Automation – Modern Anachronist

Simple Fix For the Smart Blinds

Last summer when I redecorated the dining room, I installed IKEA FYRTUR smart blinds in the two west facing windows.

One of those blinds had been a source of embarrassment until just recently.

Garage Door Openers (pt.3 – the digital install)

I installed Chamberlain’s MyQ app so I could use the “smart” features of the GDO’s and I was completely underwhelmed.

Garage door openers (pt.1)

We’re getting to the point where buying a house from a flipper is catching up to us. (It didn’t help that the flipper got the house from an addict.)

It’s time to start replacing things that have been neglected for years.

Up next, the garage door openers. (I’m pretty sure the water heater is next. Good times.)

Re-lamping the upstairs hallway.

In which I attempt to correct the poor decisions made 50 years ago by the lowest bidding electrician; five years ago by a corner cutting house flipper; and ease the unease of a 9-year-old boy; all with an overly complicated hardware and software solution.

Free D Printer.

I was gifted a 3D printer by a buddy who upgraded his. This weekend I finally got around to trying it out.

Robo E3 printer. Free to ~~not so~~ good home. *Please ignore the luffa drying behind the printer.

Holiday lights are made for smart plugs.

I’ve been putting my holiday decorations on smart plugs for probably five years now. It really makes things easier when you can automate your decorations.

Where to put the brains?

Back in the analog days, your light was controlled either at the lamp or at the switch. If you were going on vacation, you might plug it into a clock work timer so no one noticed the house was unoccupied. As we move to home automation, you have a lot of flexibility in how to control things. Do you want to control at the wall, the lamp or the bulb?

More smarts for an old house

Or adding physical controls to a virtual system

One of the pain points on our smart home journey has been allowing visitors and children without i-devices to control the lights. So far I’ve installed two different solutions, and one of them actually works. The one that doesn’t work is due to the construction of my home, the device itself seems fine.

Better still, the one that works is easier to install and cheaper to purchase.

What makes a smart home?

I’m not even sure.

I’ve got some lights that turn in when my alarm sounds in the morning. I’ve got some lights that turn on when the sun sets, and others that turn on when it rises. My thermostat knows to adjust the set point when no one is home, and my front door unlocks when I pull into the driveway.

Does that meant my home is smart? I’m not so sure

Smart home platforms & protocols

When you finally start looking at home automation, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of technology, platforms, protocols, and marketing hype. The goal is to make sure that you spend money on equipment that will work together and continue to be supported in the future.

As of January 2021, there are three major platforms – Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit. There are probably hundreds of manufacturers who support some combination of these platforms. Personally, I use HomeKit with equipment from probably a dozen manufacturers.