Home automation

[nsno-chris]

I’d stick with apple as the control platform as I like their kit anyway. I think there’s less natively supported stuff than with google or Alexa, but as was said earlier anything that’s made for Apple HomeKit just works.
I’d prefer Hue lights over the ikea ones but wanted automated wireless blinds so rather than get ikea blinds and hue lights I compromised on the lights to avoid having 2 bridges.
Equally anything by Nest works better with google home as it’s all owned by Alphabet.
Alexa have probably the broadest supported range of IoT devices but allegedly it isn’t as secure and their privacy agreements / authorisations allegedly looser than apples.
It ultimately comes down to your preferred control and how much you want to spend / how far you want to go with it.

That’s not 100% true mate; they’re last 2 updates to the new architecture have completely bricked a lot of HomePods and automations.

People needing to reset their entire home; the new architecture to support matter has completely backfired.

 

[RAFUH]

Its basically a house that runs on auto.

It learns your patterns and puts lights on, turns light off, puts heating on and basically controls the house for you.

Proper Skynet.

I looked into, but it seems like a lot of hard work just to not use light switches.

Thermostat on my heating/AC unit can be hooked up to Wi-Fi.
I can already set a schedule for it to change heat setting for home and away. Why do I need it to have Wi-Fi?

 

[Goat]

Thermostat on my heating/AC unit can be hooked up to Wi-Fi.
I can already set a schedule for it to change heat setting for home and away. Why do I need it to have Wi-Fi?

So Google can track you sillly.

 

[Dylan]

Any one got any experience.
I have done my classic "wait until the day the electricians turn up at your house before deciding which HA system you want"

I need to know which system is best for lighting, audio, tv, heating etc. My budget has been absolutely smashed by the house build costs though. Then I need decent HDMI - lots of and speaker wire

Any resident installers on GOT?

My wife is going to kill me

Can't speak for the other things, but lighting.

The best? Lutron Homeworks. But you have to pay for it. Lutron tends to be 4x the price of their competitors, but they hold massive market share (in the US in both consumer and commercial markets) and quality is far better than the rest.

My source is that I used to commission Lutron systems, and did an upgrade to Michael Keatons homeworks system

HomeWorks | Lutron

Discover Lutron HomeWorks for the most uncompromising home automation projects - offering the ultimate design freedom throughout the entire home.

www.lutron.com

 

[chrismpw]

I like to keep my amp warmed through as well.

What ya got?

 

[Bedfordblue]

That’s not 100% true mate; they’re last 2 updates to the new architecture have completely bricked a lot of HomePods and automations.

People needing to reset their entire home; the new architecture to support matter has completely backfired.

Can only speak about my actual experience and nothing of mine has ever been bricked after an update. Been using HomeKit for probably 7 years. But maybe I’m just lucky.

 

[Bedfordblue]

Thermostat on my heating/AC unit can be hooked up to Wi-Fi.
I can already set a schedule for it to change heat setting for home and away. Why do I need it to have Wi-Fi?

You don’t need to, but you (or others) might want to for geofencing so if you go out it will turn it off (if you want it to) so you aren’t heating an empty home.

 

[Bedfordblue]

Can't speak for the other things, but lighting.

The best? Lutron Homeworks. But you have to pay for it. Lutron tends to be 4x the price of their competitors, but they hold massive market share (in the US in both consumer and commercial markets) and quality is far better than the rest.

My source is that I used to commission Lutron systems, and did an upgrade to Michael Keatons homeworks system

HomeWorks | Lutron

Discover Lutron HomeWorks for the most uncompromising home automation projects - offering the ultimate design freedom throughout the entire home.

www.lutron.com

Lutron is pretty good gear, I’ve used it a lot at work, equally Somfy is decent but as you say it’s expensive and imho more suited to commercial use (or mansions) than the average home.

 

[nsno-chris]

Can only speak about my actual experience and nothing of mine has ever been bricked after an update. Been using HomeKit for probably 7 years. But maybe I’m just lucky.

How are using it? Do you have HomeKit hub like HomePod or Apple TV? Or are you just adding device specific bridges to it?

 

[bluejohn66]

I just turn my Gramaphone on and off at the wall.

 

[Dylan]

Lutron is pretty good gear, I’ve used it a lot at work, equally Somfy is decent but as you say it’s expensive and imho more suited to commercial use (or mansions) than the average home.

I only ever actually did 2 Homeworks systems, as we tended to leave it to our authorised contractors for the typical residental install. Though we would often get pulled in to do high profile important clients. Homeworks is old and a bit naff when compared to their commercial stuff. I tended to specialise in Quantum, GrafikEye (3000, 4000, QS etc), LCP 128 and all the dimming ballasts for fluro's as well as the fancy automated shades. Did a fair few very high profile installs (one of the biggest was the new Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation HQ in Seattle)

I left that industry in 2012, and LED lights were playing hell for us to consistently dim as there was no standards being met between the different vendors, which was a source of great frustration for businesses wanting to get that LEED platinum cert.

I hated working for them, travelled SOOOOOO much, but I will never question their quality at the time. They were so far ahead of everything else it wasn't even funny. Oh, and fun fact, the USGP has Lutron systems in it sort of because of me. When I first started, the GP there had just been announced and I talked to one of the specifiers who ended up getting in touch with his Austin based architect, who then bid on the job and won it. The specifier dropped me a line 9 months later thanking me for the tip!

 

[Rita_Poon]

What ya got?

Old Sony QS range, dual outs. I'm not as clever as you and able to knock a bespoke kit together. I'm grateful there's no piano in the way though.

 

[GrandOldTeam]

Its basically a house that runs on auto.

It learns your patterns and puts lights on, turns light off, puts heating on and basically controls the house for you.

Proper Skynet.

I looked into, but it seems like a lot of hard work just to not use light switches.

Ah, I have Hive for heating that does that.

It's a little box that is next to the router that bridges mobile app and thermostat.

To be fair, it's decent but the add ons seem a bit silly. £40 for a lightbulb - swerve.

Suspect a lot will find the lesser known apps will reach end of life/discontinued and then it'll be a costly business...

 

[Bedfordblue]

How are using it? Do you have HomeKit hub like HomePod or Apple TV? Or are you just adding device specific bridges to it?

Several Homepods and Apple TVs. Not sure if one acts as the main unit.

 

[Bedfordblue]

Well, seeing as I’m a salesman’s dream im going Applehome and Hue!
Would you go for a wall mounted iPad as main control?
Hope you don’t mind the questions

I don’t have a wall mounted control pad tbh, use either Siri, my phone/iPad or Apple Watch to control things ad hoc. Also all alerts etc come through on them.
The lights and blinds have self adhesive / magnetic remote controls you can place adjacent to regular switches. That’s about the only thing I need to use for what I have put side of phone / Siri.