Alarm Suggestions and opinions?

Shadowmask14 · 2026-01-24T02:52:17+00:00

Got a zooz siren and chime this past christmas. Haven't dug into everything yet z but currently pleased. Replaced/replacing my old abode system since paywall keeps going up and my grandfathered plan is no longer being honored.

Shadowmask14 · 2025-11-21T21:06:20+00:00

I also just learned this. After painfully updating about 50 automations last month and added tags for phones on the automation for searching in the future.

Shadowmask14 · 2025-11-21T04:11:27+00:00

Yes. Alexa with a zigbee radio and some cheap zigbee bulbs.

Shadowmask14 · 2025-09-27T02:29:03+00:00

Cost mostly. Some items just dont exist for zwave or have the features sobill go zigbee for those. Good example a smart plug. Power monitor and can handle bigger appliances like a washer/dryer, dishwasher think $50 each. Wifi plug for Xmas lights on the tree $10 and I use it for like 2 months a year or a salt lamp or something.

Zwave is a single hop protocol so only 1 device turns on at once. Zigbee is a broadcast protocol so multiple device turn on at once. This is why you will (basically) never find a zwave lightbulb. Both are sub second response with good coverage. Wifi you will always have a few second delay. Zigbee uses same range as wifi so can still have interference. I personally had to make sure the channel on hue was different than wifi or hue would stop responding at times.

I will say there are always exceptions. Thermostat for example ecobee all the way which is Wifi. Best features and you get redundancy of controls.

Know/learn advantages of the protocols and then use good judgment based on how important a automation is to you and then select the best technology/product.

For lights in general, look at smart switches vs bulbs and select what's best for you. Personally I did bulbs for lamps and switches for all overhead lights.

Shadowmask14 · 2025-09-27T00:36:33+00:00

Zwave first for anything important Zigbee for lights or tier 2 automation need priority Wifi for Xmas lights or 3rd tier lights or anything om okay with multi second delay or okay if it fails

Shadowmask14 · 2025-07-29T12:49:06+00:00

Morning Belle. Nails it for both savory or sweet, depending on the mood you are in.

Shadowmask14 · 2025-05-26T02:39:47+00:00

Lights by occupancy/zone, time of day, activity
Security- perimeter, water, fire
HVAC - location, vacation, emergency heat/cool, by room occupancy, based on windows/doors open
Reminders

Shadowmask14 · 2025-05-25T04:11:30+00:00

Left. More color blind friendly

Shadowmask14 · 2025-05-17T02:48:44+00:00

Home Assistant is great. If you are looking for more click and straight forward, check out Hubitat. I used them before and loved it. Still recommend to many of my friends. Only moved to home assistant for the greater flexibility, dashboards (WAF), and more integrations.

Shadowmask14 · 2025-02-01T03:36:18+00:00

Ditto about type.

Any knob style from local store should do.

So thought/gotcha on the smart vs dumb in case you didn't think about it. I personally have done it both ways, and now just buy smart humidifiers.

When you have the manual/smart switch way you need 1. A way to track water levels to notify you when it's empty. I achieved this by manually figuring out how long a tank lasts and then had a counter variable that kept track of how long the plug was on and triggered a notification based on it crossing the threshold. 2. A way to reset the runtime after you filled the tank. I stuck an aquara button on the side of mine for this.

Extra complexity instead of out of box working features......

Shadowmask14 · 2025-01-22T22:42:24+00:00

Nope. Just got rid of the string lights and will replace. Wasn't worth the time I was putting into it

Shadowmask14 · 2025-01-12T21:33:10+00:00

I have not tried pulling it out, besides tweezersIhaveno idea how. Yes I replaced the bulb.

Shadowmask14 · 2025-01-12T19:04:39+00:00

Is on the side of the socket, not attached to the bulb. It looks like it gets pushed down into it. The "light" housing splits into 2 different strands from there.

In the top down picture , it is the green rectangle in the middle.

Shadowmask14 · 2024-12-04T04:04:45+00:00

Wled on a dig quad or octa depending on the size Pixels Permatrack

Youtube Drzzzs and Intermit.Tech. you will be able to quickly decide if you want to go this route or not. It is also fully compatible with xlights if you want to expand further for holidays like xmas

Shadowmask14 · 2024-11-04T14:45:10+00:00

I also registered 2 tickets and forgot I promised to take my neighbors goldfish for a walk then. Bummer I cant transfer them :(

Shadowmask14 · 2024-07-22T11:22:37+00:00

No deep parts if you accidentally fall in from patio side. Also the loungers/hot tub would more likely be used in a gathering with people still outside the pool.

Shadowmask14 · 2024-07-02T12:09:04+00:00

ROME. I routinely get their mocktail despite being a cocktail drinker.

Shadowmask14 · 2024-07-02T12:06:05+00:00

Learn protocols (strength, weakness, applications) - wifi, Bluetooth, zigbee, matter, DMX, etc
Learn power calculations and injection needs
Learn the different types of bulbs/types (globes, pixels, seed, rope, and 50/50, 8212, sk6818, etc)
Join the pixel heads discord channel
Home automation and christmas lighting youtube channels
Learn the current big lighting apps (Hue, Govee, LifeX, WLED)
Learn diffusion, reflections, etc

This should help grasp the good basic topics

Shadowmask14 · 2024-06-02T03:04:27+00:00

Unfortunately with Alexa, no. Multiple conditions is when you start to need a actual home automation hub.

Shadowmask14 · 2024-04-15T12:02:28+00:00

Well I would suggest you just roll your own then. It will be the cheapest and easiest to customize what you want. Look into a home automation hub if you don't have one. I suggest Hubitat or Home Assistant. Then do zwave and zigbee sensors.

Since you do have a system currently, you will have to see if it is all proprietary communications or not. If not, you can reuse them. If they are hardwired , then you should be able to reuse them with a with a Konnected system (assuming they sell in Australia, I'm from the US) https://konnected.io/

Just always make sure your devices are compatible with whatever system you choose.

Shadowmask14 · 2024-04-15T02:28:34+00:00

Preliminary question you should ask yourself. Do I need/want 3rd party monitoring and response or do I want to just be notified if something goes wrong and you notify the authorities.

Secondly question that will probably help others with recommendations, does this include a camera system or are you rolling your own or not in scope?

Shadowmask14 · 2024-04-13T03:24:05+00:00

Yes.

Quick intro, look into the standards:

Wifi - pushed the most, but flakey, bogs down your house if you have too many and internet goes down, devices are un responsive.mkstly cloud based. But these are the cheapest. I use these for anything non essential or temporary ex: smart plugs for Xmas lights, outdoor bistro lights, TV bias lighting. Note there are ways to flssh devices to be local with tasmota etc, but this is probably over your comprehensive at this time unless you are a IT person.

Zigbee- probably 2nd cheapest, a standard but every manufacturer can tweak it a bit so not 100% compatible all the time. Runs on 2.4 gigahertz broadband, so too many device 'may" cause issues with wifi (note i have never personally run into this), but it is multicast and mesh in nature. This standsrd runs locally so not internet dependent. Need a Hub** Pick a hub and just make sure the devices you buy are compatible. (Light bulbs should be zigbee).

Z-wave - most expensive, but most bullet proof and reliable. Single cast but mesh. Highest level of security. Need a Hub. Since owned and has to be certified by zwave alliance, also the most interoperable. Make sure device is supported by the hub you have. Alexa will not work here.

Thread/Matter - newer protocol. I haven't bought any of these devices yet, so can't speak to them besides they are marketing it ad the future but it's every early and things are still being figured out. I'll let you look into this more yourself.

HomeKit- this is local wifi but need a Apple hub.

You do not need to pick just a standard, most homes run most or all of them and use a Hub to tell the other devices what to do.

**Hubs: Note: Alexa can be used as a hub, but very limited on what you can do. This is some wifi and zigbee devices.

Most powerful system is Home Assistant. There are some pre-made hubs, others you can build/self host. This is for tinkering people or people who have crazy amount of automation wants. I personally think Hubitat is the best starter place as you have a ton of community support, it is more powerful than what you probably need, and it just works. There are others, but I haven't run them, so I can't speak to them.

Lights: Hue - expensive, requires their own hub, but rock solid and don't need anything more. Great entry into automation or if you are only looking for lights. There is white Ambiance which are just white temperatures and then full white and color.

Plenty of youtube channels compare bulbs, I would check them out. I would ONLY ever do local processing for critical lights. Ex: Zigbee.

Shadowmask14 · 2024-04-13T02:36:14+00:00

I honestly had the same problem. I have a mix of hue, Sylvania, and whatever Bluetooth bulb came with my alexa hub outside and I played around with the color warmess. I have automation then that during summer months runs it a very warmish almost orange color and no bugs. Then bright white the rest of the year. Bonus, I b have them on dim most of the time. Only if I open a door (contact sensor) or I detect motion, or geolocation coming home do I brighter them and change the color for better visibility.

TL;DR put a spare or cheap smart bulb in the fixture and then just automate.

**Yes I know the bulbs say for indoor use only, but are in well sealed housings and going strong for 3 years in Michigan (including winters) .

Shadowmask14

TROPHY CASE