how smart has your home gone?

Does anyone have some typical running costs for their NUC's, i am keen to replace my rpi4 so that i could have HA/Plex/Wireguard + others all running on one system.

I just need to decide whether it's cheaper to have a NUC running alongside my NAS which means powering two systems, or if it'd better to just build a low powered SFF so that the NAS drives can be placed in the SFF.
 
Semple said:
Does anyone have some typical running costs for their NUC's, i am keen to replace my rpi4 so that i could have HA/Plex/Wireguard + others all running on one system.

I just need to decide whether it's cheaper to have a NUC running alongside my NAS which means powering two systems, or if it'd better to just build a low powered SFF so that the NAS drives can be placed in the SFF.
Click to expand...
My HA machine is a bit juicy for something so small at 20W average.

20W X 24 = 480Wh per day

14.4kWh / month
175.2kWh / year

At 20p/unit that's £2.88/ month and £35.40/year.

Double it for 40p/unit, etc :)
 
matt100 said:
Wouldn't adding neutrals require rather more rewiring than I'm anticipating?
Click to expand...
There is (usually) already a proper neutral at the light bulb, so it should just mean replacing the bulb-to-switch wire. But as mentioned different houses often have quirks.

My solution for this is twofold but both involve buying the small relay modules that go inside the backbox (Shelly etc).

- Use your own switches of choice
- Set the relay unit to change state on change of switch position
- 3 switches? Fit 2 relay modules that do 2 lines each (best to ask for deep backboxes!)
- Use dumb bulbs of your liking. If you want smart bulbs anywhere, just tell the relay unit to stay switched on all the time but send an MQTT message to the bulb when the switch is flipped

I THINK this plan is going to work for my needs - which is that I DO want physical switches everywhere. I'm too reliant on having my hands full and needing to bash something with my elbow as I walk past. Plus guests need to use it easily. I'm not giving up any features of normal houses the last 50 years, only adding extra features :)
 
LuckyBenski said:
There is (usually) already a proper neutral at the light bulb, so it should just mean replacing the bulb-to-switch wire. But as mentioned different houses often have quirks.

My solution for this is twofold but both involve buying the small relay modules that go inside the backbox (Shelly etc).

- Use your own switches of choice
- Set the relay unit to change state on change of switch position
- 3 switches? Fit 2 relay modules that do 2 lines each (best to ask for deep backboxes!)
- Use dumb bulbs of your liking. If you want smart bulbs anywhere, just tell the relay unit to stay switched on all the time but send an MQTT message to the bulb when the switch is flipped

I THINK this plan is going to work for my needs - which is that I DO want physical switches everywhere. I'm too reliant on having my hands full and needing to bash something with my elbow as I walk past. Plus guests need to use it easily. I'm not giving up any features of normal houses the last 50 years, only adding extra features :)
Click to expand...
That will work fine.
 
Had a quiet weekend so decided to try Home Assistant at last and move away from a very fragmented mix of SmartThings, Sonoff, eWeLink etc (mainly WiFi connected stuff).

Had a spare Raspberry Pi 4 lying around and bought a sonoff ZigBee 3.0 usb stick.
HA setup was a breeze.
Had a few issues adding devices but trying a few times, or moving the rpi closer during pairing, worked great.

Physical light switches were important to us so bought lots of Chinese ZigBee light switches from Amazon and installed them everywhere in the house (other than living room, struggling to find a ZigBee dimmer that will work with a high load). The switches also act as repeaters so great ZigBee reception everywhere.

Also installed IKEA automated blackout blinds in the bedroom. These are an absolute game changer.

Adding Nest devices was a bit of a slog but worth it in the end.

Google integration works well so everything still voice controlled.

Total of 18 new smart devices added including motion sensors (other half loves to leave lights on in rooms, now they get turned off automatically).

Live in a new build so luckily we have neutrals to every light switch.

HA is amazingly customisable. I love the automation, so much better than IFTTT and Google.

Home is now locally controlled so it responds much faster and no impact from external downtime or internet problems.

If you're considering HA, do it!
 
Here is a question, and if it is not the right thread for this discussion I'll take it elsewhere, but where would one start making their house "smart"?

My partner and I have just purchased a house together (a 40-year-old, 5 bedroom chalet bungalow with an outbuilding for her horses) and I've taken to the notion of trying to introduce smart tech into it. Honestly, I'm not sure why, maybe I feel that in 2022 your house should have a bit of tech in it. Currently with no smart devices other than our phones in the current house, not even a smart LED bulb light, is it worth doing and if so where would I start? I have an Android phone and she has an Apple, so I'd ideally like something open source like Home Assistant to manage the smart devices and not get tied into one ecosystem. I would ideally like something practical regarding smartness rather than a gimmick, like closing curtains on demand.

For example:
The house is oil central heating (Solar might be a consideration in the future) and due to it being in the country, there isn't any gas, so that might rule out any smart meter. From what I can find, I don't think any of the NI energy providers have smart meters.
Following on from heating, what about smart TRVs, and temperature monitors? How are they any different from conventional manually turned ones. Do they literally just save you from having to go around the house and turn the TRV manually?
Probably we'll install some CCTV for security around the outside of the house and around the stable/barn.
There is no garage with the property as it's been converted into a living space, so I'd imagine that rules out the smart garage doors, etc.
There is a coal fire in the sitting room and a wood stove in the converted garage. Is it worth having temperature monitors and humidity displays in those rooms? What practical application would the humidity devices offer?
I work from home all day, every day so someone is about the house, so is it worth having a video camera doorbell such as Ring/Nest/Eufy?
We have no tablets or smart speakers at present.
Are motion sensors that useful?

Obviously, this isn't an instant project of making your home smart, but something over time, but if anyone had any suggestions on where I would it would be appreciated.
 
I generally advise my clients to start with key infrastructure, which for any smart home is connectivity to the internet. Now for many enthusiasts this will run to installing a lot of CatX structured cable to provide hardwired connection for devices that can be hard wired. This can be a big job and involves chasing walls to bury cables. So before you go down that route I would start with installing some good quality wifi around the house, in the garden and maybe in your out building. This will involve running some cables and installing some access points which will then provide some of the infrastructure for your smart home. This will require some investment in a switch (to plug everything into), some wireless access points (there are lots of brands available) and some wireless access points.

Having good quality wifi around your house allows the majority of smart devices to have an internet connection and to talk to other devices. You already have 2 smart devices - smart phones and you will probably want/have one or more smart TVs or TVs with smart devices (such as firesticks). Allowing these to connect to the internet opens up a whole world of streaming media - such as Sky, NOW TV, Prime, Netflix, Catch-Up Services etc

Ideally you want a central point (sometimes referred to as Node Zero) where everything connects back to (your switch will be here) and where you locate other bits of smart technology, such as NAS, CCTV NVR, Hubs for other technologies, such as Zigbee and ZWave, Ideally, if possible, this is where you would have your Internet Router / ONT located, to make connecting things easy.

In parallel with installing your WiFi you may want to think of some form of Security System (Burglar Alarm) to protect your property.

With good wifi and security you can then begin to explore all of the available devices and technology on the market - Smart Speakers, Thermostats, Doorbells, Lights, Mowers, CCTV, Fridges, Coffee Makers, Showers, etc. etc.

This will also give you time to explore and think about a smart home hub (again there are lots to choose from - HAss, Hubitat, Homeseer, Indigo, to name a few), to integrate all of your appliances to form a truly smart home. The smart home journey is best undertaken with some form of routemap to what you wish to achieve. This would be the first part of that map.
 
SimonR said:
I generally advise my clients to start with key infrastructure, which for any smart home is connectivity to the internet. Now for many enthusiasts, this will run to installing a lot of CatX structured cable to provide hardwired connection for devices that can be hard-wired. This can be a big job and involves chasing walls to bury cables. So before you go down that route I would start with installing some good quality wifi around the house, in the garden, and maybe in your outbuilding. This will involve running some cables and installing some access points which will then provide some of the infrastructures for your smart home. This will require some investment in a switch (to plug everything into), some wireless access points (there are lots of brands available), and some wireless access points.

Having good quality wifi around your house allows the majority of smart devices to have an internet connection and to talk to other devices. You already have 2 smart devices - smartphones and you will probably want/have one or more smart TVs or TVs with smart devices (such as firesticks). Allowing these to connect to the internet opens up a whole world of streaming media - such as Sky, NOW TV, Prime, Netflix, Catch-Up Services, etc

Ideally, you want a central point (sometimes referred to as Node Zero) where everything connects back to (your switch will be here) and where you locate other bits of smart technology, such as NAS, CCTV NVR, Hubs for other technologies, such as Zigbee and ZWave, Ideally, if possible, this is where you would have your Internet Router / ONT located, to make connecting things easy.

In parallel with installing your WiFi, you may want to think of some form of Security System (Burglar Alarm) to protect your property.

With good wifi and security, you can then begin to explore all of the available devices and technology on the market - Smart Speakers, Thermostats, Doorbells, Lights, Mowers, CCTV, Fridges, Coffee Makers, Showers, etc., etc.

This will also give you time to explore and think about a smart home hub (again there are lots to choose from - HAss, Hubitat, Homeseer, Indigo, to name a few), to integrate all of your appliances to form a truly smart home. The smart home journey is best undertaken with some form of route-map to what you wish to achieve. This would be the first part of that map.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the knowledgeable update, I take it you work in this space? I don't think putting CatX cables around the house is a goer at the moment, when we move into this property I think the last thing we'll want to do is start ripping it up, the priority is getting stables built in the outbuilding. However, I'd not considered the WiFi range around the house and while the house hasn't many thick stone/concrete walls I'm sure the average ISP router might struggle with all the devices on it. Do each protocol such as Zigbee and ZWave typically need their own hubs?
 
Yes I work in this space. I have a side hustle as a Smart Home Integrator which I have done for 20+ years. Zigbee and Zwave do need their own hubs, yes. You may find that a high end domestic wifi router provides you with adequate wifi (its hard to know without seeing the property) but experience says that the best wifi is delivered using wired access points distributed around the property. As per my previous post, this will also form the backbone and core infrastructure of a smart home. Ideally running an armoured Cat6 in tandem with a buried conduit to the outbuildings will allow you to have wifi, CCTV, Security etc. I have done this for some of my agricultural clients as CCTV inside and outside outbuildings is becoming the norm these days. As the property is a Bungalow, installing APs on the ceiling should be fairly straightforward with the minimum of disruption. Happy to answer any questions that you have.
 
tres said:
Physical light switches were important to us so bought lots of Chinese ZigBee light switches from Amazon and installed them everywhere in the house (other than living room, struggling to find a ZigBee dimmer that will work with a high load). The switches also act as repeaters so great ZigBee reception everywhere.
Click to expand...

Please post back in here if you find one.

I've got 12 bulb light fitting and I can't even find a normal dimmer that will handle the load, tried both high load Varilight and BG ones but always end up with flickering.

My solution of last resort is to fit smart bulbs and then use a Hue dimmer to control them, but I lose the physical switch and it's bleedin' expensive as my wife wants the fancy retro looking bulbs, £181 using Innr bulbs from Amazon :eek:
 
Exactly the same, we have lovely filament bulbs but they're 80 watts each x10. We rarely have them on full, it's more low mood lighting, but searching for a dimmer that will cope with 800w.
I'll keep you in the loop!
 
SimonR said:
Yes I work in this space. I have a side hustle as a Smart Home Integrator which I have done for 20+ years. Zigbee and Zwave do need their own hubs, yes. You may find that a high end domestic wifi router provides you with adequate wifi (its hard to know without seeing the property) but experience says that the best wifi is delivered using wired access points distributed around the property. As per my previous post, this will also form the backbone and core infrastructure of a smart home. Ideally running an armoured Cat6 in tandem with a buried conduit to the outbuildings will allow you to have wifi, CCTV, Security etc. I have done this for some of my agricultural clients as CCTV inside and outside outbuildings is becoming the norm these days. As the property is a Bungalow, installing APs on the ceiling should be fairly straightforward with the minimum of disruption. Happy to answer any questions that you have.
Click to expand...

Just to add to this, a big vote for Zigbee. Any mains powered device (such as light switches) act as a repeater for a big mesh network, no need for wifi access points etc.


I've just ordered the last 10 lightswitches and 8 motion sensors, then every room is smart.
 
I live in a new build and started to replace the rest of the lightswitches today.

Found 4 that don't have a neutral, whereas 10 do.
Very annoying!!!
 
I decided that given the increasing rise in electricity I wanted to move some of my external lighting from Timer based Events in Homeseer to PIRs. I dropped on some brand new HUE Outdoor PIRs for £20 each over the weekend, so I have installed them and integrated them into Homeseer to look after security lighting.

My security lights around my property, that were running dusk until dawn now running dusk until midnight and then switch over to PIR control until dawn

I dont use HUE outdoor lights as the price of them is ridiculous and the quality is a bit meh (IMHO). The perimeter property lights are all contrilled by Fibaro ZWave modules and the upper terrace patio lighting is on Shelly Wifi modules. So now I have Zigbee PIRS controlling ZWave and Wifi Lights. I know a lot of people on here use HAss and ta similar setup can be achieved in HAss. The HUE app doesnt like that the Outdoor PIRs are not associated with HUE lights so I dont get any of the pretty functionality outdoors, but I can still use the light sensors on the PIRs to control internal hue bulbs to run scenes like the Sunrise and Sunset which are quite pretty.

Overall I am quite impressed with the HUE Outdoor PIRs as they also provide Temperature and LUX Level data that can be used in Homeseer / HAss for other automations.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom