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Smart Home Automation / High Tech House Thread (1 Viewer)

Gianni Verscotchie

Gianni Verscotchie

Footballguy
I'm buying a new house this month and intend to trick it out with high tech gadgets. Since I'm not sure exactly what the market actually offers, I decided to start a thread where we can share some knowledge.

I knew I was selling my house, so I did not invest too much in the old place. Right now, I do have some Alexa speakers which control a Nest thermostat, Ring Doorbell, some lights and a Robot vacuum. Pretty happy with everything so far.

I plan to add controls for ceiling fans, automatic blinds and sprinklers.

Also need to buy a washer/dryer and fridge. But I'm not sure what smart features exist, but it would nice to be notified when the wash is done (it's far away from the living room so the buzzer can't always be heard)  

Any of you guys have experience integrating all of this stuff? If so, please share.

Actually, here is a GREAT video on some stuff that's on the market to start things off

Home Automation X

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Walking Boot said:
I just got a new router when I switched ISPs. Found it easier to change the name of the WiFi and the password on the router itself than change every device. I had the router broadcast the old name and everything found it.

The weird thing is I have a WiFi security camera that can only operate on the 2.4G band and not the 5G, so I have to have a special second wifi running just for that device. Everything else has no problem going 5G.
Click to expand...
I can't put into words how angry I am that I didn't think of this. 

 
Arizona Ron said:
I can't put into words how angry I am that I didn't think of this. 
Click to expand...
:lol:   When I upgraded routers I thought I'd give my wifi channels all new cooler names.  Until I realized what I had done.  The heck with that, logged into my router and set all the names and passwords to the old ones.

 
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I'll add more later but off the top of my head...

Avoid intelligent lights and instead retrofit switches with GE Zwave Switches.  These give you switch and automation control.  If you just put in smart lights you will lose switch control and your guests will drive you nuts!

Ecobee's are awesome.

SmartThings is unbelievably customizable and pretty reliable now.

Bond is a great way to get existing Fans automated.

Somewhere Otis had another thread on this with lots of great info.

 
Ecobee+Alexa+hue lights+IFTTT+a few wemo switches set up at my cabin a few hundred miles away has revolutions everything.  Currently have a fridge on order that can tell me what's in it and for how long so once that's in place, I think it just takes the convenience of operating and reacting to a home away from home tenfOld.  Very handy for that type of scenario (no guessing on what food you have when you get there, can set the temp and have the lights and air where you want it, etc).  

 
Otis said:
I have a SmartThings setup with something like 50 smart devices in our house.  Light switches, dimmers, outlets, doorlocks, garage door opener, motion sensors, door sensors, even a smart mouse trap.  It's basically totally rad.
Click to expand...
You’ll be the first to die when the Great Home Revolution comes. 

 
Otis said:
I have a SmartThings setup with something like 50 smart devices in our house.  Light switches, dimmers, outlets, doorlocks, garage door opener, motion sensors, door sensors, even a smart mouse trap.  It's basically totally rad.
Click to expand...
I'm now up to 97.  It's to the point that when the wife or I travel we get upset when we walk into the hotel room and lights don't automatically come on. Two weeks ago I got up to use the bathroom in a hotel in the middle of the night and stood in front of the toilet for a good 10 seconds wondering if the hub was offline before I remembered to use the switch.

 
Ron Swanson said:
I'm now up to 97.  It's to the point that when the wife or I travel we get upset when we walk into the hotel room and lights don't automatically come on. Two weeks ago I got up to use the bathroom in a hotel in the middle of the night and stood in front of the toilet for a good 10 seconds wondering if the hub was offline before I remembered to use the switch.
Click to expand...
This guy knows things

 
Not interested in anything of this sort.  

I don't say that to poopoo any of your gadgets -- some of them are very cool.   But, I'm too paranoid to have everything in my house on my wifi network.  You're just asking for trouble.   

 
Ron Swanson said:
I'm now up to 97.  It's to the point that when the wife or I travel we get upset when we walk into the hotel room and lights don't automatically come on. Two weeks ago I got up to use the bathroom in a hotel in the middle of the night and stood in front of the toilet for a good 10 seconds wondering if the hub was offline before I remembered to use the switch.
Click to expand...
Totally with you.

I'm running out of things to "smarten."  Got an awesome Moen faucet that doesn't hook into my smart things, but it has sensors and turns off and on automatically when you go to use it.  Super cool.

Today was a great example of the value of connected smart devices though.  Contractor texts asking if anyone is home so the electrician can get into the garage.  Nobody home but I open the garage remotely from my phone to let them in.  Also offered to let them into the house if they need to get in before my wife gets home.  Awesome convenience. 

 
Arizona Ron said:
I can tell you, one VERY annoying thing is if you have to change the WiFi password for w/e reason.  I spent a day changing devices, cameras, TVs, microwave, fridge, printers, coffee maker and even the ****ing soap dispenser because I needed to change router.
Click to expand...
:lmao: :unsure:

 
Ron Swanson said:
I'm now up to 97.  It's to the point that when the wife or I travel we get upset when we walk into the hotel room and lights don't automatically come on. Two weeks ago I got up to use the bathroom in a hotel in the middle of the night and stood in front of the toilet for a good 10 seconds wondering if the hub was offline before I remembered to use the switch.
Click to expand...
Congrats, you've gotten super lazy & entitled.

 
Arizona Ron said:
I can't put into words how angry I am that I didn't think of this. 
Click to expand...
The first thing I thought of was why the #### you didn't give it the same SSID and password.  This post made my day.

 
The house I'm moving into has an outdated intercom system. I'm considering trying to install Amazon Echo Shows into each room's wall. This would give me intercom with video, music and video doorbell/camera integration throughout the house.

I'd have to come up with some type of custom mount to get these things flush with the wall. Also need to get electricity to each unit. I think it's doable.

 
Ron Swanson said:
I'll add more later but off the top of my head...

Avoid intelligent lights and instead retrofit switches with GE Zwave Switches.  These give you switch and automation control.  If you just put in smart lights you will lose switch control and your guests will drive you nuts!

Ecobee's are awesome.

SmartThings is unbelievably customizable and pretty reliable now.

Bond is a great way to get existing Fans automated.

Somewhere Otis had another thread on this with lots of great info.
Click to expand...
I went full Hue and couldnt be happier. The "switch" issue does come up, however I will slowly replacing switches with https://www.brilliant.tech/collections/all 

 
I have the following setup:

Insteon - Switches, Plugs, Outlets, Thermostat, camera, water sensors

Smartthings - Plugs, Door locks, sensors, smoke detectors

Amazon - Alexa devices (Multiple Echos, dots, cube and tap) as well as Amazon Cloud cams

Google - Home Mini

Started out in the Insteon ecosystem.  Insteon is a little more expensive, closed system (you can't build your own device handlers and apps like in Smartthings) that is pretty easy to use, install and just works. Until you start building scenes and don't remove devices the correct way and cause yourself all kinds of problems.  Started moving to the Smartthings system as it is Zwave and Zigbee and the devices are more plentiful and cheaper.  Found some Iris smart plugs on clearance at Lowes the other day for $9 a piece.  Integrating them into Smartthings was a journey as they are Zwave, but not native compatible with Smartthings.  Had to find the code for the device handler that someone wrote on github and import that into my hub.  

If I had to do it all over again, I'd start with Smartthings and stay in the ecosystem.  I like the wide open flexibility it has for building your own apps, etc.  The amount of devices that are compatible with it is just light years beyond the Insteon line. Using the Smartthings App and logging into the IDE (especially) can be confusing, but there is a huge community out there for ideas and support. 

 
Otis said:
Totally with you.

I'm running out of things to "smarten."  Got an awesome Moen faucet that doesn't hook into my smart things, but it has sensors and turns off and on automatically when you go to use it.  Super cool.

Today was a great example of the value of connected smart devices though.  Contractor texts asking if anyone is home so the electrician can get into the garage.  Nobody home but I open the garage remotely from my phone to let them in.  Also offered to let them into the house if they need to get in before my wife gets home.  Awesome convenience. 
Click to expand...
We went on vacation and had a couple different friends letting our dogs out each day.  It was nice to give them a code to get in the front door and not pass out / hide keys.  Plus I set it up so when the door was unlocked lights came on.  When the door was locked, lights went out.  Plus I got notification when they showed up so I knew if the pups were actually getting outside.  :thumbup:

 
Otis said:
Totally with you.

I'm running out of things to "smarten."  Got an awesome Moen faucet that doesn't hook into my smart things, but it has sensors and turns off and on automatically when you go to use it.  Super cool.

Today was a great example of the value of connected smart devices though.  Contractor texts asking if anyone is home so the electrician can get into the garage.  Nobody home but I open the garage remotely from my phone to let them in.  Also offered to let them into the house if they need to get in before my wife gets home.  Awesome convenience. 
Click to expand...
I put one of those Moen's in my sink a couple months ago.  99% awesome, 1% suck.  The 1% suck is when I want to use the sink for something not involving water. Like if I'm seasoning burgers or something for just the two of us I'll often hold the plate over the sink to avoid shaking seasoning all over the counters. Gotta remember to move that faucet head to the side or I unintentionally wash my burgers.  

 
top dog said:
I have the following setup:

Insteon - Switches, Plugs, Outlets, Thermostat, camera, water sensors

Smartthings - Plugs, Door locks, sensors, smoke detectors

Amazon - Alexa devices (Multiple Echos, dots, cube and tap) as well as Amazon Cloud cams

Google - Home Mini

Started out in the Insteon ecosystem.  Insteon is a little more expensive, closed system (you can't build your own device handlers and apps like in Smartthings) that is pretty easy to use, install and just works. Until you start building scenes and don't remove devices the correct way and cause yourself all kinds of problems.  Started moving to the Smartthings system as it is Zwave and Zigbee and the devices are more plentiful and cheaper.  Found some Iris smart plugs on clearance at Lowes the other day for $9 a piece.  Integrating them into Smartthings was a journey as they are Zwave, but not native compatible with Smartthings.  Had to find the code for the device handler that someone wrote on github and import that into my hub.  

If I had to do it all over again, I'd start with Smartthings and stay in the ecosystem.  I like the wide open flexibility it has for building your own apps, etc.  The amount of devices that are compatible with it is just light years beyond the Insteon line. Using the Smartthings App and logging into the IDE (especially) can be confusing, but there is a huge community out there for ideas and support. 
Click to expand...
Agree.  In my prior house I had a HomeSeer system--it was ancient compared to what SmartThings does nowadays, but it was fun.  Smartthings is awesome.  The possibilities are endless.

Earlier this year we got a Zwave mouse trap for the basement.  Which is totally awesome.  I was actually in Japan when we caught our first mouse, so my phone was buzzing at dinner time, but it was the middle of the night back at home.  Caught one other mouse on another instance.  Bottom line, no way would I be regularly checking this thing and would have mouse carcass down there for ages otherwise.  This is great.  You get a text, and a SmartThings notification with a tombstone, showing me we caught one.  Go downstairs, empty it, re-arm it, and good to go.

But seriously, smart stuff is the best.

 
Buddy Ball 2K3 said:
I went full Hue and couldnt be happier. The "switch" issue does come up, however I will slowly replacing switches with https://www.brilliant.tech/collections/all 
Click to expand...
Dang that looks awesome, but it's hard to justify $299 for a light switch, no matter how smart it is.  I could see possibly installing one in our family room to control our Hue lights, Ring Doorbell, plus have access to the Alexa functionality.

 
Slowly making the dive. Bought a Dot the other day to play with before going all in.

With 3 teens, I am interested in using it as an intercom system, being able to yell at them to wake up instead of climbing the stairs 17 times in the morning. I'd really like to be able to play Reveille on 11 if they aren't moving. :P

The other thing that has me looking at them is being able to control electronics without 17 remotes; more for non-tech wife than me. We have an older Visio, Xfinity cable, an AppleTV (4th Gen) and now she has become interested in watching some shows on Amazon TV. I have a FIre Stick, so that's no big deal, just the issue of having to deal with all those things is a PITA. So, I'm looking at a Harmony Hub/Remote for that stuff, which will all that and also be connected to Alexa.

I like the idea of converting switches to smart. We have a lot of can lights (and may be adding more) and with teens, they get left on often; and being able to do a 'Alexa turn off basement lights' is intriguing.

Questions...

  1. Has anyone else done anything with a Harmony Hub/Remote (or something similar) for TV type control?
  2. If you have a three-way light, can do you have to add a smart switch to both sides, or can you add one and be done?
  3. I have a switch for my front lights that I had been thinking of doing a automated switch (like this that is not connected) that has a clock and can turn switch on/off based on time and seasons. Can you do this with a 'regular' smart switch that is connected?
TIA!

 
Last night I installed this in our ceiling fan in the bedroom: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Bay-Universal-Wink-Enabled-White-Ceiling-Fan-Premier-Remote-Control-99432/206591100.  Works with Smartthings as well as Wink.  I downloaded the device handlers for the ceiling fan prior to physically installing it.  All went smooth, fire up the fan and Smartthings found the device immediately.  I'm on cloud 9.  Finally have an automated ceiling fan solution that wasn't painfully difficult!  I say "Alexa, turn on the living room lights."... She responds "Sorry, the Insteon Hub is not responding."... I've had this happen before... Go check on the hub expecting the device to be working fine and the problem being Alexa just losing communication to the hub... Nope.  Insteon Hub is dead.  ?

I had a backup hub for the Insteon devices but spent the rest of the night factory resetting each device and adding them to the new hub.  What a pain in the butt!  Felt like I was bi-polar going through those emotions so quickly.  The ceiling fan had nothing to do with the hub dying as they are separate systems.  Contacted Insteon and they are sending me out a replacement hub (bought in 2016).  

Made me realize how dependent we are on the smart home now.  Think I will pick up a backup Smartthings Hub down the road as well.  

 
Best toggle style smart light switch that will integrate into an existing multi-switch plate and can connect directly to google home without an additional hub? Does this exist?

 
Worm said:
Best toggle style smart light switch that will integrate into an existing multi-switch plate and can connect directly to google home without an additional hub? Does this exist?
Click to expand...
I installed several of these and they are working great

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079FDTG7T/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also used several of these for areas that also need dimming

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071RFYQFM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 
Worm said:
Best toggle style smart light switch that will integrate into an existing multi-switch plate and can connect directly to google home without an additional hub? Does this exist?
Click to expand...
The only toggle style switches I've seen are either Zigbee or Zwave radios which the Google Home doesn't support without another hub in between.  If you can convert to Decor style switches there are more options like GV posted above.

 
Ron Swanson said:
The only toggle style switches I've seen are either Zigbee or Zwave radios which the Google Home doesn't support without another hub in between.  If you can convert to Decor style switches there are more options like GV posted above.
Click to expand...
Gotcha. Yeah, I might just think about converting. The rocker switches are pretty inexpensive so if I'm opening things up at a 4 switch plate anyway it's not that big a deal to install a few more. Thanks to both of you.

 
Bought our house in 2011 - no "smart" infrastructure when we bought it.

I started with a Vera Z-wave hub...upgraded to the Vera Edge a few years ago.  May upgrade to their latest hub at some point that now supports several other HA protocols - I chose Vera because 1) No monthly fee 2) Robust add-ins and developer support, and 3) good technical support.  The main goal of my system is to have zero forced reliance on the HA system.  That is - if the Vera box died tomorrow, I could still turn everything on/off manually.  That's big for me - I hate being forced to troubleshoot my whole system if I can't turn on a light.  

I started out with 2 Kwikset door locks, 2 Trane thermostats, and a few Leviton Vizia light switches (I'll echo that it's much better to automate the light switch instead of the bulb).  I now have most of the interior lights, all the exterior lights, all 4 thermostats, all door locks, garage doors, ceiling fans, and even my old Honeywell Ademco alarm integrated into my system.  I can also use Alexa voice commands for all the lights, fans and thermostats, as well as the lock functions on the doors.  

It's not a cheap hobby - I slowly acquired switches and units over the last 7 years...I got a lot of the Leviton Vizia switches used on E-bay.  They're like $50-80 a piece depending on the type.  With patience, I can usually find them for $20-25 or so.  With Vera now interfacing with Alexa, Logitech Harmony remotes, and other devices, the sky is the limit.

 
Fat Nick said:
Bought our house in 2011 - no "smart" infrastructure when we bought it.

I started with a Vera Z-wave hub...upgraded to the Vera Edge a few years ago.  May upgrade to their latest hub at some point that now supports several other HA protocols - I chose Vera because 1) No monthly fee 2) Robust add-ins and developer support, and 3) good technical support.  The main goal of my system is to have zero forced reliance on the HA system.  That is - if the Vera box died tomorrow, I could still turn everything on/off manually.  That's big for me - I hate being forced to troubleshoot my whole system if I can't turn on a light.  

I started out with 2 Kwikset door locks, 2 Trane thermostats, and a few Leviton Vizia light switches (I'll echo that it's much better to automate the light switch instead of the bulb).  I now have most of the interior lights, all the exterior lights, all 4 thermostats, all door locks, garage doors, ceiling fans, and even my old Honeywell Ademco alarm integrated into my system.  I can also use Alexa voice commands for all the lights, fans and thermostats, as well as the lock functions on the doors.  

It's not a cheap hobby - I slowly acquired switches and units over the last 7 years...I got a lot of the Leviton Vizia switches used on E-bay.  They're like $50-80 a piece depending on the type.  With patience, I can usually find them for $20-25 or so.  With Vera now interfacing with Alexa, Logitech Harmony remotes, and other devices, the sky is the limit.
Click to expand...
Agree totally. I would never have a device that could not operate independently of the HA hub.

 
Fat Nick said:
Bought our house in 2011 - no "smart" infrastructure when we bought it.

I started with a Vera Z-wave hub...upgraded to the Vera Edge a few years ago.  May upgrade to their latest hub at some point that now supports several other HA protocols - I chose Vera because 1) No monthly fee 2) Robust add-ins and developer support, and 3) good technical support.  The main goal of my system is to have zero forced reliance on the HA system.  That is - if the Vera box died tomorrow, I could still turn everything on/off manually.  That's big for me - I hate being forced to troubleshoot my whole system if I can't turn on a light.  

I started out with 2 Kwikset door locks, 2 Trane thermostats, and a few Leviton Vizia light switches (I'll echo that it's much better to automate the light switch instead of the bulb).  I now have most of the interior lights, all the exterior lights, all 4 thermostats, all door locks, garage doors, ceiling fans, and even my old Honeywell Ademco alarm integrated into my system.  I can also use Alexa voice commands for all the lights, fans and thermostats, as well as the lock functions on the doors.  

It's not a cheap hobby - I slowly acquired switches and units over the last 7 years...I got a lot of the Leviton Vizia switches used on E-bay.  They're like $50-80 a piece depending on the type.  With patience, I can usually find them for $20-25 or so.  With Vera now interfacing with Alexa, Logitech Harmony remotes, and other devices, the sky is the limit.
Click to expand...
I just started adding some home automation, got a few bulbs and outlets.  Next is the switches, as seems the cheaper option then getting 9 bulbs for the chandelier,, but the problem I'm running into is that all of my switches in our living room are 3-4 way switches, and with multiple (3-4) switches in each box.  For example, behind my couch is a 4 switch box, one for the fan light, one for the fan, one that turns off the light over the table and one for an outlet on the other side of the room.  On the dining room wall, is one that controls the light over the table, the main room light/fan and the kitchen light, too.  

Anyone able to replace that many 3-4 way switches with that many switches per box? And if so, what did you use?

 
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