Home Automation - Smartkit

[Sinbad]

Wow goodness, talk about arrogance.

Some of the things he rants on about is true though:
- putting high amp loads on a Sonoff
- using the eWeLink app and stock firmware (luckily for him the app is so bad that nobody will continue using it for long)

I've watched other videos too where the guys warn about using the basic in the little standard box that it comes with - you need to put it inside something more secure.

Yeah but the way he goes about it... Constructs such ridiculous straw men. Coffee machines? Really?

 

[spiff]

[MENTION=73625]calypso[/MENTION]

Off topic:

For those who battle with fitting the front cover flush with the wall.

I had a similar problem when I installed a wooden frame around my sliding door leading into my braai room.

The wall was not at all smooth or flat - had large gaps along the uprights between the wall and wood. I didn't want to see the gaps or have the wood bend or warp over time. I needed a smooth flat area to mount the wooden panels to.

This is what I did to solve the gap & uneven wall surface problem.

I mounted and aligned the wooden panel in place with wall screws.
Then removed it.
Wrapped the wooden panel in cling wrap so that it doesn't soak up moisture or stick to polyfiller.
I plastered the area the wood panel covers with a thick layer of polyfiller.
Then screwed the wood panel back in place.
Removed excess polyfiller that oozed out
Left it to dry for a week.
Removed wooden panel and cling wrap
now I had a perfectly smooth flat - gap free surface to mount the wooden panel on.
Screwed wooden panel back in place.

In your case I'd wrap the cover with cling wrap.
Plaster along the edges of the box and wall with a thick layer of polyfiller.
Mount cover making sure it was evenly spaced from the wall and aligned correctly - then remove excess polyfiller.

Leave to dry completely.

Remove cover and cling wrap.

Now you have a nice smooth gap free area for mounting the cover.

The other alternative is to 3d print a frame around the cover.

 

[blueowl]

Wow goodness, talk about arrogance.

Some of the things he rants on about is true though:
- putting high amp loads on a Sonoff
- using the eWeLink app and stock firmware (luckily for him the app is so bad that nobody will continue using it for long)

I've watched other videos too where the guys warn about using the basic in the little standard box that it comes with - you need to put it inside something more secure.

Agree on the above but please elaborate on putting the device in something more secure....? Do you mean to prevent overheating or such? Accidentally touching the contacts? Accidental switching on and off?

In my mind, as long as you don't put too many amps through the device it should be OK re: overheating and fine in its current plastic she'll, but maybe I'm overseeing something.....

 

[SauRoNZA]

Yeah but the way he goes about it... Constructs such ridiculous straw men. Coffee machines? Really?

Americans love their coffee machines.

They don’t use instant coffee and kettles like we do.

So I almost guarantee the majority of Basics would be used for their first.

 

[calypso]

[MENTION=73625]calypso[/MENTION]

Off topic:

For those who battle with fitting the front cover flush with the wall.

I had a similar problem when I installed a wooden frame around my sliding door leading into my braai room.

The wall was not at all smooth or flat - had large gaps along the uprights between the wall and wood. I didn't want to see the gaps or have the wood bend or warp over time. I needed a smooth flat area to mount the wooden panels to.

This is what I did to solve the gap & uneven wall surface problem.

I mounted and aligned the wooden panel in place with wall screws.
Then removed it.
Wrapped the wooden panel in cling wrap so that it doesn't soak up moisture or stick to polyfiller.
I plastered the area the wood panel covers with a thick layer of polyfiller.
Then screwed the wood panel back in place.
Removed excess polyfiller that oozed out
Left it to dry for a week.
Removed wooden panel and cling wrap
now I had a perfectly smooth flat - gap free surface to mount the wooden panel on.
Screwed wooden panel back in place.

In your case I'd wrap the cover with cling wrap.
Plaster along the edges of the box and wall with a thick layer of polyfiller.
Mount cover making sure it was evenly spaced from the wall and aligned correctly - then remove excess polyfiller.

Leave to dry completely.

Remove cover and cling wrap.

Now you have a nice smooth gap free area for mounting the cover.

The other alternative is to 3d print a frame around the cover.

Every wall will be different. I would prefer a backing plate that caters to all. Might need some thin adhesive to just make sure the extended backing plate sits flush.

 

[spiff]

Every wall will be different. I would prefer a backing plate that caters to all. Might need some thin adhesive to just make sure the extended backing plate sits flush.

not sure if a backing plate will "mold" itself to an uneven wall surface as well as polyfiller, but give it a go - or perhaps use a combination of both - I didn't have the option of 3d printing back then and if I did the cost would be prohibitive given the size & length of the wooden panel.

post pics when you have done it.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Every wall will be different. I would prefer a backing plate that caters to all. Might need some thin adhesive to just make sure the extended backing plate sits flush.

For that very reason I would think the polyfilla option would be a better one as it can effectively change the wall.

Whereas a backing plate can’t cater to all.

 

[calypso]

For that very reason I would think the polyfilla option would be a better one as it can effectively change the wall.

Whereas a backing plate can’t cater to all.

The banking plate in many cases is too big, hence the reason I needed to cut it down. Adding to the wall will just give you an extra 0.5cm in height which wont look great. You will see when you get one to test with. Ill buy another as my backing plate as already been butchered, so need a original to base the design off of. Anyways I have no experience in this and no 3D printer so don't expect a solution soon.

Completely different topic, motion detection. Anyone gone this route? Ideally i would want something wired, but the Aeotec Multisensor 6 costs the earth. Xiaomi human sensors are much cheaper but not wired, and dont a different protocol (Zigbee). Anyone gone this route and can provide some advice?

 

[Dolby]

I connected one to my water feature - scheduling is probably what I'll use most

[video=youtube;ouMdBZCbcJQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouMdBZCbcJQ[/video]

 

[SmartKit]

Americans love their coffee machines.

They don’t use instant coffee and kettles like we do.

So I almost guarantee the majority of Basics would be used for their first.

I use a POW on my coffee machine with no issues. As it has a large inductive load and an earth cable I wouldn't trust it to a Basic.

EDIT: seems it draws a maximum of 1110W - though if I used a POW R2 I could get a better history.

 

[SmartKit]

I connected one to my water feature - scheduling is probably what I'll use most

[video=youtube;ouMdBZCbcJQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouMdBZCbcJQ[/video]

Nice!

 

[SmartKit]

I bought quite a few Sonoff items from Communica in CT. They have now moved to Paarden Eiland. Good pricing & instant gratification on the buying experience.

Speaking of which, the latest shipment of T1s AU/US and the Sonoff POW R2 should be arriving today.

 

[SauRoNZA]

I use a POW on my coffee machine with no issues. As it has a large inductive load and an earth cable I wouldn't trust it to a Basic.

Definitely the better option.

 

[rorz0r]

What's new in the pow 2?

 

[SmartKit]

What's new in the pow 2?

Additional monitoring, metering and exporting of logs - not just average consumption.

EDIT: oh and a limit on the load that can turn off the device if it gets too high

 

[ebendl]

Completely different topic, motion detection. Anyone gone this route? Ideally i would want something wired, but the Aeotec Multisensor 6 costs the earth. Xiaomi human sensors are much cheaper but not wired, and dont a different protocol (Zigbee). Anyone gone this route and can provide some advice?

I have 4 Xiaomi motion sensors and also a number of their door contacts and two hubs.

Generally they work very well with HomeAssist (I have Hass.io running on a Pi3). The motion detection is instant but they do have a built in 2 min filter - meaning it won't detect more motion in the two minutes after initial detection.

Their detection range is 7m which works fine for most of my rooms.

The only problem I picked up was that they pick up my cats, so I aimed them a bit higher or put them deeper into shelves.

For the price and size (they're tiny!) they can't be beat.

Still need to block my Xiaomi gateways from phoning back home to China.

I also used one door contact as a transmitter for an outside PIR (Takex wireless). This works just as well and there's no delay. What's even nicer is that you can run both the Xiaomi door contact and the Takex PIR from 3v so they can theoretically share a battery and give the Xiaomi much longer battery life.

 

[calypso]

I have 4 Xiaomi motion sensors and also a number of their door contacts and two hubs.

Generally they work very well with HomeAssist (I have Hass.io running on a Pi3). The motion detection is instant but they do have a built in 2 min filter - meaning it won't detect more motion in the two minutes after initial detection.

Their detection range is 7m which works fine for most of my rooms.

The only problem I picked up was that they pick up my cats, so I aimed them a bit higher or put them deeper into shelves.

For the price and size (they're tiny!) they can't be beat.

Still need to block my Xiaomi gateways from phoning back home to China.

I also used one door contact as a transmitter for an outside PIR (Takex wireless). This works just as well and there's no delay. What's even nicer is that you can run both the Xiaomi door contact and the Takex PIR from 3v so they can theoretically share a battery and give the Xiaomi much longer battery life.

View attachment 519333

Thanks for all the info, very useful. So if you were to do it again, would you stick with the Xiaomi?
Battery life?
Why 2 hubs?

 

[SAguy]

I don't think that anyone really fells like rebuilding their wall boxes so this could be better solved with a redesigned, 3D printed backplate. Slightly wider flush backing that extends past the glass light switch and a recessing the indentation that goes into the wall.
I was always looking for a reason to buy a 3D printer...

Yeah, a backing plate that extends past the glass plate would make it better. Doesn't matter if it sticks out, as long as it's neater. Let me know when you start printing ;-)

 

[SauRoNZA]

I use a POW on my coffee machine with no issues. As it has a large inductive load and an earth cable I wouldn't trust it to a Basic.

EDIT: seems it draws a maximum of 1110W - though if I used a POW R2 I could get a better history.

Would it handle a Geyser then?

Actually scratch that only the TH16 would make sense.

Wish they would just make a device that does it all in one.

 

[rorz0r]

Would it handle a Geyser then?

Actually scratch that only the TH16 would make sense.

Wish they would just make a device that does it all in one.

My geyser draws 3.5kw (measured by efergy) so a TH16 would be too borderline for my liking.