Sharing my Smart Home setup... through Alexa

[oj88 113]

Not sure where to put this, so here goes...

 

I've always been fascinated with smart home control and automation. The problem then was, there were dozens of different platforms that typically don't talk to each other.

 

That changed when the Amazon Echo came out. Now, I was able to build my smart home around the Echos. You could say that the Echo unified disparate platforms and provided the perfect human interface for controlling smart home devices. They are now front and center for controlling my home.

 

I've only started building my smart home early this year so everything is a work in progress.

 

Things I currently have:

 

The front-end and main interface:

2x Echo Dots - Installed in the living room and bedroom

1x Echo Spot - Still on order from Amazon. This will eventually go to the living room then move one of the Dots to the kitchen

 

The back-end:

1x Broadlink RM Pro+ - Universal IR + 433MHz RF blaster. Controls the living room TV, A/V, A/C (IR) and the Broadlink TC2 light switches (RF)

1x Broadlink RM Mini3 - Universal IR blaster. Controls the bedroom TV, soundbar, and A/C

1x Android TV Box running Tasker RM Plugin - Acts as a bridge that simulates a Philips Hue hub

1x Raspberry Pi 2 running Home Assistant (Hass.io) - Acts as a bridge to support hundreds of other smart home products (including my Xiaomi-Philips bulbs below, which were originally designed to work only in Mainland China)

 

Switches:

4x Smart WiFi pluggable switches - Controls two nightstand lamps, the EQ rack of my A/V equipment, and a fan

3x Broadlink TC2 light switches - Controls the lights in the bedroom, living room, and the dining room/kitchen

 

Lights:

4x RGB+W Smart WiFi bulbs - Accent lighting in the living room

2x White Xiaomi-Philips Smart WiFi bulbs - Installed in the stairwell

 

Environmental:

1x Broadlink A1 - Provides room temperature, illumination, air quality, humidity, and noise levels

 

Some videos of my setup:

 

 

 

 

 

[GavinCampbell 18]

These were tuff to watch with my echo next to me.. haha.

 

Good job though.  I've got a lot of stuff hooked up too, but its all centrally controlled through hubitat.  I mainly just use Alexa for the voice to kick of things in hubitat.  It works pretty well this way.

 

I have had to write a tonne of code to integrate all the systems that don't like to integrate but it has been rock solid since.

[andyhoang 1]

Alexa, play Thank You by Dido

[oj88 113]

Some snippets of what I've been up to....

 

What do you do when your fan wasn't designed to have a remote, much less, voice control?  Mod the heck out of it! I added an RF controller to my Vornado 660 to add remote control capabilities. Through the Broadlink RM Pro, I can now also control it with Alexa.

 

 

Got creative with the "Bedtime" Routine. When it's triggered, it shuts off all non-essential devices in the house (Entertainment center, fans, the water cooler, non-bedroom A/C, etc.) Any house light that's been left on will remain on for the next. 2 minutes to give time for everyone to gather up their stuff and scurry over to their respective bedrooms. When the two minutes are up, lights turn off in sequence, starting from the kitchen to the living room, etc.

 

The 'melody' and the beep you hear towards the end of the video are the living room A/C turning off and the master's bedroom A/C (adjacent room) turning on, respectively. 

 

This here is an Alexa-enabled smart water dispenser. Well, sort of... A few mods here and there and I am now able to program schedules individually for hot and cold. We typically only need hot water in the morning so there's no need to keep it running 24x7. As for cold water, it's needed only during the day so it's set to turn on around sunrise and off right before bedtime. In any case, both can be turned on/off independently using the physical buttons, Alexa, or the app.

 

The smart switches used are two Broadlink SC1. 

 

Finally, even though the Echo Wall Clock is seen by some as a gimmick, it's MY gimmick. The wife seems to love it too and sees much use of it in the kitchen.

 

As always, it's always a work in progress.

 

Edited January 21 by oj88