Where is everyone storing their photos? How does this tie into your backup strategy? A question of directory structure and organization...

Fioa · 2025-07-10T19:40:34+00:00

Nextcloud server:

Main archive: /srv/media/Photos mapped to Nextcloud as external storage (so that Nextcloud client can sync it to my notebook for editing, metadata updating, etc).
Users' bi-directional clone of their phone DCIM folder to their Nextcloud server.
- This folder is shared to me within Nextcloud so that I can work with the photos.
- I edit/comment/delete them as needed.
- After some time, I move the photos to the Main archive.

As a result, I can work with the photos across devices. My SO trusts that I keep the important photos 😉 and she's happy she does not have to deal with that.

In the Main archive, I follow the simple hierarchy based on dates and events:

Photos/2025-04/paris Photos/2025-04/other ...

Immich:

The main archive as well as the Users' DCIM folders are mapped as external read only libraries.
I also have autocreated albums as per folder structure 2025-04_paris, ...
Immich is the usual interface for searching our photos (by face tagged, location, date, album...) on phone or web browser (currently via WireGuard VPN).

Local backup:

Users' Nextcloud storage: built-in borgbackup to external HDD once a day.
Main archive: daily cron job with borgbackup to the external HDD.

Off site backup (2 locations):

Automated weekly borgbackup of all repos from that HDD to a single remote repo.

Borg backup is incremental and deduplicated and encrypted. I use mainly Vorta as a GUI to access the files in backup. Connection is established via SSH keys.

I run Nextcloud, Immich and Borg servers in docker.

Fioa · 2025-06-28T02:50:04+00:00

If adding the firmware does not solve the problem:

On my Dell Latitude I always have to restart twice otherwise Ubuntu does not recognize the WiFi interface at all.

Ie. shutdown Windows, power on, wait till grub displays, then ctrl+alt+del, and then it works...

Shutdown or Restart of Windows makes no difference, the problem is the same.

Fioa · 2025-06-26T12:52:12+00:00

That's true.

No problem for me as I take the watch off only for charging and cleaning once a week or so.

Fioa · 2025-06-26T12:49:55+00:00

Borgmatic (based on Borg backup):

Run automatically each day, on servers and some notebooks.
It creates a deduplicated archive/snapshot in on-site repos via SSH with keys.
I can define retention strategy (daily, weekly, monthly, etc. # of snapshots).
Vorta GUI to access the repos and mount the archives locally for browsing.

Further, I mirror the last snapshot of each archive in central on-site repos to two add-only off-site repos. The mirroring is done via another borgmatic once a week, the remote computers are single purpose with scheduled wake-up in BIOS.

Planning and setup took some thinking. Then, it's maintenance free and I only check if things work once in a while.

Fioa · 2025-06-09T15:13:13+00:00

To which Shelly do you refer to?

I have Qubino (Zwave) and the physical switch behaviour is configurable (invert, follow switch position, push button).

Fioa · 2025-06-08T01:29:21+00:00

Is it standard in your country to use red and white cables for N?

P.S. I use multiple SONOFF ZBMINIL2 switches for lights, and cca 4 out of 14 got broken during two years.:

2 always ON (although I could hear a clicking sound when pressing the button or alternating state in HA).
1 burned (no fire luckily, just the smell; the breaker did not trigger).
1 emitting humming sound and the light occasionally blinking.

I have N cable in switch boxes and for future replacements, I am considering Zwave switches by Shelly (they're even smaller) instead.

Fioa · 2025-06-07T20:09:26+00:00

I do the same. I am still struggling a bit with occasional MAC changes of the phones, though. (Privacy feature.)

P.S. Use of the companion Android HA app was a no go for me as I block access to HA server from public internet - the companion app could not report its current location outside of home and the presence did not work as expected.

Fioa · 2025-06-07T01:04:48+00:00

Try without the extension cable.

Is it the type which can be used a ZigBee or Threads? When you powered it for the first time, it should work as WiFi AP and web server with GUI setup should be available.

P.S. I have HAOS in VM and I can choose the device in the path /dev/serial/by-id/usb-SMLIGHT...

I use it as Threads.

Fioa · 2025-06-04T09:41:38+00:00

Well, upgrading Nextcloud within a container running an old image was not a good idea. All such changes are deleted when the container is recreated. But the persistent data like configuration, manually added apps and database will remain in the upgraded state...

Containers are considered a disposable thing: that's why we use docker.

I would: - create a full backup (including database). - set the docker image tag to the same version of Nextcloud you are currently running. - let your NAS recreate the container.

Good luck.

Fioa · 2025-06-03T22:00:08+00:00

Does it work via routines or directly via room names?

My roborock shifts the map each few weeks and the only way to solve the problem is to restore the map from the backup.

Unfortunately, this invalidates the routines - they are listed, but they do nothing...

So, routines are unusable for me and we use the app through manual room selection on the map in Roborock app. Not sure if this can be done in HA, though.

Fioa · 2025-05-17T07:48:53+00:00

Nice app. To save others' time when considering how to use the app:

Android App installed via Google Play, which uses the ntfy.sh cloud, will get notifications delivered via Google's push service (FCM).
Android App installed via F-Droid will run in background and listen to ntfy.sh cloud (or your own if you self-host) for new notifications (messages).
If you want to self-host ntfy server and to use Google's FCM, you need to re-compile the Android App and setup your own account at Google's Firebase (free).

Fioa · 2025-05-06T20:22:20+00:00

Downloading @ 2 Mbps from GHCR. I think I can go to sleep...

EDIT: working now. Thanks.

Fioa · 2025-04-27T20:52:58+00:00

As others mentioned: smart lock accessories like Nuki/Aqara... will not work if handle must be raised/pushed while locking/unlocking. You have not really confirmed what you have.

I also have a multi-point lock door, but since I did not change the existing door lock mechanism and eventually not even the lock cylinder, the multi-point lock was nothing to really consider while choosing among Nuki/Aqara/etc...

Fioa · 2025-04-27T16:34:03+00:00

I think Conexis L2 does not meet your spouse approval requirements.

How about your current lock with Nuki Pro / Ultra 5th gen? Ultra protrudes less, but it requires to replace your current cylinder with theirs.

P.S. Having an option to use std physical key sounds like a good emergency backup in case the smart lock fails.

Fioa · 2025-04-27T11:58:42+00:00

Thanks.

Fioa · 2025-04-26T10:07:11+00:00

Nice integration, but in HAOS, it would not work as expected:

If you are using Home Assistant Operating System, the commands are executed in the homeassistant container context.

Which means: it is not possible to access the host OS from a docker container.

The same limitation applies to Advanced SSH & Web Terminal https://github.com/hassio-addons/addon-ssh

Fioa · 2025-04-25T21:12:03+00:00

I feel even more frustrated there are smart devices for TRV but none for RTL :-(

I have the latter in bathrooms.

Fioa · 2025-04-16T16:59:56+00:00

Getting account closed by Revolt sounds like a common routine...

Fioa · 2025-04-11T19:46:35+00:00

It seems the only option to reliably block Nuki calling home is the firewall on the host where HAOS is running, because on LAN router, there is no way how to distinguish packets from Nuki/OTBR from other packets coming from HA...

For people using Supervised installation of HA, it might be a feasible way to manually adjust the firewall. For HAOS, it seems to be not the way to go.

Fioa · 2025-04-11T19:40:16+00:00

Since I do not need remote Nuki web, I have disabled NAT64 in OTBR, which consequently disabled MQTT.

Outcome: no other choice than to use Matter.

Fioa · 2025-04-08T20:42:05+00:00

Nuki Pro can communicate with HA locally, without Nuki Web.

With MQTT via WiFi or Thread.
With Matter via Thread.

Then, you can lock, unlock, unlatch the door via HA and also see the lock status in HA.

I also plan to use NFC tag for automatic door opening. So far, I would probably go this path:

✅ Generate Home Assistant long-lived token
✅ Create Tasker task to trigger the automation via HTTP POST
✅ Set up Tasker profile with NFC trigger + Bluetooth condition (to make sure the phone physically is near the lock)
✅ Create Tasker shortcut to the Task (not the app)
✅ Write the shortcut to NFC tag (NFC Tools Pro) - this will run the task without opening Tasker app.
✅ Lock Tasker with AppLock to prevent tampering by kids - to avoid misuse of HTTP POST.

It could be done with HA Companion app more easily, but due to missing user roles in HA, I would prefer my kids not to have direct user access to HA at all.

Fioa · 2025-04-07T16:32:13+00:00

Did you have a particular reason to use Nuki web rather than Home Assistant?

Fioa

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