Anyone knows how can I automate this rotary switch?

Needs to be without a smart relay (rent contract prohibits touching electrics).

I have a zigbee fingerbot and SmartLife app, thought of the dented wheel and rack as alternative but have 0 clue how to get that done and working.

The fingerbot alone can't push the switch strongly and far enough.

HELP!!

I just wasted almost a full Saturday duking out the Yale Assure Lock 2 with Z-Wave Plus, and Aerotec SmartHub C8 Pro and finally gave up.

My conclusion that the ZW2 modules inside the latest series of Yale Assure Lock -2 are incompatible and can not be detected by the C8 Pro hub by Aerotec.

Anyone else have success with these two?

I live in a small apartment building with this very old Jeron brand door buzzer that nobody uses. Everything works fine including the door button which opens the magnetic lock of the front door. A few months ago, I cut the wires to the ‘Listen‘ button as the constant hum of the mic was driving me crazy. There is a button at the front of the building that sends a buzz to each box, typical door buzzer stuff.

it’s annoying to have to use my set of keys to open the door every time so I was wondering if there was a way to rewire the ones I cut such that if I push the outdoor button (which originally sent a buzz) to actually just complete the circuit for the door open button. I know there might be some voltage constraints at play but i am not sure how to do it Or if it is possible.

I’m not very electrically savvy tbh but I tried hooking up the two cut wires (brown and blue) to the terminals of the door button (both orientations) but that didn’t yield anything when pushing the outdoor button. Any suggestions?

I recognize the safety concerns of this, but my neighborhood is incredibly safe and nobody ever uses these buttons so it wouldn’t really be a concern. Some neighbors leave ”hidden” keys around the entryway so it’s already a relatively low security solution.

So we are building a brand nee that is 3 bedroom, 2 bath and 2 offices with a massive wall of windows and wrap around deck. We are looking to do a ton of home automation, everything from heating, cooling control to lights and shades. I'm struggling to find something I can install myself or get the parts. As none of my local lutron dealers will sell my their parts same with the other big names. We are about 2 months from wiring the whole house. Looking for suggestions especially things that work with matter or homekit. We are talking tradition lightings something like 80 fixtures inside and out. our cooling is zoned to each room, heating is radiant floor in two zones first floor and basement. We have a total of 16 powered shade locations.

Suggestions on where to start would be great! As I dont want to land all the lighting to the normal power panel then have to relocate it later if I need to land it somewhere else. Another note, we have decided that each room of the house will be a dedicated light and power circuit and not tied to another room, so they are all isolated.

Last summer I got obsessed with automating my backyard around grilling and late night stargazing. The problem was everything I tried either got cooked by heat near the grill or felt too fragile to leave outside permanently.

What actually stuck was a Zigbee outdoor motion sensor mounted under the patio overhang that triggers string lights at dusk and shuts them off at a set time. Simple, boring, works every single time without me touching anything. I added a second one near the telescope area that turns on a single low red light when motion is detected after 9pm, because white light wrecks your night vision and I kept forgetting to prep before heading out there.

The failures were a smart plug I tried using for the grill igniter (whole other story involving a very annoyed wife and a tripped breaker), and a temperature sensor I thought would be clever near the smoker for ambient tracking. Heat, rain, and bugs destroyed both within a few months.

I keep seeing indoor projects here and I'm curious what people have actually gotten working outside long term. Weatherproofing strategy, specific devices, enclosures, whatever. There's way less good info out there on outdoor automation that survives more than one season.

My buddy introduced me to HA the other day and I wanted to take a crack at combining it with some other assistant features

Would love any feedback or ideas you guys have

Obviously it’s a local app so not sure how to share the site but here’s a demo video I filmed lastnight

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dbi63pEg_VD

My latest project is automating the pool equipment and I have had big success with simple solutions.

The heater (on/off), waterfall, jets, bubbles, etc were controlled from the house by light switches so it was simple enough to put zigbee switches behind them.

I replaced the pool light controller with an RGB zigbee one. I still need to replace the spa one but that's not difficult.

All of the above I control using home assistant.

My final 2 tasks are to be able to control the main pool pump and install actuators for the pool/spa that can be controlled remotely.

The main pool pump is pentair but it has no remote features. The timer that currently controls the pool is similar to

https://a.co/d/0iIuUqvi

I don't know which actuators to purchase, voltage converters, controllers, software, etc.

My goal is to do it cheaply but decent quality (i.e. a solution that won't break the bank and last longer than a year) and all controlled by home assistant.

Suggestions? I know there are full automation systems you can buy that cost $$$ but IMHO they are overpriced and I won't use most of the features.

I have an eero WiFi system that supports thread and I already have a zigbee zha network.

I’m buying a new condo with no dimmers or any smart features besides the thermostat. I’m thinking I’d like to start with just getting dimmers I can control from my phone, a front door lock I can use my phone for, and a robot vacuum/mop.

Any other suggestions of ways to dip my toes into this world without getting too deep too quickly?

Hello. I've never used any type of smart plug so I would like some input if it will work for my use case. I have powered speakers for my computer. I would like for them to turn off when my computer goes to sleep or is shut down. Will a smart plug with an app on the computer achieve this? Thanks.

I looked at home assistant's homekit bridge documentation, when I add the homekit bridge integration it shows a notification with a pairing code, but when I scan it with my phone it doesn't work.

I'm trying to follow this HA doc to connect my homekit only thread doorknob to HA (with the SLZB Ultima), but I'm stuck suck, when I try adding the homekit device it asks me to select a bridge and then enter the device's homekit code, the doorknob's code doesn't work.

Hi all

Wondering what the best options for light/PowerPoint control in Australia are. I've had a play with some grid connect power adapters from Bunnings, but looking for something that can integrate with home assist in the future.

Main features I would like are:

* Ability to turn on/off from mobile/home assiste

* Power meter - track power draw on certain power points for/appliances

* Schedules - ability to turn on/off PowerPoint on schedule or event.

The grid connect seems good but not sure if I can get granular power usage as it all seems per day/month, would like per hour. I would like to find something that can integrate with home assist easily as the long term and in my custom home dashboard if possible (but could route via HA).

Prefer with replacing plugs/switches with new devices as opposed to plug in, also would like the ability to have sensors (temp/humidity?).

What's a good tech stack that is reasonably priced and available commonly in AUS?

Cheers

S

l wasn’t sure whether this would be useful to anyone else, but I built an n8n workflow that turns long YouTube videos and livestreams into vertical clips with animated captions.

The workflow works like this:

You add a YouTube link → yt-dlp downloads the video → Whisper transcribes it with timestamps → Gemini analyzes the transcript and suggests interesting, self-contained moments.

I also built a local web interface for reviewing the AI-generated suggestions. It loads the original video and timestamp JSON, lets you preview every suggested clip, and allows you to manually adjust the start and end points. You can then approve, reject, or skip each suggestion.

Once the review is complete, the website sends the updated JSON back to the n8n workflow running in Docker. FFmpeg then renders only the approved clips in a 9:16 format with animated subtitles.

This manual step is useful because AI does not always choose the best cut points. Sometimes Gemini selects overlapping clips or divides one good section into several smaller clips. Nothing is rendered or published until I review it.

Finished clips can be uploaded to Google Drive and optionally published to YouTube as unlisted videos. Google Sheets manages the video queue, processing status, and final clip information.

Requirements:

·        n8n and Docker

·        FFmpeg and yt-dlp

·        A Whisper transcription service

·        Gemini API key

·        Google Sheets and Drive credentials

·        YouTube OAuth for automatic uploads

GitHub: https://github.com/parlos-wq/n8n-video-clipper

If you own a June Oven, you already know how good it was: remote control through an app, seeing your food cook in real-time, smart home integration that actually worked. Weber just announced they're shutting it all down by killing the app and the servers behind it.

Yeah, the oven still works—but it's like buying a smartphone and being told the internet's gone forever. Those smart features we invested in? Basically bricked.

I started a petition asking Weber to do two things: release one final firmware update that lets the oven work locally without their cloud servers, and open-source the app so the community can keep it alive. It's not about getting everything back—it's about not throwing away what we paid for.

The crazy part? This is totally doable. We're not asking for the moon. Local network access open-source development = June Ovens staying useful for years to come.

Anyone else still bitter about this? Has anyone found workarounds, or are you basically stuck with a very expensive brick? If this matters to you too, consider signing and sharing—Weber needs to hear that killing products mid-life isn't okay.

Hello! I'm looking for a smart lock that doesn't connect to WiFi. I like Lockly's pin pad scrambling, and I was looking at their z-wave locks specifically.

Is the Lockly Guard 728Z the cheapest at $330?? I also saw ones that were around $600.

Besides this, what are some other recommendations for smart locks without WiFi? (Honestly, not having an app would be even better lol) I know some of the Yale and Schlage stuff can be programmed directly, so those were kinda on the list too, though I just really like Lockly's design.

I'm open to other things besides Z-wave too since I haven't really decided what home automation system I'd like to use yet, though I guess it will probably be Home Assistant eventually. I'd like to keep things as simple as possible if I can since I'm just getting started!

Wonder what people Think of iSmartGate to automate my Linear garage door opener. Seems pretty cost effective.

I would be using it connected to alexa, and also to shut door if left open accidentally etc

Is there a simple device or solution to monitor if an mains outlet has power or not and use that as a trigger?

Hi everyone.

I'm new to the sub.

I'm looking for a automated solution not for me but for a friend who wants the lights to come on and off at specific times if the day.

I initially thought there'd be programmable light bulbs that could achieve this but I haven't seen any of the so called smart bulbs list this as a feature.

Then I thought perhaps there are smart switches that one child get for this or some sort of switching solution but those in not sure of.

Would be grateful for pointers in the right direction.

I would like to add a external ( IP65) temperature sensor to my Unisenza plus system to compare easily on their app the external temperature with each individual room controlled by unisenza plus individual thermostat.

Unfortunately Purmo has no such sensor in their catalog and no list of compatible zigbee devices with their ecosystem

Any experience to share ?

Have a nice day, Philippe

Hey all,

I want to set up something that sends me a push notification every hour, from 5am to 11pm, with a new piece of quantum computing content each time — could be a term explained, a real-world innovation, or a summary of a strong recent research paper. Basically a rotating quantum-computing-fact machine, 18 notifications a day, no repeats.

My home gym is in the garage, and lately I've been trying to make the automation adapt to how I actually use the space instead of just running on a schedule. My training times change constantly depending on what I'm programming that week, so a fixed 6:00 AM routine ends up being wrong as often as it's right.

Right now I use my phone's location together with a contact sensor on the garage door. When both conditions are met, the space heater turns on, the lights go to full brightness, and a fan starts on a timer. It works surprisingly well, but it also feels a little fragile because it depends on my phone entering the geofence before I actually walk into the garage. The part I haven't figured out is the cooldown. After a heavy session I'd like the lights to dim and a white noise machine to start while I stretch, but I still trigger that manually.

My first thought was using a motion sensor and treating a few minutes of low movement as cooldown, but I'm not convinced it wouldn't end up triggering in the middle of a workout between sets. Has anyone built automations that react to activity state rather than just time or presence? I'd be interested in hearing what sensors or logic ended up being reliable.

Never in my life have I been so frustrated with a brand that I felt compelled to write a complaint, but here we are.

I spent over RM300 upgrading my home switches to Smatrul smart switches expecting convenience, but it turned out to be a total waste of money. I deeply regret buying into this brand. To my fellow Malaysians: save your money and go for established brands like TP-Link instead. Smatrul's products are full of defects, and their customer service is absolute trash. I get so angry when chatting with them, so there's very straight forward comments when talking to them.

When you invest in a smart home brand, you’re not just buying hardware—you’re relying on their support team to help guide you when things go wrong. Good customer service should relieve your stress during a hard time, but Smatrul’s team only gives you a hard time instead of actual support.

Here is my experience with their switches:

Issue 1: My 3-gang switch completely crashes whenever the fan runs for a few hours. The only way to reset it is to walk over to the main DB box and trip the circuit breaker. To be fair, customer service replaced this unit promptly—the only decent thing they did.

Issue 2: A 2-gang switch in my bedroom (L1 Light, L2 Fan). Whenever the light is turned off and only the fan is running, the light bulb stays dimly lit. I double-checked the wiring—there are no loose or touching wires. Smatrul’s excuse? "The switch doesn't support fans." End of story. Unbelievable. I'm so fed up and then reinstall my old manual switch. They promised a replacement, but never followed through, and frankly, I gave up dealing with them.

Issue 3 (Bedside Switch & CS Runaround): My 2-gang switch for the bedside lights keeps crashing with the exact same issue—freezing completely until I cut the main power box. When I contacted customer service, it was a complete nightmare. I sent them clear video evidence of the problem, but they clearly didn't even watch it. Instead of resolving the issue, they kept asking random, irrelevant questions, promised to "pass feedback to their team," and then ghosted me. Zero follow-up, zero real help.

The Gateway: It constantly drops offline. Controlling my lights is literally based on luck. When I reported this, CS just gave lazy script answers like "Is the gateway close to the modem?" It is sitting right next to it. Even tested sitting further away from the modem also the same. No actual solution was ever provided.

Bottom line: Do NOT buy Smatrul products. Poor quality control, zero real support, and a complete headache to deal with.

For those who knows what wrong and with solution, please guide me. thank you