Another blog post which is a long and complex search query. I have a bunch of smart plugs. Some use WiFi, some use Zigbee, some use Bluetooth. None of them use PowerLine Ethernet. Why is that? I have a bunch of PowerLine Ethernet adapters. They let me use my home's electrical wiring as a network. They also let me plug electrical items into them. But none of them can be controlled remotely. Why is that? I want to take one of these: And mix it up with one of these: That way I'd be able to…
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They say that The Best Camera Is The One That's With You - the same is true of Raspberries Pi. As much as I'd love a 4B, they seem permanently sold out. So I dug through my scrapheap of old tech and resurrected an ancient Pi2. It's old, outdated, slow, with limited RAM, and has a bunch of much-abused GPIO pins. But it works and - crucially - is still supported by Home Assistant OS. Well... ish! The official Home Assistant installation guide for the Pi says that you can use a: Raspberry…
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I've been experimenting with Far Infrared heating. The panel itself is fairly boring technology. A large solid-state "thing" which turns electricity into Infrared energy. But what's the "smarts" in it which allows it to be controlled? TO THE SCREWDRIVERS, ROBIN! There's a single board hiding in the boring grey shell. It's a QNQ010W - which doesn't have any publicly available data. KB-5150 appears to be a popular name of a variety of power supply boards. Flip it over, and this is what we…
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All gadgets have to include WiFi now. That's the law! Does your home smell horrible? Would you like it to smell lovely? Well, friends, the good folk at Asakuki think that I'm the sort of person who knows lots of putrid people. So they sent me this Essential Oil Diffuser. It's pretty plug-and-play. Pour some water into the supplied jug, tip it into the unit, shake in a few drops of your favourite flavour, hit a button, and WHOOOSH! As a basic diffuser, it's great. Smells come out of it…
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What with the situation in the world, I've been trying to reduce our domestic gas consumption. Looking through our smart meter readings, our biggest usage is heating (in winter) followed by hot water (showers and baths) then cooking. We have a Tado smart thermostat which turns the heating off when we're out - but I wondered if there was something more efficient we could do. Burning gas to heat water to pump around a home is… daft. It's noisy, expensive, requires a yearly service, and is d…
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After my rant a few weeks ago, I finally found a cheap WiFi smoke alarm. A few disclaimers before I get into this review: It was shipped from China, not from the UK as stated. The device doesn't exist on the manufacturer's website. Stock on Amazon keeps appearing and disappearing, so may be difficult to get. If you're happy with those limitations, let's crack on! This is the CS01W / CS01-7203. A WiFi enabled smoke and carbon monoxide detector. It is available online for about US$16 on…
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I've had a Nest smoke alarm for about 7 years. It connects to my WiFi network and occasionally pings a message to my phone that I've burnt my toast. Nifty! But, due to planned obsolescence regulatory requirements, it needs to be replaced. Back in 2014, the Nest cost £100. In the exciting world of 2021, it costs... £100! WTAF? Surely a combination of market capitalism and Moore's Law means these devices should have dropped in price significantly? But I can't find any other Wi-Fi smoke/co a…
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Five years ago, I wrote that I had 30 connected devices at home. How has that changed over the last half-decade? Some of my devices have consolidated. My Eufy security cameras have a hub - so despite having more cameras, They're using fewer IP addresses. Similarly, I've replaced most of my LIFX bulbs with Zigbee which also use a hub-and-spoke model. So these are the devices I currently have connected: Video Doorbell Solar Battery LIFX bulb in external light Security camera EInk display…
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I have a new Smart Meter to measure my electricity and gas usage. It's the Honeywell AS302P. It's a SMETS2 meter, which means it has a number of interesting features. ALCS (Auxiliary Load Control Switch) - this means that a car charger can be remotely started and stopped based on network demand. DCC connection - this means it can report back to my energy supplier every 30 minutes, and I can swap between providers quickly. High resolution usage - this means I can be charged on multiple time…
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Let me preface this post by saying that I am a lazy idiot. I have a problem, I keep leaving the fridge door open. I've come home a few times only to discover my half-hearted push hasn't properly closed the door and it has swung back open. Our new house has a built in fridge, so I can't adjust the feet to make it close automatically. I can't easily attach springs and magnets to force it shut. The only solution? A new gadget! Enter the EcoSavers Fridge Alarm Light. It's a clever bit of kit. …
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A few years ago I wrote an Alexa skill to see what bin day it was. The skill only worked with my local council - Oxford. I've since moved house and wanted to recreate the service for my new council - Bexley. Demo Terence Eden is on Mastodon @edent Replying to @edent @AgileAppsGroup Success! Blog post coming soon for my Alexa powered bin day thing. pic.x.com/eCoHMii0nI ❤️ 3💬 3🔁 007:58 - Mon 14 October 2019 Brilliant, eh? The API Bexley Council don't publish an API. I initially thought…
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I really wanted to write a rant about how incompatible smart lights are ruining the world. But... errr... Everything just works. Previously on my smarthome adventures, I kitted my house out with LIFX Bulbs and some WisQo Switches. I've moved home and none of my bulbs are compatible with the existing sockets! What else am I going to do except BUY MORE LIGHTBULBS! As much as I enjoy LIFX, they're bloody expensive. A single GU10 bulb is FIFTY QUID! Our new kitchen has 17 bulbs. Even if bought…
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