I have been trying to keep a spreadsheet for my HA set up but sometimes it really feels like a game of pick‑up sticks. What is your method of keeping up with your HA set up?
Things to share:
long device names, to a pattern that is not slavish. No other documentation except scraping a log off the IDE device list.
RoomOrEquipment-battery-ManufModelOrFunctionINDEX
example:
HallBath-CR2032-SsMoTmp2
Coffee-AeKwPlug9
It’s kindof a drag, but keeps me clear. Battery maintenance is not so bad this way, I do a smartapp “SimpleDeviceList?” report ONCE every 2-3 months and replace the worst 5-6 under 25%. But I can’t read the whole name in some screens of the phone app.
My devices are named based on their use…
My automations are named like this…
SL - porch lights on at sunset
SL - porch lights on when front door opens
CoRE Sys - Routine sleep
CoRE US - bathroom modes
So when I look at a device/smartapps I know that there are two smart lighting automations, one CoRE system situation, and one CoRE upstairs automation. (I have multiple CoRE installs).
This is how my list looks in the Smart Lighting app:
This is my list in one of my CoRE installs:
This is my list of CoRE installs: I do this for organizing only. Though I’ve noticed a bit more response from the UI in CoRE when I break it up like this. But, if you use a lot of variables and have pistons firing other pistons and stuff, this method may not work for you.
I name stuff fairly wordy and in a way you’d normally describe something. Helps a lot with Alexa. Quite frankly I usually ask my wife most of the time to describe it and that’s what I name it. 
I organize everything in a Room, and if it’s too general like my water meter, I have a room just called general home devices.
As for documentation, I scrape My Devices every time I add a new device, but that’s about it.
Do you still have multiple instances of CoRE installed? Still working good for you?
Yeah, I’m running 7 installs of CoRE with no problems at all. Works great. I’ve also got 7 installs of AskAlexa running great as well.
One day you will pay.
Hahahaha, I doubt it!
I’ve noticed that sometimes I see a 20 second timeout error in the log after a Piston list refresh. I am thinking having CoRE installed more than once to spread the pistons may help.
I don’t know cause I don’t have any metrics on it at all… but I am positive that my response times improved when I split everything up.
Thanks for the info. I am going to give it a try and see.
Damn you. Now there is a potentially good reason to do this.
Yeah… all of my duct tape has been working really good… lol
I would take a space ship made out of duct tape to mars if it proved itself to work…
Already been to the moon… 
http://science1.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2008/21apr_ducttape/
what do you core do? what are ask alexa. still new to this HA
