93
submitted 10 months ago by haxor@derp.foo to c/hackernews@derp.foo

There is a discussion on Hacker News, but feel free to comment here as well.

all 23 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] XTornado@lemmy.ml 9 points 10 months ago

Saving for when I have my own home....if that ever happens.

[-] bulwark@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

Completely agree with the off line sentiment. I remember about 5 years ago I got some cheap Chinese smart lights that needed me to create an account and give Tuya/Smart Life unrestricted access to my network. And the delay sucked turning the light on in app because the signal had to go to their main server and back.

Anyways, I discovered HA and it's been really fun messing with ESP32 and Zigbee devices. I even host my own security cameras with Frigate.

[-] throw4w4y5@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)
[-] CommunityLinkFixer 2 points 10 months ago

Hi there! Looks like you linked to a Lemmy community using a URL instead of its name, which doesn't work well for people on different instances. Try fixing it like this: !homeassistant@lemmy.world

[-] Landmammals@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

I don't need any of those things

[-] cynar@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago

Some of them are wonderful, once you get used to having them. I have (mostly) smart lights in my house. Half the time you wouldn't know it however, since they work just like normal lights. However, you can also turn them on or off from your phone. Some also colour match to the outdoor light (helps with my daughter's bedtime).

The key is to make sure the "smart" bits are transparent to a normal user. They also need to fail to a dumb configuration, not a dead one.

[-] deur@feddit.nl 1 points 10 months ago

It gets even better if you have them all automated. Every light in my house responds to room presence so I havent touched a digital or physical control in ages (except for recoloring :) )

[-] cynar@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

That's definitely on my to-do list. I just need to work out the best combo of sensors and software. I won't want the lights coming on all the time, with motion. I often work late, and so effectively half sneak through the house at night. Figuring out when I actually want light is a non-trivial problem.

[-] amorangi@lemmy.nz 3 points 10 months ago

Completely skipped the voice control which is the part I use the most.

[-] vodkasolution@feddit.it 2 points 10 months ago

If and when I'll make my home smart, I will try to use something offline for basic needs

[-] Auzy@beehaw.org -1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Depends what you're automating.. Home Assistant isn't really suitable for larger homes, and it REALLY sucks at AV control compared to commercial systems.

It might be better than Google Assistant and Alexa, but its nowhere near high end systems

[-] Astongt615@lemmy.one 3 points 10 months ago

What are "high end alternatives?"

[-] Auzy@beehaw.org 0 points 10 months ago

Large homes tend to use products like crestron or control4 which deal with AV better.

I've installed in houses which are literally 16 TVs and 32 audio zones.

Some products even work together with companies like this for native enhancements to their products to allow better control

That being said, some things in HA are cool

[-] alexrmay91@lemm.ee 2 points 10 months ago

How is it not suitable for larger homes?

[-] Auzy@beehaw.org 1 points 10 months ago

AV control mainly. I've automated homes with 16 TVs and such.

[-] xthexder@l.sw0.com 3 points 10 months ago

There's "larger homes" and then there's "mansions". No normal family needs more TVs than people...

[-] Auzy@beehaw.org 1 points 10 months ago

The other problem also comes down to developing support for products which may require proprietary protocols or confidential API keys and such. To my knowledge, HA is in Python and doesn't really allow it properly.

It really depends what level of integration you're going for. But products like Control4 and Elan have proper fully integrated remotes which allow easy control of AV too.

So, if free is your goal, ha will get many things done fine. But, just be aware if you don't mind paying or are looking for commercial jobs, you should also at least look at the other options.

[-] xthexder@l.sw0.com 2 points 10 months ago

I've got zero smart home stuff, and have no intention of setting it up any time soon. I just don't see the need. I'm just glad self-hosting stuff offline is getting easier.

[-] Auzy@beehaw.org 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

For schlubs like us, not really that useful.

I only use it for turning on my ac/heating remotely using sensibo and for lights really. But I can use 2 apps for that

But, if you have multi story house or a large house, at a minimum, you really need a quick way to turn everything off with one press when leaving as an example and to ensure everything is locked. We also do things like allow all TV's to see the CCTV, get alerts for pool, etc

Some home automation stuff though is pointless or a bad idea. And there are rich people who definitely do it to show off their house.

Commercial jobs also often need it, because people can't be expected to know how to work the remotes, and lights need occupancy, etc. Also, there are considerations for emergencies and such

HA is basically a step above Google and Alexa, but some jobs need the stronger stuff

[-] maynarkh@feddit.nl 1 points 10 months ago

Where does it come up short?

[-] Auzy@beehaw.org 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

AV control in particular.

You also can't develop device support for it in a nice way which requires confidential information to be stored

this post was submitted on 12 Jan 2024
93 points (97.0% liked)

Hacker News

4091 readers
2 users here now

This community serves to share top posts on Hacker News with the wider fediverse.

Rules0. Keep it legal

  1. Keep it civil and SFW
  2. Keep it safe for members of marginalised groups

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS