new technologies, new ideas, a new kind of home
Our friend Paul Taylor from The Smarter Home Club took the time to give us a great introduction to the Conbee, also known as the Raspbee. This setup is a great example of the true DIY spirit you see in some of the cleverest home automation setups around. I’m really looking forward to additional entries he makes in this series!
Continue reading “Phoscon ZigBee Gateway AKA – ConBee or RaspBee – Part 1: Introduction”
X10 is the OG of the Smart Home universe. The protocol was developed in 1975 in Scotland and modules started showing up in Sears, Radio Shack, and mail order magazines a couple of years later. Its amazing the range of X10 devices you can still find in use in both residential and industrial environments.
Continue reading “Integrating X10 into your Home Automation System”
Kerry Clendinning from The Smarter Home Club has written up a new article for us covering Hunter SimpleConnect fan controllers and Home Assistant!
There are two things I don’t like in my home automation – Bluetooth and batteries. For me, Bluetooth is fabulous for headsets and speakers, but if there’s more than a few feet between the source and the traget, you’re going to have poor performance unless you’ve got top of the line components. As far as batteries go, if there’s something controlling electrical or electronic devices in my home, I want them on the same circuit as the device. Keeps things simple! Plus, I don’t like to change batteries constantly (as you’ll see below).
Kerry Clendinning from The Smarter Home Club is back with critical advice for you to keep in mind when you’re building your Smart Home!
Kerry Clendinning from The Smarter Home Club explains how to use sensor data to help focus your home automation system.
Continue reading “Automating Routines Based on Sensors”
No project goes exactly as I plan and this one was no exception. IN parts ONE, TWO, and THREE, things went very well – maybe too well, so I was due for complications.I got them. But, the project is complete and it was well worth the trouble!
Continue reading “The GE Merlin Water Filtration Project is Complete!”
Kerry Clendinning from The Smarter Home Club has written a great post to help us understand the importance of Internet security and how critical it is in relation to home automation!
Continue reading “Internet Security and the Home Automation Craze.”
Hue bulbs (and devices that emulate them) are a great first step into the world of Home Automation. In bulbs, you have dim-able white bulbs, as well as bulbs that can change color with input from the user in the Hue app. You’ve also got light strips as well as in-wall switches – you can set up a significant part of your home automation ecosystem Philips Hue and compatible brand products that easily integrate with Amazon Alexa or Google Home.
The RODI project (Reverse Osmosis/Deionization) is nearing its completion. As I mentioned in parts ONE and TWO, my wife has expressed some health concerns due to the local water quality, so the time was right to refurbish my Merlin RO filter and put it into service. Today, we’re one step closer to completion of the project, though a few extra steps were added along the way….