The Smart Home tech thread
Discussion
So, I'm in the process of putting various bits of smart tech into my new house, and couldn't find an all-encompassing thread. Apologies if I've missed something that already exists.
I'm a relative newbie to doing this properly, but have a few observations.
We currently have Smart Home setups in two homes, albeit quite basic. We started with Amazon Alexa in our London flat, before realising that we couldn't run multiple homes on Alexa (this is possible on Google Home). Setting up Google Home in our new house has really highlighted a few advantages for me. The app is much more straightforward, and tries to do much less than Alexa so you can get to the bits you want more easily. Integrating non-Google devices, although some functional limitations (more on that in a bit), is much simpler and more reliable than the Alexa 'skills'. If I was starting from scratch, I'd definitely go with Google.
While it's easy to integrate non-Google devices into Google Home, you don't get the full-fat experience. For example, I'm adding Ring security into our house (doorbell, floodlight cam and interior cam), and I can only see basic information about device statuses etc. on my Google Home app. Not the end of the world (the Ring app is excellent), but worth considering. I suspect this is also true for Alexa.
We bought a load of the early Sonos speakers without mics for our flat in London, and trying to 'pair' them with the corresponding Alexa devices plain doesn't work. This ends up meaning that I have to start music playing from the Sonos app, and can't use voice controls at all. A pain. I would definitely buy speakers with microphones in future.
Smart bulbs and switches are still far too fiddly/fickle. Either bulbs that need a dedicated base unit, which feels like a pain. Or bulbs that are just plain ugly. Or bulbs that don't work with multiple switches or dimmers. I've found that lamps with smart switches (we use TP-Link, Kasa in London and Tapo in our house) work much better.
I don't have a clue how smart heating works (surely having thermostats right next to the radiators is problematic?), but haven't had the time to wade through the massive thread on it.
Keen for others to share their experience or questions. Who knows if this thread will be useful or not?
I'm a relative newbie to doing this properly, but have a few observations.
We currently have Smart Home setups in two homes, albeit quite basic. We started with Amazon Alexa in our London flat, before realising that we couldn't run multiple homes on Alexa (this is possible on Google Home). Setting up Google Home in our new house has really highlighted a few advantages for me. The app is much more straightforward, and tries to do much less than Alexa so you can get to the bits you want more easily. Integrating non-Google devices, although some functional limitations (more on that in a bit), is much simpler and more reliable than the Alexa 'skills'. If I was starting from scratch, I'd definitely go with Google.
While it's easy to integrate non-Google devices into Google Home, you don't get the full-fat experience. For example, I'm adding Ring security into our house (doorbell, floodlight cam and interior cam), and I can only see basic information about device statuses etc. on my Google Home app. Not the end of the world (the Ring app is excellent), but worth considering. I suspect this is also true for Alexa.
We bought a load of the early Sonos speakers without mics for our flat in London, and trying to 'pair' them with the corresponding Alexa devices plain doesn't work. This ends up meaning that I have to start music playing from the Sonos app, and can't use voice controls at all. A pain. I would definitely buy speakers with microphones in future.
Smart bulbs and switches are still far too fiddly/fickle. Either bulbs that need a dedicated base unit, which feels like a pain. Or bulbs that are just plain ugly. Or bulbs that don't work with multiple switches or dimmers. I've found that lamps with smart switches (we use TP-Link, Kasa in London and Tapo in our house) work much better.
I don't have a clue how smart heating works (surely having thermostats right next to the radiators is problematic?), but haven't had the time to wade through the massive thread on it.
Keen for others to share their experience or questions. Who knows if this thread will be useful or not?
Great idea for a thread.
I know it's tech, so "tomorrow will be brilliant" is a truism, but Matter should mean the death of the walled garden, in theory.
Google house here, and not everything is as rosy as it ought to be - there are Alex only things, like the annoyingly French smart indoor/outdoor thermostat/air quality thingy.
Bulbs are a bit silly, but have a few Hue ones, and quite fancy a go with Tradfri, to cater for the inherited "why have one bulb when you could have five per light fitting?"
I know it's tech, so "tomorrow will be brilliant" is a truism, but Matter should mean the death of the walled garden, in theory.
Google house here, and not everything is as rosy as it ought to be - there are Alex only things, like the annoyingly French smart indoor/outdoor thermostat/air quality thingy.
Bulbs are a bit silly, but have a few Hue ones, and quite fancy a go with Tradfri, to cater for the inherited "why have one bulb when you could have five per light fitting?"
randlemarcus said:
Bulbs are a bit silly, but have a few Hue ones, and quite fancy a go with Tradfri, to cater for the inherited "why have one bulb when you could have five per light fitting?"
Bulbs really feel like such a poor solution at the moment. I have a LOT of wall-mounted downlighters, and I'd need another mortgage to fit out the whole house with Hue.Our TV room has a Sonos Beam soundbar (with mic) currently, which is excellent. I'm planning to add a couple of the IKEA Sonos speakers as surround, along with a subwoofer. I'm hopeful that I can just group them all in the Sonos app, and then they'll work via the Google Assistant as normal. A bit annoying that you can't cast content direct from your phone to it, but I guess that's the limitation of Sonos being a closed shop.
I have a Chromecast audio in my snug/bar, hooked up to my old separates and floorstanders, for exactly this purpose. It's a bit glitchy (won't always connect direct from the Sonos app), but you can always get around any issues by casting device audio.
I was really impressed with the sound coming out of the new Google Nest Mini. I have one set up in the bedroom, which was bought when they were on offer for £20, and we had assumed we'd swap out for a Sonos One but now look unlikely to need to.
I have a Chromecast audio in my snug/bar, hooked up to my old separates and floorstanders, for exactly this purpose. It's a bit glitchy (won't always connect direct from the Sonos app), but you can always get around any issues by casting device audio.
I was really impressed with the sound coming out of the new Google Nest Mini. I have one set up in the bedroom, which was bought when they were on offer for £20, and we had assumed we'd swap out for a Sonos One but now look unlikely to need to.
We moved into our house about four years ago, and I started building things up at that point. Went with Hue lights at first, but quickly realised that the IKEA Tradfri bulbs work and can be paired with the Hue Bridge. They're a fraction of the cost, so I dumped some cash and bought loads of those. The IKEA colour bulbs were pants, but I've recently discovered Innr bulbs perform quite well and are cheaper than Hue as well. All controlled via the app, voice command (Google Home), and via the wall mounted remotes/smart buttons from Hue. Also have some automations that turn things on a dusk.
The Google Home works really well for multi room audio. Its not audiophile quality, but works for podcasts and some background music while doing chores and the like.
Have yet to investigate heating controls properly. Our boiler guy talked me out of Nest/Hive, so I was looking at Tado as a good all rounder.
I've got a couple of Eufy cameras too, but have disconnected them while we redecorate. Its been while since I looked, but I think the video feed from those could be shown on the Google Home Hubs, which was nice.
Will be looking to add a video doorbell too in the near future. Can anyone recommend a good value video doorbell that works with Google Home? Because of the odd house layout, we need two doorbells so I'd rather not spend a fortune!
The Google Home works really well for multi room audio. Its not audiophile quality, but works for podcasts and some background music while doing chores and the like.
Have yet to investigate heating controls properly. Our boiler guy talked me out of Nest/Hive, so I was looking at Tado as a good all rounder.
I've got a couple of Eufy cameras too, but have disconnected them while we redecorate. Its been while since I looked, but I think the video feed from those could be shown on the Google Home Hubs, which was nice.
Will be looking to add a video doorbell too in the near future. Can anyone recommend a good value video doorbell that works with Google Home? Because of the odd house layout, we need two doorbells so I'd rather not spend a fortune!
While renovating our last house I floodwired with network cable in anticipation of going fully smart house, in the end I couldn't find a single bit of "smart" technology that i thought we would find useful...
Current house i have fitted evohome TRVs so the heating can be controlled from an app but again when looking at current smart offerings have found no real world drivers for it. I don't get the need for multi-room audio, I can kind of see how using an app to set room light could be marginally useful, but not enough for me to want to pay for it, as without getting really techy and stand alone there is no voice control system I would have in my house - hell I don't even use Siri on my iphone.
I would love to be convinced of the usefulness of smart home technology but there is very little I have ever seen that I think would be genuinely useful or life enhancing.
Current house i have fitted evohome TRVs so the heating can be controlled from an app but again when looking at current smart offerings have found no real world drivers for it. I don't get the need for multi-room audio, I can kind of see how using an app to set room light could be marginally useful, but not enough for me to want to pay for it, as without getting really techy and stand alone there is no voice control system I would have in my house - hell I don't even use Siri on my iphone.
I would love to be convinced of the usefulness of smart home technology but there is very little I have ever seen that I think would be genuinely useful or life enhancing.
simon_harris said:
While renovating our last house I floodwired with network cable in anticipation of going fully smart house, in the end I couldn't find a single bit of "smart" technology that i thought we would find useful...
Current house i have fitted evohome TRVs so the heating can be controlled from an app but again when looking at current smart offerings have found no real world drivers for it. I don't get the need for multi-room audio, I can kind of see how using an app to set room light could be marginally useful, but not enough for me to want to pay for it, as without getting really techy and stand alone there is no voice control system I would have in my house - hell I don't even use Siri on my iphone.
I would love to be convinced of the usefulness of smart home technology but there is very little I have ever seen that I think would be genuinely useful or life enhancing.
For me, arriving home in the dark and being able to turn a few lights on either to make the house feel a bit more welcoming or to help me avoid stacking it carrying boxes/shopping, is a major use-case.Current house i have fitted evohome TRVs so the heating can be controlled from an app but again when looking at current smart offerings have found no real world drivers for it. I don't get the need for multi-room audio, I can kind of see how using an app to set room light could be marginally useful, but not enough for me to want to pay for it, as without getting really techy and stand alone there is no voice control system I would have in my house - hell I don't even use Siri on my iphone.
I would love to be convinced of the usefulness of smart home technology but there is very little I have ever seen that I think would be genuinely useful or life enhancing.
Otherwise, I listen to a lot of radio and podcasts, so it's handy to be able to put them on in whichever room I'm in and pick up where I left off, or have them on in multiple rooms if I'm pottering around the house.
Heating I can see the advantages of not heating every room uniformly, but I'm not sure about the implementation.
My Ring doorbell has been the single most useful bit of smart home kit I've bought. Being able to speak to delivery people when I'm not there is a gamechanger (when they ignore the notes and try and dump parcels in the front porch), as well as the ongoing security side of not being home all the time.
It's definitely not lifechanging stuff, but as a popular supermarket likes to remind us, "Every little helps". Plus, I'm all for fiddling with gadgets.
Hive heating controls work well and are easy to self wire in. All the instructions are available and the TRV's work well. Their lightbulbs work well provided you have their fittings and the power plugs are good too, meaning you can link with sensors etc to turn on lights during given time periods etc.
However, we have two hive cameras which failed with the white ring of death after two years - Hive have a big problem with these that they claim is because they corrupt the memory quite quickly and then fail. There's so many people have been affected since last christmas and it started just after an update... Hive have been terrible - offering a £30 compensation when the cameras were £189 and have now stopped selling and are pulling out the security market all together.
So for an integrated system, and the fact Hive support have been terrible and just fobbed off everyone - I'd stay well clear - which is a shame as I'd heavily invested.
I don't have a problem with Alexa driven devices in two houses, just give them different names.
TCP Smart are another that do cheap lighting devices, good for things like Alexa or App driven lights, led strips etc.
For outdoor plugs I use Meross (from amazon) again App and Alexa compatible. Handy for turning on outdoor lights, waterfall pump etc
They've just announced they are also moving into heating controllers.
However, we have two hive cameras which failed with the white ring of death after two years - Hive have a big problem with these that they claim is because they corrupt the memory quite quickly and then fail. There's so many people have been affected since last christmas and it started just after an update... Hive have been terrible - offering a £30 compensation when the cameras were £189 and have now stopped selling and are pulling out the security market all together.
So for an integrated system, and the fact Hive support have been terrible and just fobbed off everyone - I'd stay well clear - which is a shame as I'd heavily invested.
I don't have a problem with Alexa driven devices in two houses, just give them different names.
TCP Smart are another that do cheap lighting devices, good for things like Alexa or App driven lights, led strips etc.
For outdoor plugs I use Meross (from amazon) again App and Alexa compatible. Handy for turning on outdoor lights, waterfall pump etc
They've just announced they are also moving into heating controllers.
Edited by Byker28i on Thursday 20th October 14:08
This isn't going to be popular. but...
Understand the weaknesses in any system you chose.
Understand its dependancies either on external servers, or manufacturers that my upgrade/turn off/go out of business.
Personally I wouldn't use anything that needed external connectivity.
We run Evohome for heating - it is self-contained, but has a non-critical bridge for remote control over the internet if you want it.
Homeassistant - which is open source - for running a variety of other items. It has access from the internet, but doesn't require it.
HA/HASS/Homeassistant supports loads of actual switching/monitoring hardware.
Understand the weaknesses in any system you chose.
Understand its dependancies either on external servers, or manufacturers that my upgrade/turn off/go out of business.
Personally I wouldn't use anything that needed external connectivity.
We run Evohome for heating - it is self-contained, but has a non-critical bridge for remote control over the internet if you want it.
Homeassistant - which is open source - for running a variety of other items. It has access from the internet, but doesn't require it.
HA/HASS/Homeassistant supports loads of actual switching/monitoring hardware.
Alexa home here, I even have a DOT in the car (1991 merc 190) so I can access all smart functions as I drive.
I have
Lightwave light switches
Hive Heating
Energenie Sockets
Harmony AV remote
some chinese smart bulbs ( kids rooms to disco effects )
Echos of varying generation across all rooms
works pretty well for me and was usually bought very much with cost as a driver but has all integrated quite easily and such that wife who was originally a mega sceptic is sold and wouldn't do without it all.
I'm pretty happy with how my lot has all worked out.
I have
Lightwave light switches
Hive Heating
Energenie Sockets
Harmony AV remote
some chinese smart bulbs ( kids rooms to disco effects )
Echos of varying generation across all rooms
works pretty well for me and was usually bought very much with cost as a driver but has all integrated quite easily and such that wife who was originally a mega sceptic is sold and wouldn't do without it all.
I'm pretty happy with how my lot has all worked out.
No ideas for a name said:
This isn't going to be popular. but...
Understand the weaknesses in any system you chose.
Understand its dependancies either on external servers, or manufacturers that my upgrade/turn off/go out of business.
Personally I wouldn't use anything that needed external connectivity.
We run Evohome for heating - it is self-contained, but has a non-critical bridge for remote control over the internet if you want it.
Homeassistant - which is open source - for running a variety of other items. It has access from the internet, but doesn't require it.
HA/HASS/Homeassistant supports loads of actual switching/monitoring hardware.
I'd say that was a very popular thing to say. Feels like common sense.Understand the weaknesses in any system you chose.
Understand its dependancies either on external servers, or manufacturers that my upgrade/turn off/go out of business.
Personally I wouldn't use anything that needed external connectivity.
We run Evohome for heating - it is self-contained, but has a non-critical bridge for remote control over the internet if you want it.
Homeassistant - which is open source - for running a variety of other items. It has access from the internet, but doesn't require it.
HA/HASS/Homeassistant supports loads of actual switching/monitoring hardware.
Byker28i said:
Hive heating controls work well and are easy to self wire in. All the instructions are available and the TRV's work well. Their lightbulbs work well provided you have their fittings and the power plugs are good too, meaning you can link with sensors etc to turn on lights during given time periods etc.
However, we have two hive cameras which failed with the white ring of death after two years - Hive have a big problem with these that they claim is because they corrupt the memory quite quickly and then fail. There's so many people have been affected since last christmas and it started just after an update... Hive have been terrible - offering a £30 compensation when the cameras were £189 and have now stopped selling and are pulling out the security market all together.
So for an integrated system, and the fact Hive support have been terrible and just fobbed off everyone - I'd stay well clear - which is a shame as I'd heavily invested.
I don't have a problem with Alexa driven devices in two houses, just give them different names.
TCP Smart are another that do cheap lighting devices, good for things like Alexa or App driven lights, led strips etc.
For outdoor plugs I use Meross (from amazon) again App and Alexa compatible. Handy for turning on outdoor lights, waterfall pump etc
They've just announced they are also moving into heating controllers.
My brother got caught out by Hive pulling out of security after spending a small fortune. This is what prompted me to go with Ring.However, we have two hive cameras which failed with the white ring of death after two years - Hive have a big problem with these that they claim is because they corrupt the memory quite quickly and then fail. There's so many people have been affected since last christmas and it started just after an update... Hive have been terrible - offering a £30 compensation when the cameras were £189 and have now stopped selling and are pulling out the security market all together.
So for an integrated system, and the fact Hive support have been terrible and just fobbed off everyone - I'd stay well clear - which is a shame as I'd heavily invested.
I don't have a problem with Alexa driven devices in two houses, just give them different names.
TCP Smart are another that do cheap lighting devices, good for things like Alexa or App driven lights, led strips etc.
For outdoor plugs I use Meross (from amazon) again App and Alexa compatible. Handy for turning on outdoor lights, waterfall pump etc
They've just announced they are also moving into heating controllers.
Edited by Byker28i on Thursday 20th October 14:08
Home assistant is definitely where you should start. No matter how good the manufacturers are, they never cover everything you want and it's a total pain having a 90% solution.
My favourite things are if I say "Hey Google, play Audioslave", Google will default to using the Chromecast Audio for the correct room, but it won't turn on the ceiling speaker's amplifier. Home Assistant steps in and it's all absolutely flawless. My favourite one is my PC amplifier, lock and unlock the PC to turn it's amplifier on and off. Just works.
I'm not really all in on the lights and stuff, but I'm slowly working through some LED background lighting that will match its colour to the outside temperature, which should be fun.
My favourite things are if I say "Hey Google, play Audioslave", Google will default to using the Chromecast Audio for the correct room, but it won't turn on the ceiling speaker's amplifier. Home Assistant steps in and it's all absolutely flawless. My favourite one is my PC amplifier, lock and unlock the PC to turn it's amplifier on and off. Just works.
I'm not really all in on the lights and stuff, but I'm slowly working through some LED background lighting that will match its colour to the outside temperature, which should be fun.
paulrockliffe said:
Home assistant is definitely where you should start. No matter how good the manufacturers are, they never cover everything you want and it's a total pain having a 90% solution.
My favourite things are if I say "Hey Google, play Audioslave", Google will default to using the Chromecast Audio for the correct room, but it won't turn on the ceiling speaker's amplifier. Home Assistant steps in and it's all absolutely flawless. My favourite one is my PC amplifier, lock and unlock the PC to turn it's amplifier on and off. Just works.
I'm not really all in on the lights and stuff, but I'm slowly working through some LED background lighting that will match its colour to the outside temperature, which should be fun.
I'm not sure I understand Home Assistant? What does it do exactly?My favourite things are if I say "Hey Google, play Audioslave", Google will default to using the Chromecast Audio for the correct room, but it won't turn on the ceiling speaker's amplifier. Home Assistant steps in and it's all absolutely flawless. My favourite one is my PC amplifier, lock and unlock the PC to turn it's amplifier on and off. Just works.
I'm not really all in on the lights and stuff, but I'm slowly working through some LED background lighting that will match its colour to the outside temperature, which should be fun.
C70R said:
randlemarcus said:
Bulbs are a bit silly, but have a few Hue ones, and quite fancy a go with Tradfri, to cater for the inherited "why have one bulb when you could have five per light fitting?"
Bulbs really feel like such a poor solution at the moment. I have a LOT of wall-mounted downlighters, and I'd need another mortgage to fit out the whole house with Hue.C70R said:
I'm not sure I understand Home Assistant? What does it do exactly?
It is basically a 'thing' which runs a bit of software called HomeAssistant, or HASS.It is open source, can be extended and is compatible with thousands of devices from hundreds of manufacturers.
Simply it means you control everything locally, with no dependance on external manufacturers, no ongoing subscriptions etc.
The main issue is many people want to buy something from Argos in a glossy box and just plug it in.
HA isn't that trivial.
Closest to a packaged product is https://www.home-assistant.io/blue
There is a demo on-line at https://www.home-assistant.io/
I wouldn't recommend it to someone without the necessary skills - unless you can get some one to set up the basics for you... it is easy from there.
Then again, I really wouldn't recommend closed, proprietry, dependant commercial offerings either.
markiii said:
C70R said:
randlemarcus said:
Bulbs are a bit silly, but have a few Hue ones, and quite fancy a go with Tradfri, to cater for the inherited "why have one bulb when you could have five per light fitting?"
Bulbs really feel like such a poor solution at the moment. I have a LOT of wall-mounted downlighters, and I'd need another mortgage to fit out the whole house with Hue.https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
No ideas for a name said:
C70R said:
I'm not sure I understand Home Assistant? What does it do exactly?
It is basically a 'thing' which runs a bit of software called HomeAssistant, or HASS.It is open source, can be extended and is compatible with thousands of devices from hundreds of manufacturers.
Simply it means you control everything locally, with no dependance on external manufacturers, no ongoing subscriptions etc.
The main issue is many people want to buy something from Argos in a glossy box and just plug it in.
HA isn't that trivial.
Closest to a packaged product is https://www.home-assistant.io/blue
There is a demo on-line at https://www.home-assistant.io/
I wouldn't recommend it to someone without the necessary skills - unless you can get some one to set up the basics for you... it is easy from there.
Then again, I really wouldn't recommend closed, proprietry, dependant commercial offerings either.
That seems like a fairly niche solution to problems I haven't encountered yet, but I'll bear it in mind.
Another thumbs up for Home Assistant but I agree that, even though it has come on leaps and bounds from a usability perspective over past 18 months, you need to be a tinkerer to get the best out of it - it isn't remotely as easy as using alexa/google/home kit stuff, although it is much more flexible, functional and resilient than the usual cloud offerings. The level of support for third party devices is really impressive
I am sat here on holiday in Egypt, monitoring home alarm utilising home assistant (and konnected.io), my lights on "away from home" automation and cctv camera feeds, all through HA.
I am sat here on holiday in Egypt, monitoring home alarm utilising home assistant (and konnected.io), my lights on "away from home" automation and cctv camera feeds, all through HA.
Technophobe here 
I want our place to be in darkness externally when we're out, but to be able to switch on some external lights when we come home (so we can find our way in!).
Which is the best way to do this?
We do have an Alexa, I think the O/H has something in the car to do with it, but I don't get involved with that kind of thing.....
I want our place to be in darkness externally when we're out, but to be able to switch on some external lights when we come home (so we can find our way in!).
Which is the best way to do this?
We do have an Alexa, I think the O/H has something in the car to do with it, but I don't get involved with that kind of thing.....
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