5 ESSENTIAL rules for your smart house! | fRYEday

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  • Опубликовано: 22 дек 2024

Комментарии • 49

  • @RexHavick
    @RexHavick Месяц назад +6

    How about "Distilled Smart Home" for a new name

  • @jedi939
    @jedi939 Месяц назад +1

    Definitely liking these videos.

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  Месяц назад

      Sweet, I'm glad to hear that!!! Thanks for watching!!!

  • @aaajp3
    @aaajp3 Месяц назад +2

    I think it's a great idea to Install - demo - show some code & use cases of each variety and/or model of each type of device. EG. I got a whole bunch of contact sensors - but the battery life is crap - they often go off-line and are a real pain. Maybe another idea's for segment video's is how to troubleshoot different common issues. For example - my Home Assistant stops sort of - but not fully and I need to reboot it practically every day - That totally sux - I have seen error messages on the HA Hardware device but seems a bit difficult to read - let alone to work out where to start looking for answers - so IF you do need lots of HA errors to look up - I have I'm sure at least 5 video's worth - and YES it does give me the Tom Tits. Anyway - just some ideas - I'm sure I'm not the only one having issues and am not sure how to start the FIX process even being a tech for over 30 years. Sometimes time is never on my side. All the Best - regards John Sydney Australia

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  Месяц назад +1

      Hey John! Thanks for the ideas. I'm not sure if you've seen any of the other videos on my channel, but those are all quite technical in nature. I had just started doing this "5 minute fRYEday" thing every once in a while where I tried to talk a little bit about rye, and then tried to keep the technical content under 5 minutes - but still valuable. I failed more often than not to make the time limit, plus it seemed as though not everyone appreciated the rye discussion. So I thought I'd separate the two, and just do the rye portion as a podcast/discussion style video on odd weeks, and on even weeks, release my regular technical content, complete with code, etc.
      What kind of contact sensors are you using? I use Aqara Zigbee contact sensors, and they are awesome. Honestly, I've not had to replace the battery in a single one of them since I've started using them. Come to think about it, the only Zigbee devices I've had to replace the batteries in are some of my temp/humidity sensors, and a motion sensor I have. I do have some video ideas around those, but unfortunately I've not yet deployed them all in my house just yet, so that's something I need to work on in order to make a video about them.
      As for troubleshooting HA... That's a deep, dark rabbit hole, and everyone's issues will be unique - which makes for challenging video content. Not to mention that unless I've having the exact same issues, showing how to solve them wouldn't really be possible. :( However, I went through a similar issue with mine a few years back. I had a Home Assistant Blue (Raspberry Pi, basically), and I outgrew it. Too many automations, complicated dashboard, etc. It got to the point where I had to reboot it daily as well. My solution was to migrate to an Intel NUC running baremetal HAOS, and I've not had a single problem since then. Everything has been spectacular!
      That said, though, that does give me some ideas for future fRYEday topics, though - so be sure to stay tuned. I'm thinking something along the lines of "what I value in a smart home solution" and "my method of troubleshooting/fixing issues with my smart house". More of like a 10,000 foot view, though - not all deep down in the weeds. But rest assured, we all have issues. Unfortunately, sometimes the answer is to stop using whatever the really problematic thing is - like the Mail and Packages integration. MAN, did I love that thing! But it was broken more often than it worked, and I got sick and tired of the unreliable nature of it, so I binned it. Oh well.
      Thanks for watching, and I hope you continue to enjoy my videos!

    • @aaajp3
      @aaajp3 Месяц назад

      @@fasthowto Thanks for your reply. Yes I have watched as many of your vids as my time permits and DO understand the difficulties of specific troubleshooting. Even a high level overview would be of help to much more than just me - I'm sure. I am a good 6 hours away from home currently working and forget the brand of sensors I'm using - but the price was right (Free), so there's a big issue for a start. I did purchase a couple of SonOff sensors for my 2 garage doors but one seems to go through the 2x AAA batteries in like 2 weeks, the other lasts 3 or 4 times longer, but still painful.
      I've been watching as many of your vids as possible, you may remember me asking a year ago of more about you doing a vid on VMWare, but you didn't have the software. It's not too difficult to download the Workstation version the with a little search find a licence key to activate it. That's what I do..... maybe... but do run HA on a VM - I do wonder if that could be my issue running on a Dell mini PC with Windows 11 and lots of RAM.
      On your other favourite note - I too do partake of a nice Bourbon s much as possible, we probably need that after a week of IT troubleshooting regardless of the equipment type we service. Haha
      It's 7am here, so I better get my act together for the day - I have just 2x hour or less jobs on for today, but about 7 hours of driving on top of that, then Home. I've checked logs but then find I get a bit lost in the quantity of errors and suddenly loose enthusiasm to go deeper for what a reboot would fix. I even contemplated adding a daily reboot script for the whole PC and VMWare - cause I wrote a simple script to autorun and start the VMWare every time the PC start unattended. I gotta run - Thanks again John --> have a great week what's left.

  • @mike_realityi
    @mike_realityi 27 дней назад

    I am looking to try out the Bond Bridge to get a better Spouse Approval Factor but........ Thank you. I just checked their compatibility checker and the FCC ID I entered for my ceiling fan came back to window blinds.
    A thought about your Garage Door issue. Check to see if charging == true then stop. If it's an iPhone you can also check the battery status because the iPhone boots when it reaches a battery level. You may also try a logic of if charging == true and goes from unavailable to home then stop. You may also be able to check charger type (AC(USB) or wireless) or if connected to Android Auto/Apple Car Play.

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  27 дней назад +1

      Glad to hear you found the info about the Bond helpful!!
      I had to think about your garage door suggestion for a minute. The charging idea almost had me hopping up and down shouting "EUREKA!", but then I realized she has a car charger, and would be hoppin mad if the garage door didn't open when she pulled in the driveway just because the phone was on the charger.
      Alas, her vehicle is older and does not have Android Auto - however, that is a GREAT idea for her next vehicle, and I'll be sure to implement that. In fact, that would be AWESOME if I could use "zone away -> home" && "connected to android auto" for both phones. That would TOTALLY solve another manual workaround that I had to put in place for when we are visiting neighbors or going for a walk around the block. When we ride with someone else, or are going for a walk, manually opening the garage door using the companion app is easy.
      *sigh* sounds like a "some day" solution. LOL But thank you, I hadn't thought of it!
      Thanks for watching!

    • @mike_realityi
      @mike_realityi 26 дней назад

      @fasthowto would if home == true & Last Reboot

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  26 дней назад

      @@mike_realityi I was thinking about this some more, and I'm not sure this is the right path. The only way to get charging info is via the companion app. The issue is that one of the triggers for home or away is the wifi connection status via a device tracker from Ubiquiti. This is necessary since I have a different automation that automatically enables and disables port forwarding. By default, when we are both home, all port forwarding is disabled. When one of the phones disconnects from wifi for 30 seconds, HA assumes we have left the house and enables the port forward rule to allow us to communicate via the companion app.
      I think I have need to rethink several pieces here to get this working the way I want.

  • @zeero4ever
    @zeero4ever Месяц назад +1

    Shelly 2.5: IIRC you have to reconfigure the CoIoT setting from broadcast to directly address home assistant. Had the same issues with all of the Gen1 shellies.

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  Месяц назад

      Yep, I did that. Mentioned it in the video as well.
      Some additional googling last night revealed a wireless roaming setting that some people recommended be changed, so I tried that. Here's hoping...

    • @zeero4ever
      @zeero4ever Месяц назад

      @fasthowto oh, must have missed that part :)
      Yes there is a setting for roaming signal strentgh threshold or something.
      I have a bunch of Gen1 Shelly1 in my house, but they are very stable. They may choose between 2 UniFi APs. Also you could consider that the Gen1 Shellies are 2.4GHz only. Maybe you have some weird interference or channel changing going on?
      The newer plus models support 5GHz iirc. They also run rock solid for me, in total I scattered about 50 Shellies in my house (window shutters, light switches, outlets)

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  Месяц назад

      Yeah, I'm pretty sure this issue is something specific to my environment, just have t nailed down exactly what it is yet. I'm also ubiquiti, and I have a separate 2.4ghz ssid just for smart home stuff like these. I've got half a dozen APs, and these two Shellys are the only wifi devices I have a problem with. I'll see how the 1PMs behave, and if they're better, I'll just replace the 2.5s. I don't need the multiple channels anyway (my mistake...)

  • @denniswendt8671
    @denniswendt8671 Месяц назад

    Love my Ryedays!!! Name suggestion - "Home Automation, Refined by Bourbon"

  • @ScienceGuyRoy
    @ScienceGuyRoy Месяц назад +1

    Great video! Thanks! Where can I find your cool t-shirt?

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  Месяц назад

      Thank you! There's a link in the description.
      Thanks for watching!

    • @ScienceGuyRoy
      @ScienceGuyRoy Месяц назад +1

      @@fasthowto Thanks, I missed that.

  • @dbme6
    @dbme6 Месяц назад +1

    I have one of those Bond things and it works but not as well as I was hoping. I have one ceiling fan that will not connect to it and one that works perfectly.

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  Месяц назад +1

      Yeah... That Bond thing probably could have gone under Rule #1 and Rule #4. I swear I did a bunch of research though, and there is an integration, and people on the forums seem to like it, and I even looked up my remote.
      Their horrendous support is really what sealed the deal for me. I REALLY hope that I get to smash it. LOL
      Thanks for watching!

  • @pr51713
    @pr51713 Месяц назад

    I got the Bond. Works for me, but I had issues. 3 month later, it could not jump on the WIFI. I had to move it closer to the router.

  • @arturkonczalski
    @arturkonczalski Месяц назад

    Love your videos as always. Not to long, not to short. Helped me a lot with my journey with HASS...
    As for the name of the channel, how about Smart Sips? :D Or something like Automation Barrel

  • @JeremyHorn80
    @JeremyHorn80 Месяц назад

    not me sitting here with a box of m5 stacks that just arrived

  • @eugsmiley
    @eugsmiley Месяц назад

    You could create an automation for your wife's phone that when the battery level is below 5% HA disables the garage door automation.

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  Месяц назад

      I briefly considered that, but the unfortunate outcome would be that if she doesn't charge her phone, the garage door doesn't open for me either. Lol

  • @Barnez2006
    @Barnez2006 Месяц назад

    I have a Bond device I've been using for about a year with no issues. All of my fans use the exact same switch and controller. My biggest issue is the fan lights and keeping them in sync. We don't use the lights often so it's not a huge deal. I fixed the one light we use more often with an Aqara lux sensor. That said my plan is to switch to the Red Series Inovelli fan canopy and fan switch. The Bond bridge was a more cost effective solution at the time since it was like 40 bucks on ebay.

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  Месяц назад +1

      Yeah, ultimately I think the solution is going to be to replace the fans & lights with something smart out of the box, but I was really hoping this Bond device would have been a good stopgap. Replacements will have to wait a while since these fans are all only a couple years old.
      Unfortunately, as soon as I began attempting to get the Bond to learn commands from the remote, I started to see the shortcomings of it anyway. Remotes are VERY poorly designed these days. There are only three buttons on mine: Power, fan, and light. Press the fan button multiple times to cycle through the speeds, and hold the light button to change the brightness or click it to turn it on and off. Even if this HAD worked, you likely would have ended up watching a video with me complaining that even though it worked, it was incredibly difficult to figure out how to make the light do what I wanted it to do because of the limited controls available.
      Oh well.
      Thanks for watching!

    • @Barnez2006
      @Barnez2006 Месяц назад

      @fasthowto my fans weren't built in with anything smart. I'd just keep the fans and focus on the switch canopy solution. We just purchased a switch and canopy the uses wireless spectrum to communicate with them. None of fixtures were designed for fan and light control so it was necessary. That being said the Inovelli solution is still $110 per fan so I'm not stoked for that but having the true status of everything will be a more ideal solution. I use Lutron for all the lighting but they don't make this particular solution. Thanks for making an informative show!

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  Месяц назад +1

      Interesting. I just went and looked up that product. It looks like the blue series would be my choice. I need to do more research though since it looks like these are designed for fans without any type of remote - eg, the old school ones that used dimmer switches to control brightness and fan speed. Mine, unfortunately, expect full power to be supplied at all times, and then control the brightness and fan speeds using the remote. Guessing maybe I can just unwire the remote control stuff? More investigation is needed, but it's certainly worth looking into.
      Thank you!!!!

    • @Barnez2006
      @Barnez2006 Месяц назад

      @@fasthowto I meant Blue Series actually so good call lol. I guess I had the wrong color on my mind. Yeah my fans didn't have remotes or anything like that so not sure how the functions would be on your side.

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  Месяц назад

      I'm confused. If your fans don't have remotes, how are you controlling them using the bond bridge?

  • @joshmellott1986
    @joshmellott1986 Месяц назад

    I’d gladly take the bond bridge off your hands! I’ve got three fans and a fireplace controller connected to mine, but the range is a bit limited, depending on how I have everything set up. If I have the bond on top of the network rack, it can reach all three fans perfectly but not the fireplace, and if I want to use the fireplace controller I have to move the bond to my plant stand, which makes it flaky with the (mostly unused) guest bedroom and office fans. If I had two, I could have a dedicated bridge for that side of the house, problem solved! 😂
    Also, I’d say there’s an exception to your hardware store devices rule- Lutron Caseta is available at my Lowe’s, and has been rock solid reliable!

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  Месяц назад

      Well, the rule was "don't buy crap", not "don't shop at big box". I also said that anything at a big box is "likely gonna be crap". After being in consulting for the better part of 2 decades , I've learned not to speak in absolutes. :)
      I must admit to having never tried Caseta. At $60 each, and with over 60 switches in my house (and still going up), I'd be bankrupt. LOL
      That's a great reason for wanting a second Bond Bridge, thank you for sharing, and thanks for watching! :)

  • @aaajp3
    @aaajp3 Месяц назад

    Another interesting Vid - thanks Jeff - all the best John Sydney - Land of OZ

  • @tannermorris8956
    @tannermorris8956 Месяц назад

    I’d use it to connect my dumb fans!

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  Месяц назад

      How dumb are they? They are remote controlled at least, right?

    • @tannermorris8956
      @tannermorris8956 Месяц назад

      @ apologies, yes they have remotes lol. But dumb enough that I can’t automate them!

  • @MarkRouleau
    @MarkRouleau Месяц назад

    You should give the bond away. I use 2 of them for the past few years and have had zero issues. They are amazing devices. I have given them to all of my family members as gifts. Not a single issue. Sounds like you may have bad luck. Could try an RMA with bond?

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  Месяц назад

      I traded multiple emails with their support. They obviously weren't interested in any meaningful conversations on the topic of actually helping me.

  • @davidjacobson6755
    @davidjacobson6755 Месяц назад +2

    Your channel name should be: Smart home and a bourbon

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  Месяц назад

      Fitting, but a bit too lengthy.
      Thanks for watching!

  • @jaap7374
    @jaap7374 Месяц назад

    Channel name: Smart Home Whisperer

  • @broncobuddha
    @broncobuddha Месяц назад

    Smart Home RYEsing

  • @JefferyRichardson
    @JefferyRichardson Месяц назад

    I like a challenge

  • @ruxik92
    @ruxik92 28 дней назад

    Quick SmartHome & IT "Quick SHIT”

  • @Slimhaven1
    @Slimhaven1 Месяц назад

    Aqara has the best sensors out there. I have gone through pretty much all of the companies and always go back to the Aqara sensors but not their matter door/window sensors. As far as switches I am a Lutron Caseta fan and have been since they came out with it. They have worked flawlessly for me. Love your videos and keep them coming. I have learned a ton from you. I am a grumpy old man and most likely older than you and I to hate it when stuff does not work as it should and speed is the key. Thanks once again Jeff! PS: i also bagged the M5 Stack and went to the generic SP32 boards for bluetooth proxy.

    • @fasthowto
      @fasthowto  Месяц назад +1

      I agree. I really like the Aqara sensors. The only one of their sensors I've ever had an issue with are the contact sensors, and I'm not sure why - but of the dozens I already have installed all over the place, there's only 2 that really give me difficulty. Could be that those two devices just have issues, or it could be how I mounted them, could be almost anything. Hard to tell. One of these days I'll just pull a new one out of that big box you saw, and replace them. LOL
      How are the generic ESP32s working out for you? Much better, I trust?
      I just got a 3D printer yesterday, so I'm going to start making cases for the ESP32s. I don't like having these things around the house without some type of protection. I know there are many things that folks are doing, including using travel soap containers, but as I get more and more into building things with them, stuff like that will become less and less of an option. I also want to start making wall-mount frames for tablets, and other stuff like that. Should be a fun project. I'm looking forward to getting that integrated into Home Assistant, too. :)
      Thank you so much for watching, I always enjoy hearing from you!!

    • @Slimhaven1
      @Slimhaven1 Месяц назад +1

      @@fasthowto Well you have a dedicated fan here! The only Aqara sensors that I do not like are the matter door/window. They never stay connected and are totally useless. Everything else works awesome. So far so good on the ESP32 boards. Only thing that was a pain I had to change my password for my router and all my devices as using the ? is not liked by ESP32 and may have been an issue with some other devices I had. Looking forward to all your future projects and comments on your whiskey thoughts!

  • @Mythix2
    @Mythix2 Месяц назад

    please use chapters if you want to yap about unrelated stuff for 10 minutes before the content