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Smart Home

TigerTedd

By TigerTedd
in The Jim Smith Room

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TigerTedd

TigerTedd

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There was a thread that was talking about Phillips Hue and the like at one point, but if I remember correctly, it was part of a larger tech conversation (probably some apple vs Samsung argument, which I’m sure this thread will also devolve into). 

anyway, I’ve been getting well into my smart home set up recently, and thought I’d share my set up and experience for anyone who’s interested, and you can share you’re own set ups here. 

I accidentally bought a wireless smart light from ikea. I just wanted a little light to illuminate a display cabinet, but had to get a driver for the light. It was a wireless driver (ie it could be turned on by a wireless remote if I wanted, but also had a switch), which I thought was a bit much, but was told there weren’t any wireless options, and suddenly it was all getting a bit expensive for one stupid light, but in for a penny in for a pound, so I got 2 for 2 display cabinets. 

Then I did a bit of research, and it turns out the Ikea tradfri range is actually really quite good, and if accidentally stumbled into its eco system.

smart plugs are only a tenner. Compared with most other smart plugs which are about £30. The only real difference is that you don’t get an app that tells you stats of how long the plugs has been switched on for in a day. But who needs that?

I've got a bunch of them now with lamps plugged in.

I've got of these drivers, each with 3 little doe lights attached, in various display cabinets around the house.

And I've just got 6 GU10 bulbs. You can get a pack of 3 Phillips hue light bulbs with a controller for £130. Ikea tradfri, pack of 3 with a controller is £35!! (Which is a great offer as it’s £12 for individual bulbs). Only difference is the tradfri don’t do colours, but they do do difference types of white (warm, cool, dimmable etc).

the real kicker for me is that they are compatible with google home, Alexa and (drumroll) Apple HomeKit. Yay!!!!

so although the Ikea app is pretty basic, it’s now all hooked up to my home app, and all sorts of fancy automations happen during the day.

its super cool to be able to say to my watch, ‘hey Siri, good night’ as I go to bed, and all the lights suddenly turn off. And I’m a big fan of the movie night scene for the living room.

So really I’m just singing the praises of the Ikea Tradfri range it’s you’ve thought about setting up a smart home system but not considered that eco system before. 

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Boycie

Boycie

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Eco system my arse.

Mind you I told my kids I’d fitted new light switches to their bedrooms the other day, the ones that turn off as well as on.

Regards the smart bulbs they’re fine until someone turns the old light switch off on the wall and you generally lose your temper with Alexa as she won’t switch the light on.  Then you lose your temper at the person who turned the switch off.

Things can be too smart sometimes.

 

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TigerTedd

TigerTedd

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1 hour ago, therealhantsram said:

I had been hoping to get some smart lights for our living room. Wanted to avoid Phillips for their crazy prices. 

Bulbs in living room are R50 size though, and I don't see anyone doing smart bulbs in that size. ?

If you can’t get specific smart lightbulbs, you can get a smart light switch. 

I looked at smart light switches compatible with home kit, but the problem was each new range of stuff needs a new hub, which needs plugging into your router (and I’ve ran out of plugs in my router), and the light switch I wanted, plus a hub, would cost more than just buying 6 of the Ikea lightbulbs (for which I’ve already got a hub). 

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Ghost of Clough

Ghost of Clough

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Smart switches are better than smart bulbs, but... not many solutions for 2 wire systems. There are a couple, but not as good as the 3 wire alternatives.

I started off with a smart thermostat (Hive) as my dumb boiler wasn’t good at telling the time. I got a free Hive dimmable bulb in the deal, liked how it worked and bought a few more (something like £40 for 3). Then I learned I also have a dumb girlfriend. Searched all over for a 2 wire smart switch and bought a 1 gang and a 2 gang. Chose to install the 1 gang first... but soon realised I had to smash away at the wall to fit a deeper back box. The 2 gang was much easier to install as a deeper back box was already fitted, but the lights aren’t dimmable ? So I’ll be sticking to dumb switches and smart bulbs from now on.

Smart radiator valves, door locks and cameras (indoor and outdoor) will be joining my household soon ?

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ilkleyram

ilkleyram

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3 hours ago, David said:

Jumped on the Philips Hue early on so fully invested into that system now.

We have smart people in our house as well that don’t tinker with the light switches.

Don't they test durability in the design stage without making customers jump on the things?

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uttoxram75

uttoxram75

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2 hours ago, RamNut said:

Um.....I’ve absolutely no idea what anyone is talking about.

 

2 hours ago, Van Gritters said:

Me too.

Give over. I bet the pair of you sit there night after night stressing about not being able to turn your light bulbs green on command.

Admit it. Stop pretending you don't want light blue living room light while watching Corrie.

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uttoxram75

uttoxram75

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2 minutes ago, Van Gritters said:

I’ve still not worked out how to use the central heating but I’m sure my lights are only one colour if you call it a colour.

If you were a bit more "smarter", you could check your phone at work and see if the missus has got the central heating on. You could then switch it off remotely, ring her up and tell her to do some bloody housework to keep warm.

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TigerTedd

TigerTedd

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3 hours ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Smart switches are better than smart bulbs, but... not many solutions for 2 wire systems. There are a couple, but not as good as the 3 wire alternatives.

I started off with a smart thermostat (Hive) as my dumb boiler wasn’t good at telling the time. I got a free Hive dimmable bulb in the deal, liked how it worked and bought a few more (something like £40 for 3). Then I learned I also have a dumb girlfriend. Searched all over for a 2 wire smart switch and bought a 1 gang and a 2 gang. Chose to install the 1 gang first... but soon realised I had to smash away at the wall to fit a deeper back box. The 2 gang was much easier to install as a deeper back box was already fitted, but the lights aren’t dimmable ? So I’ll be sticking to dumb switches and smart bulbs from now on.

Smart radiator valves, door locks and cameras (indoor and outdoor) will be joining my household soon ?

Apart from all the smart lights I’ve also got:

myself a ring door bell and security camera for the back garden (they keep promising apple hole kit compatibility but it never materialises).

a Yale Conexis lock. I can’t unlock it remotely (I can buy an extra module for it that would allow that, but again, I’ve got to wait for a hike kit amenable version), but I can open the door with my phone. 

a smart cat flap. Only lets my cat in and out, tells me whether she’s in or out, how long she’s spent outside etc. And when I get a dog, I can set different curfews for them. 

With the heating, my plan is, when the boiler dies (and it’s on it’s last legs), I’m going to get rid of the gas altogether. I’m going for solar hot water, electric showers, and Indra red label heaters in every room, which will probably run through a honeywell system, making them HomeKit enabled too. I’ve got solar panels and a battery already, so it makes sense to run as much as I can off them. 

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Boycie

Boycie

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18 hours ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Smart switches are better than smart bulbs, but... not many solutions for 2 wire systems. There are a couple, but not as good as the 3 wire alternatives.

I started off with a smart thermostat (Hive) as my dumb boiler wasn’t good at telling the time. I got a free Hive dimmable bulb in the deal, liked how it worked and bought a few more (something like £40 for 3). Then I learned I also have a dumb girlfriend. Searched all over for a 2 wire smart switch and bought a 1 gang and a 2 gang. Chose to install the 1 gang first... but soon realised I had to smash away at the wall to fit a deeper back box. The 2 gang was much easier to install as a deeper back box was already fitted, but the lights aren’t dimmable ? So I’ll be sticking to dumb switches and smart bulbs from now on.

Smart radiator valves, door locks and cameras (indoor and outdoor) will be joining my household soon ?

Don’t get the Yale smart lock, I had one, absolutely unreliable, took it back.

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