Smart Home - automation

[concretejungle]

Yeah, it’s not that hard.

I'm currently undefeated by them even when up is off.

[Meathelmet]

Help explain the security concerns… I hear this a lot but I’m not an expert in this world and I don’t understand….
Now if some hacker can get from my IOT light bulb to my bank account. Then we have a problem… Is that the concern?

Basically, yes.

Many of those appliances have their own IPs & ports to the outside world, that is the way how one controls them. As they are done in bulk, cheaply, somewhere in bumfuck nowhere (and are supposed to be accessed easily by their user), their security is low or nonexistent. Seen some demos where variety of appliances (Alexa copies, bulbs, speakers etc) are connected and the amount of data that they transfer...somewhere...is astounding. As they access the interwebz by your home network, they basically have access to it (by proxy) and all the traffic that goes through it. That way malicious actors can basically access everything, put in keyloggers, watch the feed of your webcam and so on.

Not trying to act here as some wannabe hacker (as I am not), but if you live in a city, the amount of poorly protected routers & IoT gizmos is staggering. Friend of mine (works in the field) showed that from his apartment there were 80 routers "accessible" (of which 10% were totally without password or with open ports,) and about 100 different appliances, varying from TVs, fridges to webcams that were visible and had poor/no security. He even hinted that occasionally there is a thing (dildo) that has a web access of its own...

The risk is that someone can compromise your eBanking, privacy and for example work stuff (emails, teleconferencing)...just because.

People not living in big cities are not immune either, for example your neighbour can suddenly find your bedroom doggiecam interesting.
And it is not that the initial actor that harvest the data will do anything with it, the initial collection phase can be automated and the data can be sold forward in the darker corners of the web and be misused by third parties, somewhere across the globe.
Say, by buying a pair of Praxis BCs or whatnot.

Disclaimer: Not fearmongering, just saying that it is possible.

[Nobody Famous]

Lutron. I like the caseta switches, reliable, easy to use and easy to expand beyond light switches. On top of the functionality some of the finishes they make on wall switches are really impressive.

They are considered top of the line in commercial and office.

[warthog]

Lutron. I like the caseta switches, reliable, easy to use and easy to expand beyond light switches. On top of the functionality some of the finishes they make on wall switches are really impressive.

They are considered top of the line in commercial and office.

No, they are top of the line in custom homes, and they do well in the Hotel space. They are not really commercial.
The colors they offer are exclusive, and they market themselves very well to interior designers and architects.
Their products work well, I have mostly Caseta in my house, but they require a hub, which is increasingly old tech.

My company sells these:
https://idevicesinc.com/?gclid=EAIaI...SAAEgK2Q_D_BwE

Pluses-
- no hub
- super easy to download app- flip down panel on each device has a scannable Q code that automatically sets it up.
- single pole, 3 way, 4 way all in one part number
- battery switch can be located anywhere and has a built in level (helps a ton on install in multi gang applications)
- does not look out of place when mixed with other brands.
- Controllable receptacle- single or dual controlled
- Monitors energy usage in app.
- works on all 3 platforms ( some brands you need to specify, and if you switch ever, you are screwed)
- No fan speed control yet

Minuses-
- only 1 remote switch (I really like the multi scene pico switches from Lutron, but most are doing this with Alexa or Google now- I still like physical switches)
- Requires neutral ( older homes will not be able to use this)
- Only works on iDevice app or IFTTT- no Samsung Smart Things, which is what I use for everything else.

I installed Casetta before we acquired this company. I am slowly trying some stuff out. It is pretty slick- the no hub requirement is seamless. They work like normal switches and dimmers if the internet goes out. Electricians need to be able to set them up without wifi, and test them. The ability to control devices is sweet- I put it 1/2 controlled at my daughter's night stand- she can voice control her fish tank light and her bedside light- the tank filter remains on straight power at all times.
I am in the process of testing it on my outdoor outlets for x-mas as well. I had to tie a GFCI in line first (could have done a breaker, but I get the receptacles for free). Now that that is done, I will switch both outdoor outlets to these and set up a timer through the app. I want to see how well they do with just an in-use cover protecting them outside.
If anyone is interested, they are doing some promos right now, I think like 40% off. This is one of the very few items my company sells that is available online. We mostly only sell through wholesale.

[Nobody Famous]

No, they are top of the line in custom homes, and they do well in the Hotel space. They are not really commercial.
The colors they offer are exclusive, and they market themselves very well to interior designers and architects.
Their products work well, I have mostly Caseta in my house, but they require a hub, which is increasingly old tech.

I have to disagree. Look at their project portfolios for commercial, they have a best-of-the-best portfolio of clients and projects worldwide.

The caseta wireless line is for residential DIY and yes needs a hub, but no commercial buildings should be using caseta.

Their commercial products are in a different class. To cherry pick a few examples (applies to both home and commercial), they cover a broader spectrum than most others -- light control, fan control, thermostats, environmental monitoring, window shading automated to sun radiation levels, and they readily support -- replacement parts, etc. -- 20 year old systems.

In commercial buildings that spec a 30 year lifecycle for systems like these almost all the smaller up-state automation brands don't make the cut. In Lutron's case their R&D experience in commercial has flowed through to their home products. Caseta is their entry-level line of technology for home automation, they offer several steps up from there.

[jm2e]

No, they are top of the line in custom homes, and they do well in the Hotel space. They are not really commercial.
The colors they offer are exclusive, and they market themselves very well to interior designers and architects.
Their products work well, I have mostly Caseta in my house, but they require a hub, which is increasingly old tech.

My company sells these:
https://idevicesinc.com/?gclid=EAIaI...SAAEgK2Q_D_BwE

Pluses-
- no hub
- super easy to download app- flip down panel on each device has a scannable Q code that automatically sets it up.
- single pole, 3 way, 4 way all in one part number
- battery switch can be located anywhere and has a built in level (helps a ton on install in multi gang applications)
- does not look out of place when mixed with other brands.
- Controllable receptacle- single or dual controlled
- Monitors energy usage in app.
- works on all 3 platforms ( some brands you need to specify, and if you switch ever, you are screwed)
- No fan speed control yet

Minuses-
- only 1 remote switch (I really like the multi scene pico switches from Lutron, but most are doing this with Alexa or Google now- I still like physical switches)
- Requires neutral ( older homes will not be able to use this)
- Only works on iDevice app or IFTTT- no Samsung Smart Things, which is what I use for everything else.

I installed Casetta before we acquired this company. I am slowly trying some stuff out. It is pretty slick- the no hub requirement is seamless. They work like normal switches and dimmers if the internet goes out. Electricians need to be able to set them up without wifi, and test them. The ability to control devices is sweet- I put it 1/2 controlled at my daughter's night stand- she can voice control her fish tank light and her bedside light- the tank filter remains on straight power at all times.
I am in the process of testing it on my outdoor outlets for x-mas as well. I had to tie a GFCI in line first (could have done a breaker, but I get the receptacles for free). Now that that is done, I will switch both outdoor outlets to these and set up a timer through the app. I want to see how well they do with just an in-use cover protecting them outside.
If anyone is interested, they are doing some promos right now, I think like 40% off. This is one of the very few items my company sells that is available online. We mostly only sell through wholesale.

Sounds intriguing. You say an electrician needs to install the outlets? Seems like that could drive the buy in cost. Especially if doing it piecemeal.


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[civilcoconut]

Anyone have a recommendation on a smart HomeKit compatible garage door opener? Someone in my house keeps driving away with the garage door open and I need to be able to check to make sure it has closed. I need something that doesn't require replacing the existing opener, just triggers it to close and open and has some sort of sensor to detect if it is open.

[Buzzworthy]

I have a MyQ app/device on garage door that does what you need. No idea how it hooks into your Jetson’s home kit. Works great for stoners that drive away and wonder. It’s always closed, but the wonder still happens.


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[riser4]

If you are Smart Home - Automation is something you avoid at all costs. Do not let SkyNet control your home and turn it against you! Im actually totally serious. IoT is a bad idea. My dream home, that ill probably never get to build, could function without electricity if it needed to. Its funny how 40-50 years ago folks were striving to run houses with little or no electricity. It was the debil. Now a "green home" is all electric. The green grid required to make electric homes green is an unrealized dream at best. I wish that weren't true. TPTB are going to rip out or not add more green capacity and its going to be tge same old dirty monster, but we'll need more of it, instead of having spent the last 40-50 years figuring out how to use less.

[old goat]

In the near future--actually it's already started--we'll be fighting over electricity the way we fight over water. Between crypto and AI there's no way we can make enough electricity, especially carbon free electricity, to support all all-electric housing.

[riser4]

Great point. Its why I get pretty upset at designs for a so-called passive house that requires electricity for air exchanges. Um, which part of the word passive did you miss? Its possible to design natural air flow and maybe the house shouldn't be sealed so dam tight.

[civilcoconut]

I ended up getting a Meross, hopefully works.

I don't want a smart garage door opener, but I also like the stuff I have in my garage...this post could have also gone here: https://forums.tetongravity.com/show...ercules-Christ

[nickwm21]

I’ve got my MyQ garage door programmed to send me a push notification when it’s been open for more than twenty min. Saved my bacon several times.


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[Name Redacted]

I need to figure out how to just turn on the fans at one of my AirBNBs remotely so I can cool the place down before guests arrive. I have no smart home anything in there but the fans aare only a few years old. There is wifi. How can I accomplish this?

[jackstraw]

You can buy a Leviton or a Lutron smart fan control to do that. You may need a hub also, but it can be done.

[ötzi]

My dream home, that ill probably never get to build, could function without electricity if it needed to.

With no electricity at all thats pretty hard without city water. You could get a propane fridge, skip having AC and heat with wood or coal but running a well without electricity would be a trick.

[riser4]

With no electricity at all thats pretty hard without city water. You could get a propane fridge, skip having AC and heat with wood or coal but running a well without electricity would be a trick.

Sorry, I explained that poorly. What I was trying to explain is that it would not be 100% dependent on electricity for 100% of its functions 100% of the time. That is, it "could" function, if it had to, fairly well for a reasonable amount of time. Homes today are more and more dependent on a fully functioning grid. Smart homes with microcontrollers in everything are in my opinion a step in the wrong direction if there aren't no-tech alternatives in place. And I dont mean just generators and large batteries. Those are useful but should only be part of the solution. Its about not having all the eggs in one basket. We had decades to work on that and we arrived at "just make the grid green "


I'll pick on your well water example. I'd like a several hundred gallon inline tank so that I have some reserves should the power go out and a deep well pump wont work. In an earth bermed house you can place this in a mechanical room similar to a root cellar high enough up so that it can gravity feed the lower part of your system and still stay above freezing year round. The spot im most likely to build in during this lifetime also has abundant natural springs, which i would use as a secondary. For urban dwellings there are obviously other challenges to providing water and water reserves.

[ötzi]

Ive found that as long as you can flush the toilets you can live without electricity for quite a while.

[singlesline]

I too would like to add a smart controller to my garage. The Meross looks good. I'd rather avoid wifi, but it seems like most of the major options are WiFi.

The Ratgo can have both a vehicle detection feature and a parking assistance laser which could be nice? Tailwind looks good too.

Mostly I just want the ability to make sure the garage is shut when I'm not using it. I don't really care about fancy features like opening the door when I pull into the driveway or whatever...

I would also like whatever setup I use to be able to expose the door open/closed status to other devices. Then I can avoid blasting heat in the garage when the door is sitting open by having the thermostat turn itself off.

Sorry, I explained that poorly. What I was trying to explain is that it would not be 100% dependent on electricity for 100% of its functions 100% of the time. That is, it "could" function,

I think you're in the wrong thread for that...

FWIW, as I've added more smart features, I do try to only do stuff that is local and self-sufficient. I have Home Assistant running and I've been slowly moving light switches to Lutron Caseta (even if the system is down, the switches still work like normal switches).

I try to only add new features that work without cloud connections, and I try to use devices that don't need WiFi or are happy on a IoT-only network. The only exception is really things that are completely non-essential. E.g. I have a Google home picture display thing in my kitchen. It is nice to see my photos on display and to be able to talk to it and ask it questions like "how many grams are in 6 ounces" but if it stops working I'll be fine.

Next on my list is adding more sensors to prevent my own fuckups. Humidity, water leak, temperature sensors can tell you there's a problem *before* it costs you money. Stuff like that. Maybe I can get a camera to tell me I forgot to take out the trash yet again.

And I think that's an entirely different question vs a house that doesn't depend on electricity. If I lose power, my smart home stuff stops working. But that doesn't really matter because everything it controls is also electronic. My house would have the exact same problems in a power outage with zero smart home tools.

[Name Redacted]

You can buy a Leviton or a Lutron smart fan control to do that. You may need a hub also, but it can be done.

I'll give that a shot, thanks!