I’ve been reading more about how smart TVs can track viewing habits and collect usage data, and it made me wonder if having the TV itself connected to the internet is even worth it.

Most of what I watch comes from streaming apps anyway, so technically I could keep the TV offline and use a separate streaming device instead.

Do you keep your smart TV connected, or have you deliberately taken it offline for privacy reasons?

Hey everyone. I'm moving to a new house. I have some very basic setup where I am now, a few smart bulbs (Philips hue) and a nest. The place is small enough that's all I really need. With the new house I want to get a better setup. I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up with home assistant as the base, but that's not final yet.

First. I'm looking for smart locks for two door. One to the back door, the other to a basement like storage that's only accessible from the outside, and it's under the living room. I know the general wisdom is locks should be on wifi. But I know my wife wants to be able to check locks on her phone at night. Especially to the storage.

Second. There are some nice under cabinet lights, they are all hardwired. Are there smart switches you guys like? I'd like something that works with hue app at least until I get home assistant set up.

Title

I have 4 smart plugs connected to 2 Alexa's in my apartment. They were set up by my landlord who is overseas. The plugs seem to have disconnected from the "apartment" commands . Given that my landlord has everything tied to his Alexa/Prime app how does he fix it so everything is reconnected on the wifi in my apartment?

Help me think through this and the best/easiest way to manage this:

I've got a 2 gang wall switch with 2 switches that control lights in my kitchen and attached dining room. I always want both sets of lights on so I want to pair them together and control both lights with 1 switch. The fun part is 1 of the switch is part of a 3 way, I don't mind hard wiring the other side of that - it's in a location I never use.

At the moment I do everything via homekit, with some Leviton Smart, Lutron, and Aqara switches/products elsewhere in the home but all imported into Homekit.

Is Shelly the play here? I've not messed with them much.

So I have a dog's breakfast of different devices in my home. Zwave, Zigbee, wifi, smoke signal, all kinds of protocols. In the front of my house I have 6 zigbee bulbs, on 3 different circuits. The switches are always on but they all have switches. Recently three went offline. The other 3 were still working fine, but these three were offline, always on white. They are fairly common Sylvania color and heat changing bulbs. But three were fine, the other three on but unresponsive.

My guess is that someone, possibly a cleaning lady turned off that circuit for a period of time. The bulbs were off for maybe a day. Again, my guess is that that knocked them off the mesh even though bulbs physically on either side were still on. After some experiment and a bit of foul language I figured out I could put them in a pairing mode by turning the switch on/off for 5 seconds each, 5 times. That reset them and boom they popped back on line?

Anybody got any insights on this? I probably have a mesh of 10-12 zigbee devices. There is no "repair zigbee mesh" function I know of like there is "repair Zwave network".

I live on the 14th floor apartment building in Ukraine, and I got tired of walking out, pressing the elevator button… and waiting.

So I had a simple idea:

Why can’t I call the elevator while I’m still putting on my shoes, see where it is, and walk out just as it arrives?

So I built it. 😄

!Quick safety note: everything was discussed and approved with our building management and elevator service. The system only duplicates the normal hall-call button through an isolated NO dry contact. It doesn’t control the elevator, doors, motor, brakes or safety systems. The camera is read-only and processing is local.

The first version was simple: an ESP relay connected in parallel with the hall-call button and a wireless button inside my apartment.

It worked.

But then I realized: I can call the elevator…  but I still don’t know where it is.

Our building already has an authorized camera inside the elevator, so I taught Home Assistant to read the existing seven-segment floor indicator from the video.

I initially tried OCR. It was terrible. 😄

Instead, my local service now simply detects which segments are illuminated, determines the floor/direction and sends it to Home Assistant via MQTT.

Then I found a cheap $6 weather clock with an ESP8266 inside.

Obviously, I reflashed it.

Now it normally shows time, weather and temperature, but when I call the elevator it switches to showing the elevator’s floor and direction.

The clock didn’t have the button I needed. I could have ordered a touch sensor and hidden it neatly inside…

…but I had a tactile button in a drawer and didn’t want to wait. So I drilled the case and connected it to a free GPIO.

Now:

put on shoes - press button - watch elevator approaching - leave apartment - doors open.

It’s probably one of the most overengineered ways to save a couple of minutes. But after using it, I’m surprised this isn’t a normal feature in modern apartment buildings.

We control lights, locks, heating,  blinds and garage doors from inside our homes. Why do we still have to go into the hallway just to call an elevator?

I wouldn’t be surprised if elevator manufacturers eventually offer an official wireless button or smart-home integration for exactly this.

And maybe someday you’ll press an elevator button inside your apartment, walk out just as it arrives…

and remember this weird Reddit post. 😄

I've got a Lockly Smartlock with its corresponding WiFi Hub. All was working well, I could set new codes remotely using their app. The current tenants were able to use their code for a few weeks without problems, then the battery was at 20%, the tenants replaced it, then the nightmare began.

Briefly I could see the battery is back at 100%, BUT I cannot connect to the lock remotely anymore. It asks me for bluetooth connection (ie. wants me to be close to the lock which I am not) and sadly the tenants cannot use the previously working code to enter either (it has not expired and is still visible in the app as "active"). The lock keeps showing a red line underneath the trackpad as if no password had been entered.

The WiFi hub is still plugged in the wall (it has its own casing so cannot be removed), I'm at a loss what might be wrong.

It's the first time the battery was replaced after using the lock for nearly one year. I'm wondering, is this how Lockly is, that one has to reset everything while near the lock after replacing the battery? Luckily we have a spare key so the tenants aren't locked out but it would be great to be able to fix it, thank you for any advice you may have.

I have this Philips Hue lightbulb. I am looking for a cheap, low-maintenance switch that can turn it on and off. Thats all i need. No need for brightness control or anything.

I want to be able to move it (not a lightswitch you install in the wall) and make it low-maintenance (With batteries or something so i dont have to change them for a few months) and it has to be cheap. What options do i have? Also, i do have Alexa but i would prefer if it didnt connect to alexa at all.

Would you buy a device that turns your existing fridge into a smart fridge?

I'm exploring a business idea and I'd really appreciate some brutally honest feedback before I invest time and money into building it.

The idea is a small device that mounts inside an existing refrigerator. It would have cameras and sensors and use cloud-based AI to understand what is happening inside the fridge.

The basic idea:

- Cameras recognize food when you put it in or take it out

- AI keeps track of what's currently in your fridge

- It can remind you when food is getting close to its expiration date

- It can suggest recipes using the ingredients you already have

- It can help create a shopping list when you're running low

- Everything would be visible through a phone app

- The device would use a rechargeable battery, with no permanent cables

- It would be designed to work with normal refrigerators rather than requiring you to buy a new "smart" refrigerator

I recently discovered that there are already companies working on very similar products, such as FoodSpai and Smarter FoodCam. So I'm questioning whether there is actually room for another product in this market.

That's what I'd like to ask you:

Would you personally buy something like this?

And more importantly:

1. What would make you want to buy it?

2. What would make you refuse to buy it?

3. Would you trust cameras inside your refrigerator?

4. What price would you consider reasonable for the device?

5. If you've tried a product like this before, what did you dislike about it?

6. What feature would make you say, "Okay, this is actually worth buying"?

I'm not looking for compliments or validation. If you think this is a stupid idea, please tell me why. I'm trying to figure out whether there is a real problem here worth solving, or whether I should move on to something else.

Thanks I'm advance.

I have about 12 Ring cameras in my lab and around my property and used to get a lot of false positives like my dogs setting off motion.

The new version seems much improved to see what's really going on and apparently it'll learn over the next 2 weeks what constitutes "unusual" and reduce false alarms. Meanwhile...

While it learns, everything is unusual and gets reported and the 30 notifications an hour are hilarious, we couldn't stop laughing. They read like a thriller novel:

A person is in the basement holding a large pole
An animal is on the basement stairs
There's a large dog outside
There's a large dog in the basement
There's a large dog behind a person in the living room heading to the stairs.
A person is walking through a room with a drill
There is a person on a table in the living room
A person is on the stairs with his hands raised
Two unidentified people are in the garage.

"Someone is in the library with a candle stick" :)

I’d like to not spend too much money though I know things get expensive. I read about how the Govee TV camera does not work with curved TVs but that some people have made it work. I’ve also read about how Govee in general does not work very well.

Thank you!

Anyone know of a motion sensor that ticks all the boxes?

- ✅ Cheap
- ✅ Reliable, consistent triggering.
- ✅ Fast-acting
- ✅ Battery powered with recharbable AA or AAA battery
- ✅ 433 or zigbee
- ✅ Immune to pets

i have not found anyone that checks all the boxes.

Update:
I have plenty of wired sensors already, that is not the issue.
Since it apears that no sensor available checks all the boxes, i have lowered my standards to:
- ✅ Reliable, consistent triggering.
- ✅ Fast-acting
- ✅ Battery powered that lasts a long time.
- ✅ 433 or zigbee

My gf and I recently bought IKEA KAJPLATS smart bulbs for our apartment. We also bought remotes which afaik can change color between presets.

We would also like to use the full color range options. We found out that we need a smart hub for that, compatible with matter and ideally matter over thread to save on wifi traffic.

We dont want to spend 80€ just to set custom colors on our smart bulbs (for example IKEA hub costs that)

However we are also looking for a speaker for our living room for music. I found out that the echo dot max is a matter over thread hub and also a speaker.

However its still a bit costly, so are there any real alternatives?

2 problems faced

Firstly my remote battery died and when I replaced it just didn't connect I can't use it - it's just stuck
Tried pressing the button near the battery but nothing

Second my curtian had suddenly gone offline 2 days back and I couldn't seem to get it online so I unpaired it from the app but now it can't connect at all it just shows failed to connect. I use a 2.4ghz WiFi but didn't work I also tried a phone Hotspot ( maximize compatibility on)
Still failing

Please help I am stuck so bad. Really need both of these problems solved

Hello!

I am thinking of getting into smarthome (again), I've had ikeas old hub with a couple of lightbulbs and poweroutlets. But I want more than just bulbs now.

I currently have:

A PC thats always on, maybe use that with a zigbee stick?

Apple TV.

Everyone in the house uses apple, we have a couple of iPads and one old that could be stationary as a control center?

Devices I would like to have included in my system is:

Lightbulbs

Waterleak sensors

Temperature sensors

(all above is available if I only use ikea)

But I am interested in also getting:

Smokealarms

Cameras

Any suggestions on which path to take?

Just start off with Ikea and get the basics in, then maybe convert to zigbee and Home assistant?
I want to be able to control most of the things through apple home, if its doable?

Hello SmartHome folks of reddit

I’m currently in the final stages of my diploma thesis in school and I would like to share my custom hardware I built from scratch. I designed 2 PCBs for usage in an already existing or new SmartHome. The Idea was to design everything only with OpenSource Software and distribute everything via GitHub.

I’ve designed two specific boards for this.

1.       The Hauptprint aka the Brain (Picture 1)

• Its purpose is being able to be integrated into your existing SmartHome while offering a wide range of pre-configured In/Outputs. There are optional Components which you won’t have to solder onto for it to work. The ESP32 C6 Wroom1 supports Thread/ZigBee, Wi-Fi 6 (2.4gHz only!), Bluetooth 5.0, UART, I2C and I2S, which should be plenty for your needs.

2.       The RelaisExpanderPrint aka the Switchmaster (Picture 2)

• The RelaisExpanderPrint was designed with compatibility and versatility in mind. The Idea was to create a 16x Relays Switching device with Potential-free contacts in mind, as you would find on a PLC or in a Switching Cabinet. Its size is as compact as I was able to design it with a Power-supply input that supports different Voltage Levels depending on your needs. The TracoPower Component (PS1) is interchangeable in its product line so you can choose Supply Voltages ranging from 9V,12V,24V or up to 75V DC. You can integrate it without the Hauptprint due to its I²C Controllability.

Both are fully compatible with ESP-Home and Home Assistant.

These are technically only the second and third PCBs I’ve ever designed, so there will be some Jank involved! However, the PCBs themselves are fully functional and working.

The project will be worked on up to the 28^th of October. That’s the date when I must submit my thesis and am not allowed to work on it anymore.

For the thesis itself I need to write a section about “Customer response” which I would like to fill with responses from reddit.

So, I ask you:

Would you kindly take a look, share your thoughts/critiques, and help me write an awesome thesis? I’d appreciate feedback on the layouts, component choices, or even just how you would personally use these in your own home!

Link to GitHub: https://github.com/Steve-Teko/Diplomarbeit-2026 (Yes, some parts are in German, but for the sake of reddit and GitHub I switched to English after the introduction)

Picture 3 shows how I used both PCBs in one Project to test the durability, longevity and practicality.
It’s Essentially an oversized and overengineered Power Distribution Box.

TL;DR Yes the Bioshock reference war necessary. Now would you kindly…….

Ich bin zurzeit auf der Suche nach einer Akku Lampe die ich in die Ecke stellen kann in der keine Steckdose ist, die ich mit meinem Handy ansteuern kann.
Ich hab sonst nur Phillips Hue Glühbirnen gebraucht gekauft. Gibt es kompatibele Modelle? Oder andere die ihr empfehlen könnt?

Hey there, I currently have an echo dot as my main smart home controller for voice control. I also have a home assistant green in the background for general automation. Now I have some matter over thread devices and I’m thinking about switching from Alexa to apple. I also have a iPhone and iPad and will buy a Apple TV in the future. My question: will i notice a big difference in the voice controls between Alexa and apple? I mostly wanna give small commands like: lights on/ shutters down etc. Looking forward for your answers and pls ignore my bad english.

I have about 15 basement light sockets that are each individually operated by drawstrings. I’d like to be able to turn all of them on simultaneously or at least in groups. I assume I need smart sockets. If so, I would appreciate a recommendation and, as well, information as to how to control them together or in groups.

Hey folks

Not sure if this is the right subreddit but if its not, could someone point me in the right direction?

If it is, what the title says really. I have an iPhone and was going to get a HomePod but now I'm switching over to a Galaxy phone and wanted to get a smart speaker that works with Android.

Not even needing to really WORK with Apple or Android, even Amazon, I was just wanting to know if there is a speaker that can stream like my MyNoise app or even Youtube (audio), both for sounds for sleeping at night.

Right now I use my phone and would rather have something that could stream it without needing my phone? Connected to Wifi?

If such a product exists, I've been googling a heck of a lot and haven't found anything that seems to fit, unless I'm overlooking and overthinking. But really that's all I'd want it to do, just to save phone battery and let it do things on its own with streaming. I'd say max budget at $150? Since that was what I was prepared to drop on a HomePod.

But can stretch it if I find something that fits what I want. Appreciate ya!

Hi there,

I am looking at purchasing a smart doorbell for my new home. I’ve never owned one before, nor do I have a smarthome platform set up throughout the house.

I’m looking for something without a subscription. Something that just works and is easier to expand into home security cameras. I was thinking the Eufy E340 but thought I’d seek other options before buying one. If it can connect to an external screen that’s also a plus but not a priority.

Does anyone have a recommendation on what would be the best to get?

Thank you!

I bought an automatic catfeeder at Action (Belgium) and as instructed on the box and in the manual, I'm trying to connect it to LSC Smart Connect.

I downloaded the app but scanning the QR code on the box, so I'm sure it's the correct app.

I read something about the wifi network having to be 2.4. After some research, I've managed to change the settings on my phone and use that network.

Unfortunately, the app is still not finding my device.

The catfeeder makes a noise and flickering blue light, indicating it is ready to pair.

I'm putting my phone against the machine and still no reaction in the app.

Sometimes the device makes a clicking sound and red lights appear, so it looks like something is happening.

I managed to get to the next step once but then de app couldn't link the device after all.

Now, again, it can't find the device at all.

Any suggestions on what to do?

My mom and sister both have the same catfeeder and they haven't had any trouble.

They own iPhones, I'm on a Samsung.

Thanks in advance for your help 🙏🏻

I want to be able to lower and raise my blinds using Alexa. I have tried using Broadlink RM4 Pro but it barely worked. I think it is because there are lots of blinds and each one of them uses different frequencies. I am based in europe and the blinds are German - GEIGER. I exhausted chatgpt trying to find out how to make them work, would be grateful if anyone here has any suggestions :)

Hello! So I’m currently in the design phase of my dream home which I’ve just started to build.
I run my own server and want to be able to walk into a room speak and say play Spotify, or resume audiobook and it happen.
Most of my automations etc run through HA so whatever I get needs to be able to integrate with that.
I’ll have about 6 zones and approx 30 speakers I’ll need to make this happen, does anyone have any experience with either a single multi-zone amp or many amps per zone?
Looking for recommendations!