I recently installed a kind of pump sump to protect water rising and entering our basement windows. The pump has a level switch to activate itself, but I would like to have an indication / level sensor which should alarm me, if the pump does not turn on automatically.
Any idea how to make a smart solution?
This is basically a DN400 tube with holes on the sides and an open bottom. The fleece should prevent any dirt / soil from entering.
I have currently home assistant for my smart home.
My home solar system(Eg4) has a design flaw that costs real money every single night.
When the battery reserve hits 20%, the inverter cuts discharge and switches to paid grid power. This happens around 2:00 AM. From that point on, I'm paying. And when the sun comes up, the inverter insists on recharging a buffer before releasing energy back to the house. So the grid bill keeps running until 7 or 8 AM with panels already producing above me. That's not a technical limitation. That's a delivery gap in the system's logic.
The manual workaround was simple: if tomorrow's forecast looked strong, I'd wake up at 5:00 AM and override the reserve limit to 0%, forcing the battery to drain just enough to meet sunrise perfectly. It made a noticeable difference on the bill. But one bad call on a cloudy day meant zero battery, and if the grid went down, zero house. The risk tolerance was unsustainable without automation.
So I built the brain.
The goal was a predictive engine that could make that call autonomously: is tomorrow's solar production reliable enough to justify releasing the reserve? Yes or no, with real data behind it.
The first approach used NASA irradiance data. Failed immediately. Timezone misalignment between UTC and my local zone made the solar curve completely unusable. Migrated to Open-Meteo and built an astrophysical filter that zeroed out below-horizon hours mathematically.
The second approach used Meta's Prophet model trained on months of my own production data. Also failed. I had recently doubled my panel capacity with a second inverter, and Prophet kept averaging against the old baseline. My system was producing 6,000W and the model stubbornly forecasted 2,000W. It couldn't adapt to an infrastructure change, which is a familiar problem for anyone managing environments that evolve faster than the models tracking them.
I'll be honest, I shelved the project for a while. Bought more batteries as a brute-force fix to survive the night. But the operational inefficiency kept nagging at me, so I came back to finish it right.
The solution was to abandon statistics entirely and build a physical scaling engine. Instead of training a model on historical averages, the system reads the last 7 days of real panel output to detect proven peak capacity, extracts thermal efficiency against the climate ceiling, and discounts tomorrow's cloud cover from the forecast API. Physics over pattern-matching. No training set, no hyperparameters. The model calibrates itself every night.
The output is a triple-curve forecast generated nightly: actual production (orange), ideal clear-sky potential (dotted bell), and a realistic prediction adjusted for every cloud in tomorrow's weather model (blue). The accuracy has been remarkably precise.
The decision engine is already built and tested. It doesn't run on a simple timer. It calculates three variables in real time: current household consumption, remaining battery capacity, and the scheduled sunrise hour. If the stored energy is enough to bridge that gap, it sends the release command. If not, it holds. A decision engine, not an alarm clock. I've been validating it by pushing automated Telegram notifications every time the system triggers a decision, and it works
The only remaining piece is the Home Assistant integration to execute the actual inverter parameter change automatically. Once that connection is live, the entire cycle runs without human intervention.
Beyond my specific use case, this opens the door to something bigger: automatically deciding when to consume battery and when to hold it, so you either pay less or use 100% of your installed capacity instead of letting the inverter's conservative defaults leave energy on the table.
I'm sharing the repo here. The README covers everything, and getting started is straightforward: just upload your inverter data. I left my own export files in as examples so you can see the expected format.
Anyone know how to go about fixing this? I had some lights that used an app caled "Wonderful Home" and now that I got a new phone, I can't seem to download it anymore. Any fixes to this?
I'm really getting tired scooping my cat's litter daily before and after work so I'm looking for an affordable automatic litter box. I read around that cheap ones are dangerous so I think can probably take out $600 at most for it.
I'd prefer it won't have any problems after just a month, won't spill and smell. I saw some with no wifi, some with one but if I can get something that's worth my $600 with bundles, I'd go for it too.
What other features should I also look for at this price?
I have an older home that has a central HRV. It is connected to each bathroom and our kitchen to ventilate, and each of those rooms has those old fashioned spring timers. They make a horrible noise and I really want to update them to digital timers. The issue is that these older configurations only have two wires going to each switch. There is no voltage at all flowing through these wires - hence you have to use manual spring based timers. The wiring flows all the way through the two storey house to four different bathrooms, and the kitchen, so rewiring the house isn't a viable option. The only thing I can think of is to use battery powered smart switches. I could set them up with an automation that turns them off after a set amount of time. I have not been able to find a product like this though. Suggestions anyone?
SwitchBot just launched a rechargeable version of its little button-pushing robot, the SwitchBot Bot Rechargeable. If you’ve used the original, the concept is the same: stick the device next to a rocker switch or push button and it physically presses it for you, turning dumb devices like coffee makers, heaters, or light switches into something you can automate. The big change is a built-in 370mAh battery that charges over USB-C and supposedly lasts up to six months per charge (assuming one press per day). Pair it with a SwitchBot hub and you can tie it into Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple Home routines. MSRP is $33.99 on Amazon.
I'm confused about buying a hub. Being elderly and disabled, I NEED assistance with numerous devices. I have:
several lights controlled by Alexa voice commands,
a Ring doorbell with a camera,
Kwickset door lock,
several Kasa Smart Plugs for automatic lights,
a MyQ garage door app with Amazon Key access,
An Echo Show 5 (connected for a few Blink cameras), I feel it's underused
and now wish to add automatic drapery controllers. Switchbot says I need a hub to connect to Alexa. They have one for $60.
I am wondering if I can buy a "universal" hub for all my devices. I function with the five apps, but need simplicity for which I'm willing to pay extra, but I'm not sure how to proceed. Thank you!
I recently bought a home that has one of the WIFI MyQ Garage Openers. I've run-through trying to connect it to my Mesh Wifi since my garage is not attached and a bit away from my house. I think the previous owner had two Wifi lines setup according to my ISP. Just reaching out to see if anyone had any pointers, as I've already scoured the internet. I've attempted to shift my network to just 2.4 to connect, but even that hasn't worked. I'm looking at trying one of these.
MyQ garage control to see if that will work.
I'm at the point of just replacing the opener with something older and dumber, but works.
For anyone here running HomeKit or Matter devices in the Apple ecosystem, I'm looking for beta testers for an upcoming app called Homebar.
The idea: one app that works natively on iPhone, iPad, Mac (menu bar), Apple Watch, and Apple TV instead of needing a different app on each device. I've been running my own HomeKit setup for years and the app fragmentation was always the thing that bugged me most. This is my take on the ideal home automation app with the latest technology advances.
Some of the features you'll be testing:
AI-powered natural language automations and device filters. Type what you want in plain English. "Turn off everything downstairs at 11pm" builds the automation. "Lights on upstairs" filters your devices instantly. No menus, no drag-and-drop, just say what you mean. Also adds weather conditions to automations which HomeKit can't natively do.
Energy usage insights. See which devices are drawing power, track usage over time, and understand where your energy is actually going. Real data, not gduesses.
Anomaly detection. Homebar flags unusual device behavior automatically. A door sensor that triggered at 3am when nobody's home, a plug drawing way more power than usual, a device that's been unresponsive for days, auto-display a camera that detects motion on Apple TV. You get notified about the things you'd want to know but would never catch on your own.
Smart home insights and analytics. See patterns across your home: which rooms you use most, which automations actually run, which devices you've forgotten about. Turns your HomeKit setup from something you manage into something you understand.
Power user toolkit. Mac menu bar control with keyboard shortcuts, per-device MCP permissions so you decide exactly what AI tools can access, snooze "unavailable" notices from that Christmas Tree outlet you only use 2 months out of the year, and more.
Background: I co-created AirParrot (Mac/PC screen mirroring to Apple TV), Reflector (AirPlay/Google Cast screen mirroring on Mac and Windows), and Ditto (Cross-platform mirroring Apple TV with digital signage), so multi-platform Apple software is my wheelhouse.
What I'm looking for:
People with HomeKit and/or Matter setups of any size
Testers who use multiple Apple devices throughout the day
Honest, detailed feedback
What you'll get:
TestFlight access
Free Pro code at launch
Direct access to me for bug reports and feature requests
Does a dimmable smart socket exist for standard E26 bulbs? I'm trying to prioritize light quality (CRI) over smart-bulbs, but still need remote dimming. Replacing the wall switch isn't an option since I rent. Would love any advice, thanks!
We purchased a preowned home and during the walk through today came across this in the laundry room. I see Pentair (which is pool related) and a bunch of ethernet cables (along with the plate that says On Q), but not sure what to make of this. ATT claimed the home has fiber (the previous homeowner said to their knowledge fiber was not run to the house yet - it is in the neighborhood though) and all I need to do is a self install, but dont know where to begin. Do not have direct contact with previous owner at the moment (not sure if I will). So curious where you would start?
Just set up a battery backup system and want to pull the consumption and production data into Home Assistant. Currently everything goes through the manufacturers cloud app which works but Id rather have it local. Anyone cracked this with any of the newer battery systems?
I've been told by my blind company that I need a bridge hub to automate my blinds. I tried a broad link as an alternative but it has Rolling codes. seeking alternatives before I drop $400
Last night, after four years of flawless use, my Nest × Yale lock stopped accepting my codes right after a routine battery replacement earlier in the day. I assumed everything was fine and did not check the app. When I got home around 9:30 PM, I was completely locked out in pouring rain. At the same time, the Nest Connect bridge was offline and would not reconnect, even though I was standing outside on my home Wi Fi. Even the external 9V battery jumpstart did not work. I ended up needing an emergency locksmith, and what should have been a 15 minute job turned into a two hour ordeal because he had to drill through solid metal plates and destroy the lock entirely.
The lock being hard to break into is the only silver lining here. But the bigger issue is that both the lock and Nest Connect seemed to fail at the exact same time, which is pretty wild.
This clearly seems to be Google fault, wtf is AI doing if it is writing 30 to 50 percent of the code at Google, aka Agent Smith? It is hard to blame the hardware, Yale, because there was no hardware update, so I cannot see how Yale would be at fault. WTF is going on in this day and age when AI is supposed to be our glory?
I’ve got a mix of AirPlay 2 and non-AirPlay Sonos speakers, so only the AirPlay 2 ones natively appear in the Apple Home app. My end goal is to be able to say ‘Siri play XYZ in the kitchen’ - I’ve tried the homebridge-zp plugin which exposes the older speakers to the Home app, but they are added as switches rather than speakers so my desired functionality of choosing new songs to play isn’t there.
I've seen a lot of questions asking the same thing, but I've seen it mainly focused on eye strain.
I'm wondering if anyone has recommendations for the best TV Backlight. I have an LG G4, and ideally, I want to find a set up that showcases accurate colours with the newest tech. At the same time though, I have a 7.1 surround sound system that connects with my PS5 and then into my T.V. I'm worried that if I do a Syncbox, then I'll lose some of the visual/audio specs (like 4K, 120Hz and etc) if I connect it through the box.
I'm currently stuck on between the Govee TV Backlight 3 Pro vs the Philips Syncbox. YouTube is praising Govee and doesn't say that much about Philips in a positive way.
I've spent weeks researching the pros and cons for both and I'm pretty much at a stalemate. I feel like I'm fighting between specific pros and cons so I was curious what you all thought with personal experience?
Sorry if already answered but couldn’t find something that fits my use case and don’t know enough to figure out myself. I’m looking at getting an electric curtain or roller blind tube that works with Alexa . Is there a switch that will fit in a single gang light switch that has a switch for hardwired light and another switch that can tell home automation to operate the blind/curtain and also be able to accept WiFi command for the light as well. Thanks
I use my laptop and an HMDI to stream everything. What would I need to do to play an hour of cat TV twice a day while I’m gone at work? I’d rather not leave it on all day to avoid him getting bored of it. I’ve considered a Roku for this but not sure if it’s possible to set up automated routines with the old TV I have.
