Smart Home

[Rusty Edge]

Okay. Keen Smart Vents.

As I said, I got a great deal on the vents. They may not be the best ones out there, but they were in stock. Not backordered or pre-ordered or whatever.

It looks like a well designed product. The trouble is that the instructions are a slip of paper that says "Download our app!" The hardware is easy to figure out. It requires a smart bridge, but it's compatible with the ones by Samsung and Apple, too. Selling points. It also integrates with Nest and ecobee thermostats. More selling points. It requires thermometer sensors, but you can use the ones from ecobee. Another selling point.


What you don't know until you download the darned app, is that to use the Samsung bridge, you have to use that app instead. The vent wasn't easy to find on the Samsung Smart Things app, but if first you don't succeed, start over, start over again. But the Samsung bridge doesn't seem to integrate with ecobee or Alexa/Echo. An internet search reveals that the way only way for the Keen vents to work with the ecobee thermostat is with the Keen bridge and the ecobee sensors and the ecobee app. It would be nice if they would explain that on the website or box when they say "Now works with ecobee!"


Are we seeing a pattern here? I think so. It would be great to know the actual hardwire requirements and compatibility before I actually purchase a product. While I appreciate that printed materials won't be as current as an app, I don't think that it's too much to ask that you update your website or post your installation instructions on it. 


So far the things that are easy to install have been the -

*Lutron Caseata smart dimmer, with bridge and remote control.

*The Echo Spot

*The ecobee4 smart thermostat & remote sensor. ( this thing was a delight. )


Challenging installation/linkage is associated with-

* SkyBell HD video doorbell

*Lutron Maestro 3-way switches.

*Samsung Smart Things hub. ( To be fair, this hub is meant to be an all-in-one device, using multiple types of radio signal, however, I have the Lutron hub and am about to get the Keen hub, too. It hasn't simplified things much, as yet. )

[Rusty Edge]

I should add that the one smart vent that I installed appears to be smart enough to operate itself. Opening when the furnace is on, and closing when it isn't.

[Geo]

It functions in relation with humidity/co2 levels then?
Sounds like something you could use in the bathroom too.

I noticed my toilet room (cubicle actually) activates when leaving the door open while visiting it.

[Rusty Edge]

It functions in relation with humidity/co2 levels then?
Sounds like something you could use in the bathroom too.

I noticed my toilet room (cubicle actually) activates when leaving the door open while visiting it.

Perhaps, the main thermostat displays temp and humidity and whether the areas are occupied.  I assume the remote uses an infrared sensor to determine temp and occupancy. That's what the light switches use, infrared sensors to detect motion. 

In the 1990s I had a fan in the barn on a hygrometer control.

[E_T]

Rusty's on the left coast, I doubt storm shutters are even a thing over there.  The only automatic ones I've seen were ugly as hell, like little garage doors.

Actually I'm in Wisconsin in the Milwaukee suburbs, but not too many miles from Lake Michigan. Close enough to moderate the temps about 6 degrees F vs. Madison. Strangely, if a lake is big enough, it seems to lift or deflect tornados. Shutters are strictly trim and style in these parts.

Do you sometimes get Lake Effect Snow storms?

[Rusty Edge]

Rusty's on the left coast, I doubt storm shutters are even a thing over there.  The only automatic ones I've seen were ugly as hell, like little garage doors.

Actually I'm in Wisconsin in the Milwaukee suburbs, but not too many miles from Lake Michigan. Close enough to moderate the temps about 6 degrees F vs. Madison. Strangely, if a lake is big enough, it seems to lift or deflect tornados. Shutters are strictly trim and style in these parts.

Do you sometimes get Lake Effect Snow storms?

Rarely, because the wind doesn't normally blow that direction. I expected lake effect snows from my experiences living in PA and working in NY. We do get the "Panhandle Hook," and the "Alberta Clipper" here, though. But generally speaking, the winters in WI are colder and dryer and darker than winters in PA. In central PA a couple of 18 inch blizzards a year are normal, so are a number of thaws. In WI, a week to 10 days of sub zero temps are normal, and it stays below freezing most of the winter.


They do get both heavy snows and tornados around Racine.

[Geo]

A couple years ago, flying in over Nova Scotia late december, I was really surprised to find the land snow free.
I had thought winters were almost always linked with heavy snowfall in that part of the world.

[Rusty Edge]

What's a smart thermostat do a regular one don't? 

What I've seen so far. The thermostat is in a hallway in the middle of the first floor. The remote sensor is on the end table between our easy chairs in the livingroom, where we spend most of our time. The report with recommendations won't be ready until it's been in use a month, but I can check the app or the thermostat and see what the temp is at both the sensor and the thermostat. The thermostat also displays indoor humidity, and outside weather according to the internet.

Anyway, the thermometer senses where we are and keeps that area the target temp. The other area is usually about 2 degrees different, so I see the potential for savings. Two more sensors are on their way, I'm planning on putting one in the basement and the other on the second floor. When I get the bridge I'll put one smart vent in the basement and the others in the downstairs bathroom and guest room, both of which are close to the thermostat. The living room, kitchen, and upstairs bedroom have other vent sizes, so I can't make them smarter yet. I tried to change the temp by voice as a test today, but it didn't work for whatever reason. I may have misphrased the command. I may not have things set up properly yet. I didn't have time to troubleshoot that today, but I'm sure I could change the temp from the app.

[Rusty Edge]

My parts have been arriving.
I easily installed the Keen Smart Bridge. Added 2 Ecobee "bee" sensors, one in the 2nd floor master bedroom, and one in the basement. I had one smart vent in the hallway. Today I put one in the basement, one in the first floor bathroom, and one in the guest bedroom, which is where the cats loiter.

Getting the Ecobee and Keen apps integrated was a bit more difficult, but I forgot one of the passwords. I seems to be coming down with a Christmas cold, the gift that keeps on giving. So I plead cold medicine. It's one of those things like assembling furniture, if I ever do it again, it will go much more quickly. It wasn't infuriating like some of the other procedures, more trial and error rather than do it over and over. I didn't really understand the instructions, but again, that could be cold medicine, etc.

On the voice command front, I did succeed in getting Alexa to report the temperature to me after she figured out that we had an ecobee. In didn't think I needed to explain that to her since the ecobee 4 is an Alexa device, but maybe the software hasn't been updated since the ecobee 3 and 3 plus. Didn't try to change anything because the temp was comfortable and variations  between the four zones were minimal. Haven't had an issue with my sick voice and Alexa yet.


*****

We have had two incidences of cats triggering the hall light motion sensors, but it seems to take a few of them moving in the hall simultaneously to do it.
 
****************

So, that leaves a) SkyBell re-synchronization ( but with a cold/allergies/whatever, I don't feel like going outside), and b) installing the Onelink smart smoke/CO detector in the basement once it arrives. What's smart about it? It has Alexa integration. It also listens for other smoke detectors, and joins in/notifies my phone when they go off. Oh, there's also c) a wireless blueray/DVD player to set up.  From there I want to try things and see how they work for a while before any more add-ons and integrations.

[Rusty Edge]

I thought that this article was particularly good- https://www.the-ambient.com/guides/best-smart-home-hubs-360

[Smart home hubs buying guide – everything you need to know
We demystify hubs and find the best way to control your home

If you’re creating your ultimate smart home, the chances are you’ll need a smart home hub. When you’re blending devices from a bunch of different manufacturers, you’ll quickly want to get them all working together, and preferably all controllable within one app.
Anyone who’s got fed up of delving into separate apps to control their home will appreciate the benefits smart home hubs have to offer. However, the reality is a little less clear – and a lot of companies aren’t giving you the whole story. In fact, hubs can take many forms; you may already own a smart home hub, and in a dramatic end of season twist, you may not need to buy anything at all.
Read on get clued up about all things hub.

What does a smart home hub do?
Smart home hubs help get your tech working together. If you’ve got smart bulbs from three different manufacturers and want them all working in the same room, controlled as one, you’re going to have to use a hub of some kind.
In addition to that, remote access is a problem that hubs can solve. If you want to turn your heating on from the office before you return home, or schedule your lighting when you’re on holiday, you’re going to need something to offer remote and secure access to your stuff… essentially something that has a Wi-Fi connection so it can communicate with your smartphone. ]

The article goes on to review and compare the various competing hubs and hub alternatives.

[E_T]

We have had two incidences of cats triggering the hall light motion sensors, but it seems to take a few of them moving in the hall simultaneously to do it.

They're ganging up to see what is needed to drive (you) the electronics nuts....

[Geo]

My take is it's Tom and Jerry crossing the hall simultaneously, chasing eachother.

[Rusty Edge]

Yeah, never misunderestimate  the possibility of cats in cahoots. But when it happened, they scrambled in various directions, as if they'd been caught trying to open the door into the forbidden basement or garage or something.


*****


Thermostat/vents - The temp here in the occupied living room is our target  temp of 66 ( no smart vents ). The unoccupied basement smart vent is closed, and it's at 65. The upstairs bedroom is unoccupied and 67 ( no smart vents ). The hallways in the core of the first floor are unoccupied and 67, and the smart vent in that hallway, in the bathroom along that hallway, and in the guest bedroom at one end are all closed. The ecobee thermostat is in this hallway. I have the thermostat, the hallway, bathroom, and guest room organized as one room named "hallway," although I could subdivide them with more sensors. According to my wife, everything is comfortable. Since I'm sick, I have no idea based on how I feel.

That's pretty much all I can do with available vents, unless I bought one more for the basement, and we're only down there for extend time once a month, and for that I can open the 2nd vent by hand.  Beyond that, potentially are smart blinds. They could be a factor in the living room and upstairs bedroom. Or a ceiling fan in the kitchen. There are dampers which are hard wired into the ductwork, but while I like wiring, I despise both plumbing and sheet metal work. If it's not an emergency, I'd probably hire a pro. Or I can wait for smart vents to become available in my other duct sizes.

I'd say at this point, a kitchen ceiling fan makes the most sense, and would be the most likely. I might wait for approppriately sized smart ones, though.

[Rusty Edge]

So far, so fine with the thermostat & vents.

*****

The Onelink safe & sound arrived today. Easy enough to install, a little less easy to synch, simply because the language is vague. "Do it in the app" Fine. Is that the Onelink app, or the Alexa app? Well actually, there's an Alexa submenu in the Onelink app, but you got to find it first. But these things seem to be written by people who think everything is intuitive.

If you ask me "just download the app" is a step backwards from a printed quick start guide. You're saving trees and the environment, but I think theses apps are a drain on my RAM and battery. At least the app should have a prominent set up tab.
 
That brings me to another point. Downloading stuff seems to lead to pop-up ads that can mask the spots I need to find and click.  SO-trial and error. But it's hooked up, Alexa plays music, does math and metric conversions according to my tests on the smoke alarm.


I should have an effective intercom system now. The Echo Dot, the Echo Spot, and my phone app all work well enough. The challenge is the ecobee and the Onelink.  I checked the manufacturer's website and the Onelink is supposed to usable for communications. The ecobee says communications enabled on the Alexa ap. The Onelink unit appears on the app, but doesn't have a communications line to toggle on or off.


Communications come in various forms. With the app, Echo Spot, and Echo Dot you can call people in your address book, although I've disabled that with the exception of my wife's cell phone. Then there is the drop-in feature Alexa device to Alexa device. By naming them by location and device ( bedroom spot, living room dot, hallway, and basement link) you can speak room to room. I've had trouble with this regarding the ecobee and Onelink. The third type of communications is announcement, to all devices. Ex, "Dinner is ready" "Where are you?" "Help me unload groceries." The ecobee recieves those, the Onelink doesn't.   I'll experiment some more tomorrow, and if that doesn't work I'll e-mail customer service.

Okay. The ecobee now sends and recieves announcements, but "Drop-in is not supported on this device. Use the Alexa app."
Announcements are good enough for my purposes, since there is another device on the first floor.

[Geo]

I should have an effective intercom system now. The Echo Dot, the Echo Spot, and my phone app all work well enough...

Hang on a minute, it's coming (from the right)...

"Computer! Locate wife!"

 "Mrs Edge, your presence is required in..."