By @edent · IoT Smart Home · 12 comments · 150 words · read ~1,605 times.
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. […]
Continue reading →By @edent · gadgets IoT network Smart Home · 13 comments · 600 words · read ~2,739 times.
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 It's old, outdated, slow, with limited RAM, and has […]
Continue reading →By @edent · IoT Smart Home tuya · 150 words · read ~270 times.
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 […]
Continue reading →By @edent · asakuki gadget IoT review Smart Home tuya · 2 comments · 500 words · read ~217 times.
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 […]
Continue reading →By @edent · FIR green infrared IoT Smart Home · 10 comments · 1,500 words · read ~1,475 times.
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 […]
Continue reading →By @edent · gadget IoT Smart Home · 11 comments · 500 words · read ~927 times.
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 […]
Continue reading →By @edent · IoT nest Smart Home · 19 comments · 600 words · read ~2,214 times.
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, […]
Continue reading →By @edent · internet IoT Smart Home wifi · 4 comments · 300 words · read ~350 times.
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 […]
Continue reading →By @edent · electricity IoT Smart Home zigbee · 10 comments · 300 words · read ~17,249 times.
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 - […]
Continue reading →By @edent · fridge gadget Smart Home · 4 comments · 350 words · read ~270 times.
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, […]
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