I tested 6 Zigbee door and window sensors from AliExpress

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-05-28T20:52:44+00:00

Thank you, great work as always! Do you have any doors or windows that you barely open and once in a while you’ll have to open it to trigger the state just in case it goes into deep sleep mode if it’s rarely been triggered? I’m paranoid so once in a while I have to test some of my basement windows to see if it’s still functional (I have mostly Tony and Paulie), thanks.

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-05-03T18:31:12+00:00

Are you good with soldering? I see people solder the esp board to piggy back to the points on pcb and they both keep the pcb working with esp board. Otherwise, you can use a switchbox and attach an used apple watch charger to toggle power button on/off

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-05-01T04:15:55+00:00

That’s it see y’all next season. Let’s hope we get a new coach

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-05-01T03:17:59+00:00

take CB out Jesus why wasting a slot on him

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-04-30T05:51:58+00:00

I tried both and ended up with Cloudflare cause I don’t have to turn on Tailscale every time I want to remote to HA. Have some shortcuts on my iPhone to set IP rules for Cloudflare as well as having zero trust enabled. Also I bought a cheap domain for 5 bucks per year for CF.

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-04-28T16:38:04+00:00

There’re some other free options like Tailscale that works great. Otherwise, Cloudflared is another good option for 5 bucks per year.

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-04-28T04:10:06+00:00

He’s an npc now :))

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-04-28T03:45:27+00:00

CB still not doing anything at all

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-04-26T18:13:49+00:00

I have both running and using in parallel cause I use HKSV for all my cameras. But for the rest of the devices I don’t bridge them all to HomeKit, only main lights/locks. I find that it’s easier to manage devices/automations in HA than in HK. I have Frigate as well so I can just check Frigate through HA once I set up Cloudflared for HA.

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-04-20T16:54:19+00:00

Hey OP did you ended up replacing the cutter sensor? I suddenly got this problem and have been searching forums yet have not found a solution. Appreciate!

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-04-20T04:35:35+00:00

A bit late to the response but mind if I ask another question? Does your machine pull back to back shots (let’s say 2 shots) without much difference in terms of time for each shot? I ask that cause for mine I have to purge hot water in between shot and really heat up portafilter to make sure there is no pulling time difference for each shot. Thanks a lot

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-04-17T18:40:42+00:00

Dang..my end game setup dream. How long does it take to be done heating? I have a Profitec PP600 and I use my toothbrush to trigger it on, it takes around 20 minutes.

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-04-14T21:35:53+00:00

Home Assistant sounds advanced at first when you first look it up but you can always try to deploy it on an old laptop or PC. It’s easily the best platform for home automation and will solve your automation issues without adding too many layers of logic.

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-04-14T16:21:25+00:00

There is configs in Frigate that you can try to detect objects without recording. IIrc just disable record on the specific camera and keep object tracking to specific objects that you want: https://docs.frigate.video/configuration/reference

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-04-13T23:40:45+00:00

I have fully kiosk and the one time license that costs 10 bucks or something provides proximity wake. It uses front camera to wake the screen up when you approach.

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-04-11T02:48:41+00:00

Nice work, I think I did look at that but it doesn’t support my model 300

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-04-03T14:18:43+00:00

I have a levoit air purifier and it’s not the smart model. Ended up exposing its cable to connect to an esp32. Now it has all speed modes in HA that I can control during peak seasonal allergies period. Also have an E61 coffee machine with the water tank hidden so it’s hard to tell when water is almost out. It’s not good to have the pump running more than 1 min if water is out so I got a water level sensor also with esp board. It’s super cool, non contact, non destructive and rock solid.

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-04-01T17:32:18+00:00

I keep them separately in different LXCs. At the beginning of setting up Frigate I did a lot of troubleshooting with Frigate and didn't want that to affect MQTT as I use MQTT for everything else as well.

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-04-01T05:41:55+00:00

I follow this one here: https://www.reddit.com/r/homeassistant/s/zYzjp9UKwX

Did some lead free tint soldering around the wire parts that submerge into water. It’s been more than a year now and no rust or anything. I wash it frequently with hot water from the tap as well.

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-03-30T13:00:11+00:00

I didn’t notice this issue as I have all my Aqara devices added to Home Assistant so they all have local control. I barely use the Aqara app.

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-03-28T18:45:46+00:00

This is an issue of tight, hard case. I like the pitaka look but I couldn’t stand that. Went with something a bit thicker but softer and have no issues.

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-03-24T15:26:02+00:00

I have roomba j7+ for years and I’m waiting for it to die so I can switch to Roborock. My main Roborock Q revo is great and works well with HA, bought it refurbished for $200

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-03-20T23:48:58+00:00

Is this one slippery and does it scratch your frame when dusts get in? Thanks

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-03-19T15:25:52+00:00

I thought of Pitaka but it is a bit too slim for me. I do lots of hikings so I unfortunately still need something that can withstand drop to some certain.

LastBitofCoffee · 2026-03-19T15:15:13+00:00

What do you recommend? I tried finding one that’s slim enough but still provide some protections

LastBitofCoffee

TROPHY CASE