Navigation

    Discussion Forum to share and further the development of home control and automation, independent of platforms.

    SmartHome Community

    • Register
    • Login
    • Search
    • Categories
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    (Last Updated: June 23, 2020)
    For those who registered but didn't received the confirmation email, please send an email to support@smarthome.community with the email you used
    • TRVs and heating

      C

      Hi folks

      Hope you're all keeping well.

      Working as we are in lockdown has shown some issues in the heating of our house. Basically we have a Horstmann SRT321 in the Hallway with its partner connected to the boiler. That bit all works wonderfully.
      Problem is when I'm up in the office, it gets a bit chill unless I turn the the Secure in the hallway up. But then the rest of the house get OTT.
      So I thought perhaps I could fit TRVs to all the rads (probably a good idea anyway) but unless I'm wrong, unless the SRT321 has a call for heat, there's going to be no hot water for the rads when the TRV opens.
      So I'm still cold.
      Can I associate each of the TRVs to the boiler control (in the same way the SRT321 is) and get a call for heat directly, or am I going to have to do this programatically.
      Or am I completely wrong in how to approach this?

      TIA

      C

      Hardware
    • Tinkering with Tasmota sensors

      A

      Quite a number of years ago I set up a few Arduino sensors that reported temperature to my VeraLite running UI5. I did this with MySensors, a quite nice community based platform.
      I discontinued this mostly because that the combination of a rather flaky Vera and that the Vera when rebooting lost the USB connected gateway.

      Some time ago I started to look at this again, but this time using ESP8266’s and Tasmota. I think the credit for this partially is the plugin for Shelly and Tasmota that @therealdb has written, even though I have still to use the plugin. The other reason for reentering into this area is that my electrical supplier is replacing the electrical meters for a new smart meter. Today I use a blink meter from Effergy, but the new meter will have a port for reading out data. This also led me to Tasmota, there seems to be a functioning solution for this.

      I must say that Tasmota is brilliant! Support for all kind of devices and sensors and super easy to use, also for multi-sensors, OTA update, good documentation etc. You can get parts on ebay etc quite cheap. It has also so far been very stable. You can also very easily adjust the sensors readout, e.g. TempOffset -1.5 gives an offset of -1.5 degrees.

      I have put together sensors for temperature and humidity for use in the garage, the outhouse, on the attic etc. I have tested DHT22, DS1820B, BME280 and BH1750 so far and they all work without issues. The latter two I installed in an outdoor enclosure to use as a simple weather station reporting temperature, humidity, air pressure and light level.

      I also got a MH-Z19B CO2 meter for testing to monitor the indoor CO2 levels. The initial feeling is that it does what it should.

      In general I have pretty good wifi coverage with a few Unifi access points. One of the sensors is in a building some 25 meters from the house where the wifi is not that strong, but the NodeMCU has no problem with this. Quite impressive and a good addition to Z-wave for that kind of location.

      Not owning a 3D printer I have had to resort to purchased enclosures and the old Dremel. 😊
      For the CO2 sensor I put it in an old smoke detector enclosure for now.
      I am sure that there are a lot of talent here that can do much better with a 3D printer!
      CO2meter1.jpg

      HumTemp2.jpg

      HumTemp1_.jpg

      You can get the data from the Tasmota devices into OpenLuup in a number of ways. The obvious way is via MQTT. I have still to set this up at some point in time. The second way is to use the excellent SiteSensor plugin. I tested this but had some problems with reporting stopping after a few days for some reason. I probably got something wrong in the setup. The third option, that I currently use is via adding rules to each sensor. You can quite easily add rules for reporting data to a virtual sensor in OpenLuup, e.g:

      Rule1 ON tele-AM2301#Temperature DO Var1 %value% ENDON ON tele-AM2301#Temperature DO WebSend [IP_adress:3480]/data_request?id=lu_action&DeviceNum=65&id=variableset&serviceId=urn:upnp-org:serviceId:TemperatureSensor1&Variable=CurrentTemperature&Value=%Var1% ENDON

      With TelePeriod you can change the polling interval as required.

      This method I think could be super useful for reporting back e.g. switch status from a Tasmota node much like I understand Shelly can do.

      Some resources and notes I made on the way:

      Using Tazmotizer to flash the ESP’s is very easy

      List of supported sensors including how to connect, commands etc

      A good pinout reference for ESP8266 variants

      Tasmota rules documentation

      Most sensors are either “Generic (0)” or “Generic (18)”, check for each sensor type what to use

      For I2C sensors e.g. BME280 one must use tasmota-sensors.bin

      For the MH-Z19B I had to flash the ESP before attaching the sensor, this could be a good practice always

      Use the following url for the query in SiteSensor:
      http://IP_address/cm?cmnd=Status%2010

      This became a rather long post but hopefully it can be of some use.
      //ArcherS

      Hardware
    • Shelly i3 as a cheap scene controller for Openluup

      therealdb

      Shelly i3 is an unbelievably cheap (9,99 EUR/USD) WiFi device that’s part of the fantastic Shelly family. It supports REST API, MQTT and much more.

      mundzhos Shelly i3 | Shelly Cloud Shelly i3 | Shelly Cloud 10

      It’s just L,N and 3 inputs. No relays, so it’s a scene controller with bonus point to the fact that you can use your own buttons and keep the aesthetics of your house. Bonus points for WAF. It’s very small, so it will fit in your standard wall box easily.

      While I built my own Scene Controller Virtual Device and I’m using MQTT for other devices of the family, Shelly can call your HTTP endpoints on button presses and in this case is more than enough.

      The buttons support different actions (press, long press, double/triple press) and you can just call a service endpoint, or update a variable:
      f3e509c0-f2a7-4f40-a099-af765e87c9fe-image.png

      Go get it if you need a very cheap, very reliable scene controller for your home.

      Hardware
    • Second-hand Vera Edge/Plus in Europe

      therealdb

      I'm searching a second-hand Vera Edge/Plus in Europe because I want a fallback solution and a spare unit to better develop plug-ins, but I'm struggling to find it. Any suggestion?

      Hardware
    • Inovelli

      DesT

      I finally ordered 5 inovelli dimmers last week! Installed the first one already and it's not "easy" for the S2 authentication but after a couple of times it works!

      I'm now trying to upgrade the firmware as Inovelli are providing .otz and .bin file

      Hardware
    • GE/Jasco Z-wave wall switch

      DesT

      Hey guys...

      Is it just me or the GE/Jasco switch or very sensible to power outage ?

      Almost each time we have a power outage, I need to replace at least 1 switch to replace.

      Each time, same behaviour, the blue led is flashing rapidely and nothing works.

      Last power outage, I got 3 switches. 95% of our switch and dimmer are GE/Jasco.

      Hardware
    • Twinkly Christmas tree lights with openLuup/Vera

      therealdb

      So, I bought a new Christmas Tree led set from Twinkly (https://www.twinkly.com/).

      The security of this thing is questionable, so first thing first I placed it in the blocked IoT Vlan.

      The lights will just work (the 3d mapping of your tree is very cool, so effects are really mapped to the way you've set the lights), but, you know, I wanted to control them locally 😄 and I built a plug-in for it. Not sure I'll release it unless someone else is interested.

      Twinkly pre lit Christmas Tree 600 count light purchased at Home Depot

      They're not cheap and I know I could have accomplished the same with WS2812 leds, but it's worth mentioning if you want a quick and easy way to have effects on your Christmas tree.

      Next year I'll definitely start my permanent led installation outside.

      Hardware
    • Massive discounts on Shelly for black friday

      therealdb

      Since I know there are fans of Shelly's products (hi @akbooer), I'll post it here too:

      Shelly Shop Europe Shelly Shop Europe

      Up to 45% discount, and 2/4 packs discounted as well.

      Hardware
    • Fibaro RGBW Controller 2

      DesT

      Anyone used this device to control LED strip ?

      Hardware
    • Z-wave smoke detector wired

      DesT

      Hey guys...

      I need to replace my NEST smoke detector, first reason, they expire in the next month (10 years) and would like to move to something z-wave connected.

      They are not the primary smoke detector as I have 1 per floor that is connected/provided by the alarm company.

      Any suggestion...

      Hardware
    • SwitchBot in Openluup (was: Smaller and local alternative to MicroBots)

      therealdb

      I have a need to just push a button, since I can't hack the thing at the moment. I know there's MicroBot, but they're bluetooth, requires and hub and are not local.

      I'm OK with BT or an additional hub, but I really really want local control.

      Anyone? Thanks!

      Hardware
    • Shelly 1 as doorbell sensor/opener

      therealdb

      So, I'm at the 4th Z-wave devices and I still have trouble in getting my Vera operate my door gate, and getting the input from the doorbell. It's already all 220v, because I have an external modulo meant for integration.

      So, last night I had an idea: why not use a Shelly 1 as both sensor and opener?
      If you need instructions on wiring, here's an image:

      Shelly 1 can operate the output independently from the input. So, I prototyped this:

      I attached to the doorbell sensor O attached to the gate opener

      It seems to work on my bench, because I can call the endpoints when the button is pressed or the input is triggered, so I can update virtual devices and execute all the logic I want. I usually integrate these devices with MQTT, but it's not necessary in this case, since I can live with a doorbell buzz being missed.
      Bonus point: you can run it at 12v if you want.

      83c3d861-0169-454d-bd2b-1105042bdfa8-image.png

      Next in my TODO list, the Shelly Universal, a 9 EUR universal binary inputs, with separated inputs and outputs (so, you can get 2 inputs and operate 2 outputs independently), that I'll probably use in my weather sensors project, where I'm using two Shelly 1 at the moment, just the get the inputs.

      Hardware
    • HSM02 door sensor untrip fails

      C

      I'm going to throw this in here, but I don't actually expect a solution, but it might help someone else.

      I have three of these magnetic sensors and the work. Kind of.

      The issue is that if you open and close the door within about 2 seconds, they trip correctly and then will not untrip unless the door is opened and closed (for more than about 2 seconds) .

      This makes them virtually useless for any security application unless you are very slow through the doors.

      Even forcing setting 'Tripped' to zero using lua fails. Well it doesn't fail but it's simply reversed:

      2020-07-03 15:01:24.783 luup_log:0: ALTUI: runLua(luup.variable_set("urn:micasaverde-com:serviceId:SecuritySensor1", "Tripped", "0", 20780) 2020-07-03 15:01:24.783 luup.variable_set:: 20780.urn:micasaverde-com:serviceId:SecuritySensor1.Tripped was: 1 now: 0 #hooks:0 2020-07-03 15:01:25.044 luup.variable_set:: 20780.urn:micasaverde-com:serviceId:SecuritySensor1.Tripped was: 0 now: 1 #hooks:0

      So there it is. Unless anyone has any smart ideas (apart from not opening and closing the doors quickly, I'd avoid buying these.

      (PS the only apparent setting that might affect this is the the delay before sending 'untripped' but even setting that to 10 seconds makes no difference. In short, it seems that thee devices have a hardware limitation in how soon they can be tripped.

      C

      Hardware
    • Wall mount tablet plug-in

      therealdb

      I've just completed my setup (after exactly 3 years from moving in, priorities!) and even if I wrote all the code in C#, I could port it easily to LUA (I guess 😄 )

      I've used Fully Kiosk Browser + 3D Printed Mount (check https://makesbymike.com/) and a custom HTML dashboard, all running on an Amazon Fire Tablet:

      WhatsApp Image 2020-06-29 at 11.05.29.jpeg

      60002839-8b8d-4801-bd21-120264b559f8-image.png

      WAF is very high 😉

      Sorry for the Italian interface. First row is temperature/humidity sensors (esterno = outside, piscina = pool, salotto = open space, zona giorno = 1st floor, zona notte = 2nd floor, lavanderia = laundry room).
      Then I have a bunch of commands/scenes sent to Vera to change blinds/roller shutters (they are automatically managed, but wife pretends to be smarter than code, from time to time 🙂 ). Last row has notifications for washer/dryer, with the cycle end date. When doing its cycle, the background becomes orange, then green when completed. It's probably the best feature, since the laundry room is in the basement. There's also a link to cams (videosorveglianza) and I automatically open TinyCamPro in case of movement outside/doors/gates are opened.

      Is there any interest in a generic wall mount tablet plug-in, offering simple dashboard (maybe json-driven) and integration with Fully Kiosk API?

      I'm currently dimming screen on/off, get the battery status and schedule a 20-80 cycle for the battery, via a smart plug and a bunch of lua code. I planned for this when I did the electrical setup, so the tablet has a standard european 503 (recessed) box with ethernet, that I attached to the 5V into the network closet to feed the tablet. I'm updating the screen via AJAX every 30 secs.

      Here's a behind the scenes photo as well 🙂

      WhatsApp Image 2020-06-29 at 11.17.41.jpeg

      Hardware
    • ZWave - MIMO2

      DesT

      Starting a thread about "How do you use your MIMO2" ...

      Maybe that will give other users some ideas...

      Hardware
    • Water level sensor

      therealdb

      I'm in the middle of adding a water tank, because the latest summers were very hot and we had our water restricted, sometimes for weeks and for extended hours during the day (from 7 am to 5 pm).

      It should be automatic, thanks to pressure sensors, so it will integrate water when needed (and the main line is open), switch the pump, etc. But I want to add a water level sensor nonetheless, to monitor it if necessary. I will probably just double this project and automate the pool refill as well, since I'm doing it manually at the moment.

      I took a look and a lot of people are using Zunos, but I'm not sure I want to spend so much on a so simple system.
      Pre-built solutions are OK. Thanks!

      Hardware
    • Virtual pool plug-in (brainstorming...)

      therealdb

      I'm in the process of trying to get some info from my pool controller using Modbus. If I'll ever succeed, I want to write a generic plug-in for Vera/openluup, to be added to my collection of virtual device plug-in. I'll write a custom app in a Raspberry offering access to the controller via HTTP.

      Long story short, I think I'm almost covered. Typical device:

      heater pumps (on/off) jets (on/off) lights (dimmers, on/off) filtration (on/off) temperature sensor generic sensor (for ph/redox probes)

      I think I'm almost covered by standard devices, but I'm wondering if there's something I'm missing.
      I'll probably use a multistring to display status, since it's already supported in mobile apps, but I'm wondering if there's some kind of more granular way to show something and avoid custom devices and similar.

      Hardware
    • Home water pressure sensor

      DesT

      Anyone having a water pressure sensor either zigbee or Z-wave?

      I need to record and graph the water pressure coming in the house from the city...

      Hardware
    • Fibaro 3 in 1

      prophead

      I had this setup and working perfectly in my vera for years. I recently accidentally deleted the device. I tried to re-add it as generic zwave. No problem, all devices come up fine and work. But the vera keeps trying to get secure classes. This is an old device I don’t think it’s zwave plus and it worked on my vera vefore. Vera can’t configure the parameters on the device and vera thinks its a failed device. But it works. Any experts know this one?
      |-<:)

      Hardware
    • Outdoor PIR

      prophead

      does anyone know of an outdoor PIR without zwave plus?
      TIA
      |-<:)

      Hardware

    Water level sensor

    Hardware
    9
    26
    203
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • therealdb
      therealdb last edited by

      I'm in the middle of adding a water tank, because the latest summers were very hot and we had our water restricted, sometimes for weeks and for extended hours during the day (from 7 am to 5 pm).

      It should be automatic, thanks to pressure sensors, so it will integrate water when needed (and the main line is open), switch the pump, etc. But I want to add a water level sensor nonetheless, to monitor it if necessary. I will probably just double this project and automate the pool refill as well, since I'm doing it manually at the moment.

      I took a look and a lot of people are using Zunos, but I'm not sure I want to spend so much on a so simple system.
      Pre-built solutions are OK. Thanks!

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • rafale77
        rafale77 last edited by rafale77

        Does it need to be analog or digital would suffice?
        I remember years ago using an analog ultrasonic sensor for sensing liquid level from the top without having to immerse it. It would then be about sending that signal to zwave or any other wireless protocol. It was relatively cheap to do.

        If a digital level would suffice then 2 immersed water sensors would do? One for full and one for empty? Then I have a couple of such zwave water sensors. Since it is water and non corrosive it would probably be ok?

        Ecolink has one:

        Amazon.com : Ecolink Zwave Plus Flood & Freeze Sensor, White (FLF-ZWAVE5-ECO) : Camera & Photo
        Aeotec too:

        Aeotec Water Sensor, Z-Wave Flood & Leak Sensor - - Amazon.com
        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • therealdb
          therealdb last edited by

          yep. my first idea was to place 2/3 sensors, but I'll probably explore the ultrasonic way. I'm open to wifi (there's good coverage) and I still have a spare Fibaro smart implant (even if I had to remove one from my weather station, because it was unreliable and I had to frequently restart it - probably for heat).

          I'll explore the ESP*+ultrasonic sensor route, even if I'm not very proficient with electronics. Thanks for the suggestion!

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • A
            ArcherS last edited by

            One option would be to use MySensors. This is a cheap way of adding various Arduino sensors to OpenLuup. You set up an Ethernet gateway and then each sensor is connected to the gateway wirelessly. There is a MySensors plugin that works in OpenLuup.

            This looks like an interesting project, that you perhaps can get inspiration from: Round water tank level sensor

            Good luck!

            therealdb 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • akbooer
              akbooer last edited by

              A pressure sensor in the bottom would be a good solution.

              What is used in car fuel tanks?

              rafale77 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • rafale77
                rafale77 @akbooer last edited by rafale77

                @akbooer said in Water level sensor:

                What is used in car fuel tanks?

                Usually it's a float with a rod, actuating a potentiometer. (variable resistor)
                Not sure about the pressure sensor as it depends on the shape of the tank (how deep the tank is) and it will be exposed to atmospheric pressure variations. The advantage of the ultrasonic one is that it is non contact and won't grow stuff in the water.

                C 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                • C
                  CatmanV2 @rafale77 last edited by

                  @rafale77 said in Water level sensor:

                  @akbooer said in Water level sensor:

                  What is used in car fuel tanks?

                  Usually it's a float with a rod, actuating a potentiometer. (variable resistor)

                  This

                  C

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • prophead
                    prophead last edited by

                    Two (high and low)of these(bare wire):

                    99.99 USD

                    Auto Top Off

                    Auto Top Off

                    Finally, a top-off control sensor that is mounted to your sump with a magnet rather than a clunky bracket!  Driven by a pressure-sensitive switch located in the relay box, a strong magnetic field won't affect its operation.  The sensor tube can't get clogged with calcium deposits or activated by...

                    And two of these:
                    Ecolink Intelligent Technology Z-Wave Easy Install, Battery Operated, Door/Window Sensor, White & Brown (DWZWAVE2-ECO) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HPIYJWU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_3Je6Eb7ECMY2V

                    And bob’s your uncle
                    |-<:)

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • Elcid
                      Elcid last edited by

                      I like to keep thing simple so i would go with a float switch.
                      One other thing in the UK we do not store drinking water, the only water storage in the uk is for filling baths and toilets. Do you intend to attach this tank to your drinking water pipes/tapes?

                      therealdb 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • therealdb
                        therealdb @ArcherS last edited by

                        @ArcherS thanks for the input. I have various WiFi devices around the house, so I’ll probably add another one. I’ll go with MQTT, since I have a bridge to Vera I use to bridge other devices (tasmota, Sonoff, my own).

                        Thanks anyone for the suggestion. Now to find some pre built device template to borrow.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • therealdb
                          therealdb @Elcid last edited by

                          @Elcid yep, it’s allowed to drink, via chemicals to be added every now and then. I successfully intercepted the alert the public water company is dispatching, so maybe I can empty/fill on demand.

                          I was exploring a UV based solution too, but I want to start easy. I will probably add this and automate everything in the future.

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • Elcid
                            Elcid last edited by Elcid

                            Ok just thought i would bring up the health risks, advice i read is its best to limit the tank size for drinking so the water does not sit for long and is replaced regularly. You sound like you know what you are doing. good luck

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • therealdb
                              therealdb last edited by

                              that's correct. the water needs to be refreshed often and never stay in the tank (if you're not correcting it with chemicals - that's a small capsule intended for drinking water consumption).
                              since it's hot here during the summer and the water pipes are public, there's a lot of leaks and the water is never enough (to be honest, I'm living in a zone with lots of water, but we're exporting to neighbor regions as well). so, this kind of implant is very common, from houses to restaurants, etc.
                              these thanks are UV resistant, can handle -40/+60° C and is algae/mold proof. they're specifically intended for drinking water.
                              my house implants were already done when I bought it, so I had to use the current configuration, but it's becoming common to separate toilets pipe/garden pipes and use rain or a pump to get non-drink water. I guess you can make it more complex if you want, as with everything 🙂

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • Elcid
                                Elcid last edited by

                                Best to shade tank from sun and keep it as cool as possible to, even if the tank is uv proof, the cooler the water the better.

                                therealdb 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • therealdb
                                  therealdb @Elcid last edited by

                                  @Elcid it’s inside the house. I think it’s mandatory for drink water.

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • prophead
                                    prophead last edited by

                                    Float valves fail. Regularly. Pressure switch has no moving parts and has been significantly more reliable for me.

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                    • therealdb
                                      therealdb last edited by

                                      So, after consulting with a friend into NodeMCU, I'm going for

                                      • NodeMCU esp8266 (flashed with Tasmota, so MQTT)
                                      • JSN-SR04T Waterproof Ultranosic Distance sensor
                                      HC-SR04 ultrasonic ranging sensor - Tasmota

                                      I will probably write a MQTT to openluup bridge, if time allows. I'm getting a couple from Amazon, and tons from AliExpress for further projects. I will probably consolidate my weather station and place a couple of addition temperature sensors across the house.
                                      I'll probably order other sensors, just to experiment.

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                      • prophead
                                        prophead last edited by

                                        Keep us posted. I’m very interested in this.

                                        therealdb 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • therealdb
                                          therealdb @prophead last edited by

                                          @prophead since I'm not that good into soldering, I always choose plug&play projects 😄
                                          I already have a couple of Tasmota devices: one to monitor temperature in my pool and one for humidity in my open space, to trigger a dehumidifier (large windows, helpful during the winter) and they're quite plug&play, after you've flashed Tasmota.

                                          You can poll data easily, thanks to their API (I developed my virtual devices plug-in for this) or integrate real-time change notification with MQTT, or use both. I have MQTT with a custom C# app bridging to virtual devices.
                                          The only problem is they are Wi-Fi based, so I don't want to have too many, because I really prefer Z-Wave and its mesh topology. But they're cheap and can be integrated with every sensor on the planet, quite easily.

                                          I'll probably build a prototype next week and I'll report back.

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • M
                                            Matteburk last edited by

                                            I am building a infinityppool to a customer and I use a Pressure-type level sensor #12086 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCe_wYQ_BC0

                                            admin

                                            ASIN AQUA Home en - ASEKO

                                            ASIN AQUA Home en - ASEKO

                                            DOSING Systems CONTROL Systems Aseko PROBES DOSING Pumps ASIN AQUA Home POOL WATER TREATMENT & POOL TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT ASIN AQUA Home The luxury unit with most advanced water treatment features and intelligent system control functions. Exclusive stainless-steel case with peristaltic pumps....

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                            • First post
                                              Last post
                                            Powered by NodeBB | Contributors
                                            Hosted freely by PointPub Media Communications Inc. | Contact us