Home Automation

[Bobbybass]

I have a key finder...….you whistle and it bleeps...

Modern tech at it's best.

 

How's that !

Quote

 

 

[Slim]

1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

Blimey Nick thanks for this post. I will now be able to have a shower without all the faff of switching my gulper on and off. Just been to the bathroom to try it out and it takes nearly a third of a second each and every time I have a shower so it will be great not having to do that. ?

My shower Gulper turns on and off automatically !! It's got a float switch. It's got a separate override switch as well. I thought that was high tech. That part of the system has never failed. The 'indestructible' Gulper has

[mrsmelly]

4 minutes ago, Slim said:

My shower Gulper turns on and off automatically !! It's got a float switch. It's got a separate override switch as well. I thought that was high tech. That part of the system has never failed. The 'indestructible' Gulper has

Blimey you have been unlucky. A gulper is just about the only spare I don't carry as I've never had one fail, perhaps I need to buy one of them also! ?

[cereal tiller]

31 minutes ago, Slim said:

My shower Gulper turns on and off automatically !! It's got a float switch. It's got a separate override switch as well. I thought that was high tech. That part of the system has never failed. The 'indestructible' Gulper has

Hi Slim ,which Float Switch did you use , I have trouble finding good ones.

[mrsmelly]

1 hour ago, nicknorman said:

Yes, I’m sure it will have taken longer for you to light the candle to see your way there.

Ha! As you know my boat is far from prehistoric. I have all the sensible comforts of home to include a superb inverter which is never switched off and only uses 0.3 of an amp when not powering anything, travel power, washer, tumble dryer etc etc etc. I even have led lighting and double glazing BUT what I don't have is some silly completely unnecessary gimmicks that just introduce an extra chance of failure whilst attributing nothing sensibly to my life style ?

[rusty69]

2 hours ago, cereal tiller said:

I am Geek! there ,I've gone and said it!

Its all g̶r̶e̶e̶k̶ geek to me! 

[nicknorman]

7 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Ha! As you know my boat is far from prehistoric. I have all the sensible comforts of home to include a superb inverter which is never switched off and only uses 0.3 of an amp when not powering anything, travel power, washer, tumble dryer etc etc etc. I even have led lighting and double glazing BUT what I don't have is some silly completely unnecessary gimmicks that just introduce an extra chance of failure whilst attributing nothing sensibly to my life style ?

I bet the switch you use to control your shower pump, probably located in a slightly damp environment, is less reliable than my solid state /no moving parts, no electrical contact surfaces to burn etc. Modern and complex doesn’t necessarily equate to less reliable. Look at modern car electronic ignition compared to old coil, condenser, contact breaker and cam, distributor arm, long HT leads. The latter often failing, prone to damp, needing regular adjustment and replacement. The former just works.

 

Just because you don’t understand how something works doesn’t make it unreliable.

[Jennifer McM]

2 hours ago, Clodi said:

I too, use a Google Home mini on board, I also use on at home. In my experience anything of board that could go wrong will go wrong. On the canals nothing serious can really go wrong apart from fire,Gas weirs etc so you're free to automate whatever you wish.

If anyone can recommend a really tried and tested alarm system than detects unwanted movement, listing or bilge pumps  activating please do as I dislike being too far away from my boat for long periods.

I bought a pet camera to keep an eye on the dog when we're out (he's got separation anxiety), via a mobile app it's suppose to let me know when the dog moves, and I can even talk to him if he gets too upset. Trouble is..... we can't understand the instructions!  ?

[rusty69]

1 minute ago, Jennifer McM said:

I bought a pet camera to keep an eye on the dog when we're out (he's got separation anxiety), via a mobile app it's suppose to let me know when the dog moves, and I can even talk to him if he gets too upset. Trouble is..... we can't understand the instructions!  ?

You can also do this if you have a spare smartphone lying around with the appropriate app and Internet connection. 

[Slim]

1 hour ago, cereal tiller said:

Hi Slim ,which Float Switch did you use , I have trouble finding good ones.

It's a Whale. It's in a Whale grey water sump and is fairly old

[David Mack]

31 minutes ago, Jennifer McM said:

I bought a pet camera to keep an eye on the dog when we're out (he's got separation anxiety), via a mobile app it's suppose to let me know when the dog moves, and I can even talk to him if he gets too upset. Trouble is..... we can't understand the instructions!  ?

 

A few years back my niece left her rabbit  Ziggy alone in her rented flat for a couple of days over Christmas. My brother-in-law set up a laptop and webcam, and an always-on Skype connection so she could keep an eye on him. We called it Ziggy-Cam.  He didn't half look confused though, when she spoke to him from the laptop speakers.

[OldGoat]

42 minutes ago, Jennifer McM said:

I bought a pet camera to keep an eye on the dog when we're out (he's got separation anxiety), via a mobile app it's suppose to let me know when the dog moves, and I can even talk to him if he gets too upset. Trouble is..... we can't understand the instructions!  ?

That's worth a Greenie, or mebe several - however 'we' don't have them on here anymore so - TWO GREENIES

40 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

You can also do this if you have a spare smartphone lying around with the appropriate app and Internet connection. 

Aha - therein lies a potential fatal flaw - especially in a tin boat..

In my earlier incarnation I learnt -

the KISS principle - keep it simple, stupid

If it ain't broke don't fix it

 

The only things that go wrong with my car are the electronics - and that's often exacerbated  by confusing messages - "unidentified item in the ...."

 

Play around with electronics and some stupid Alexa thingy not doing what it's told - but completely ignoring the fact that you've fitted only two batteries when any sensible analysis shows you that 5 are needed... 

[George and Dragon]

2 hours ago, Jennifer McM said:

I bought a pet camera

Ooooh. I might get one of those. Much easier to look after than a cat! ?

[rusty69]

4 minutes ago, George and Dragon said:

Ooooh. I might get one of those. Much easier to look after than a cat! ?

Its much less  h̶a̶s̶s̶e̶l̶b̶l̶a̶d̶ hassel lad! 

Edited August 24, 2018 by rusty69

[Phil Ambrose]

8 hours ago, Robbo said:

I was looking to implement flow stuff locally as I don't want to rely on a Internet connection (although you have to with Voice Control).  The Hue system and relay board are quite advanced and can be programmed to do quite a bit of stuff independently anyhow, so the flow stuff is minimal (if any at all).

 

At the moment I've been using Stringify, which I prefer over IFTTT.

FFS I haven't got a Scooby what you are going on about, is this post just a means of showing how superior you are? to be honest where I'm standing it just makes you seem a prat.

Phil 

[Robbo]

6 hours ago, Phil Ambrose said:

FFS I haven't got a Scooby what you are going on about, is this post just a means of showing how superior you are? to be honest where I'm standing it just makes you seem a prat.

Phil 

The terminology used in boating for someone who is not into it won’t mean anything to most.  However I wouldn’t think someone was a prat for using the terminology or think they were superior when they were discussing the subject.   If your not into what the subject title is about or not interested in learning about it then your looking a prat for making such a comment.

[Robbo]

15 hours ago, Clodi said:

I too, use a Google Home mini on board, I also use on at home. In my experience anything of board that could go wrong will go wrong. On the canals nothing serious can really go wrong apart from fire,Gas weirs etc so you're free to automate whatever you wish.

If anyone can recommend a really tried and tested alarm system than detects unwanted movement, listing or bilge pumps  activating please do as I dislike being too far away from my boat for long periods.

You can get GSM relay systems that use SMS, some have inputs so you could have a water sensor or tilt switches on them.   Someone posted a thread here a few years ago regarding that I’ll see if I can find (it was about turning your heating on from your phone). 

 

This thread may be if interest : 

 

 

 

the links in the thread don’t look to be now active but these look to be the products discussed.

https://www.3gmobilecctv.com/gsm-alarms

http://boatmon.theitboat.co.uk/

 

 

Edited August 25, 2018 by Robbo

[Clodi]

23 minutes ago, Robbo said:

You can get GSM relay systems that use SMS, some have inputs so you could have a water sensor or tilt switches on them.   Someone posted a thread here a few years ago regarding that I’ll see if I can find (it was about turning your heating on from your phone). 

 

This thread may be if interest : 

 

 

 

the links in the thread don’t look to be now active but these look to be the products discussed.

https://www.3gmobilecctv.com/gsm-alarms

http://boatmon.theitboat.co.uk/

 

 

Thanks Robbo, I'll have a look later

[Robbo]

14 hours ago, Bobbybass said:

I have a key finder...….you whistle and it bleeps...

Modern tech at it's best.

 

How's that !

 

If you have a few things you misplace then this is the “smart” version of it - https://secure.thetrackr.com/

Edited August 25, 2018 by Robbo

[Sea Dog]

Keep fighting through Robbo!

 

[Phil Ambrose]

1 hour ago, Robbo said:

The terminology used in boating for someone who is not into it won’t mean anything to most.  However I wouldn’t think someone was a prat for using the terminology or think they were superior when they were discussing the subject.   If your not into what the subject title is about or not interested in learning about it then your looking a prat for making such a comment.

So given all that and  despite being asked, you still fail to explain or at least try to put your point across in simpler terms that us lesser mortals can understand..... .. Prat

[Robbo]

13 minutes ago, Phil Ambrose said:

So given all that and  despite being asked, you still fail to explain or at least try to put your point across in simpler terms that us lesser mortals can understand..... .. Prat

I posted a Wikipedia link that explained what home automation is, would you like me too hold your hand to cross the road as well?  In my first post I explained what systems I’m thinking of using and for what.

 

My first post says “I'm getting into home automation and going to implement onto the boat I'm fitting out.   Anyone here have the same thoughts to throw around some ideas and systems used?“, so if you have no interest why are you bothering posting?   If you have a interest, why not post something like I’m interested in doing something similar but I don’t know where to start.

Edited August 25, 2018 by Robbo

[Phil Ambrose]

10 minutes ago, Robbo said:

I posted a Wikipedia link that explained what home automation is, would you like me too hold your hand to cross the road as well?  In my first post I explained what systems I’m thinking of using and for what.

 

My first post says “I'm getting into home automation and going to implement onto the boat I'm fitting out.   Anyone here have the same thoughts to throw around some ideas and systems used?“, so if you have no interest why are you bothering posting?   If you have a interest, why not post something like I’m interested in doing something similar but I don’t know where to start.

If I hadn't been interested I wouldn't have bothered reading the thread and I know I'm not alone in finding it all going over my head a d making my eyes glaze over so why not make your point in a more easily understood manner. Oh and no, I don't need you to hold my hand, after all we have not been formally introduced 

Phil 

[Dr Bob]

I must admit, I was really interested in the title and keen to try anything. Although I am not a the Mr Smelly end of the spectrum, neither am I at the Robbo end. Some language I could understand in the middle would be really great.

I've played around with the eRobot app on an android which does the gps/emailing etc but the interface to actually do anything useful is not there. It would be good to be able to put the eberspatchy thingy on via a mobile but not a clue how to do it 'cause the little black control box is so ancient.....I think Noah had one.

[Robbo]

56 minutes ago, Phil Ambrose said:

If I hadn't been interested I wouldn't have bothered reading the thread and I know I'm not alone in finding it all going over my head a d making my eyes glaze over so why not make your point in a more easily understood manner. Oh and no, I don't need you to hold my hand, after all we have not been formally introduced 

Phil 

My point was that I wanted to discuss with someone who has similar interest in it especially from using on a boat point of view.   If you have a interest in the stuff then one of the reasons I started on this path was because I wanted something to control the lights by something a bit more than just dimming.   I decided on using the Philips Hue system and third party LED ballasts mainly because it uses a open protocol called Zigbee to talk to the bulbs/ballasts, the Hue uses USB power so was easy to put on the 12v system.  Switches and motion detection are wireless so can easily be repositioned.   Also as the Hue is popular it won’t disappear soon.  I dislike the style of the switches, which hopefully will be resolved soon by third parties.   The point of that story is it’s probably easier to start with what you want to do and work from there.

Edited August 25, 2018 by Robbo