What are you automating? (UK hub)

General Discussion
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41

Just wondering what clever tricks people are using in their homes that involves Smartthings or even home automation in general?

If there is something you have achieved that you think that’s really neat and really helps me day to day would you mind sharing it?

Really want to make the most out of home automation just looking for inspiration of tips, tricks and how to achieve them that some may have done that is available to the UK

I have smart home lighting, smart plugs and smart heating via Tado what other things might I find interesting myself and hopefully others may find interesting too.

Thanks

42

In Addition to the suggestions already in this thread (start from the top), You might want to check the project reports section for the “get started” list in the quick browse lists in the community – created wiki.

There’s also a list of “impress your friends” projects which can be inspiring. :sunglasses:

http://thingsthataresmart.wiki/index.php?title=How_to_Quick_Browse_the_Community-Created_SmartApps_Forum_Section#Quick_Browse_Links_for_Project_Reports.2FQuestions

43

Recently my automations have all been about the Echo. So adding lots of virtual switches to group things (I know you can do it within Echo but nice to control it from ST)

Also I’ve been running most my rules in CoRE now too so that I can have more complex rules, so I have a 15 or 30 second light timer (rather than the minimum 1 minute on SmartLighting), lots of conditional rules which only run if other conditions are true/false etc.

Since this thread started, I’ve got a Roomba which is fantastic. The dog hates it though so sadly can’t program it to come on when we are out.

Also now investing in some of the Philips Hue Strips for all our under cabinet - but that’s going slow as they aren’t cheap!

I think you need to pick an area you want to focus on and do it well. Mine was originally Lighting, so mines all motion based in every room. From that I looked at energy saving, so SmartPlugs going in/around the place (helped with the xmas tree - no more climbing under it to turn on/off). Not sure what’s next - see what the community comes up with. Depending on which direction ActionTiles goes - it might be a large deployment of that.

Kraeg

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44

Boxing Day will be my 12 month ownership of ST so seems like a good time to take stock of how far I’ve come in that time. If anyone has the patience to get to the end of this post, please let me know if I’m missing anything that I could be doing. I’m running out of ideas!

Current set up

(Almost) every light is Phillips Hue (including Go’s and light strips) and is controlled by ST motion sensors with different scenes based on mode (morning, evening, going to bed, and middle of the night). All motion rules are overridden by virtual switches. Prettier, more thematic scenes I turn on with Alexa. A pantry cupboard lights up when the door is open.

Every room has a £2 Airwick plug in diffuser with a cheap Energenie adapter which turn on either on a schedule or when the TV is on depending on the room.

Cleaning is done once a day by a Roomba 650 which is getting a new ThinkingCleaner faceplate that arrived today to enable it to interface with ST so it can start cleaning only when we leave the house.

A Space heater or fan controls temperature, depending on the Winter/Summer virtual switch being on. If it is cold then the Electric Blanket comes on for a fixed amount of time when I tell Alexa i’m getting ready for bed. If it is summer then the fans only turn on if the windows they are next to are open.

Alexa is used to turn on Sky Q via 3 Harmony Hubs in the 3 rooms I have multiroom. Same for PS4/Chromecast. Activities also exist for listening to each of my favourite radio stations/spotify playlists in those 3 rooms. Sound comes through the Sonos speakers including playbar in the living room and Connects in the Kitchen and Office. TVs in ST outlets mean they are not left on standby unnecessarily. I can turn on my PC too which is in an outlet. I changed the BIOS settings to turn on when AC Power returns after a power outage. To enable a clean shutdown Harmony does the correct key presses before the outlet turns off after a delay.

The house cycles mode depending on presence and time of day, but if it gets dark early an illuminance sensor moves it on to Home Evening mode, and lets me know via Sonos. If there is motion on the stairs after 7am on a weekend Morning mode is activated and the SHM alarm is disarmed.

If anyone broke in they would be caught by a Samsung SmartCam and deafened by an Aeon Siren. Anyone who knocks on the front door while we’re out hears the ‘dogs’ we have. Plus a notification is sent as it is probably just that the post has arrived.

I am pre-warned when my girlfriend('s presence sensor) is coming home by the playing of the Imperial March on Sonos. This gives me time to hide my latest smart things purchases.

I am woken up by the Talking Alarm Clock app which is triggered by GCal Search app, so all I have to do is create a recurring Google Calendar event called Alarm which I can move on the rare days when I need to get up at a different time (also great for not getting woken up on a Bank Holiday!). It announces the weather and can decide whether to go to work by car or motorbike.

I also have Google Calendar events to control scenes. If there is an event with the words England and TV then the England scene comes on at kick off.

A dumb dehumidifier in an ST outlet is triggered by mode and humidity of a Netatmo Indoor Station. A dumb slow cooker can similarly be turned on while I’m still at work. A dumb coffee machine (£10) can be switched on when I want, even pre-programmed by making a ‘Coffee’ event in Google Calendar. A phone charger block turns on at bedtime and turns off when the power has dropped when things have fully charged.

We have had leaks from the toilet and from a window in previous years. Both now have a moisture sensor to text me of any problems.

Christmas is covered. Outdoor lights and christmas tree both controlled by cheap Energenie plugs which can live in the loft the rest of the year. A Hornby train set (“Santa’s Express”) runs on a half-hourly schedule when I am home around the base of the tree.

Halloween too - a motion sensor an a cuddly cat in a shoebox with a small hole scares people who dare to reach in, when the Sonos next to it plays a screaching cat sound. Anyone who knocks on the door is met with a screen and anyone who goes into the bathroom hears the sounds for the pits of hell…

A virtual party mode switch puts the lights into a multi-coloured scene which then colorloops and overrides the motion sensor rules

To do list:
When our boiler is next replaced, get either get a connected thermostat and smart radiator valves.
2x Nest Protects
Smart bulb in loft and door sensor on the hatch
Door sensor on the Wardrobe to brighten lighting when choosing clothes
Ring door bell
Lock on the front door
Connect a Raspberry Pi to SmartThings (no proper idea of what i would then do with it)

Longer term ideas
Outdoor garden lighting
Water valve to turn off if the toilet pipe leaks
Something to automatically feed my hamster
Connect Sonos to Alexa once that skill gets released.
I wanted to control my bathroom fan by humidity but failed to wire up an Aeon dimmer switch correctly. Needs more research.

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45

Love this one :grin: that would save me a fortune

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There’ll be an Airwick engineer on here now frantically trying to get a Z-Wave module into a diffuser!

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47

Think unlikely, reducing consumption of their refills is probably not high in their priority list. :relieved:

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48

You’ve not seen how much they’ll charge once they’ve put the good old ‘Smart’ badge on the box! :smiley:

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49

:grin: agree! They’ll be even smaller and more expensive ‘smart compatible’ refills too.
(Airwick engineers definitely taking notes now!!)

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50

Oh yeah, the normal refills definitely won’t be compatible with AirSmart/SmartWick version! :joy:

(I’ll stop this now - slightly off topic…)

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51

How do you override the motion sensor rules? I got fed up with my motion sensor interrupting the colourloops.

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I would do this by creating a Party mode and restricting the automations based on the mode you are in. I have created a Disable mode that nothing will run in as a quick method to stop automatons but you could fine tune this with a Party mode.

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Having a “party mode” is a good idea, but this is not the way I achieve it as I want to be able to override individual rooms at various points of the day.

I have virtual switches for each room:
In Use Living Room
In Use Kitchen
etc

Core Pistons do the lighting on motion, but only if the In Use switch for that room is off

Throughout the day as various modes happen (e.g. evening, bedtime, night) I have rules to automatically turn these In Use switches on and off. Also I have other rules, like if I’m using the computer or watching TV in the office, then the In Use Office switch is on. If I just want to sit in there for some crazy reason without using electronics I can manually turn on the In Use switch.

My “Party mode” is actually a virtual switch which turns all the In Use switches to ON for the rooms which I want to colourloop…

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54

Thanks I’ll look at using modes for when I activate party routine. And ensure the motion sensor doesn’t interfere in party mode.

I’ll also look at Core as I also like to control my lights using Alexa, but the motion sensor keeps changing them back!

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55

I’m slowly adding to my home. Currently have the following so far:

4 x RGB OSRAM Lightify Bulbs
1 x Standard OSRAM Lightify Bulb
1 x SmartThings Starter Kit (Open Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Plug Outlet)
1 x TKB Plug Outlet
1 x Fibaro Dimmer Switch
1 x Amazon Echo
1 x Echo Dot
1 x Harmony Hub

Next on my hit list are 2 outdoor blink cameras when they become available here in the UK!

It’s such a nice feeling to have most of my routines automated e.g. coming and going, goodnight routines, night time toilet visits etc…!

The addition of my harmony hub has taken that to another level with me now being able to tell Alexa to turn on my TV / Fire TV. I’ve bought a lot of things lately so I think I need to take a bit of a break!

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56

My setup is quite limited to some on here, but getting better now I’ve gained more confidence in the ST platform and its reliability.

I’ve got the starter kit with a couple of additional presence sensors. These are used to more accurately control our Nest thermostat so it immediately goes into Eco mode when we’re all out. We have hallway lighting in our skirting board which are triggered when the multi-sensor on the front door detects the door is opened. I also have open/close sensors on all our patio doors and the garage door in case I go out and leave the door open.
The power outlets control our outdoor Christmas lights and illuminated reindeer(s) as I was sick of turning them on and off every night. I mean, this is 2016!
I can view my CCTV streams through the ST app but haven’t achieved any better integration with that as of yet. I’m hoping to add a few more cameras indoors (arlos probably) and a ring video doorbell in the near future, plus some more open/close sensors on adiditonal doors/windows.

Mustn’t forget our two Amazon Echos, which are a real hit in our household (“Alexa, turn on the skirting board lights” and “Alexa, turn on the reindeers” are just so cool)

57

Just wanted to revive this tread and see what people have been up to over xmas, heres a breakdown of what I’ve got going now.

  • Motion Sensor in every room (Mainly ST Motions, with a few Aeon Lab MultiSensor 6)
  • ST Contact Sensors on all external doors (Considering the Sensitive Strips but not 100% yet - maybe when my ST ones break)
  • Hue bulbs in every room (accept for my kitchen as they take GU10 bulbs and would cost £150 to replace).
  • Couple of Hue Blooms which I use for Wakeup lights and warning lights. I’m partially deaf so this is a godsend.
  • 1 x Gen1 Hue Strip and 1 x Gen 2 Hue strip under cabinet lights. There is a massive difference between the two and would never buy Gen1 again. Just waiting for the Gen2 to come down on price or come on offer again before I match them all up.
  • Roomba and ThinkingCleaner which is a fantastic addon. Saves us no end of time and considering getting another to do the upstairs when I’ve got money to splash (rare).
  • I got a fantastic deal on a Samsung Speaker (M3) so purchased it in the hopes of using it for notifications again. I’ve got the say its the WORST intragation I have ever seen, I wont be touching another Samsung speaker again. Might look into Sonos one day, but feel like I’ve been burned a little so staying away the moment.
  • 2 x Amazon Echos and 1 x Amazon Dot. These are fantastic (when they understand you) and seem to work really well. I have my Dot connected to the above speaker in our kitchen for a bit of extra boost when cooking.
  • Blink cameras in all (downstairs) rooms - This is one of the best buys I’ve had, they are fantastic. I actually purchased some Arlo cameras and sent them back as they arent anywhere near as good as the Blinks when used with @RBoy’s app. All linked up with my SHM and working well.
  • Blue Iris providing my standard CCTV DVR into SmartThings (and SmartTiles)
  • SmartTiles is running - I did have two tablets with it on but since the authentication changes they’ve been switched off.
  • Using CoRE to switch on/off my server and PC with WOL/SOL via a virtual switch (good money savings).
  • 3 x ST Leak detectors on some major appliances and under the bath. Would like more but they are cost prohibitive.
  • Logitech Harmony in our main room which controls all our AV equipment. I’ve personally found this to be a little flaky too, its not exactly rock solid and not good enough to rely on. Using the remote/hub setup interdependently works well but the cross between ST and Logitech is hit and miss.
  • Hive Active Heating control with a brilliant SmartApp written on here by @Alyc100 which works really well. Just wish Amazon hadn’t messed with the Echo and made it so it doesn’t work anymore. They brought out a Hive Skill which makes the Echo refuse to look at SmartThings for info and wants to go direct. Now voice control doesn’t work (a shame but i’m living without it.)

Things I’d like to look at:

  • Blinds - my biggest ‘Want’. I’ve got all made-to-measure blinds in our house and I really dont want to have to spend £1000’s replacing them. I did try the SOMA system on the one blind it was compatable with and had to send it back as it was so flakey. Its been almost constantly out of stock, so makes me think its got issues.
  • Eagerly waiting ActionTiles and then look at possible tablet mounting but not 100% yet.
  • Want to look at Outdoor lighting, been looking at the Osram GardenSpots but they seem to be hit and miss if they work well.
  • Would like to find a good solution to a beam/laser trip sensor. Something for my driveway to alert us someone is on our property. Theres a few discussions but nothing which jumps out at me as being reliable and easy to implement yet.

Overall I’m happy with the sensors I’ve got; Its just getting them to actually do something (end devices) that I’m struggling with. Its all well and good me being able to tell you exactly which rooms have motion, what temprature they are and how much energy certain devices are using but the whole point in automation is to make them perform actions interdependently. For me thats just heating, lighting and Rooma - not a great list for the money I’ve spent so far.

So anyone got any ideas for me to burn money on?

Kraeg

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58

I’ve not done a huge amount since my last post, but I have bought a bunch of Sensative strips. They work really well. I’ve set CoRE to turn on the garden lights when the back door opens, and turn off when closed. Works a treat.

Other than that it’s just been a few mains adapters for bits here and there, like the under counter boiler for the boiling tap, which can be turned off when we go away for a while.

59

Since my post back in march my pace has slowed but it’s still growing

I now use TKB outlets to monitor appliances their cheaper if a bit less robust to power peaks
I have a Smappee to monitor my total energy usage
An Echo and a squadron of Echo Dots to provide whole house voice control
Text notifications are displayed on La Metric
A Smart post box to receive parcels with a motion sensor
I now run 2 Harmony hubs

I think the next project will be zoned heating on radiator valve for winter '17-18

I have bathroom lights and kitchen lights and switches to automate but I think i’m now restricted by needing an electrician for building regs same goes for the garage lights, which makes it difficult to justify cost wise

My earlier wish list is still the same as no solutions i’ve tried work yet

Sky TV
Chromecast
Android Wear
PC Monitoring
Doorbell
Integrated alarm clock
Land line telephone

But mainly now it’s my imagination and technical competence limiting me

60

I’ve got these devices:
ST hub v2
1x Echo, 2x Echo dot
Harmony hub
Nest thermostat
Hue bulbs and motion sensors in most of the main rooms and hallways (v2 hub)
ST motion sensor in the entrance hall
ST outlet - which my outdoor (long story) washing machine is plugged into. I get push notifications when a load starts and finishes by monitoring power usage.
TP-Link outlet - used via Alexa until recently for turning on/off Xmas tree lights
ST multi-sensors on front & side door (next step to add to back door and shed)
ST presence sensor (currently in a drawer but will put it in the car
My and my missus’ phone are set up as presence sensors
2x Sonos Play:1s in separate rooms
Foobot air quality meter
Yonomi app for some Alexa-Harmony routines that I set up before the Harmony skill was available in the UK and when I didn’t have ST
Jawbone UP - not yet doing any automation using this

Automations

  • Various rules set up to turn on lights based on motion, lux and mode. Most of this still direct via Hue hub & app rather than ST. The Hue Motion Sensor device handler is great but response times are noticeably slower. In rooms where I need more complicated rules I plan to switch these to ST and use CoRE, otherwise I’ll leave as is via the Hue app for now.
  • Changing of modes based on time of day and/or presence
  • Washing maching started / ended alerts
  • I get push notifications on a bunch of stuff (mostly to check things I’ve set up are working ok). The most useful are ones around mode switching and door knock/open/close.

I’m just starting to get into CoRE and am excited about its endless possibilities. My lack of imagination and understanding of how to achieve outcomes is holding me back but this forum is great for inspiration and help.

Lots of voice controlled stuff using Alexa and Harmony (turn on Apple TV/Fire Stick, pause, play, Play a particular playlist on Sonos). I do find the Alexa/Harmony and Alexa/Yonomi/Harmony integration a bit flakey at times - which is frustrating, especially when the remote is within leaning distance.

I control lights, brightness and scenes via Alexa too. My ideal is to control everything that’s not automatically triggered via voice.

Wish list

  • garden lighting / sensors
  • smart locks & door bell (need to convince the other half that we’re living in the 21st century before this happens)