Smart Home Stuff

[Mat]

So now I know I'm relatively stable with a decent income (something I feel HUGELY lucky about in the current environment), I've started spending on stuff to improve my flat. As well as plopping down the deposit on a new kitchen (getting installed early September, bumblebee yellow and black ), I've started expanding my "Smart Home" appliances.

It started with a couple of Google Nest Audio speakers in the living room (the big yins), and I recently treated myself to a Philips Hue lighting system, including motion sensors.
Basically, every room lights up as I wander in to it now. It's like living in the future!

I've also synced one of the two main lights in the living room to the TV, so it changes colour along with what's on screen, thanks to the TV being a smart Android one with an Android app that syncs the light. However, it only works with non-DRM media, as anything on Amazon Prime or Netflix sees an app examining the video stream and assumes you're trying to copy the stream, so HDCP kicks in and the light stops working.

I did try a Philips Sync Box and one of their lightstrips, but ended up returning them, as they only work with external sources, so they don't work with Android TV and Netflix / Amazon.
So I've sent them back, which is nice, 'cos they were stupidly expensive for what they are, and settled on a TV lighting system from Govee instead, which is a bit of a kludge, but works fine. It uses a camera to examine what's on screen, then changes the surrounding lightstrip based on the image.
Works fine, although its interpretation sometimes suffers. I may need to tweak it a bit.

I've also now got a Roomba, which is just awesome. It had a few problems to start with, but now works flawlessly after having time to build up a map of the flat.
I even get a ping at work on my Pixel Watch (another recent purchase), letting me know when Monty's completed a job (yes, I called my robot hoover Monty).

The only relatively disappointing smart device I've picked up has been a Google Nest Hub for the bedroom, but I think that's because I haven't really explored its possibilities yet. At the moment, it's a glorified alarm clock and light switch. Apparently it's doing Sleep Sensing too, but I haven't found a way to access that data yet.

Has anyone else here started kitting out their home with similar smart bits and bobs?
If so, which one implementation has really changed your life?

For me, I think the motion sensing lights are probably the highlight so far. I've very quickly adapted to not hitting light switches at all.
And this means they're only lit when I need them to be.

Although Monty comes a very close second...

[Rhythm]

I did a bit of this when I moved into my flat about 4 years ago. Hue lights everywhere, Ambilight OLED TV, nice soundbar linked into them all, Echo Dot in each room to control them. I'd have liked to have done the heating too but no-one does smart thermostats for electric systems. Also added an Apple TV into the mix to replace my Nvidia Shield TV.

Tried a couple of Roombas but they only ever left dusted - the place still needed a vac after they'd been round so I got rid. Didn't see much point in using them if I was still having to vacuum 3-4 times a week

4 years later I do still use the lights but the Echos have long been retired. The feature where the lights turn on for you as you arrive home is nice, but something I decided against using long-term. The soundbar was a Samsung one so of course it lost all its "Smart" features after 13 months

I got into the habit of using Siri instead of Alexa. I tend to have my phone with me wherever I go so it's easier just learning the one smart system.

All that said, I tend to only use the "smart" parts of this system if I've settled down in another room and can't be arsed getting up to switch something off. I will, very occasionally, ask Siri to turn the TV on for me. Smart, for me, has just meant "you also have controls on your phone".

GF got a Sky Glass deal recently. It comes by default with a setting that automatically turns the TV on as soon as you enter the room. We switched that off instantly as it just seemed like a weird feature. Who's living a life where they want the TV on all the time?

[Mat]

With the lights, I made a conscious decision to buy the motion sensors, as I wanted them completely automatic, none of this faffing about with my phone. And "Smart" lights without motion sensing don't really seem very "Smart" to me

I did pick up a sound bar too, a hoofing great Sony HT-A7000, that, if I'm honest, is a tad too large for my Sony 55" KE-55AB and its stand, but does fab things with sound, what with being one of these fancy new "up-firing" Atmos-ready ones.

Irritatingly, despite adding the telly to Google Home, it doesn't turn on when I say "Hey Google, turn on the TV". The speakers say they're turning it on, but nothing happens.

Those speakers... love 'em, but the most use they get is setting alarms when cooking and listening to Radio 4 and the occasional tune
I need to make 'em pull their weight and turn the telly on.

[venusian]

Do the light stay on until you leave, or do you get plunged into darkness every ten minutes?

[Mat]

You can tweak things like motion sensitivity and daylight sensitivity, timeouts etc., and then a with little thought about how much time you spend in rooms and how you move through them, you're rarely, if ever "plunged into darkness".

For example, for the hallway, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, motion sensitivity is average, and they turn off the lights if they don't detect motion after a minute.

But for the living room, which is the only room I'm likely to not move around as much in (say if I'm watching telly or sat at my computer) I set the motion sensitivity relatively high and set a timeout of 10 minutes during active hours. The motion sensor also only triggers one of the two ceiling lights in the room, with the one closer to the telly being assigned to an "entertainment area", so that it syncs with what's shown on the telly and is not controlled by the motion sensor.

During sleeping hours, all sensor-controlled lights are set to run in a very dimmed "nightlight" mode if they detect movement, and all time out after a minute.
And the bedroom sensor is positioned so as not to trigger when I move around in my sleep

[sonixtorm]

Has anyone else here started kitting out their home with similar smart bits and bobs?
If so, which one implementation has really changed your life?

For me, I think the motion sensing lights are probably the highlight so far. I've very quickly adapted to not hitting light switches at all.
And this means they're only lit when I need them to be.

Although Monty comes a very close second...

Smart heating is the game changer for me (Drayton Wiser integrated back into HomeKit through Homebridge). Room by room control and a schedule that has evolved to mean we rarely have to command any changes at all. Dull as they might be, the smart plugs have been great, timed to mean they are all off unless we are home/at a time we use the TV etc.

[Mat]

I finally got the TV to turn on with voice commands now, as I've set up a Pi 4 as a Home Assistant server.
And I can get the GoVee to turn on at the same time, as well as the soundbar, so that's all good.

Even better, got some smart plugs delivered today, and I've set them up so they turn off once I get a certain distance from home, then turn on when I'm heading back.
That's a nice power saver for all these devices I've got now, as it means when I'm at work or otherwise away, they'll all be turned off, except for the most important ones.

And I've set my PC's BIOS to turn on when power is restored, so I can manually shut it down before leaving the house, and when I return home, I'll be greeted by a log-in screen

[Mat]

So unexpectedly, I had to get my boiler replaced recently, which wasn't cheap, but I took the opportunity to expand my smart home with a Google Nest Learning Thermostat, so that's nice
Not that it's getting much chance to "learn" at the moment thanks to the unseasonably warm weather!

Regarding the GoVee, it's now mostly working perfectly, although I may need to reposition the bottom strip of lights, as they currently slightly poke out at the bottom thanks to my TV's electronics housing being corrugated, so I've had to stick it to the minimal bezel I can access. Handily, it does come with some nice plastic hooks for attaching to awkward surfaces.
Before, the lights were all very red, but I turned the saturation all the way down, and they now accurately reproduce what's on screen.

I've also set up a nice PTZ smart camera, the TP Link Tapo TC70. When the other smart plugs turn off all the other gadgets when they detect I'm away from home, one powers up the camera, which then records and reports any movement to me. And I know it's working, because it sends alerts to my phone and watch when Monty's trundling around the flat
I can then fire up the Tapo app and view the movement that the camera recorded.
Considering how much extra kit I now have in the flat, this is a nice security addition.

Oh, and I have a Google Nest Hub in the bedroom which shuts everything down and plays relaxing sounds when I say "Good night", and turns everything on when I say "Good morning".

Next up, I'm getting my kitchen done up, which is a scary amount of cash, but will be worth it. Not much of anything smart there apart from the lights, but I may end up getting a smart screen for it. I'm also getting a self-cleaning oven and an induction hob, which are both really nifty

[Misfit]

How do you find the GoVee?

Right now I'm limiting my next TV choice to a Philips one as I really want Ambilight. Their new mini-led set has tempted me for a while, but it seems to be delayed. The delay is going to make it hard to justify a switch with the energy and the mortgage looking like it will cost me an extra £500 per month next year

So this looks very reasonably priced alternative if it performs, but I'm not sure my wife will get past the camera sticking out from the TV.

We're still 1080p at the moment, but to be honest, it was a high-end set when we got it and I'm not disappointed by it. Yes, if you put a 4K OLED next to it for 10 minutes I'd probably never want to look at it again, but right now I'm quite content (apart from the Ambilight).

[Misfit]

A little research and people are mounting the GoVee camera below the screen. I might be able to get away with that and with the Black Friday deal on their website bringing it down to £53 I'm going to give it a go.

A little Christmas break project.

[Misfit]

Just noticed the Govee TV says 55" to 65" inches. Am I going to have problems squeezing it onto my tiny 50" set?

[WiteWulf]

Got a link to that £53 deal for the Govee TV? I'm only seeing £60 on Amazon at the moment

[Misfit]

Got a link to that £53 deal for the Govee TV? I'm only seeing £60 on Amazon at the moment

Sure, it's just on the Govee site:

https://uk.govee.com/products/govee-dre ... -backlight

Mine just arrived but think I'll give it to my mum as she's moaning about what to get me for Xmas.

In regards to TV size, saw someone do this to make it work with a 43" set, so must be easier with a 50":

https://www.reddit.com/r/Govee/comments ... 3_inch_tv/

[WiteWulf]

Ta

[Mat]

How do you find the GoVee?

Sorry for the late reply!

Pretty damn good, now that the saturation's turned down. It's responsive and accurate.
Sure, I'd probably prefer a system built in to the telly, but I'm not ditching a perfectly good Sony.
It's a shame that the tech is hamstrung by DRM, to be honest, and I suspect there's a lot of people out there who won't understand that.

My bottom strip does still peak below the bottom of the telly, and because the screen itself is ultra thin (seriously, it's 5mm ), I've had to play with tensioning the camera cable to stop the camera drooping, because its base is a LOT wider than the telly.

Basically, it seems like the overall best solution would be something utilising the Philips Play HDMI Sync Box, but because most modern smart TVs don't need an external media center to provide content, there's no way to loop out to the Play HDMI Sync Box, then back in. And now I'm used to the media functions on my telly, I don't see a need to go back to a third-party media center.

It's a real shame, as when you're playing non-DRM content through something like Plex, there's apps for the telly that will sync any smart lights to the picture on screen, and it works brilliantly.
If content providers like Netflix could be arsed, I'm sure they could come up with a solution that passes screen information through to smart lights, but at the moment, I'll just have to settle for Plex for that full room experience.

But otherwise, the GoVee does a handsome job of providing ambient light in sync with what I'm watching.