Home Automation/Networking

I leave mine turned on and I don’t touch the switches. I use various methods to control them, Siri, Alexa, HomeKit App, Timers and location based. Not had any issues with them goIng dull Orange, I think that was on the gen 1 kit?

Not had the username login thing.

Buy them if they don’t work out return them, Amazon is good like that.

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I’m with you they work amazingly and they are LED with all the benefits of long life and lower power consumption, which I guess is the original drive

May have to give it a bash then. Simple enough to return like you say. Going to try find some videos about it to make sure it can do what I want it to do etc. Will await Amazon’s next price reduction…

And coming up from behind is Apple HomeKit :apple:… with Belkin wemo and ikea Tradfri support announced… fight

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Black Friday is on the horizon!!! Anyone on the look out for Philips Hue gear? I’m on the market for a motion sensor (for my corridor) and 1 x B22 ambient bulb :grinning:

Anyone having issues with iOS11 Siri and Hue Hub?

Mine will no longer connect and I can’t create a home now even after reset etc.

I would get more Hue kit but lately Alexa is being stupid and keeps adding bulbs after deleting and Siri no longer connects… could be a hub or software issue.

:no_mouth: Oh no Danny, that’s not good especially seeing as the kit is so expensive! I just checked my iOS, I’m still on 10 point something and haven’t yet upgraded to 11. Bought the B22 bulb and motion sensor today. Overall I found it a little tricky to configure everything (only 6 smart bulbs across 3 rooms) but think I’ve sussed it now.

What about the IKEA bulbs?

Hey Frank, good shout, I guess I didn’t look into it fully and also … if I’m being honest I don’t enjoy going to IKEA. Probably go once or twice a year. I do like their meatballs though. :roll_eyes:

Does anybody actually enjoy going to ikea?

I’d rather have needles stuck into my eyeballs.

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Seems to have fixed itself now which is weird…

Now that I’ve finally got a house that I’m not renting I’ve tried to add as many ‘smart’ devices as possible but much like @RichardR I have to keep everything as partner friendly as possible. So far I’ve got:

  • Harmony Hub with Remote (this was the first gadget, the missus couldn’t stand all the remotes!)
  • Hive (would have liked Nest Thermostat but British Gas fitted the boiler)
  • Nest Protect x 3
  • Ring Stick Up Cam (missus loves to try and scare the crap out of me)
  • Hue Bulbs (3 so far)
  • Amazon Echo Dot x 2 (I’m finding the more I use it, the less responsive it is!)

Home Entertainment wise I’ve got a Amazon FireTV 4K, PS4, XBOX One
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The consoles are pretty much ornaments at this stage. I never get time to play them! Love the British Gas Smart Meter in-home display, unfortunately it’s what’s holding me back from trying Bulb!

For content, I’m a massive fan of Plex. Got it running on a VPS at work and it all runs very nicely!

It’s all powered from the “Magic Cupboard” under the stairs that includes: Asus RT-AC3200, NETGEAR VDSL Modem, Hue Bridge, Hive Hub, Drobo 5N:
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Currently using EE for VDSL which has just arrived near me because I was on an Exchange Line, luckily they moved me to a cabinet that’s in spitting distance so I get the full 80/20. I’m only with EE to get the extra 10GB on my mobile plan although it’s been pretty stable considering my more than average consumer usage.

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So I am starting to add smart items to the house. We currently have two Nest thermostats (this before the price hike) and two ikea smart bulbs/hub. What I would like to do is replace the plugs and switches with lightwaverf now that generation 2 are out and HomeKit compatible (other smart home options available). But they are still really pricy and you are talking many £k to convert the whole house.

Has anyone here got a Nest thermostat? I’m considering getting one whilst Amazon have their sale on (£70 off).

Some questions I have:

  • Has it helped reduce your energy consumption?

  • Are there any other notable benefits you’d recommend it for?

  • Aside from no subscription charge, are there any other key differences with the Hive thermostat?

  1. Having it at a lower temperature overnight has helped a bit, and the way the user overrides are only until the next scheduled temperature change helps with someone ‘forgetting’ they put it to 30… OTOH it’s not a dramatic saving.
  2. I have an opentherm compatible boiler so it regulates the gas according to the ambient temperature and some other variables.
  3. Hive has some wierd T&C, like if you move house you’re not allowed to take it with you - you have to buy it again in the new house and the people who move in to your old house have to pay for a new controller… Nest is trivial to install yourself and you own it.
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Personally, I’ve gone with the Heatmiser Neo thermostats. It’s helpful for me because I’ve ended up seting up multiple zones in the house which I’m not sure either the Nest or Hive apps support.

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The Nest app does support having multiple zones.

OK, interesting.

I got my setup in 2014 so I haven’t looked into Nest since then. It’s worth knowing, thanks.

Very… I’m nervous about upgrading my iOS just in case it messes things up!