I am finalizing the build of my new house as well as a guest lodge that will be used as an rental property. I would like to be able to monitor many different things using HA. I have purchased the HA device and started playing with the configuration and trying to learn how to navigate.
My goal for HA is to be able to monitor security cameras, door/window sensors, motion detectors, temperature sensors and various different electronics such as my washer/dryer, roomba.
Both structures are almost complete so it is time to start buying the fun stuff. I will be using Starlink for internet (in the country so only viable option) and I would like to not bog down my wifi so I would assume zigbee devices would be more beneficial.
I can post my house/lodge plans to getter a better idea of how to set up my house if helpful and I can also label my current idea to see if there can be any improvements/changes made.
I have been looking using zigbee such as the aqara devices for temperature sensors, motion sensors and door/window sensors and the hub. I have heard that people have had issues with the connectivity and the aqara devices connections failing randomly
I will be using Amazon Fire tablets in both the house and lodge for monitoring/adjusting actions at a central location and have looked into also being able to control the device from my phone when necessary as well.
The house is wired with Cat 6 so I will be using a switch and POE cameras for security. I have been looking into swann cameras with NVR for recording. (is there a better option for a POE system other than swann?) I will also need some kind of zigbee repeaters because of the house and lodge stucturs.
I am open to suggestions for all that I have talked about and more.
The two plans are included, the long structure is the house and the square structure is the lodge.
I would run 2 separate HA instances - 1 for the house, and another for the lodge.
HA currently has no comprehensive user permissions, so running everything on a single server means your more curious guests might end up controlling stuff in the main house.
You will still be able to access both instances from your browser, and the HA app will let you define multiple servers which you can switch between using gestures.
Same goes for zigbee - given you don’t mention the distance between the house and the lodge, you will probably struggle to have everything on a single mesh. Having two separate zigbee networks will ensure that the sensors in the lodge aren’t trying to bridge the gap between the lodge and your house.
I would suggest getting Ethernet/POE coordinators with a decent antenna (something like the SMlight models or Tube’sZB) so that they can be placed centrally in each building, giving you less communication issues.
I have quite a few Aqara devices and they have been extremely reliable for me. Note, however, that all the devices you mentioned are battery devices (end devices) and therefore do not route the zigbee mesh. Read this and this to understand why having a solid mesh is important.
Swann is not listed as a supported camera integration in HA, so I’d immediately eliminate them. I don’t use any cameras yet, but Reolink have just been certified as a HA partner and seem to have a pretty full-featured integration. More importantly, that integration is classed as Local Push, meaning you don’t need the cloud for HA to communicate with your cameras.
You don’t say what you are planning to run HA on. If your setup includes cameras, an RPi will struggle.
Amazon Fire tablets can be used as dashboards, but if you look around on the forum you’ll find that they can also be problematic because of the restrictions that Amazon has built into them. The HA app is not particularly demanding so there are a lot of other inexpensive options (nothing wrong with refurbished).
And just to emphasise… Zigbee is designed to be run in an environment which is rich in mains-powered routers - every socket and every light. Sensors will not work on their own. It can be a very expensive choice.
I moved to iPad in kitchen. Streaming apps are great while cooking
iPhone in theatre. Roku remote controls everything because of setup. The phone is there mostly to control other rooms and see cameras as needed. Voice control in theatre is hard since loud volume basicallly forces you to mute whenever wake word detected. If you set that up it’s fine but for other users they get confused about TV pausing(it’s not intuitive).
HA voice PE elsewhere
Native app, HA widgets and strangely FaceTime seems like it may be useful somehow
I buy iOS items super used — good condition— under $100usd. Doesn’t need to be recent iOS version since app supports all and fallback is browser
I used Alexa’s and they were great but Amazon spies and they kept notifying me about my low printer ink and showing adverts about items related to recent discussions in the house. It was weird.
Frigate web shows well. I don’t use vendor apps mostly but these may not support old iOS version.
Reolink is good with great features
I prefer Amcrest
Cant go wrong with either brand
Just don’t alllow camera onto internet. Local lan only.
If this becomes an issue it means your network is bad. Many people here have hundreds of devices on WiFi without issue.
Lean toward devices that don’t require vendors app for setup or use. Matter, esphome, wled, zwave and zigbee devices fall in these categories.
If vendor app is required expect that vendor may kill device after 5yrs. Not a problem but you need to know before putting in critical use.
Matter for everything possible.
Zwave for locks, thermostats and motion
Esphome for sensors
You can hardware many of these using standard alarm products and connect to esp device for control and monitoring
I never used zigbee so no comment other than others have no issues with it
I agree with this sentiment. Especially for a guest lodge. You’re probably going to be wanting to use Keymaster for lock management, along with Rental Control with the lodge to manage the lock for rentals. Keymaster only operates with ZWave locks (there’s be some work to support Zigbee but it stalled out)
I personally have a combination of Zigbee and Zwave throughout the several properties that I operate. I use Zigbee primarily for door / window sensors and other cheap stats sensors such as temperature and humidity. ZWave for anything that needs security.
I usually put Zwave light switches near door locks to help with routing, particularly if the controller isn’t nearby.
I use zwave mostly because it is currently the only ecosystem that has off the shelf quality it products
Zigbee dies as well but It was either/or for me. I didn’t want both
WiFi products usually require vendor app and end in vendor lock-in.
Matter solved this but there are not a ton of products.
Esphome also solves this but many item are DIY. It is amazing for new build however since you may centralize the devices. In this case it is perfect. When items are mounted in housing or cases this also works. RatGDO and Kinnected are good examples. I would definitely use esphome on new build for motion, door and window sensors as well as doorbell and garage
My house and lodge over about 200 yards away. I would use two separate HAs 1 for each structure.
As far as the zigbee devices. Would you suggest using zwave instead for the structures I have? I’m not sure if i like the idea of having to have multiple smart plugs installed throughout the house especially having a two year old running around (and another one on the way).
I started digging more into POE cameras and have found ubiquiti cameras and NVR that I will be using instead of swann.
Do you suggest a better tablet to use as a dashboard? I have been doing more research, would a samsung tablet work better? Ipad?
Do you suggest Zwave for my structures? if so do you have suggestions for zwave devices, such as motion sensors, door/window sensors, temp sensors, lights, smart plugs, etc.
Zwave also operates as a mesh so you’ll run into the same issue.
While smart plugs are indeed the easiest way of extending the mesh, they’re not the only devices to do so. Anything which uses mains power (with neutral) will act as a router.
Light switches, plug sockets, behind the switch modules and even usb coordinators flashed with router firmware will all do the same job.
Ah okay that makes sense. Is Zooz a good company to look into?
Also, as far as a zwave hub goes, I have been reading about hubitat. Any recs for a hub?
Using Zigbee because you’re concerned about your wifi doesn’t compute—Zigbee uses the same frequency as 2.4GHz wifi.
My suggestion is having 3 wifi networks. A 5GHz one for all your devices that support it and need bandwidth/speed. One 2.4GHz one for those devices that don’t support 5GHz and another one for the IOT stuff.
Wifi is, after wired, the most stable general connection technology for IOT devices. Don’t ignore it for the wrong reasons. Instead, ignore IOT devices that need a cloud service to operate. You outside internet link is way more susceptible to clutter than the 2.4GHz band.
PS: I do not recommend Zigbee. My experience with it is that it is really unreliable in regards to dropping messages, delivering tem in the wrong order, or simply devices forgetting they are part of a network when they have reception issues for a while.
I don’t want to cause offence, but your questions suggest that you are starting on a large and complex project without much knowledge, experience or research. I notice that you posted only a day after joining and with only 40 minutes reading.
I would strongly suggest that you do not try to make your home “smart” from the outset. Move in, get settled, then, if you want, build a system gradually over a period of months - or even years.
Once you’re in, you may well find yourself asking why you even need a smart home. Objectively, there really isn’t much point.
Home Assistant is not a product that you can install and run. It’s designed for and by hobbyists. Most installations are continually evolving.
Exactly. I love Zigbee and find it very reliable, but getting it to that state was really hard work, took ages and cost a lot of money. This applies to most of HA.
I use Kwikset on all my properties. I currently have 16 of the Zwave locks deployed. Both deadbolt (HC620) and lever locks (912). My experience with the 912s is that they can be a little bit flaky if your mesh is mostly leaf nodes, they need a fairly strong mains powered mesh. This would probably be solved if Kwikset would release newer ZWave 800 series locks with Long Range since that doesn’t use repeaters at all.
Zwave tends to be more expensive, this is why I only use it on a few select applications (locks, and some light switches so I can build up a decent mesh between locks and the controller). Zibgee devices tend to be a lot cheaper and have a lot more options. As for the smart plugs, you can get smart receptacles instead of dumb ones and then you don’t have to worry about someone unplugging them. Since you stated you’re currently building getting the smart devices in now would be easier than having to go around and redo light switches and receptacles after the fact.
While I love my Ubiquiti network gear I would shy away from the cameras. Not because they aren’t good (I don’t have experience with them) but because Ubiquiti locks you into their ecosystem. You can’t use their cameras with other vendors and I understand that their NVR won’t work with other cameras on the market either (I could be wrong on this part). Reolink (which as was mentioned recently joined Works with Home Assistant) is a much better option. They can, and do work, 100% cloud free, even Amcrest (which I have a few units of) still need the cloud for some features to be fully operational.
Thank you for the reply. Just cause I joined a day ago and only have read for 40minutes on this app does not mean I have not been doing research elsewhere.
I understand the cost association, money is no issue even if I have to hire a profession to set the entire build up.
I agree with the gradually part. However if you’re certain you will want to control specific light switches, installing/replacing existing toggle switches with “smart dimmers” can be done without any pesky interface like HA. I’m still partial to Insteon’s implementation. Zwave/zigbee still can’t match them for hub free setup. More”s the pity because Insteon is on the pricey side.
As for the (light-)switches whatever system you choose (Zigbee, Zwave, WiFi etc.) just make sure you have a neutral line laid to each and every respective outlet. This will save you alot of headaches later on.
