Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[HA Dave]

....... An all lights on command could be handy during an emergency (and a home full of holiday guests).

Rambling....

I am thinking I can create a room in my ihome app/skill? and add another ihome plug-in module. Create a room named "light the House" and add that and the other ihome modules I already have.

In the new module add a 3-way adapter or power cord. In one or two plug-ins add a light. In another of the additional plug-ins add a wall-wart USB powered light also attached/rewired to a Powerflash (in another uncontrolled plug) set to turn on/off another device.... which could/would actually trigger a macro(s) to turn a selection of lights on/off. 

So then I could say to either Siri or Alexa "light the House... ON" And that would trigger my new ihome modules.... as well as trigger a series of X10 lights tuned on via a macro.

[HA Dave]

Whether trying out a DOT, Echo, or even just an iPhone with the new iOS (with Home-kit control). I've had good luck so far with ihome device (which work with wink as well). I picked up another device on sale ($25 after sale price and a coupon) at bed bath and beyond.

[HA Dave]

I also found a decent deal on the old(er) Wink hub (NOT the hub 2). At Home Depot for $39.

[HA Dave]

..... At Home Depot for $39.

I picked up one of the cheap older wink hubs.

Much larger than I had imagined it would be.... it's a s big as my hand.

Setup was easy enough... all through my phone (an app). And a "skill" added via Amazon/Alexa.
 
The Wink hub accepts/communicates with a large variety of devices. But... so does the Amazon DOT/Alexa. The advantage appears as though I should be able to get a few different flavors of products to play well together. Meanwhile.... if nothing else... I have something to build on (or at least didn't waste too much money).

Interestingly! It does appear to be able to recognize Bluetooth devices (like my phone)... and has a setup for building arrive and depart "robots"... the word used in wink instead of "macro".

This is the perfect time of year for this. What I like to call the Home Automation Season. Weather outside (in the Midwest) sucks... and this hobby/activity will keep me busy well into warm weather.

[Tuicemen]

With the development of Alex10 looking like it is about to rap up I'm looking at flashing an iTead SOnOff Wi-Fi module.
I have seen a video of Alexa turning these on and off with a flashed firmware.
Since I have hacked my solar tracker to utilize one of the low voltage versions, and I have a few others this should make for another nice  Home Automation Season  project for me!

[HA Dave]

I've intergraded Alexa into my setup... a little bit... so far.

Of course I can turn a few lights on/off... just tell Alexa to do turn them on/off individually, by room, floor, or all.

I've become very accustomed to getting my morning "flash brief" (about 2 minutes of headline news and todays local weather report) from Alexa. Something we had foreseen here at this forum YEARS ago. It's also nice to be able to just ask Alexa "what is the weather today in --------  ------. And get a forecast where my son or (ageing) mother live.

I will be looking at the Wifi bulbs next. Looks like a cost effective way to automate some lighting. I wonder... if they will also react to switches? You know... like the old current sensing devices?!?!? 

I have a setup that allows for leaving while still dark in the mornings... without turning on interior lights. Yet night-time entry does light up the house. A combo of sensor and timer.

Considering (attempting to) pairing my car (it's a newer car that pairs with phones) with my Wink Hub. Then see what I can dream up as macros/robots/actions.

Thinking of another echo device. Either for the bedroom to use as an alarm clock or in the kitchen as a helping hand (voice) with information... or just music.

[Tuicemen]

I just found this Forum dedicated to the Amazon Echo
It is full of info and easier to navigate then the official Amazon echo site.
 

[dhouston]

Good catch!

I quickly glanced at the For Disabled/Elderly forum as that's the area that got me into X10 some 20 years ago. There, I came across a device I'd not heard of that should be of interest here.
http://www.ibroadlink.com/rm/

I may buy one just to see if it's possible to replace the 315MHz RF transmitter with a 310MHz one so it can directly control TM751, RR501 etc.

[Tuicemen]

It certainly is cheap enough to play with.

[HA Dave]

I just integrated my on-line calendars.

Back in the old days we used the Outlook calendars at work to track events/meeting/etc.. I've been using my phone to collect contact and calendar info for at least a couple years. Because I used outlook for this at work years ago... that is what I've stuck with.

For whatever reason... the folks at Amazon chose Google for the echo's calendar function. So I just switched over to the Google calendar... on my laptop, through Amazon, and as an app on my iPhone.

AWESOME! The integration was instant and seamless. I can Tell Alexa to make an entry into my calendar... and she walks me through it. I can watch it appear on my laptop and phone. The phone can even give me alerts to the appts. 

 

[solareclipse]

Here's a good article: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-ifttt-works-differently-with-alexa-and-google-assistant/

[HA Dave]

https://youtu.be/jCevYKNvixE

[Tuicemen]

I've been looking at the Broadlink RM2  since dhouston mentioned he discovered.
This thing looks very promising and according to the thread on the unofficial amazon echo forum it is easy to intergrate with Alexa.
Checking around I see adding X10, zwave and a few other flavors of HA are in the works.
If this is the case this little hub will make all others obsolete.
In any case for $30 US I may just order one to play with as well.
Currently it sounds like you need a few extra APPs on an Android device to get everything working.
 

[dhouston]

1. Skimming thru that forum, it would be nice if there were a non-battery powered Android device since it appears to need one full time. I seem to recall seeing Android ports to RPi.
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-install-android-2-3-on-the-raspberry-pi/
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/android-4-0-is-coming/
http://linux.softpedia.com/blog/Run-Android-5-1-Lollipop-on-Your-Raspberry-Pi-2-with-RaspAnd-477655.shtml
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/05/google-to-bring-official-android-support-to-the-raspberry-pi-3/

2. From the internal pictures of the RM Pro, even if the 315MHz transmitter is not easily replaced with a 310MHz version for control of X10, one of the seven IR transmitters can be replaced with a 310MHz transmitter by connecting the Data and Vcc lines together. This uses the data line to power the transmitter. I've done this before successfully with X10 RF. The downside may be that all IR signals are also sent as 310MHz RF but this is unlikely to cause any conflicts. Or, it might be simpler to have the Androidized RPi handle X10 RF as well as CM11A & TW523 links. (I recently recommended a serial adapter for RPi to Jeff Volp.)

3. Android/RPi3 + RM Pro will likely make my Ultimate X10 Controller stillborn.

[Tuicemen]

1. Skimming thru that forum, it would be nice if there were a non-battery powered Android device since it appears to need one full time.

I received a Android TV box from my son for Christmas A she over heard me talking about getting one.
This will be my non battery power Android device.
But Bluestacks on a PC might work as well. 

3. Android/RPi3 + RM Pro will likely make my Ultimate X10 Controller stillborn.

I doubt that, with Wi-Fi you could most likely talk to it directly creating a skill.