices over zigbee though to avoid wifi interference. Does it really make a difference? Probably not, but I don't want to clutter up the 2.4 Ghz spectrum more than it already is. I have a few hue lights and they work well my only complaint is you can't really use the wall switch if you want to control the lights, as they always have to have power. Personally, if I want to control lighting I prefer replacing the wall switch.

I choose home assistant because of the flexibility. You can mix and match different protocols and products and have it all under one app, you can provide varying levels of access to other users, and there is great community support. Chances are if there is some type of automation you want to do or a product you want to try someone using home assistant has done it. I run it from a raspberry pi booting off of an SSD.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

bernstem said:


> @g-man and Austinite - why HomeAssistant or Google over another automation setup? I like the idea of Home Assistant being open source and don't relish the idea of giving Google or Amazon even more data, but it isn't a deal breaker.


I had a Samsung hub and used ZigBee and zwave. They ignore their system and downgrade the app. I wanted to get away from them and still use the ZigBee and zwave. Home assistant is a local server and not tied to an external company/cloud.

One of the main benefits of the zwave/ZigBee and matter in the future is that you avoid 100 wifi devices connected to your router. WiFi also consumes more battery.


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

I would go as open source as possible to avoid issues if the manufacturer goes out of business. I went with Lutron for all my lighting dimmers and switches and they have been rock solid. I've got my iot devices on their own vlan as I don't trust them. I have not gone down the whole rabbit hole of full automation and am just using HomeKit and my alarm app to control everything.


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## Glen_Cove_5511 (Jun 13, 2020)

I currently use SmartThings and use SharpTools to design my automations. This combo works very well for me. I've thought about trying other solutions but I'm concerned I'll get off track while trying to get it set up.


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## bernstem (Jan 16, 2018)

For those using Home Assistant, how technical does it get? Is there a lot of scripting involved? I have never done any programming, but I am not opposed to learning.


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## sneakbreeze (Sep 2, 2020)

@bernstem It can be as technical as you want it to be. By default they have a nice GUI that you can use to add products and create automations so it doesn't take much technically speaking to get up and running. Definitely no scripting required if you don't want to go that route. As you use it more you can increase the complexity pretty much as much as you want.


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## Deltahedge (Apr 1, 2020)

I don't have whole home automation, but am moving that direction shorty for lighting control and whole home audio. I've mainly been looking into Control4, because I have a decent hook up for programming, and I don't mind installing the hardware myself.

When we built our house, we had a really good source for Hunter Douglas automated shades. We really like the shades themselves and how they look. I think they're the best looking shades out there, and ours can roll up and down, and they even have shutters that can open and close. But, I can't recommend Hunter Douglas shades. Their smart hub doesn't broadcast a strong enough signal to reach even 1/4th of our house, and our house isn't huge. You can get Hunter Douglas range extenders that are meant to expand the broadcast network, but they are garbage. After talking to a few Home AV and Home automation companies, I learned that they all hate Hunter Douglas shades, and most of them recommend using Lutron shades.

I am leaning towards Lutron lighting control when I redo some of the lighting, just because all the main home controllers integrate well with Lutron, and I don't want to be tired down directly to Control 4 on the lighting itself.


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

@Deltahedge unless you are getting free programming for control4 I'd advise going as open source as possible.

With control4 or similar solutions the end user has almost no ability to modify the setup. You are stuck paying for more programming. Get a new tv or projector, reprogramming required.

That being said definitely go Lutron for lighting and shades.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

I am running a few devices and using HomeKit as the automation platform. When (not if) I get tired of the limitations presented by native HomeKit automations, I will likely branch out into Home Assistant. I kind of want to try HA, but not make it my hobby. :? HomeKit is getting a big UI change in about a month. I am running it on my phone currently and I like it! :nod:

Dislikes:

Fair warning, the smart home industry is a mess STILL. With Matter, a "universal" standard for smart home device communication still on the horizon, there are multitudes of competing communication standards in the space still. Zigbee, Z-Wave, WiFi, Thread, Bluetooth/BLE, and a handful of proprietary methods like Lutron's Clear Connect are all in play. Worse yet, devices that use the same communication protocols, often CAN'T talk to each other, ie: You may have an Amazon Echo with a built-in Zigbee hub, but you cannot get full functionality from Phillps Hue devices unless you also purchase their hub, which also uses Zigbee for communication. WiFi offers a "hub-less" communication protocol, but each device you add increases the amount of traffic on your wifi network. I don't like it as a sole option, especially for situations in which you will have dozens of low-bandwidth devices like light switches. The point being - don't be afraid of hubs, they help keep things reliable, it's just annoying that we need one for (almost) each manufacturer still.

You will hear a lot about how great Lutron Caseta is. And it is pretty awesome. But I'm frustrated by some of it's limitations here in 2022. 75 devices per hub. (That would barely cover the lighting in my home, what about shades or fans?) And the hub's do NOT talk to each other for automations. Booo. Yes you can workaround this by using HomeKit or Home Assistant to automate between hubs. You shouldn't have to however. Also - Caseta devices have a very 1990's aesthetic about them that is very subjective. I don't think it's hideous, but nobody in my house besides me is going to click their way to the perfect light level on the dimmers. Four or five buttons per dimmer is a bit overkill as well. I MUCH prefer the Sunatta dimmers and switches, but they are not available to the Caseta system, and sales of Sunatta Pro devices is only done via a "trade-protected" model. Meaning there are hoops to jump through if you want to buy them as they are usually only sold to installers "in the trade" via distributors. As someone who works with plenty of industrial automation, I do not want to pay a middleman to 'design' and program a system for me. I just want to replace my existing 'dumb' switches with something uber-reliable, and as easy to use as the Sunatta devices are.


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

@MasterMech If I was going to run over 75 Lutron devices I'd be looking at Ra2 Select and not Caseta.


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## Deltahedge (Apr 1, 2020)

Boy_meets_lawn said:


> @MasterMech If I was going to run over 75 Lutron devices I'd be looking at Ra2 Select and not Caseta.


I think they just released Ra3


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Boy_meets_lawn said:


> @MasterMech If I was going to run over 75 Lutron devices I'd be looking at Ra2 Select and not Caseta.





Deltahedge said:


> I think they just released Ra3


Yup, RA3 was actually the route I wanted to go. You can sign up to take the RA3 training via Lutron's website. And I dabbled a bit in there, I'll finish it up once I'm closer to being 'ready'." Problem is - where do you buy the hardware? I am going to reach out to a couple supply houses and see what's involved with placing an order. I'm a little concerned that I would have to place a huge order upfront to get going. Still no Sunatta Fan control for RA3 either.

In general, at this level, I think the process of placing and order for RA3 devices involves more details than a typical order. Color and keypad labeling being the primary concerns.


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## turfnsurf (Apr 29, 2020)

Austinite said:


> I use Google Assistant. Virtually everything in my home is connected to it. Over 350 devices connected. Every light, window shades, outdoor motorized shades, garage doors, door locks, mag locks, vacuum, mop, rachio, cameras, TV's, thermostats, fridge, shower temperature regulator, my car, alarm, fans, fireplace, battery chargers, smoke detectors, leak detectors, whole-house audio or designated area audio, Ambient Weather Station, soil moisture meters... I'm sure I am forgetting other stuff...
> 
> I started with Philips hue lights. Depending on your needs, it may work fine. For me, I hated being limited to 50 bulbs per hub. That ran out real quick. I still use the 50, but since then I have been using other brands compatible with Google Assistant. Where I like hue the most is the motion sensors that trigger lights. So I installed those in the Pantry, closets, laundry room etc... so you just open the door and the light turns on.
> 
> ...


@Austinite can you tell me about the leak detectors and soil moisture meters? That sounds useful, but I wouldn't know where to start.


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## Austinite (Oct 4, 2018)

turfnsurf said:


> Austinite said:
> 
> 
> > I use Google Assistant. Virtually everything in my home is connected to it. Over 350 devices connected. Every light, window shades, outdoor motorized shades, garage doors, door locks, mag locks, vacuum, mop, rachio, cameras, TV's, thermostats, fridge, shower temperature regulator, my car, alarm, fans, fireplace, battery chargers, smoke detectors, leak detectors, whole-house audio or designated area audio, Ambient Weather Station, soil moisture meters... I'm sure I am forgetting other stuff...
> ...


Sure thing. The leak detectors are 2 parts. First I have these small modules that are placed behind each toilet. (or anywhere you think a leak could occur), they are connected to wifi via a hub, and report to my phone any abnormalities. They have water sensors very close to the ground. Several Brands available that do the same thing. I use YoLink brand.

The other part is by the same brand and connects to the same hub. This is on the water main, and it will shut the water off depending on how you set it. Either remotely via phone, or you can set a timer (if leak goes away in 30 seconds do not shut off) etc...

The moisture sensors are connnected to my weather station in the backyard. It's by Ambient Weather brand. This calculates and tracks rainfall, wind and a host of other weather-related things. They sell wifi moisture sensors that you can put into various places. I have some in flowerdeds, some in the lawn, and you can see how wet/dry the soil is from anywhere using your phone. Hope this helps


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