How has SmartThings affected you?

I wonder if I can use it for ST hub reboot notification. From what I see, it’s doable…

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Basically install PRTG and have it ping the IP address of your phone on your home network.
You will want to tell your home router to always assign the same IP to your phone, whenever it connects.
PRTG can call a webpage when the ping starts (or stops working) By default, it sends emails.
Now what webpage to call…I call my Ask Home Smartthings app. Since you use Ask Alexa
you could use that. I think Michaels format looks like this:

https://graph.api.smartthings.com/api/smartapps/installations/xxxxx-app-id-number-xxxx/d?Device=barn%20light&Operator=toggle&Num=undefined&Param=undefined&lVer=111&access_token=xxxx-access-token-xxxx

Just put in what device you want to do something with and the operator too.

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What sensor are you using for that? Is it just a leak sensor stuck an inch or so above the water line?[quote=“N8XD, post:75, topic:54611”]
She tells me I’m almost out
[/quote]
The first rule of owning a pool is to make sure you always have plenty of beer!:sunglasses:

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I’m using one of the sensors that has the twin probe cable. Right now, the box is on the deck under the diving board, out of the way. I’ve got a couple dash buttons for other beverages, but I’m not sure Amazon has Dash “beer” buttons. :wink:

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I was thinking of that same idea for my pool. One problem, I got 4 inches of rain last night. Probably would of got a 2am phone call this morning if I had one installed.

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That could be a good thing… An overflowing pool is a bad thing, unless it is in ground…

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I’ve said this in most of the threads about pool equipment over the last year, but you need to get devices, including battery-operated sensors, that are specifically rated for a swimming pool environment if they are going to be in the “splash zone” of the pool. This is because of “galvanic corrosion.”

Electrical equipment near a swimming pool can catch fire due to the chemistry of the pool water. It’s a much harsher environment than the regular plumbing in your house, so just being rated “waterproof” is not enough.

And you can’t just put a battery operated device inside a Ziploc bag, which is some people’s first thought, because batteries can and do outgas and they need to be in a ventilated environment unless both the battery and the device are specifically engineered to be in an airtight environment.

There are quite a few devices that are specifically made for operating near the pool. Almost all of them are much more expensive than the general-purpose devices, and this is why.

If the device you have is not specifically rated for swimming pools, check with the manufacturer to make sure it’s safe to use in that environment.

Funny, one of my smoke detectors’ batteries died last night, at 2am. Why do they ALWAYS do this in the middle of the night? WHY?!?!?!?!

@N8XD I used to have MRTG running in my network, I’m gonna try PRTG again, I know I downloaded it a LONG time ago but don’t recall why I never used it.

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There is a reason. Most homes are coolest around 2am and this causes the battery level to dip.

http://www.kidde.com/home-safety/en/us/news/news-article/myth_buster__alarm_battery_chirps_aren_t_pre_programmed_to_interrupt_sleep.aspx

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I always bring my iPad out by the pool to control my Sonos music. I can have it say “Someone needs to get off their ass and get Murray a beer!” Half the time I just get dirty looks, but it works the other half depending on who’s over.

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No iPad required: :sunglasses::dog:

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“Dear Penthouse…”

(Pics, or it didn’t happen.)

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I doubt it. He was almost out of beer.:sunglasses:

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Dang, you guys are funny. :wink:

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He’s gonna wake up in the morning to find out it was his old friend “hairy Tony”

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LOL who knew this thread would go so many ways. Some poking at the fact that the ‘affect’ was a negative one. But mostly positive. And that about once every 6 months or so theres a positive thread in here instead of the unending brow beating of negative threads.

Since figuring out my one bug I’ve been nothing but happy with my setup. Those 2-3 months of hell debugging and unreliable systems almost broke me. Deleting most of my cree bulbs from ST and adding them to the Hue bridge first has fixed my system 100%. I’m back to the point of slowly buying devices again. Got an Iris motion sensor and dang, that thing is nice. Going to buy some more.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE just driving away from the house. I no longer think ‘crap did I turn the fan off’ or ‘shit I left the kitchen lights on’. I also love never coming home to a dark house. Outside garage lights and walkway lights always turn on at sunset. Interior garage lights turn on when garage door opens, few lights turn on inside, motion sensors then work so can just walk where needed. And then when I do go away for a few days, having things turn on and off as needed.

Sure, I dont have anything security related hooked up. I dont like that idea ;). Garage door is still a dumb door, but has a multi sensor on it so I know its status at all times. Ive debated a smart lock on the entry door from the garage, since it should always be behind the closed door. And my alarm system is still a basic system. Tho i like knowing status of the house, so ST lets me see that without tieing in just cause I double up on things like door sensors. Tstat, well ive yet to tie in my ecobee3. I do like things that are a bit of a unitasker and get the job done.

So far ST has done quite well. Took me a while to get past that one bug. Wish it wasnt there, but hell knowing what the bug is and how to work around it is fine enough for me.

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So true, Kevin. It is refreshing to hear the various things people have done with ST and the reasons behind their choices. YMMV, but there are plenty of creative ways to make this platform work for those of us who like to tinker.

More of my story of deploying a hub to a second home at a remote location is here, but that posting hasn’t gotten much traction. Perhaps not many folks are doing this – but I suspect there are others out there. Ultimately, it’s been a ‘win’ for me having ST monitoring the other place.

Eventually, I’d like to replace my security system at the primary home, but that part isn’t ‘Ready for Prime Time’ yet. I can see how it could be and am looking forward to eventually doing just that! :slight_smile:

Just got everything up and running (hub and one switch). Amazed at how simple it is! This is going to get addicting…

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It already got.

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Indeed… :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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