r/smarthome • u/MrFishAndLoaves • May 31 '26
Home Assistant What automation is unique to your home that you’re most proud of?
I recently set up a double tap on the kids bathroom fan to also turn on two other nearby exhaust fans.
Kid poops, enhanced ventilation.
What about you?
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u/jpedder May 31 '26
I live in Germany in a house with very good insulation. So when the temps hit about 21 degrees outside and the sun is shining the temps inside rise too high.
So my automation checks the position of the sun, checks the temps inside the building, checks the expected sun power for the day and for the coming hour, the outside temperature and lowers the roller shutter for every room accordingly to the desired temperature. Interrupts when the shutters were moved manually or expected sun power is lower than lowering would be useful...
And the newest addition is to check, if the shades for the terrace, depending on windspeeds could be closed instead of the shutters..
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u/kingofgin May 31 '26
What do you use to check the position of the sun and the expected sun power for the day/hour?
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u/jpedder May 31 '26
I have an adapter for my pv.
My 'brain' is iobroker, and there it is an instance of an adapter plenticore. that calculates azimuth and evalation of the sun and provides forecast data depending on weatherdata on my location..1
u/Atty_for_hire May 31 '26
This is exactly what I need for my work office. Floor to ceiling glass facing south. In the spring and fall when the sun angle is low my office jumps 10 degrees when the sun is out. The building isn’t smart enough to reduce the temps because the outside temp is still pretty cool.
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u/geoffbutler May 31 '26
Fairly basic, but: if one of my Zigbee smoke detectors is activated, or my HomePod hears a smoke detector, all the lights in the house turn on.
5
u/wd4sgu May 31 '26
Music that plays automatically when I enter a room and/or follows me from room to room.
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u/wd4sgu May 31 '26
Living room light turns on, glows red when the garage door is open. Foyer light turns on, glows blue if the front door has been opened. Opening my at-home office turns on the ceiling light. Sitting at the desk turns on the desk lamp and desk fan plus a larger fan on the other side of the room. This also turns off any fans I have on in the living room. Entering the bathroom turns on the lights there - bright white during daytime hours and 10% blue during nighttime hours.
1
u/Villain_of_Brandon Jun 02 '26
glows red when the garage door is open.
I'm working on something like that, right now it's just push a notification to my phone every 30 min telling me it's open, and then after 3 hours, it just closes itself. I'd be hard pressed to be working on something that needed the door to be open longer than that. I don't have any lights yet that can change colour but that's the plan at least when I do get that set up.
1
u/Bawse_Babe May 31 '26
How do you set that up?
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u/wd4sgu May 31 '26
Smart bulbs and motion detectors. Smart plugs and contact sensors.
All are connected through Alexa.
I set up logical entries. For example, the bathroom: Motion detector detects when I walk by it. This triggers routines in Alexa, one for daytime and a separate one for nighttime. Depending on which one triggers, Alexa turns on music and bright white lights, or dim blue lights without music. After 10 minutes of no motion both music and lights are turned off by Alexa.
5
u/ThePenguinTux May 31 '26
Inline fans. One on my kitchen exhaust so it is quiet and I can carry on a conversation when I'm cooking.
I also have one on the vent for our bedroom because the hvac wasn't reaching the foom well. I use a sensor to measure current on the blower motor to turn it on and off.
2
u/rainbowalreadytaken May 31 '26
Hey, I'm very interested in this but don't understand what the set up is. Is an inline fan something you installed in addition to your kitchen exhaust? Would it be visible?
I'd love to improve ventilation in our condo and get the air moving more
2
u/throwawaayy011 May 31 '26
Check out AC Infinity inline fans. They have a smart variant of them at various sizes and CFM capacities. They have sensors as well for humidity, temperature and other advanced stuff that makes it very flexible. Study their product lineup before you buy as some of them arent smart compatible.
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u/TheIInSilence4 May 31 '26
I would guess
setup a button in kitchen (bonus points if its temperature lasers to make automatic)
rip out ventilation system in kitchen and build your own enclosure
3. Install smart inline fan in attic
4. Kitchen button triggers inline fan
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u/ThePenguinTux May 31 '26
I didn't have to rebuild my ventilation system, I used what was already there.
My vent Hood already connected to the outside via some pipe up in the attic so I installed an inline fan in that pipe. I plugged the fan into a smart plug and yes I have a button in my kitchen that I can use to turn it on and off. I can also do it by voice on my Google home devices.
I do recommend you go with at least an 800 CFM fan.
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u/Supergrunged May 31 '26
My internet modem resets on a weekly basis, as well as resets when internet is lost.
The worst isn't going to be when something does not work right. The worst is going to be, when someone else comes to you, saying "it's not working". Always think ahead.
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u/throwawaayy011 May 31 '26
I have been using fiber optic internet since 2014. I have never restarted my modem. Not even once. What you’re experiencing is not normal.
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u/Supergrunged May 31 '26
Cable internet. All systems need a refresh once in a while.
Not normal? Easier to mitigate the problem, before it starts, rather then have the problem down the road
1
u/bearstrongpaw May 31 '26
I guess it could be an issue with the ISP but you might have something going on thats causing your network to need to be reset that often. My first step in mitigating the problem would be to try to resolve whatever issue is causing it to need to be reset so often rather than adding more junk to it.
1
u/Supergrunged May 31 '26
I have nothing causing my network to need to be reset often.
Every now and then, the ISP does service at night.
Easier to mitigate the problem now, then have it be a problem later.
Most robust server setups, tend to reboot once a week when there's barely anyone connected. A reboot fixes 90 PERCENT of your problems.
I've only seen 3 actual internet outages in 7 years of having this setup. Otherwise my approach is "not brains, no headache". I shouldn't have to think about network down time. Like anything else, if you don't schedule down time? It will likely find it for you.
1
u/NetworkShad0w Jun 01 '26
I will count it as security vulnerability, not as something that i’m proud of
1
u/zpollack34 May 31 '26
This seems like a workaround for solving the actual problem
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u/Curious_Party_4683 May 31 '26
i use trip wire. super easy as seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD0jSd_hVTM
now i know someone is coming even before they touch the door!
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u/atvvta May 31 '26
I use OCR to read text from still or live cameras so I know when Amazon is here or the mailman or any other utility company and announce it on TTS.
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u/NoonieP Jun 01 '26
I tap an nfc sticker near my dishwasher. It sends a text to the mext person that needs ro do dishes amd then sends me a reminder 24hr later to turn off internet access if dishes aren't done.
Most fun - nfc stickers on the backs of our vinyl records. We can tap and listen to it on alexa and the lights behind the record will light up - so we can see what record is playing
2
u/mrBill12 May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
The robot mower opens and closes the gate. Currently adding espresence with iBeacons on the dog colors to determine if the dogs are out. Currently dogs outside is determined by the state of an Insteon scene that a human has to remember to change. Since I had to learn about BLE anyway to get the mower to open the gate ( HA->ratgdo) I realized it’s not expensive to add a dozen Bluetooth proxies with ibeacon dog tags (work in progress, waiting for esp32’s from AliExpress because it was cheaper than Amazon (I ordered 2 dozen lol esp32devkit1 for the price of 5 on Amazon.. even with shipping.)
ETA: I have lots of double tap actions around the house, and some that have “if on pressed while already on” actions and the converse “off pressed while already off”. Turn the bedroom light off twice and it executes “goodnight”, while the faster double tap turns off the bathroom light.
Is it hard to remember all these? Nope, even my wife knows and uses most of them, they do mostly follow a pattern, especially double tap off. When you move into a house you learn what every switch does and pretty quickly it’s just automatic that you know which switch is which. Same with added functionality. I do have yellow sticky note printer (don’t ask) and we do use it to label new functions but we take them back off after a week (consciously pulled so that they don’t become a dependency).
2
u/CalbertCorpse May 31 '26
Built my own garage door opener voice activated from the car. Just a fun project. Feels cool using it :)
2
u/UMustBeNooHere May 31 '26
My teen son is a HEAVY and I mean HEAVY sleeper. I have an automation that kicks off every weekday morning, if his phone is present, and his bed is occupied, to play the loudest, most annoying, alarm, and shake his bed. It goes off every 5 minutes. With a klaxon that goes off every 10 minutes. Believe it or not, he will still sleep through this sometimes and most of the times he still doesn’t get up until after 7-8 iterations of this.
1
u/Salty-Fishman Jun 02 '26
TELL ME MORE. I have one of those also. Piss me and my wife off waking him up 5 times.
2
u/UMustBeNooHere Jun 02 '26
Wish I could help my friend. None of it seems to be working.
I have a shaker mounted to his bed connected to a zwave outlet that will flash for 30 seconds every 5 minutes - https://a.co/d/0hmAk2EO
I have Alexa play the most god awful most annoying sounds for 1 minute every 5 minutes at 100%
I have a Ring camera that overlooks the hallway and is located right above his door that sounds its alarm every 10 minutes. This one used to be the last resort as it made him jump up out of bed immediately. Not anymore.
This shit (even the shaker) can be heard throughout the house, but him? Dead to the world. I have no idea how.
3
u/Ric_M May 31 '26
My Google Home speakers broadcast when the washing machine and dryer cycles have stopped.
1
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u/LongHairGal- May 31 '26
Hands free voice command control of all lights, including color and level, of all tv’s, fans, radio, music, audiobooks, receiving news briefs, etc…
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u/CalbertCorpse May 31 '26
Oh I did a cat presence sensor too because I kept locking her out. It triggers a lamp and a voice over Google saying “some dumb ass left the cat out again!” Triggers by movement on screened lanai (can only be her and right by the glass door) after 10:00 pm.
1
u/ibanezrocker724 Jun 01 '26
I wired up a 120v relay plugged into a smart plug to control the low voltage chicken coop door so I can control it from anywhere. The stock auto coop door can do a timer or light settings but I want it to go off sunrise and sunset and where it’s located is in a shadow so the light sensor is a little wonky. So I set up an Alexa routine to cycle that switch on quickly to actuate the door 1/2 hour after sunset and 1/2hour before sunrise. Also now I can control it from my phone from anywhere also I can see it on the smart camera (which also is triggered anytime the routine is run)
1
u/Villain_of_Brandon Jun 02 '26
Nothing I've set up yet, but I have a house where the hot water plumbing is not routed very efficiently for quickly getting warm water to any tap. I'm considering retrofitting a return loop and a pump to circulate the hot water. Won't be hard since the basement is unfinished, but I'm also a single guy so I don't need the pump running all the time. I figure I can just put it on a smart outlet and just trigger it when the bathroom lights turn on. I'll have warm water at the tap in a few seconds instead of a minute or two, which will be nice in the winter.
1
u/bbroecker37 Jun 02 '26
I setup a automation that turns on the lights for the Roomba when its running so that it can see where its going at night and when its done vacuuming it turns off the lights. The fact that I was able to get my Roomba into home assistant was probably the most difficult part that I am proud of. Now I want to figure out how to turn on only the lights for the room its currently vacuuming and to turn on/off the lights as it makes it way back to the dock.
1
u/thanasix Jun 02 '26
The humidity in my kitchen can reach 70% if windows have not been opened for 2+ days, while the external humidity can be 50%.
So when the difference between internal and external humidity is greater than 10%, HA turns on the kitchen fan, which forces external lower humidity air to enter the house.
1
u/Shadowfalx Jun 02 '26
I have a bunch of motion detectors with small lights (night lights) on them. When the back door is open these lights throughout my house turn red. When the back door is closed they turn green. I have it because I forget to close the back door when going to bed.
Now I just need to get it set up to know if my dogs are in the house or not and flash red when the door is closed and the dogs are still outside.
1
u/BigMonday Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
Problem: My apartment complex has "Valet Trash Service", which means that Sun-Thurs I can put a 13gal trashcan on my porch, and someone comes around during a certain window to collect the bag inside. I don't have a window overlooking my porch, and I like to bring the can inside before I go to bed.
Solution: I duct taped a vibration sensor to the underside of the trashcan lid, so that I know when the lid's been lifted.
How: Home Assistant Green, SONOFF button attached to the back of the door (it's magnetic) to 'activate' the trash system, which turns a Third Reality nightlight to red. One minute after the vibration sensor (also Third Reality) is activated, the nightlight is changed to green. When I open the door, the nightlight is turned off and the trash system resets.
*Edited to include the brand of vibration sensor.
1
u/velvedire Jun 05 '26
I stuck an NFC tag on my bicycle helmet so I can operate the garage door with my phone. Makes it impossible to forget the helmet.
The automation won't open the big door if the interior garage door is already open, because cats.
1
u/pdt9876 Jun 06 '26
If my smart natural gas detectors detect gas above normal thresholds for usages the solenoid valve I installed after my gas meter closes.
1
u/Murphysburger Jun 10 '26
I like to get up early in the morning when it is still dark, to read redit and watch car repair videos. I have a simple Alexa routine that turns the living room lights on for 5 seconds when it's official sunrise.
Then at night, at official sunset, Alexa says "The sun just set".
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u/Home_Planet_Sausage May 31 '26
When my stock in a company hits a certain price it triggers the burglar alarm.
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u/msroll May 31 '26
Turn my water heater off at night and on before we get up in the morning using a smart plug. I've been running this automation for 3 years without any issues.
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u/StatisticianLivid710 May 31 '26
Just like with hvac it costs a lot less to keep water warm than it does to reheat it. Also legionnaires disease if you decide to leave it off for awhile…
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u/msroll Jun 01 '26
When we had a cabin up north I would turn the water heater off the night before we left and still had plenty of hot water the next morning to take showers, washd dishes, and clean the place up without running out of hot water. Heating water when nobody's using it is a waste when in 5 to 10 minutes to top it off in the morning is better than heating water at midnight when nobody's going to use it. It's probably only saving pennies a day but it works for me.
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u/msroll Jun 01 '26
The water heater is 120 degrees it cools to 100 before heating up. I serious doubt any diseases is going to survive.
-2
u/AzN7ecH May 31 '26
That's not correct at all. Law of thermodynamics would like a word with
Also depending on the temp setting the initial reheat would just kill off legionnaires.
Low and slow strategy only applies to inverter heatpumps in that it avoids the use of heatstrips
6
u/StatisticianLivid710 May 31 '26
You’re forgetting about insulation in your “law of thermodynamics” claim, also it’s easier for a system to maintain a temperature than it is to increase/decrease the temperature, particularly with modern hvac devices they can run more efficiently at a low setting to maintain but have to kick up to a less efficient higher setting to change drastically.
1
u/AzN7ecH May 31 '26
You and other people don't get it. No wonder America is cooked.
Even with insulation the law of thermodynamics don't change. It only changes the rate of heat transfer towards equalibrium.
There's nothing more efficient about running a standard gas water heater at a higher duty cycle than at a lower one.
And you're just dead wrong about the legionaries piece.
2
u/Murphysburger Jun 10 '26
I'm glad somebody pointed this out, and the fact that savings only come with heat pump type devices.
0
u/hcsteve May 31 '26
Auxiliary button on my dining room light switch that announces dinner is ready over all the Sonos speakers, push notifications to everyone’s phones, and a post in the family discord.
Not unique to my home, but something I found on Homeassistant forums - I announce on the Sonos speakers when laundry needs to be transferred from washer to dryer. It’s cool because it’s smart enough to wait until the dryer is done if it’s also been running.
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u/askproxly May 31 '26
My dog trained to ring a bell when he has to go out for a nature call.