Here's my Home Assistant configuration. I have installed HA on a Lenovo ThinkCentre M93P Tiny with an Intel Dual-Core i5-4570T Processor up to 3.60 GHz, 8GB RAM and 240GB SSD. I am currently running HA OS directly on the NUC and use a ConBee II USB as Zigbee Gateway
I regularly update my configuration files. If you like anything here, Be sure to 🌟 my repo!
We use Amazon devices to start/stop automations: "Alexa, prepare the gym", to target specific devices: "Alexa, open the master bedroom blinds" and as speakers to listen to music: "Alexa, play Taylor Swift on Spotify". The DOTs are littered around the house, and we use them to communicate rather than shouting at each other.
| Amazon Echo Show | Amazon Echo (3nd Gen) | Echo Dot (3nd Gen) | Echo Dot (4th Gen) | Echo Flex |
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Yi 1080 Wireless IP Security Indoor Camera.
I like using this camera because of how easy it is to flash with a custom firmware making sure all images stays local within my HA instance and nothing goes to the cloud. I have it set up to automatically take pictures when movement is detected and send me notifications on my iPhone and Apple watch. Here's a link to watch a step by step video on how I set it up.
Blink Outdoor Wireless, Weather-resistant & Battery Powered.
I like using this camera kit because it's wireless, weather-resistant, HD, with two-year battery life and has motion detection. because it's powered via battery, I couldn't afford it streaming live all the time- Although I might end up getting this solar panel model for it. For now, I have it set up to refresh automatically when I click the image picture in my dashboard using this script.
My script puts the picture under the folder /config/www/camera_cabanon/ so make sure the folder is created beforehand. I also like to use the media browser to browse the pictures, so make sure you have declared the folder like I did here.
I use 2 brands of ZigBee Motion Sensor to detect movement and trigger automations
- These SONOFF SNZB-03. They are small and discreet but I found them to be fragile and unreliable.
- These Hacbop ZigBee PIR that are a little bit more expensive than the SONOFF SNZB-03 but they are more reliable and have a longer battery life.
I also use the SONOFF SNZB-04 Door & Window Sensor to detect when a door or window is opened in order to send notifications and/or trigger automation
| SONOFF SNZB-03 | Hacbop ZigBee PIR | SONOFF SNZB-04 |
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I shopped a lot for smart, motorized blinds before deciding to get these IKEA FYRTUR. They are relatively cheap but have good build quality. They do require, however, the use of the TRADFRI Hub and IKEA mobile app, luckily, the HA integration (Zigbee-based) works pretty well and it's easy to setup.
| TRÅDFRI Gateway | FYRTUR Blinds |
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I like my plugs to monitor energy consumption as well. This is the main reason I go with Emporia. They are very cheap (4 plugs for $69 CAD), and easy to connect with HA through the Emporia Vue integration. Upon the first connection, the integration creates multiple sensors showing energy consumption per minute, day and month. And that's all I need to track usage and build my energy dashboards.
- WIP
I have put various instances of the SONOFF SNZB-03 in strategic places around my house to detect movement and turn on/off lights. This one for example is placed at the top of the stairs to detect when someone is walking down towards the kitchen. This movement detection then triggers this automation that switches on the lights in the kitchen, then switches them off again when no movement is detected after 2 minutes.
When one of my cats wants to come in, they usually come to the door and start peeking inside trying to get our attention. I have put this Hacbop PIR Motion detector right at the edge of the door. When it detects a motion, it triggers this automation that asks my home camera at the back to take a picture and send it to my iPhone.
Here is where the PIR motion detector is placed
And here is what the camera screenshot looks like
I have one tab for every floor in my house and I put all smart devices of the same floor in the same tab. I also use one tab for all scenes, one for energy details and one for system monitoring. Here are some screenshots (please note that these may not be the most updated images, but you should get an idea).
