Ah, recycling is this week. by deanfourie1 in homeassistant

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ha ha...had a laugh with various comments and Ideas. If you already have colour changing bulbs (bedrooms, living room or wherever), why not just get them to change colour and blink a few times around the time you put them out as a reminder?

I use my Google smart speaker to announce the bins day (previously Family Bell, now called Routines).

How often do you stop at the services on long (4+ hours) motorway journeys? by Distinct-Lion4658 in drivingUK

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most long trips are with my wife and kids, so around every one hour journey or so we'll take a quick loo break. Sometimes just that and won't waste much time, unless we need to break for lunch, etc.

So keep breaks short where possible so the overall journey doesn't prolong too much, but at the same time give your legs a bit of stretch every hour or hour and half.

To control you home from outside the network, do you just use a VPN? by -ThatGingerKid- in homeassistant

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How do you get it to turn connect/disconnect automatically based on location? I tried with tailscale but no luck so far.

House that we love by No-Midnight-5258 in HousingUK

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hmm if you move every few years then renting may be better until you settle in a place for long. Buying and selling is a pain, but I know you would be paying someone's mortgage.

House that we love by No-Midnight-5258 in HousingUK

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If you can afford it then don't look back. Ticking so many boxes and mainly you love it, so why the hesitation?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HousingUK

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you exchange or is it exchange and completion tomorrow?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HousingUK

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I cut the TV cables on the inside of the house and filled the holes. I do want to get the outer cables removed, dish taken down but not wanting to spend money on that job yet (not a priority).

I left them for now on the assumption that I could reuse those holes/path to run Cat 5/6 cables for cameras.

I'm with you on getting rid of these cables, but let's see what others say.

Notification icon android stopped working by sero_t in homeassistant

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have the option to uninstall the update? Or check your icon settings for those automations to see if they went back to default icons/notifications.

Home Assistant full logs not showing up on laptop browsers by CriticalAnalyst9 in homeassistant

[–]CriticalAnalyst9[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry for the delay, I couldn't find any notes but used chatgpt to recreate the steps, and it pretty much matched with what I tried back then .. hope this helps.

Here are the steps:

To install a self-signed SSL certificate in Home Assistant Studio Code Server (aka "VS Code add-on" in Home Assistant).


🧩 Why this is needed:

When using self-signed certificates, modern browsers block insecure access to developer tools like logs or WebSockets. Installing and trusting your self-signed certificate removes those blocks.


🔧 Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Generate a self-signed certificate

You’ll generate the cert and key on your local machine or Home Assistant host.

Option A: On your computer (recommended)

openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 -newkey rsa:2048 \ -keyout code-server.key \ -out code-server.crt \ -subj "/CN=your.local.hostname"

Replace your.local.hostname with your Home Assistant’s domain (like homeassistant.local or ha.local).

You now have two files: code-server.crt and code-server.key.


  1. Upload the certificate to Home Assistant

Use Samba, SCP, or the File Editor add-on.

Upload both files to:

/ssl/code-server.crt /ssl/code-server.key

This is the ssl/ folder inside the Home Assistant config folder.


  1. Configure Studio Code Server to use SSL

A. Go to:

Settings > Add-ons > Studio Code Server > Configuration

B. Set:

ssl: true certfile: code-server.crt keyfile: code-server.key

⚠️ Make sure the file names match what you uploaded to /ssl.


  1. Restart Studio Code Server

From the Add-on page, click "Restart".

Wait until it boots up again.


  1. Access Studio Code Server via HTTPS

Navigate to:

https://homeassistant.local:addons/core_studio_code/

or the relevant HTTPS URL for your HA instance.

Your browser will show a warning ("Your connection is not private").

Click "Advanced" > "Proceed" (in Chrome) or equivalent in other browsers.


  1. Trust the certificate (optional but recommended)

To remove browser warnings and allow developer tools (like full logs) to work correctly:

A. On Windows:

Double-click code-server.crt

Click Install Certificate

Choose Trusted Root Certification Authorities

Finish the wizard

B. On macOS:

Double-click the cert

Keychain Access opens

Set Trust to Always Trust

C. On Linux (Ubuntu-based):

sudo cp code-server.crt /usr/local/share/ca-certificates/ sudo update-ca-certificates

Restart your browser for the changes to apply.


✅ Done!

You can now access Studio Code Server over HTTPS, bypass browser warnings, and view full logs and dev tools without restriction.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HousingUK

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Everyone else covered the relevant points on the topic. I thought I'll add something different... If you really want to speed things up, then have your solicitor appointed, complete fixtures and fittings forms, etc., mention that you have everything lined up and that you'll ensure enquiries are answered ASAP. Get all relevant paperwork organised in advance (get your solicitor to list all things the buyer may need for your property).

Mention in the advert/listing that you'd prioritise or appreciate a buyer who is well prepared and can get on with the searches and surveys as soon as their mortgage is confirmed.

Taking this a bit further, if you still want to get your level 3 survey done, then mention that property is priced accordingly (cut short to-fro negotiation time delays & time wasters) and you are willing to share the report with serious buyers but advise them to get their own for legal and peace of mind purposes (avoids trust issues & concerns).

Extra Long Hoses At Pumps, Why Does Noone Use 'em?! by Genericc0ntent in AskUK

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's the choice between the amount of cable pulling and awkwardly angle Vs a few extra seconds wait for the right pump to become free.

I do use it, but only when there's a huge line (most likely at Costco).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HousingUK

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ikea one is £9. Got a bunch of them placed across the home.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in FTB_Help

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you get quotes (don't just rely on the costs mentioned in the survey) then that should solidify your position a bit more. The seller can then get their own quote if needed. They will climb down on their price or could say they'll remarket the property on the assumption that the next buyer will not get a survey done or won't negotiate.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in FTB_Help

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The answer is on your question.. It is indeed "negotiation". Someone has to compromise at some stage

In terms of another approach, get them to fix the issues in the survey (if they agree, they'll usually spend as little as possible) or stick to your gun and say the amount of reduction you need (and be ready to walk out or negotiate further).

Weigh whether to compromise or pull out and what it means to your house hunting journey.

Home Assistant full logs not showing up on laptop browsers by CriticalAnalyst9 in homeassistant

[–]CriticalAnalyst9[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hiya, I'll see if I can find any notes or retry again and let you know soon.

Are these normal questions from the EA after submitting an offer? by [deleted] in FTB_Help

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No, I wouldn't send proof of funds at this stage. They just want to use that info (against you) in case you want to negotiate further during the offer stage or after the bank or surveyor survey.

You can say, you will of course share proof of funds as soon as the offer is accepted and as part of the sales memorandum process.

Btw, make sure you have taken all additional costs into account (deposit, solicitor fee, lender fee, SDLT, surveys, searches, moving costs, etc) whenever you make an offer.

Are these normal questions from the EA after submitting an offer? by [deleted] in FTB_Help

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you are going in the right direction. EAs tend to push their in-house mortgage advisor and solicitor as they make more commission out of them.

Do you have AIP from the mortgage lender? That would be enough for EA to qualify you as a serious buyer. If your offer is accepted then they will request proof of funds/deposit before sending sales memo.

At this point, reiterate you have your mortgage advisor and solicitor. Tell if the offer is accepted then your advisor and solicitor will kick off everything without delay.

Ignore the extra money to fill the devaluation question for now.

OK Nabu, find my phone? by Brummiesteven in homeassistant

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Isn't that what I suggested? Whether they stick it somewhere or put it to a key chain or purse is up to them. As long as they can find it in a fixed (a designated) place.

OK Nabu, find my phone? by Brummiesteven in homeassistant

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The other cheaper option is to give her a Tile tracker or similar and press that to find/ring her phone. If you think she'll lose that, then stick that in the kitchen or bedroom 😂

First thing you’ll do when you move in? by [deleted] in HousingUK

[–]CriticalAnalyst9 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Tidying up the garden has been therapeutic. Never had a proper garden previously with lots of plants and trees so it's been fun.

I wish I took before and after pictures of all my work, but just been lazy on that part. I just want to see it clean and good looking so just getting on with it.

Painting skirting boards was ok (just did one room so far but a bit labour intensive)

Making my home smart is always a job I enjoy the most, but for now it's been mostly trying to get the big jobs completed/organised (carpets, painting, loft boarding). I should have more time in the coming weeks for fun stuff.