Anyone into home automation/smart homes with integration to Alexa, Google Home, Siri, etc.?

**oj88** · March 25th, 2018 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by EQAddict

Hmmm. Do you sell your services to automate homes that have existing gear already? Or can u recommend roadmaps for upgrades?

I am very interested in smart homes. Was looking at Zigbee based gadgets but i have a lot of legacy equipment.

Not really. Not yet, anyway. This is just a personal hobby.

My first venture into this was in the late 90's. While in HK, I picked up an 8-relay board controllable via the parallel/LPT printer port of a PC. It never went past the experimental stage, tho. It's only when natural voice recognition and Alexa opening up their APIs for integration with smart devices that piqued my interest again into the home automation world.

**Archerfish** · March 25th, 2018 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by oj88

Like I mentioned earlier, my setup is more of a ragtag of different devices that hardly talks to each other. I'm more interested in spending as little as possible and almost every component I used are the generic/China kinds bought off of Lazada, Wish, and Shopee. You get what you pay for and they're a far cry from branded products such as you'll find in the US like Sensibo, Samsung SmartThings, Philips HUE, Wemo, Wink, Z-Wave and Zigbee devices, etc.

Right now, if you want everything to work out of the box, you have to cough up the cash. How much would depend on the kind and number of devices you want to control. Beyond lights and switches, do you also want integrate it with your window blinds, curtains, door locks, security system, cameras, etc.?

Anyway, just to give you an idea of the costs:

Device name - Approx. cost per device

Amazon Echo Dot - P3k
Broadlink RM Pro+ - P1,500
Broadlink RM Mini3 - P900
Broadlink TC2 RF light switch (3-gang) - P1,500
Broadlink SC1 smart WiFi switch - P350
Geekbes smart WiFI plug - P500
Xiaomi-Philips White Bulb - P700
Yeelight RGB+W Bulb - P1,200
Chinese RGB+W Bulb - P700

Back-end devices:
Raspberry Pi 2 complete - P2.8k
Android device - Free (old phone)

This is very encouraging! I mean, I thought I have to spend about a hundred thousand pesos to have this movie like high tech Bond thing...

Thank you for sharing!

**brushless** · March 25th, 2018 05:05 PM

*oj88

Nice set up dude!

I'm just starting to WIFI enable my lights and outlets. I've already WIFI enabled two outdoor lights and an intruder shoo away device (Bosch horns) as an added feature to my CCTV camera. But, I prefer it to be hands on (ipad/android control) rather than voice activated and also without any internet connection (too risky).

**oj88** · March 25th, 2018 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by brushless

*oj88

Nice set up dude!

I'm just starting to WIFI enable my lights and outlets. I've already WIFI enabled two outdoor lights and an intruder shoo away device (Bosch horns) as an added feature to my CCTV camera. But, I prefer it to be hands on (ipad/android control) rather than voice activated and also without any internet connection (too risky).

I can also operate everything using my Android phone. I only do that when I'm not at home or the Echo Dots are out of earshot. The voice command thing is purely for convenience. I could be walking out of the shower holding nothing but my towel and still be able to tell Alexa what I want it to do. It also takes away the need to lug around a smartphone or tablet while inside the house. Furthermore, voice control seems to be more family-friendly.

Exceptions are security cameras. I wouldn't dream of exposing them to a cloud service. My current IP cam setup requires a VPN connection in order for them to be be viewed from the internet.

**oj88** · March 25th, 2018 06:42 PM

A couple more video demonstrations.

This video shows how I control the A/C through Alexa. It's not as intuitive as saying "set the temperature to..." or "lower/increase the temperature by...". Again, you'll need the big guns like Sensibo or Ambi Climate to be able to do that. I'm actually ok as it is. Anyway, I've already pre-programmed our mostly-used settings (namely, cooling mode * 23-27°C and 'Turbo'). If I need additional presets, I just "teach" the Broadlink RM the new codes.

The next video shows the Broadlink RM Pro+ in action. All Broadlink RM universal IR remotes have seven (7) IR LEDs in a flower arrangement. It means that it can throw out IR codes in a full 180-degree field. Actual effective range depends on the sensitivity of the IR receiver at the equipment/appliance side.... or if there's something blocking the line-of-sight.

**falken** · March 25th, 2018 07:42 PM

^ nice setup.

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**brushless** · March 25th, 2018 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by oj88

I can also operate everything using my Android phone. I only do that when I'm not at home or the Echo Dots are out of earshot. The voice command thing is purely for convenience. I could be walking out of the shower holding nothing but my towel and still be able to tell Alexa what I want it to do. It also takes away the need to lug around a smartphone or tablet while inside the house. Furthermore, voice control seems to be more family-friendly.

Exceptions are security cameras. I wouldn't dream of exposing them to a cloud service. My current IP cam setup requires a VPN connection in order for them to be be viewed from the internet.

Thanks for the tip. I guess I'll look up Alexa and see what she can do.

**StockEngine** · April 1st, 2018 11:12 PM

bixby is flucking good

https://youtu.be/rsJlT53jU_4

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**StockEngine** · May 1st, 2018 12:05 AM

anybody using Samsung Smart Things? this new option appeared just today on my phone[emoji848]

FOCUS

**oj88** · May 1st, 2018 03:24 PM

Originally Posted by StockEngine

anybody using Samsung Smart Things? this new option appeared just today on my phone[emoji848]

I am no authority on it but I have considered using SmartThings. I've read the literature and have watched tons of videos about it. I tried adding our Samsung Smart TV (SmartThings compatible) to my S8+ SmartThings app but a funny thing happened.... the TV has to be turned on for SmartThings to work. When I turn off the TV, I can no longer turn it on using the app nor access any of its features. Weird. I don't know if I'm just missing something. When the TV is powered up, I can use my phone to control it like it's a remote, as well as mirror the video being shown on the TV to my phone. It's a pretty neat parlor trick but I personally don't see any practical use for it. One use-case probably would be, watching cable or satellite programs streamed from your TV to your phone while you're in the can.

I also find that maintaining an ST ecosystem presents a few critical challenges, especially when you intend to use it here in the PH:

1. Cost. The hub alone costs a little more than 8k on Lazada. If you buy it off of Amazon, it will probably cost you whereabouts of 5-6k, landed.
2. Availability. Though, ST supports both Z-Wave and Zigbee devices, neither is abundantly available locally. They are predominantly being sold in the US and if you buy them online, you will have to take extra care to be sure that it will work with our 220V operating voltage.
3. Samsung appliances. It probably makes sense to use ST if you have or are planning to invest in Samsung smart appliances. We have a hodge podge of different appliances... LG inverter ref, LG and Samsung (non-smart) inverter A/Cs, an LG smart TV, etc. The only ST-compatible appliance we have is the Samsung Smart TV I mentioned above... and even that isn't perfect. I also don't find myself buying "smart" appliances from Samsung as they are grossly overpriced. (I won the Samsung Smart TV from a Christmas raffle some two or three years ago.)

To be fair, it is a promising piece of tech. I just think that it is still lacking maturity and it costs a hell lot money to be part of the ST 'club'.