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Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15996

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 22 8:25 am Post subject:

It was the same in the early days of desk top computers. Most bits wouldn't talk to each other. If you can write the program to make them work together that will be brilliant. Being something of a Luddite with this technology (having seen the innards not working all too often at the development stage), I don't trust 'Smart' technology and think if it was so smart we wouldn't have to find out how to get the beastly stuff to work.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 22 7:48 am Post subject:

The basic issue is that everyone has tried to write there own protocols on how to communicate rather than going for a non propriety extendable standard.
It just creates randomness. I control lights in my house with voice control. Sometimes a voice command gets routed from Alexa to Hue, but sometimes a similar command goes Alexa->Harmony->Hue. There is little logging to determine the logic.
As everyone does there own software it's more bug prone. Until a couple of weeks ago I could press a widget on my tablet and turn off lights, now that's broken and Philips say they know it's borked, but don't say when they will fix it. Just as well it's just lights.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15996

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 22 8:16 am Post subject:
We just use a light switch; its easier.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46247
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 22 8:43 am Post subject:
learn to walk in the dark

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9887
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 22 8:44 pm Post subject:

Mistress Rose wrote:

We just use a light switch; its easier.

I was thinking the same...

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 22 8:00 am Post subject:

Yesterday would tend to reinforce the anti tech sentiment.

The immersion switch went off close to glitch free, lots of routines to force it off.
A routine to turn it on by saying "Alexa cycle immersion" that turns it on for 30 mins.
The plug monitors consumption

I then thought I'd figure out reducing standby electric on the TV set up, by placing all the devices that sit on their own standby on a single plug.

That also worked as such turning 12w of standby into a single smart plugs worth.

Can turn that on and off with Alexa.

But to get it to the harmony rig, needs it in "Tuya smart" scenes created for it, linked to "smartthings" then linked to harmony.
The scenes come through but are offline and harmony won't work sensibly with this approach anyway

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46247
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 22 8:41 am Post subject:

a "black box" that can translate and filter commands to a variety of partly interlinked systems would be useful

considering the variety and variability(updates etc) of systems, a "black box" is far more complex than walking in the dark

a coordination hub that can deal with routing a one piece at a time environment is a nightmare spec

a hub that can translate for some things now is a start

the talk to each other bit is easy, the understanding each other and what each should do is harder

have fun

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 22 8:49 am Post subject:
Does your house have to be true south facing for solar? Ours points in a south east direction and I think we lose the sun at the front from about mid afternoon. Would it be worth having panels installed?

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6612
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 22 8:54 am Post subject:

sgt.colon wrote:

Does your house have to be true south facing for solar?

Ours points in a south east direction and I think we lose the sun at the front from about mid afternoon.

Would it be worth having panels installed?

It depends. True southeast will certainly be less power potential than true South. I don't know if community solar schemes are available to you in the UK, but if so, and not trying to be detached from the grid, they would probably be a less expensive route to going solar

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Mar 11, 22 6:33 am Post subject:
we now have the dongle for reporting It looks like a wifit point named SWSKBADSPY which should freak the neighbours. It has a dead simple API to see the numbers It's only seeing the solar generated though maybe bad install of CT clamp or maybe they didn't bother

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46247
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Mar 11, 22 8:31 am Post subject:
love its call sign

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Mar 11, 22 8:09 pm Post subject:

Solar guy professes total ignorance of CT Clamps, optional extra that he's not done in 12 years in the trade

Our smart meter also has no app access.
I'm sure we will get there on that this, one way or another I will find consumption.

It's a bit of a muddle but the Tuya IoT platform has found the immersion switch.

I have also found "node-red" it's kind of a drag and drop affair connecting flows between devices and there are TuYa modules.

Thus far I just have it picking up the solar readings, but it should just be a learning curve to make a decision on that (albeit it would be a poor decision without knowing consumption) to turn on/off a TuYa switch.
I can run node-red on most things. I gave my raspberry Pi away but it would run on a Pi. Still glad I have it away as some has had use of it whilst I didn't.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15996

Posted: Sat Mar 12, 22 10:15 am Post subject:
Perhaps if you can sort that lot our you ought to set up a consultancy to help other people with similar problems.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46247
Location: yes

Posted: Sat Mar 12, 22 11:20 am Post subject:
i will have a chat with a couple of chums who have fairly recently added solar stuff to their electrical engineering portfolio techytools and cybertech approaches are required for resolving this sort of thing

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9887
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Sat Mar 12, 22 12:27 pm Post subject:
simple question, but if there is local power cut, would you still be able to use power from your own panels. I'm guessing only if you have a battery as part of the system?

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