Home Automation and Security Systems

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Home Automation and Security Systems

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

No. 6 posted:

I don't know if this is the right area to ask, but can anyone recommend an good security camera, even if it hooks up to a PC?

We've been having a lot of petty theft in my parking area and someone stole the vent grills from my lower bumper. I'd like to at least be able to capture something, perhaps get lucky and see a license plate number.

Unless you have the camera mounted at car level you're not going to read a plate. Cameras are good at letting you recognize people you know, a lot less good for anything else.

# ¿ May 8, 2015 08:31

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 13:45

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

A professionally installed alarm system could be a selling feature, although who knows if you can get back what you put into it. Home brew system not so much.

What kind of stuff are you trying to monitor in your secret vault there?

# ¿ Feb 10, 2016 04:59

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

blackknight5k posted:

Thanks, I'm going to talk to my realtor friend (who is also my realtor) and see what she says, if she says it won't increase the value much I may go with a home brew system because I've always been interested in home automation.

OPSEC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just kidding, you could probably figure out if you looked through my post history. I've got quite a few firearms, including 3 NFA items. If those are stolen it's a federal felony and the ATF gets involved. From what I understand, when the ATF gets involved in an NFA item theft they usually solve it fairly quickly. I want to have footage to give them in case it happens.

Positively IDing a stranger from webcam footage is next to impossible.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2016 15:43

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

KillHour posted:

I agree with BigFactory. You're much better off putting that money towards a good gun safe bolted to the floor.

Edit: Just to be clear, to positively ID somebody, you're probably looking at spending hundreds, if not thousands. And even the most expensive system can be beaten by a balaclava.

Or put it towards a monitored alarm system. You might get breaks on your homeowner's insurance, too. Worth asking your agent about.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2016 15:54

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

I've got a wink hub and some GE bulbs, a nest, and an Echo at home, and after not really doing much with the wink for a year I'm trying to get things moving again. Anyone have good ideas or IFTTT recipes or even just good blogs to read for ideas to make this thing better than just a clunky way to turn lights on and off?

I tried playing around with some geofencing but that seems to be more useful if I lived alone? Am I wrong here? I also have a couple window/door sensors, so I was thinking of putting one on the overhead garage door and one on the other garage door, so when you open or close either of the doors it will turn on the garage lights. Anything else really great that I'm missing? I know Wink isn't the most robust platform.

# ¿ May 19, 2016 13:43

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

sellouts posted:

Full disclaimer: I am relatively new to this and have programmed the lights in 2 of the 5 rooms. So someone may snipe in and tell me I'm wrong. But this is what I've found along with talking with a smart home installer who pulled some wire for me.

You'll either need new physical switches or you'll need to never use the power switches on the wall and the bulbs need to be wifi enabled. Power has to be kept on so the lightbulb can respond to turn on or the switch must be smart to be able to be remote controlled on and off the actual power load.

How many switches control these lights? Do you have a neutral wire at all of the switches for this light? Most new switches require one.

A third option is that you could inline a dimmer between the light and the switch. Not sure you'll want to do that with a rental.

I have a wink hub and some wifi bulbs. The non-smart wall switches will turn the lights on and off, but if they're off you can't turn them on with the app. So basically you can always use them as dumb lights, but the switch has to be on to use them as smart bulbs.

# ¿ Aug 11, 2016 21:01

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Anyone have a recommendation for a smart bulb that has really strong color programming schemes? I�m not taking about red at 5:00 and blue at 5:30, more light show-style colors fading into each other. I have some really cheap bulbs that do that, and it works, but when you get a good program together it�s almost by accident. The app stinks.

The other kind I have I think is called smart life. I don�t really remember and the box just says �LED Smart Bulb�

BigFactory fucked around with this message at 01:33 on May 25, 2021

# ¿ May 25, 2021 01:31

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

King Burgundy posted:

There is an app called HueDynamic that I use with my Hue bulbs that does that kind of thing. Like Thunderstorm lighting or campfire lighting or that kind of thing, if that is what you are talking about.

Sounds like it. Can you make custom programs too?

# ¿ May 25, 2021 11:18

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

King Burgundy posted:

Sadly no.

Weird. This seems like it would be a feature a lot of people would be interested in, but you can only find it on the kinda no-name Chinese bulbs, and then it only kinda works. Or maybe I�m the weird one.

# ¿ May 25, 2021 17:11

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

WhiteHowler posted:

I don't know of anything that's self-contained with specific bulbs, but I've done some fun color transition automations with Home Assistant and Zigbee bulbs.

My office lamp has three color smart bulbs. I can turn on "party mode" (either from the HA dashboard or via Google voice command), which changes each bulb to a random, highly-saturated color every second until I turn it off.

If I wanted something more gradual, I could turn down the frequency and add a transition duration to the light actions.

Hmm, that might be what I�m looking for. I�ll dig in. Thank you.

# ¿ May 25, 2021 20:38

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

WhiteHowler posted:

If you're not already set up for Home Assistant, it's a bit more complicated than just plugging in a couple of devices and hitting "go". HA is very powerful and I'm happy I went down that path, but it can be an undertaking.

You'll need something to run it on (I think most people use a Docker container or a Raspberry Pi) and a bridge to talk to your bulbs and other devices. You may be able to skip the bridge with wi-fi bulbs, but those are often proprietary and sometimes don't get along with HomeAssistant or other home automation ecosystems.

For my setup, I'm using an old Raspberry Pi3+ running the HomeAssistant OS, a Zigbee/Zwave USB stick, and various smart bulbs, smart dimmers, and such. I listed my equipment in a previous post in this thread.

Ok, yeah that�s not what I�m looking for. Thanks though.

# ¿ May 25, 2021 21:09

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

WhiteHowler posted:

There are/were some third-party apps that can do more complex color transitions on Philips Hue bulbs. I have not tried any of them, but is this more what you're looking for?

https://www.howtogeek.com/301331/how-to-set-up-a-kickass-party-mode-for-your-hue-lights/

That�s much more of what I�m looking for, at least the 2nd mode there. It has some features the bulbs I have now dont (but also looks like it�s missing some). Thanks.

# ¿ May 25, 2021 21:26

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Rick posted:

There are a million Hue light show apps but my favorite is Lightbow. It�s super customizable and there are good free presets you can use as examples and templates and a billion preset formula themes for sale. You can also mix non hue lights in apparently but I have not tried this.

That looks like exactly what I�m looking for. Thank you! Now to spend all my money on lightbulbs.

# ¿ May 26, 2021 18:44

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Chef Boyardeez Nuts posted:

I'd have to leave my wife behind, she'd absolutely take a bullet on principle, generally, and several on the principle of "gently caress these assholes" in particular.

But hey, thanks for the advice. I'll look into Ring.

Another suggestion would be to talk to a local (or maybe branch out a little farther than local) private investigator. They might have a recommendation of a combination of automated and live surveillance that could be a lot more effective than a couple of Rings. Even talking to a security guard company might be worthwhile. Having a security company do a few drive-bys in the off hours when you�re not home is not expensive if this is a short term problem. And if things get heated up you already have a relationship with them and they could switch to putting a car in front of your house.

I think a couple of ring cameras is a cheap solution to a different problem. Even real security cameras might not be what you�re looking for unless you�re paying to have them actively monitored, which is $$$.

# ¿ Jun 5, 2021 12:48

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Henrik Zetterberg posted:

I just got into Hues last year and holy poo poo, I�ve spent way too much money on them. I just finished outfitting our back yard, pool, kitchen BR30s/cans, and under-cabinet lighting strips. gently caress.

Innr bulbs are about half the price

# ¿ Jul 24, 2021 18:19

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Sometimes I feel like I can�t be the only one who wants a specific product, but everything is slightly not right.

My garage lighting is set up really dumb, with the only switch inside the house and it�s not even really that close to the garage door. Which by itself I�m used to, but I hate that there�s no switch by the back door. There are two overhead lights. I had smart bulbs in them at one point, and a sensor on the back door that would turn them on, but that was when I had a wink hub and it was free to use. Also, the bulbs just weren�t bright enough and I�ve replaced them with big LEDs

So my thought is make the inside TOGGLE switch smart and put a wireless button/switch the back door. There are a million smart decora switches, but only a handful of toggles, and most of them are GE which don�t play nice with anything else in my experience. Any suggestions for what to buy? I�ve got a hue bridge, a basically useless wink bridge, most of the smart stuff I have syncs with google home so I use that too. I don�t really want another dedicated app, but it wouldn�t be the end of the world since it�s a very specific application anyways. But I�d rather be able to see everything in either google home or hue bridge app if possible I guess. Maybe I should just have an electrician wire another switch at the back door.

# ¿ Jul 26, 2021 21:38

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

There�s just no love for the humble toggle switch.

# ¿ Jul 26, 2021 22:25

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Kalman posted:

I mean, would a dumb motion sensor on each light (and a switch guard to keep the switch on) do the job? Sometimes the simple solution is best.

Kindaaa. I have to work in the garage too, though, so I can�t have the lights just shutting off on me for weird reasons.

And people might get really annoyed by the switch guard.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2021 00:00

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

My Spirit Otter posted:

The network its going on needs internet and i dont think i can tether to the router.

Regardless i returned it.

I just want a simple, internet-free home camera system. I live in a lovely neighbourhood, and dont have internet and not for lack of want.

You have to get away from wireless. Something like this would work, right?
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Swann-Hard...wE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Not recommending that brand or model, but just the general idea.

# ¿ Aug 6, 2021 14:50

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Motronic posted:

Fortunately I caught mine while it was running the compressor but not the fan quickly enough to avoid system damage. This is why I went down this rabbit hole and figure it out. Nest support was.......let's say cagy about the frequency of this issue. Immediately willing to send me a new thermostat and base, but not very forthcoming about the how and why this happened.

I loved that thing for it's occupancy sensor. It was in my "office" built off the side of my old barn that I didn't have a set schedule to use and always forgot to turn off the heat or AC. It also worked great with my home brew hybrid system of radiant heat in the slab plus forced air gas when I could schedule it to be warm when I got in there. But sadly the product is garbage for lack of spending an extra $10 on actual quality critical components.

I didn't realize the actual relays were in the base, so when I took the thermostat off and still had the same issue I immediately assumed a wiring problem. Nest support did not mention the relays were in the base until I told them that the problem stopped once I disconnected the base from the control wiring (I did that to start testing continuity and was like.....wait....what the gently caress...this shouldn't have "fixed" it). Not a good experience. Not good support. Seemed to be trying to play reputational damage control the entire time.

Is this a problem with every generation of nests? I have a first gen I�ve never had any issues with.

# ¿ Aug 7, 2021 12:21

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

I wish I had never started because my house is a Frankenstein mess that is barely functional or worthwhile. At least I have some pretty lights to play with.

# ¿ Aug 12, 2021 20:30

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Mr. Crow posted:

Can anyone point me towards a privacy friendly /focused dumb baby monitor? I'm not afraid to DIY but if there is something already that doesn't demand cloud integration that I can just firewall and use that would be great.

Do you need it to be on your phone? There are a million rf baby monitors

# ¿ Sep 7, 2021 18:33

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Henrik Zetterberg posted:

Is Feit considered junk? I just replaced some buzzing Feit E12 bulbs in a fan dimmer with another set of Feit E12s and that poo poo still buzzes. It was the only thing Home Depot had last night.

I think they suck

# ¿ Dec 12, 2021 17:24

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

blastron posted:

I am balking at the pricing on Hue bulbs after summing up the total number of bulbs I would have to buy in order to replace everything I want, since I have a lot of multi-bulb fixtures. It looks like smart dimmer switches coupled with �warm glow� dimmable LED lights might be the way to go, since all I really need is automatic dimming within a room and don�t care about addressing individual bulbs. Does anyone have any recommendations for smart switches (or dire warnings against this course of action)?

INNR bulbs are very compatible with Hue hub and were aroun half the price of hue the last time I checked. They don�t do everything as nice as the hue bulbs but they�re ok

# ¿ Dec 15, 2021 22:55

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

text editor posted:

I haven't, but I can say when I bought a Zooz dinner, they specifically suggested not to use it with Feit bulbs due to issues. Feit was the only brand mentioned this way

I have some Feit bulbs and they suck. Have to constantly reconnect them and you have to either use the horrible Feit app or smart life (also horrible). Maybe the dimmers are better but I�m not impressed.

# ¿ Feb 16, 2022 16:27

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

TeMpLaR posted:

Before I switched to Hue bulbs my entire house was Feit. I flashed the firmware with Tasmota and they had been completely and totally reliable. You should 100% try to do this. I do not remember any of my ~30+ bulbs ever disconnecting.

Is there a guide for how to do that?

# ¿ Feb 17, 2022 12:48

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

TeMpLaR posted:

This is a good start to doing it. Then you�ll need to setup mqtt on home assistant to control them.

https://blog.fosketts.net/2020/05/29/liberate-wi-fi-smart-bulbs-and-switches-with-tasmota/

If I were doing this again now I would most likely flash to tasmota and then to esphome and use that instead of mqtt. I like how easy to use esphome is and the syntax is very nice to change settings and add new options.

That�s a lot to absorb.

# ¿ Feb 17, 2022 20:19

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Motronic posted:

For everyone with the tiny switch box issues that may not know, just go buy yourself a bunch of Wago 221s in various configurations: https://www.wago.com/us/discover-wire-and-splicing-connectors/221

Sometimes splitting up that bundle of grounds or neutrals in a gigantic wire nut and being able to put them flat against the back of the box gives you just the extra space you need.

This is an example. I replaced this box (because I needed two gangs) but due to a box directly behind it on the other side of that wall I wasn't able to use one of more "modern" depth:

I got two Honeywell zwaves in there no problem.

Those are cool. Definitely have to keep that in mind

# ¿ Mar 11, 2022 00:59

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

priznat posted:

Yup that is my house, built in �64 I believe. Also get the weird rear end drywall that is more crumbly than the modern gypsum and probably riddled with asbestos.

Those straight through splices are really neat doodads.

Drywall almost never has asbestos in it. It�s the joint compound you have to worry about.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2022 02:41

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Wanderless posted:

I'm looking for some under-cabinet lighting.

I really like the idea and look of panel lighting, and the Feit OneSync panels look to do all of the things I'd like, but I've seen warnings on all sorts of switches that Feit lights aren't well-behaved with dimming, and I'd really like to avoid another stupid cloud server gateway if at all possible for all of the reasons above. I haven't managed to sus out even what sort of protocol Feit uses to communicate. Guessing it is proprietary?

Basically. Google home works with it partway, but I wouldn�t buy any more Feit smart anything�s

# ¿ Apr 29, 2022 00:36

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Auroras are great. I wish they weren�t so expensive but they work really well.

# ¿ May 13, 2022 20:55

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Sir Sidney Poitier posted:

I don't know if there's a better place to ask it, but can anyone think of what the hell to do about a spider repeatedly building its web in front of one of my CCTV cameras?

The camera is just above head height on my garage wall and it's underneath eaves which apparently make it the ideal place for this spider to build its web most nights. The web then seems to have the camera infrared reflect on it, obscuring the picture quite a bit. Just a first thought but might something like silicone lubricant on the eaves deter this?

Install a bird house next to the camera

# ¿ Jun 8, 2022 10:47

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Sir Sidney Poitier posted:

The bird box idea is interesting but I also don't like the idea of giving extra reasons for them to poo poo on my car. I presume the premise is that the birds would eat them?

It was a joke, but that�s the premise. You could also hatch a clutch of praying mantis eggs.

# ¿ Jun 8, 2022 14:52

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Rick posted:

I don't necessarily love LIFX lights but they run pretty independently of a hub so that's an option at least. With no network of course you do need to be within range to actively control them (well, if IFTT and the lights are both behaving correctly sometimes you can use that for out of house control) but they'll run a schedule and such on their own. Also they are Apple Home compatible so if you ever feel like going that direction with an Apple TV as a hub in the future that is open to you.

If anything the big problem I have with them is they are too independent. They just are not very responsive to direct control and sometimes they completely ignore control or lose connection to wifi and the only solution is to either wait until they feel like responding again or to reset them which is a very long process. Well also they're expensive; at least Hue goes on sale sometimes (and if you just want regular white lights Hue can be pretty affordable), LIFX is always full price.

Hue on sale is still more than LIFX, but they�re a lot better bulbs too. I agree though that LIFX isn�t terrible and probably the best 2nd tier bulb. Stay away from GE Cync or Feit or random Amazon brands.

# ¿ Sep 15, 2022 11:38

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

SalTheBard posted:

Ok. I'm fine with vacuum only. I was looking online a bit after my post and yeah the mint drastically ups the price. There are just so many out there and if I'm going to spend $200 I don't want it to be poo poo

I�ve had a bunch of robot vacuums and the only one I had that I actually liked was the first generation neato. The machine was pretty solid and customer service was outstanding. But I think they�re all very expensive and they die quickly. I use a broom.

# ¿ Nov 7, 2022 14:19

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Corla Plankun posted:

There's almost certainly a childproofing device you can put on your freezer that will stop this in a much safer and less goony way.

Freezer alarms are still nice. I wish mine had one

# ¿ Nov 19, 2022 16:26

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Why isn�t the obvious solution something like a door/window sensor that would beep if it�s in the on position longer than 5 minutes or so

# ¿ Nov 22, 2022 13:04

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

VelociBacon posted:

OP said it's in his garage where he wouldn't hear it IIRC.

The alarm can be on a phone

# ¿ Nov 22, 2022 13:55

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 13:45

BigFactory: Sep 17, 2002

Three Olives posted:

Wait, I don't think you mentioned your use case, is there a reason you are using smart bulbs instead of smart switches? You should never use smart bulbs if you can use smart switches.

Smart bulbs are cool

# ¿ Jul 20, 2023 01:23

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