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Thread: Smart Home Automation

  1. #31
    Pitter Patter TRF's Avatar
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    Re: Smart Home Automation

    Quote Originally Posted by JaxRed View Post
    What will those do for you? If it was cheap I wouldn't mind something that turned off lights when not in room.
    I believe you can do scheduling. Not sure if they come with motion sensors, but they have so many products, even more than listed here. All very inexpensive.

    I'm also adding motion sensor lights to the bottom of cabinets in the kitchen for late night illumination.my fridge and dishwasher are smart appliances (Kenmore), and the RF hub Sonoff offers will allow me to open my garage door with an app.

    In the spring I'll be upgrading the sprinkler system. I might also be adding solar panels late next year. 325 watt panels as low as $200. I've got room for 30+ panels.
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  3. #32
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    Re: Smart Home Automation

    Quote Originally Posted by TRF View Post
    I believe you can do scheduling. Not sure if they come with motion sensors, but they have so many products, even more than listed here. All very inexpensive.

    I'm also adding motion sensor lights to the bottom of cabinets in the kitchen for late night illumination.my fridge and dishwasher are smart appliances (Kenmore), and the RF hub Sonoff offers will allow me to open my garage door with an app.

    In the spring I'll be upgrading the sprinkler system. I might also be adding solar panels late next year. 325 watt panels as low as $200. I've got room for 30+ panels.
    Funny... I was deciding whether to make a post about solar. I'd like to do a solar project (where someone else does the actual work...I'm old, fat and lazy). But everytime I look at the cost I can't justify it. You talking about a DIY project?
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  4. #33
    Member Redsfaithful's Avatar
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    Re: Smart Home Automation

    The only thing keeping me from getting into some of these things is knowing if the companies running the apps fold or just decide they are switching gears, they'll stop supporting whatever I bought.

    Do you guys just not care or possibly I'm missing something?
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  5. #34
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    Re: Smart Home Automation

    I spent about $200 total on my thermostat and sprinkler controller. The controller has been saving me $40 a month in water. If it dies tomorrow I'd have already broken even. But I suspect it won't. Keeping current customers online is probably very cheap. Someone would probably take over the ops.
    Last edited by JaxRed; 12-13-2018 at 10:18 PM.
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  6. #35
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    Re: Smart Home Automation

    That's a no brainer for sure.

    Some aren't though. I remember reading about a smart garage door company that went out of business. Or this:

    https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...est-smart-home
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  7. #36
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    Re: Smart Home Automation

    Just not going to let worrying about that kind of stuff keep me from getting something I like. The investment is pretty small so the risk is small.
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    TRF (12-14-2018)

  9. #37
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    Re: Smart Home Automation

    Quote Originally Posted by JaxRed View Post
    Funny... I was deciding whether to make a post about solar. I'd like to do a solar project (where someone else does the actual work...I'm old, fat and lazy). But everytime I look at the cost I can't justify it. You talking about a DIY project?
    I'll make the purchase, contract for the installation. I work for a college that has a Solar Energy department, I'm thinking i can get my house wired as part of a class project.
    Dubito Ergo Cogito Ergo Sum.

  10. #38
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    Re: Smart Home Automation

    Quote Originally Posted by JaxRed View Post
    Just not going to let worrying about that kind of stuff keep me from getting something I like. The investment is pretty small so the risk is small.
    Yeah, it's not actually the money for me, it's more the potential pain in the rear when something I get used to stops working. I don't want to have to like, switch out my light switches because some company went belly up and now they won't operate as dumb light switches (I don't know if this happens, just a theoretical). I don't trust any of these tech companies to actually care, in the end, and I don't love being on an upgrade treadmill for everything in my house.

    But then I really like the idea of saving energy, so it's a conundrum. Think I'll just keep reading about it for now.
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  11. #39
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    Re: Smart Home Automation

    These products continuously get better. And after you've owned them, you become more knowledgeable about what they do etc. If they shut down.. it's an opportunity to upgrade. (I also think that fear is way overblown).
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    Redsfaithful (12-15-2018)

  13. #40
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    Re: Smart Home Automation

    Quote Originally Posted by TRF View Post
    I believe you can do scheduling. Not sure if they come with motion sensors, but they have so many products, even more than listed here. All very inexpensive.

    I'm also adding motion sensor lights to the bottom of cabinets in the kitchen for late night illumination.my fridge and dishwasher are smart appliances (Kenmore), and the RF hub Sonoff offers will allow me to open my garage door with an app.

    In the spring I'll be upgrading the sprinkler system. I might also be adding solar panels late next year. 325 watt panels as low as $200. I've got room for 30+ panels.
    So.... according to my math that would be a 9.75 kW system at 30 panels. Right? And $6,000 for equipment (I realize it just the panels, and there's other costs).

    I got several quotes from EnergySage. A 10.8 kW system was quoted to me at $27,000.

    If I could do 9.75 for $10K I'd do it without even thinking...
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    TRF (12-16-2018)

  15. #41
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    Re: Smart Home Automation

    Quote Originally Posted by JaxRed View Post
    I spent about $200 total on my thermostat and sprinkler controller. The controller has been saving me $40 a month in water. If it dies tomorrow I'd have already broken even. But I suspect it won't. Keeping current customers online is probably very cheap. Someone would probably take over the ops.
    $40 a month? Wow. Living near you I bet I’d get close to that. Which one do you have.

    Any experiences with garage doors? My daughter keeps leaving mine open when she gets home late.
    Grape works as a soda. Sort of as a gum. I wonder why it doesn't work as a pie. Grape pie? There's no grape pie. - Larry David

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    TRF (12-16-2018)

  17. #42
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    Re: Smart Home Automation

    Nothing on garage doors. I bought the Netro 6 zone controller.

    https://www.amazon.com/Netro-Sprinkl...etro+sprinkler

    $100. The way this one works (they may all work the same)... is that it checks your rainfall against your local watering regs. It won't water if it has rained recently. I just checked it and it said it would attempt to water on Dec 29th. We just had a ton of rain.
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  18. #43
    Pre-tty, pre-tty good!! MWM's Avatar
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    Re: Smart Home Automation

    Quote Originally Posted by JaxRed View Post
    Nothing on garage doors. I bought the Netro 6 zone controller.

    https://www.amazon.com/Netro-Sprinkl...etro+sprinkler

    $100. The way this one works (they may all work the same)... is that it checks your rainfall against your local watering regs. It won't water if it has rained recently. I just checked it and it said it would attempt to water on Dec 29th. We just had a ton of rain.
    Rained non-stop in Friday. My sprinklers came on this morning. I ordered this earlier today.
    Grape works as a soda. Sort of as a gum. I wonder why it doesn't work as a pie. Grape pie? There's no grape pie. - Larry David

  19. #44
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    Re: Smart Home Automation

    Quote Originally Posted by JaxRed View Post
    I spent about $200 total on my thermostat and sprinkler controller. The controller has been saving me $40 a month in water. If it dies tomorrow I'd have already broken even. But I suspect it won't. Keeping current customers online is probably very cheap. Someone would probably take over the ops.
    http://www.freecleansolar.com/300-wa...RoCAp0QAvD_BwE

    not sure how reputable the company is, just starting my research, but if 300+ watt panels are dropping in price to the $200 or less range, I'm going in. I figure I can buy 10 per year, stagger them out and add to it. Also looking at a nice wind turbine to help power the battery at night. The battery is the single big cost. I'm looking at Aquion if they stay in business. They make Saltwater batteries which are eco friendly. Each battery is about $1000 and you can stack them.

    For me, all the automation and self production/storage of power makes all the sense in the world. I reduce my carbon footprint a bit, and I'm protected during the occasional power outage. Plus I'll look at the purchase of this equipment as a sunk cost. I'm going to spend that money on something, might as well be this.
    Dubito Ergo Cogito Ergo Sum.

  20. #45
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    Re: Smart Home Automation

    Quote Originally Posted by MWM View Post
    $40 a month? Wow. Living near you I bet I’d get close to that. Which one do you have.

    Any experiences with garage doors? My daughter keeps leaving mine open when she gets home late.
    Sonoff make a switch that converts rf signaled devices to be used via wifi. This might work. https://sonoff.itead.cc/en/products/...-rf-bridge-433
    Dubito Ergo Cogito Ergo Sum.


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