My Home Automation Addiction

I still have 22 light switches still waiting to be installed. The worst part is… I am an electrician. This hobby is starting to cut into my spare times. That’s what my wife said anyway. I think she’s wrong :smile:

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I would have more light switches, but I despise putting them in

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Mine started with binge-buying ordinary LED bulbs. Then I asked myself, “Hmmmm…what are these GE Link bulbs all about?” At that point it just spiraled out of control. :pensive:

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Yes the joke use to be " how many XXX does it take to change a light bulb" updated (HA) version is- how many light bulbs does XXX need. I now find myself looking for empty sockets and staring longingly at new lamps… :anguished:

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Hey, you are so missing out on the new Aeotec Doorbell (now shipping). It is available now. And of course Kuna Lights… Go for it, Brian! :wink:

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Not sure exactly how much I have spent so far, but it’s probably best I don’t add it up…but

Here is my addiction:

1-Harmony Elite in Family room (2 months after getting the Ultimate Home)
1-Harmony hub Extender (Family room)
1-Harmony Ultimate Home (Bedroom)
1-Harmony 650 (~3 MONTHS OLD AND CURRENTLY FOR SALE)
1-ST Hub
1-Wink Hub (1-Nest Protect, 6-zwave Leviton Light Switches, 8-Lutron Dimmers and wall plates, 9-Lutron Pico Remotes and wall plates, 5-Lutron on/off Switch and wall plates, 2-zwave relays (Remotect and Enerwave) (fireplace and 2-load to convert a standard duplex switch to zwave) - Really went with this hub because the lutron dimmers and switches look nicer than most of the other ST switches and dimmers.
1-Chamberlain MyQ
1-Chamberlain MyQ door sensor
4-zwave PIR ceiling sensors
4-zwave contact sensors
5-zwave outlets
2-Leviton plug in dimmers
2-Leviton plug in switches
2-Aeon Labs recessed magnetic contact sensors
5-IP cameras (pending installation)
3-Aeon Labs Sirens
1-Everspring contact sensor
1-zwave motion/Temp. detector
2-First Alert zwave Fire/CO detectors

And all that doesn’t include the entertainment setup. Still much more to get before I am satisfied.

On the bright side, I have become a self-proclaimed electrician :smile:

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No automation is complete without couple of echo’s and at least 25 hue and family products… It’s Friday evening. Hit the local bar, get drunk and then drunken shopping! Helps with the remorse part. Don’t you like music? I don’t see couple of Sonos Play-1’s there. Doorbell, porch lights, alarms!!!

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Lol! I did my shipping last night. I found a lowes that had a whole bunch of the GE/Jasco switches, the ones in the blister packs. I cleaned them out!

I got-----

3 the way switch kits @ 40.00 each
4 on/off switches for 28.00
1 dimmer switch
A bunch of wall plates

About 320.00 the door after my discounts.

These were the switches in the blister packs, not the individual ones in the boxes.

I’m not sure what the difference is, other than I have more money to spend on more stuff!

I’m trying to decide on which thermostats to get. Problems with that is I keep them programmed and never touch them. The two wifi ones work great, they just aren’t connected to ST.

And I’m trying to convince the wife on the third and maybe fourth echo.

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I was thinking about getting 2 echos, but debating weather I will really use them.
I think the hues are nice, but a bit over priced for my taste.
Sonos are also out of my range, but I have a multi-room setup that uses the Onkyo NR737 receiver to pump beautiful music throughout the house (also have to install the speakers to extend that beautiful music to the gazebo).

I haven’t even started the 2nd floor yet :sweat:

I love this kind of stuff, but I think I will seriously need to start extreme couponing also on the side :joy:

If you not running Ecobee3 with at least 5 remote sensors, you cannot call it HA. Bare minimum replace those with Nest 3 and well, it will open the doors to a parallel Nest platform! :wink: just kidding!

Yeah, I’ve been eyeballing those air vents with remote sensors in each room too…

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@smart I do need a new doorbell…enabler

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Why even have a doorbell? You should setup some kind of fancy infrared/motion sensor that rings the doorbell when someone gets within a couple feet of your door! Hmmm…now that’s a thought…

You’re absolutely correct! The Ecobee3 is on my to-buy list during my next drunken shopping spree. :smile:

I think a ceiling mounted sensor and a camera will do for the front porch…i think this will work since it is covered and I wouldn’t have to worry about the sensor getting damaged due to weather.

What do you guys think?

I do get email notifications of motion from my camera at my door. I could do an ifttt recipe for when I get an email from Belkin netcam to flash my lights and send me a text. Lol

Why can’t Alexa be 2 way, like if there is motion, it tells me…

Like the hal9000

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Okay, people. I am the voice of reason here.

  1. There is a nice place called “outside” that everyone should check
  2. Standing up and flipping switches is actually good for your health
  3. There is actual joy when the doorbell rings and you get surprised by who’s there when you open the door
  4. There are books way more interesting than reading this forum
  5. @smart should be banned from this forum

At least this is what I tell myself everyday after I replaced all my Smoke/CO detectors with 7 x Nest Protect, my Echo and my Harmony hub just to turn on the TV with my voice… :grimacing:

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For the Front porch I really like the Kuna lantern. It combines a porch light, motion sensor camera, two way audio intercom, and a panic button siren. $199 at Amazon. Works great, just doesn’t Interface with SmartThings. I specially like that I can check the live feed anytime even if the motion detector hasn’t gone off, so I can make sure my housemate has brought in packages that came earlier in the day. :sunglasses:

Not, you know, to be enabling or anything. LOL!

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5 is an absolute must for maintaining sanity. I hate him like crazy. He is the Jim Carrey from Mask!

I’m actually playing with some ideas on how do design and build my own automatic blinds. I don’t want up and down, just open and close. A good quality servo, some gears, rubber wheels, and some electronics and I should be able to do.

I can actually build the device for about $40.00. It’s the HA part of the drives the price through the roof.