Some background Ian has been ‘into’ music since being a young teenager, age 13 he started doing paper rounds. If anyone remembers those, to fund the purchasing of LPs / vinyl. Ian did two paper rounds in the morning before school, then one after school. Part of a typical Saturday Read more
Nest Thermostat In 2014, Sandra and Ian installed a Nest Thermostat, previously they had a programable thermostat. The NEST offered more control via the internet and has some intelligence / learning built in. The thermostat is wall mounted in their hallway, so not in direct sunlight. Cats, Catio and a Read more
Ian settled on the following as the device he would use in their home to monitor temperatures: Aqara Temperature and Humidity Sensor, Zigbee, for Remote Monitoring and Home Automation It states in the product description that an Aqara hub is required, it isn’t, the ConBee II communicates with it perfectly. Read more
ZigBee Ian initially installed some home automation with Wemo switches, then utilised IFTTT. If you used more than a few simple rules with IFTTT then you had to sign up for their paid model. Having a monthly expenditure for some home automation was not something Ian was going to be Read more
Image above is Jane and Ian’s Great-Grandfather Joseph Leigh Hunter, his wife and step-daughter Finding the real identity of Leigh Hunter and his son Joseph Leigh Hunter How we smashed our genealogical brick wall and made other interesting discoveries during our search to solve our family mystery DNA doesn’t Lie, Read more
We have an old-fashioned doorbell that ran off a 12V AC transformer. This page details how we changed our doorbell. The doorbell was frankly too loud; Ian tried muffling it a few times, though our cats still panicked, so I ended up disconnecting the bell. We have home deliveries, so Read more
Please feel free to contact us. Please note we will include your I.P. Address in any form sent: Your I.P. address – Ian has a keen interest in the following and more: We aim to respond to Contact forms with 48 hours We use and recommend – Those who attempt Read more
Pages Animals …..Cats …..HedgeHogs Project HedgeHog First HedgeHog update of 2023 Second HedgeHog update of 2023 …..Pond & Fish A Smarter pond pump Life in general Ian’s instant coffee hack – A more palatable instant coffee for your taste buds and pocket Music Photography Technology & Home Automation Jump to Read more
Pages Home Assistant & batteries for ZigBee battery-powered devices As energy costs rise – Home Assistant – Better home temperature control Doorbell now working via Home Assistant Sandra & Ian’s Home Assistant SwitchBot IP65 BlueTooth – Our chosen device for temperature sensing Switching from fixed-contract Internet, telephone, and TV providers Read more