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Smart home systems and setup advice

Ads Nems

Ads Nems

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Joined
Feb 6, 2012
Messages
389
Location
Radlett
Alias
Adam
Evening all, I know theres quite a few members on the forum who are big into their smart home setup and wanted to get their advice on the various systems they use and recommend.

Having recently got planning permission for our new home, I’m now looking at speccing out all the smart home features we need. In our current home we have Control4 but we’ve always found it clunky, unreliable and expensive so wanting to get away from that.

I’ve never liked having a server in the house controlling all the systems and prefer going for independent systems that are easy to use and a bonus if they can link to Apple Home app and Alexa .

CCTV - thinking of Reolink

Gate & Garage Door Access - DigiGate

House Alarm - Undecided .

Smart Lighting - Undecided

Smart Temp controls Thermostat - Undecided Read mixed reviews on Nest and Tado

Speakers - Undecided. Have read Sonos is good for that

Any other systems worth integrating?

Thanks
Adam
 
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For home heating and switch automation. Works with alexia. Rooms can have room sensors for occupation as well as temp, allowing triggers for lighting. I have it using the sensors to trigger electric heaters as well as call a gas boiler for room and water. Total room control, each room can call a desired temperature for any time on any day.

IMG_3688.jpeg
 
Ref house alarms. Do not buy wireless to 'save on the mess'.

Good alarm companies will install without you seeing any cabling.

Over the past few years a number of my pals have choosen to go down the wireless alarms and ALL have had me install a wired system within two years.
 
I have a proper mesh wireless alarm system which allows me to have sensors where I need as well as include outhouses in one system. Battery’s are easily bought CR123 and last two plus years. It has police response and is a certified install. I won’t go back to a wired as they don’t give me a better solution other than when a sensor needs a battery replacement.

However, I wouldn’t call my system smart, though it does have an app. My view is a smart device has to integrate with other IoT devices. And an alarm system is one of those things that I want to remain certified, therefore it isn’t IoT.
 
I swear by Reolink for 4k CCTV and I use Gosund plugs to control stuff around the house inc
Pinballs.
 
Wizcat said:
Home Assistant is what all the cool kids are using these days if you did want to unify all those things into one system. Free & open source. Integrates with thousands of 3rd party things (Reolink, Alexa, Hue, etc etc)
Click to expand...
YAML this YAML that. ... I'm waiting for HA to become a little more user-friendly rather than editing script files... if that ever comes about.

Saying that, i do hear that the apple systems are becoming a LOT more friendly... however... there's lots of caveats to this!!!
There needs to be a big amount of standardisation in the market for it to become realistially viable.

I need something that, if it breaks, my IT challeneged misses can fix... since EVERY time i go away, something stops working or breaks... but when i'm here things seem to work ok. It's like it knows....
 
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