Home automation, errr...

[Pocster]

10 hours ago, Roger440 said:

Shows how little i know.

I used to be a software engineer so all this stuff is fun ( SWMBO would disagree ) . Obviously if it’s not your thing it’s going to be a learning curve of epic proportions. Reality is you probably don’t need 99% of it . Bought solutions can be expensive, don’t always do what you want , rely on the manufacture/ developer , or are just poor .

[Kelvin]

The Raspberry Pi is a brilliant little powerful computer. It’s uses are endless. I have a few around the house. During lockdown I built a cocktail arcade cabinet powered by a Pi4. I also built a small portable one for my nephew for his Christmas. I have another one that runs some software called Pi Hole which means we don’t get any internet adverts. I also have another one that has a DAC attached to it that I can stream music from my NAS or from Spotify. I have a fairly expensive Hi-Fi DAC and the Pi based one sounds as good to my old ears. 

Edited October 3, 2022 by Kelvin

[Pocster]

2 hours ago, Kelvin said:

The Raspberry Pi is a brilliant little powerful computer. It’s uses are endless. I have a few around the house. During lockdown I built a cocktail arcade cabinet powered by a Pi4. I also built a small portable one for my nephew for his Christmas. I have another one that runs some software called Pi Hole which means we don’t get any internet adverts. I also have another one that has a DAC attached to it that I can stream music from my NAS or from Spotify. I have a fairly expensive Hi-Fi DAC and the Pi based one sounds as good to my old ears. 

Right !

 

I ain’t having that !

Use to have an original phoenix cocktail and around 50 Jamma boards . Sold them for considerable profit once mame etc. became acceptable too me . So now have this bad boy . I7 with 1tb drive . 150,000+ games and every emulator there is . SWMBO said it had to “ look cute “ , as her favourite games is bubble bobble …..

 

[SteamyTea]

22 minutes ago, pocster said:

So now have this bad boy . I7 with 1tb drive . 150,000+ games and every emulator there is

I just have a life outside of a self imposed bunker.

When did you last see daylight?

[Temp]

14 hours ago, Roger440 said:

As per my original post, why do i want to turn something off from my phone, when i can just turn it off anyway? I dont get it.

 

Its for lazy sods like me who cant be bothered to get out of their armchair to turn on the light when it gets too dark to read the paper 🙂

 

Na I use them mainly as energy monitors. Showed us that our MVHR was using way more than I expected. Due to current high energy prices I've now got it on a schedule saving about 30%. 

 

 

[Thorfun]

3 hours ago, Kelvin said:

 

1 hour ago, pocster said:

 

both beat me easily with my little Picade. 😞 

 

[Pocster]

I’m the only one who can play 4 player Bomberman and gauntlet .

Nothing more fun than 4 people sat round that with beer shouting at each other 😁

[Pocster]

1 hour ago, SteamyTea said:

I just have a life outside of a self imposed bunker.

When did you last see daylight?

You’re from Cornwall therefore you have no life .

[Kelvin]

The Picade is brilliant. It was that (without the screen) I built for my nephew

[Thorfun]

2 hours ago, pocster said:

I’m the only one who can play 4 player Bomberman and gauntlet .

Nothing more fun than 4 people sat round that with beer shouting at each other 😁

Now the dungeon you built is starting to make sense. A captive audience to play video games with you. 

[Johnnyire]

On 02/10/2022 at 17:21, pocster said:

I watched your effort - it was rubbish. Like my £15 “ pay per view “ back please .

Did you watch his effort with them crisps in one hand or something else?

Edited October 3, 2022 by Johnnyire

[joth]

9 hours ago, Temp said:

23 hours ago, Roger440 said:

As per my original post, why do i want to turn something off from my phone, when i can just turn it off anyway? I dont get it.

 

Its for lazy sods like me who cant be bothered to get out of their armchair to turn on the light when it gets too dark to read the paper 🙂

 

LOL. But to the question:

It's been said many times already in this thread but I'll repeat it once more: if you're getting your phone out to control stuff, you're completely failing at home automation.

The point of automation is it automatically does stuff without manual intervention.

 

For example in my house:

- windows automatically open when it's hot or the house is in risk of overheating, and it's cool outside and the indoor lights are off (to avoid attracting bugs in), so long as it's not raining or forecast to rain imminently.

- the blinds automatically close on the sunny side of the house if there's a risk of overheating. And they close at night.  But if closed in the day in winter, the slats are automatically altered to maximize solar gain while preserving privacy.

- the heating and hot water is automatically turned down a notch when the house is unoccupied, and the mains water stopcock turned off to avoid risk of damage should there be a leak.

- the hotwater cylinder is automatically boosted to a higher temperature (more stored energy) the more guests we have staying over.

- the patio lights automatically turn on when the nearby door is opened.

- hallway and bathroom night lights automatically turn on as you move about at night.

- the relevant towel radiators automatically warm up whenever a shower or bath is used.

- the ensuite electric UFH automatically comes on and the bedroom lights slowly fade up 5mins before my wake-up alarm goes off. And 10mins after the alarm the curtains automatically open.

- excess PV generation is automatically sent to immersion, towel rads, ASHP etc depending on needs

Etc. Etc. Etc. Those were off the top of my head, I think it's not even halve of what I've programmed

 

The  important bit about all that is it's all easily defined in a single software stack, so I can change preferences on it with rewiring or fiddling with mechanical timers or anything.

And none of this requires arsing about on a phone. And it works without any internet connection (well except forward looking weather forecast data).

 

I really don't want to persuade a single person they need any of that unless they already know they want it. But at least try and understand the utility of it for those that do chose to persue it. This has absolutely nothing to do with "what new problem can I dream up to solve if I buy a raspberry pi" and everything to do with "how do I want my home to assist and facilitate the preferences of the occupants living in it".

[Adsibob]

57 minutes ago, joth said:

 

LOL. But to the question:

It's been said many times already in this thread but I'll repeat it once more: if you're getting your phone out to control stuff, you're completely failing at home automation.

The point of automation is it automatically does stuff without manual intervention.

 

For example in my house:

- windows automatically open when it's hot or the house is in risk of overheating, and it's cool outside and the indoor lights are off (to avoid attracting bugs in), so long as it's not raining or forecast to rain imminently.

- the blinds automatically close on the sunny side of the house if there's a risk of overheating. And they close at night.  But if closed in the day in winter, the slats are automatically altered to maximize solar gain while preserving privacy.

- the heating and hot water is automatically turned down a notch when the house is unoccupied, and the mains water stopcock turned off to avoid risk of damage should there be a leak.

- the hotwater cylinder is automatically boosted to a higher temperature (more stored energy) the more guests we have staying over.

- the patio lights automatically turn on when the nearby door is opened.

- hallway and bathroom night lights automatically turn on as you move about at night.

- the relevant towel radiators automatically warm up whenever a shower or bath is used.

- the ensuite electric UFH automatically comes on and the bedroom lights slowly fade up 5mins before my wake-up alarm goes off. And 10mins after the alarm the curtains automatically open.

- excess PV generation is automatically sent to immersion, towel rads, ASHP etc depending on needs

Etc. Etc. Etc. Those were off the top of my head, I think it's not even halve of what I've programmed

 

The  important bit about all that is it's all easily defined in a single software stack, so I can change preferences on it with rewiring or fiddling with mechanical timers or anything.

And none of this requires arsing about on a phone. And it works without any internet connection (well except forward looking weather forecast data).

 

I really don't want to persuade a single person they need any of that unless they already know they want it. But at least try and understand the utility of it for those that do chose to persue it. This has absolutely nothing to do with "what new problem can I dream up to solve if I buy a raspberry pi" and everything to do with "how do I want my home to assist and facilitate the preferences of the occupants living in it".

Wow @joth, that is very impressive. If I had the time and money, I would love to have done something like that. But my build was complicated enough as it was and we were on a tight timescale having wasted so much time on planning, that I thought I could just do all the smart stuff later, apart from some PIR sensors that I did manage to all the electrician to wire in all the right places.  To some extent that is true, and this week I will hopefully be fitting some Shelly kit to automate our hot water recirculating pump so that it only comes on when certain PIR switches are triggered. I also bought into the Phillips hue system but haven’t had time to set it up properly. And I also bought into the Ring system but that isn’t working properly yet as we need to upgrade to the Ethernet version. And I need to buy a Velux hub (I forget their names now) so that we can automate our Veluxes. And I need to fix an Alexa Echo issue that has recently plagued our main source of music and radio in the kitchen.

And I think one of my 13 Tado thermostats might have been broken on installation.

 

So I do get the amazing things that can be done with automation, but it is a lot of hard work to get it running well and to keep it bug free.

 

On the plus side, after accepting lots of advice from those here (including you @joth ) I’m pleased to report that my Ubiquiti DM and three APs is working very well.
 

 

Edited October 3, 2022 by Adsibob

[Pocster]

Precisely. Automation means it just happens . There are exceptions to a limited extent e.g turning on a tv requires a ‘button push ‘ somewhere . But if that action causes amp to turn on , curtains to close , lights to dim - then that’s as ‘automated ‘ as that task can be for the moment.

[Radian]

1 hour ago, pocster said:

There are exceptions to a limited extent e.g turning on a tv requires a ‘button push ‘ somewhere .

Just ask Alexa to do it?

[Pocster]

10 minutes ago, Radian said:

Just ask Alexa to do it?

Nah - hate chatting all the time to Alexa / Siri right pita 

[Radian]

1 hour ago, pocster said:

Nah - hate chatting all the time to Alexa / Siri right pita 

You don't have to waste time chatting. Treat it rough. It's only Linux underneath.

[Pocster]

7 minutes ago, Radian said:

You don't have to waste time chatting. Treat it rough. It's only Linux underneath.

I know non technical people who ‘ over use ‘ Alexa . Go to their house and it’s 

 

“ Alexa play Spotify in the kitchen “

” Alexa notification xxxx “

” Alexa turn on kitchen light “

 

Alexa , Alexa ffs !

 

With a simple app /web interface can do all that quicker and without noise .

 

Appreciate the simplicity suits some but it is annoying 

 

“ Alexa shut the (expletive deleted) up “ 

[Ralph]

19 minutes ago, pocster said:

“ Alexa shut the (expletive deleted) up “ 

I have to imitate Jacob Ress Mogg to get Alexa to understand me. Apparently it can't cope with a north east Scotland accent.

[Pocster]

3 minutes ago, Ralph said:

I have to imitate Jacob Ress Mogg to get Alexa to understand me. Apparently it can't cope with a north east Scotland accent.

Think I hate him more than I hate Alexa 

[Ralph]

2 hours ago, pocster said:

Think I hate him more than I hate Alexa 

Have you seen the video of him as a young teenager, being interviewed in the back of his old man's Rolls Royce, talking about how much he loves money? Vile. 

[Pocster]

1 hour ago, Ralph said:

Have you seen the video of him as a young teenager, being interviewed in the back of his old man's Rolls Royce, talking about how much he loves money? Vile. 

No I haven’t . I can guess what an arrogant , obnoxious , (expletive deleted) , (expletive deleted) wit he was / is …

[Roger440]

17 hours ago, joth said:

 

LOL. But to the question:

It's been said many times already in this thread but I'll repeat it once more: if you're getting your phone out to control stuff, you're completely failing at home automation.

The point of automation is it automatically does stuff without manual intervention.

 

For example in my house:

- windows automatically open when it's hot or the house is in risk of overheating, and it's cool outside and the indoor lights are off (to avoid attracting bugs in), so long as it's not raining or forecast to rain imminently.

- the blinds automatically close on the sunny side of the house if there's a risk of overheating. And they close at night.  But if closed in the day in winter, the slats are automatically altered to maximize solar gain while preserving privacy.

- the heating and hot water is automatically turned down a notch when the house is unoccupied, and the mains water stopcock turned off to avoid risk of damage should there be a leak.

- the hotwater cylinder is automatically boosted to a higher temperature (more stored energy) the more guests we have staying over.

- the patio lights automatically turn on when the nearby door is opened.

- hallway and bathroom night lights automatically turn on as you move about at night.

- the relevant towel radiators automatically warm up whenever a shower or bath is used.

- the ensuite electric UFH automatically comes on and the bedroom lights slowly fade up 5mins before my wake-up alarm goes off. And 10mins after the alarm the curtains automatically open.

- excess PV generation is automatically sent to immersion, towel rads, ASHP etc depending on needs

Etc. Etc. Etc. Those were off the top of my head, I think it's not even halve of what I've programmed

 

The  important bit about all that is it's all easily defined in a single software stack, so I can change preferences on it with rewiring or fiddling with mechanical timers or anything.

And none of this requires arsing about on a phone. And it works without any internet connection (well except forward looking weather forecast data).

 

I really don't want to persuade a single person they need any of that unless they already know they want it. But at least try and understand the utility of it for those that do chose to persue it. This has absolutely nothing to do with "what new problem can I dream up to solve if I buy a raspberry pi" and everything to do with "how do I want my home to assist and facilitate the preferences of the occupants living in it".

 

This i can understand. That is automation.

 

Sounds like an awful lot of preplanning required, and no way would i want all that in my house, but i can see the benefits in that. Especially the opening the curtains to get my lazy arse out of bed!

 

I still see no value in turning a light off from my phone whilst sitting on my sofa. Thats just complication for the sake of it.

[Pocster]

2 hours ago, Roger440 said:

 

This i can understand. That is automation.

 

Sounds like an awful lot of preplanning required, and no way would i want all that in my house, but i can see the benefits in that. Especially the opening the curtains to get my lazy arse out of bed!

 

I still see no value in turning a light off from my phone whilst sitting on my sofa. Thats just complication for the sake of it.

I think you need a robot vacuum. All good until it gets stuck or just does something twatish . Great fun to swear at though 😁

[Roger440]

58 minutes ago, pocster said:

I think you need a robot vacuum. All good until it gets stuck or just does something twatish . Great fun to swear at though 😁

 

Ive got a robot mower. That gets stuck.

 

Sadly, and predicatably, its gone wrong. Some electronic fault. Had to dispatch to the repair place.