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 paying for. The charge coupled with some ‘flakiness’ from the Wemo switches was finally enough for Ian to consider other solutions.
HomeAssistant was found via some internet searches, it supports ZigBee and Z-Wave which are both Mesh networks. It looked like a promising solution, as Ian could test it out on a spare Raspberry Pi 3B+. ZigBee was chosen as the technology to test as the devices are generally cheaper than Z-Wave ones. Sandra and Ian already had a Philips Hue, which was more reliable than the Wi-Fi plugs. Philips Hue uses ZigBee technology, so it helped sway the decision.
In October, 2021 Ian initially purchased the following items:
The initial tests Ian performed were a great success, based upon the results Ian purchased some additional ZigBee plugs. The some ZigBee coloured bulbs, mainly LEDvance, based upon their cost.
Kitchen
Sandra and Ian have Maine Coon cats, which tend to get under foot, Ian decided to install some LEDs at the base of kitchen units, close to the floor. The reason was if you carrying something into the kitchen it is not always easy to switch the lights on, if your arms are full. The following items were used for the under plinth LEDs:
Ian opted for the waterproof LEDs as they are in the kitchen, though this presented an additional challange. To use the LED strip connectors the contacts on the LED strip need to be exposed, so the clear coating has to be removed carefully.
The transformer is located in a kitchen cupboard where their washing machine is plugged in, the transformer is plugged into a ZigBee plug. The ZigBee plug is controlled by Home Assistant, switching on at sunset and off at 10.30 pm, no more tripping over cats.
Migration
The Home Assistant RPi was not quite as quick as Ian would have liked, so he made the decision to port it to a Raspberry Pi 4B. He must have struck lucky as he managed to source one quite quickly, even though there is a shortage. Migrating to the the RPi4 brought it’s own challenges, the ConBee II couldn’t ‘see’ any of the ZigBee devices. After some internet searches, mystery solved, the ConBee II needs to be located away from the RPi4, so a 2 metre USB extension was ordered. The USB extension cable solved the problem, the ConBee II was now able to ‘see’ and control all of the ZigBee devices.
Backup
Having a backup is important, if there is a problem, it is easier to do a restore than create all the devices, automations and scenes from scratch. The way Ian backs up is via a Home Assistant addon called Samba Share.
When you install and configure Samba Share on Home Assistant, it allows you to access the backups, as a network drive from another device.
Temperature
Home Assistant is not just about lights and plugs, you can also monitor and control other devices. Click here to learn how Ian took control of the Nest thermostat.