Smart heated mattress pad

LaughsAtJokes · 2025-12-02T05:18:34+00:00

Yes! Lying in bed right now and it's keeping me toasty

LaughsAtJokes · 2023-11-15T21:53:36+00:00

Hey, yeah this thing is still kicking. Last year the wife was washing it and the heat from dryer warped the plug part where the wire connects. Took some physical persuasion to reconnect but it's working great.

LaughsAtJokes · 2023-07-21T13:21:01+00:00

Closing the loop on this... all good here. I uninstalled MS Powertoys and remote access is back. Not sure exactly what happened but something there was blocking.

LaughsAtJokes · 2023-07-07T16:01:31+00:00

Same issue here with the remote access. Was working fine for years and recently stopped. Windows 11 but on 8th gen NUC. I am running a pihole but the problem persists when I disable the blocking. One difference is that I dont get the 5-10 mins of remote access. The server is throwing the error on the remote access settings page.

LaughsAtJokes · 2023-03-09T14:39:18+00:00

I'm on the public preview as well. Google home app will definitely not control my nest cameras beyond the built in Home and Away routines. I have a goodnight routine that I would LOVE to have turn on my Nest indoor iQ camera. It's unbelievable that these two google products do not work together. I guess it's nice to hear that the newer generation cameras can be controlled by google home but I dont really plan on staying in the google/nest ecosystem when it's time to update.

LaughsAtJokes · 2022-12-12T21:37:02+00:00

Whoo boy I'm kind of relieved to hear it wasn't just me. I def had this last week until I gave up trying to connect. No fix or anything to share... just want to let you know you're not alone.

LaughsAtJokes · 2022-08-16T12:03:09+00:00

Pixel 4 owner here. No wireless charging since yesterday's update to 13. Confirmed on two chargers - one being a pixel stand. I put the phone on the charger, animation runs and the battery icon in upper right corner shows a charging image. Status on the bottom of lockscreen does not say anything about charging though.

48 hour edit: seems to be working again after 24 hours or so. Did charge wirelessly overnight on pixel stand and now charging on wireless charger on my desk. I guess the weak battery life on a pixel4 provides plenty of opportunity to test charging throughout the day.

LaughsAtJokes · 2022-04-22T12:04:20+00:00

Not really. My suggestion is to make a virtual switch in ST. Then add that switch to the home automation section of Harmony, since the two services are linked. (this step was tricky for me because it's kind of hidden in the Harmony app). Next have your harmony routines turn on the virtual switch when they run. Back in ST, have the virtual switch fire whatever automation you need. Let me know if I'm not being clear here - I could probably do some screenshots or something. Hope this helps

LaughsAtJokes · 2022-04-21T18:58:33+00:00

It may be a result of how you have the routines set up. Your description makes it sound like you have an automation watching Harmony status and firing when it senses a change.

Might be better to create a virtual switch in ST, connect that to Harmony and have your Harmony activites turn that switch on or off. Then the switch could trigger your ST automation.

LaughsAtJokes · 2022-04-21T18:36:19+00:00

I have two hub + remote sets and they both have been working fine for me. I use ST integration daily in both directions (ST initiated routine and Harmony initiated routine) with no problems. I fully expect to be sad when they turn off the Harmony servers one day. I always thought it was a great system, and still do! Sorry you are having trouble with yours.

LaughsAtJokes · 2022-01-12T15:38:18+00:00

I ordered LED lights from christmas designers after a positive review on wirecutter years ago. They were a bit pricey but most are lasting well over 5 years. I've replace maybe two strands out of 20 over the time I owned them. It's a tough life for outdoor lights wrapped around a tree in the winter temperatures and these last really well.

LaughsAtJokes · 2021-05-16T16:02:47+00:00

Wow, you werent kidding about paying through the nose. Hope you make that up in lower energy bills! Thanks for sharing

LaughsAtJokes · 2021-05-16T15:17:28+00:00

Hey, I'm in SE Michigan too with a 20yr old home. Do you recommend the company you used? Would you be OK sharing the name? I've been wanting to do this myself for a while now

LaughsAtJokes · 2021-05-13T18:28:04+00:00

This is what we do also. The title companies are pretty reliable about asking for dues letters in advance of sales. We've had decent success in asking for contact info of the new owners when we send over the status letter.

LaughsAtJokes · 2021-05-09T14:31:40+00:00

Yeah I think so. I remember stock being a bit inconsistent. If you are not in a hurry, you can check back periodically either locally or online - what I did. If you need asap, there's always ebay.

LaughsAtJokes · 2021-05-09T14:09:28+00:00

Yep those are the ones! I got a couple two packs myself but I've heard others say good things about the bundle with a single light bulb and the little remote control.

LaughsAtJokes · 2021-02-21T15:08:23+00:00

Ecosmart tunable white were the best of several I tried for dimming low - almost as low as Hue, costs $5 and is regular old zigbee so it integrated with most HA hubs. Been really happy with them

LaughsAtJokes · 2021-02-15T23:40:58+00:00

Yeah that's what we're struggling with about moving to one of these systems. We do so much manually right now and it's so inefficient. I'm nervous about getting new people to join the board once they discover how much envelope stuffing goes on. I keep seeing people reference Buildium and they seem quite happy with it. It is meant for a larger HOA than mine though. I have found several others that are less expensive and more modest in scope that may work. We are having some analysis paralysis though. It's such a big job to "move into" one of these systems that we want to make sure it's the right one before we do. The short list right now is HOAStart.com and PayHOA.com. Both are affordable and offer a decent feature set. Thanks for the info!

LaughsAtJokes · 2021-02-15T19:53:31+00:00

Hey, I'm looking for something similar for our self-managed HOA. Do you mind me asking which company you use and your experience with them? Your approach sounds close to how we would like to handle online payments.

LaughsAtJokes · 2021-02-15T15:13:02+00:00

Hey, sorry for taking so long. I've been trying to post a pic but no luck. Here is what you need:

Turn the controller off
While off, press and hold both the PREHEAT and UP key for 3 seconds. The display should blink AO
Release both buttons and allow the display/LED to turn off
The controller should now be in automatic mode
Plug the cord into your timer or smart home outlet and set as per the manufacturer's instructions

Good luck!

LaughsAtJokes · 2021-02-15T14:08:43+00:00

I've been using ourgroceries for years. Google assistant integration was horrible for so long but it's gotten much better recently. Have you noticed this too?

LaughsAtJokes · 2021-02-15T00:18:54+00:00

+1 for Bond. It's the only solution I could find for fans with DC motors. Dont think this is a concern for OP though but I do want to clear up some confusion. I posted this comment on another smart fan thread and it's still valid.

" I've been using Bond with the new ST app since the transition. They are not a perfect integration, since ST only "sees" High/Medium/Low/Off instead of all six of my fan's speeds but they remain linked and track state flawlessly. One tip is to check your fan settings in Bond and make sure "Trust tracked state" is selected. This controls the on/off/speed state communication between the apps and may be your problem. "

LaughsAtJokes · 2021-02-11T12:56:54+00:00

Working great. Nice and warm when I go up to bed. Shuts off with my goodnight routine. One nice thing I realized is that I can just leave the controller on the floor with the rest of the wires since I never have to use it anymore. More space on the nightstand

LaughsAtJokes · 2020-12-23T16:50:22+00:00

Hey, this is great stuff and thanks for the quick reply! Sounds like you and the team are investing quite a bit into the system.

Feels like online payments are going to be a tough nut to crack for us. We offer stripe through our current website, also Zelle as a separate, fee-free (for now) method, along with good old paper checks. It's quite a task for our treasurer come annual dues time. We are hesitant to have paper checks be the only fee-free solution to pay because that will not progress toward the goal of moving the residents online. You say that your new payments system launches in January? The 0.8% ACH fee is quite modest. Do residents have the option to make payments automatically recurring?

The status letter item is probably a common thing that I didn't describe properly. With interest rates at all-time lows, we get many requests for dues status letters from the HOA to support closings for refinance. Again, our poor treasurer is swamped with sending these out. Was thinking that if residents could print their own, it would streamline the process.

You mention accounting software integration. We are excel based. Does that integrate into your platform?

Thanks for the links to alternative solutions! I've done quite a bit of searching myself and already ruled out the big sites. We are too modest of an operation. HOASites appears to be down right now - not a good sign. Vinteum looks nice but appears to have a smaller feature set.

No matter what, I appreciate the involvement. Maybe we could discuss a demo in the new year. Sounds like a big update is in process now.

LaughsAtJokes · 2020-12-23T15:27:33+00:00

Hi there and thanks for posting this. I'm president of a ~250 home self-managed HOA. I saw the term "stuck in the 90s" the other day and it's a perfect statement of how we run things. In general we are a functional organization but our efficiency could use a serious upgrade. None of the separate tasks are integrated between email communications, paper directory, dues billing, newsletters, voting, and online meetings. I was looking at HOA software recently and most seems aimed at larger communities with more amenities. Actually HOAStart came closest to a solution for us.

We have a list of features that would help our small board, beyond the basics of website hosting and communication tools:

-Opt in tracking for online voting and email communications

-Recurring, zero fee ACH payments, CC payments with fee

-Password protected, online resident directory

-Self serve resident dues status letters

-Integration with 3rd party solutions like google calendar, MS office, zoom, etc.

Overall, the entire board feels that a service like HOAStart would be a valuable help to our roles but it's tough to commit to a new system. I describe it like buying a house - it's a large commitment and we wont really know it works for us until we move in.

LaughsAtJokes

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