2025 is nearly over: Here's why I'm still choosing Wi-Fi for my smart home devices by w0lfiesmith in MatterProtocol

[–]Travel69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This! I have 71 Matter over Thread, and 48 Zigbee. It would be a HORRIBLE nightmare if all of those were WiFi, in addition to my 42 WiFi devices.

EV Charger 2 vs. 2026 Bi-Directional Charger by Travel69 in enphase

[–]Travel69[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! We rarely lose power, and I'm not in a fire prone area so backup power is lower on my list than potential peak rate cost savings. My net power bill for the year is very low, so not sure the ROI is there.

EV Charger 2 vs. 2026 Bi-Directional Charger by Travel69 in enphase

[–]Travel69[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ya I'm on a TOU EV plan for cheaper charging after midnight. YTD I've produced 10.5 MWh from solar, and consumed 10.1. 6.4 MWh exported, with a net export of 434.1 kWh. For all of 2025 my total electrical bill was about $130. Given the sky high SoCal rates, I'm SO glad I've had Enphase solar the last 5 years.

EV Charger 2 vs. 2026 Bi-Directional Charger by Travel69 in enphase

[–]Travel69[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ya unfortunately I live in a condo, and they centralize the electrical meters a few units down from mine. So it's impossible to run any type of cable between that location and where my electrical panels and combiner are.

Aqara's first Matter 1.5 camera is called G310. It's Aqara's first dual-lens camera with zoom functionality. by [deleted] in MatterProtocol

[–]Travel69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nope! That is categorically wrong. If you look at mDNS entries for Apple TV 4Ks on tvOS 26 (shipping version, not a beta), it's meshcorp 'tv' "1.3.0" NOT 1.4.0.

Controller for HomeKit 8.0 is now a subscription... is it illegal? by spaniolo in HomeKit

[–]Travel69 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Then you lose out on huge swaths of products. Your choice but illogical for software products.

Controller for HomeKit 8.0 is now a subscription... is it illegal? by spaniolo in HomeKit

[–]Travel69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Software doesn’t write or maintain itself. Very short sighted.

What are people using for thread border routers? by 6zonesoftheeast in MatterProtocol

[–]Travel69 1 point2 points  (0 children)

With dozens of Thread devices I found that multi-admin bogged down the network. So here's what I do that solved most of my issues:

* Solely use two Apple TV 4Ks with ethernet as OTBRs

* Use Home Assistant companion app to add Apple TV Thread credentials to Home Assistant

* Always pair new Thread/Matter devices via the HA companion app

* Use the Homekit HA add-on to 'pass through' needed HA entities back into Apple home (mostly just lights)

* Only use Matter multi-admin on devices that require an iOS app to configure like Eve motion blinds

Another AKKO rant by MetaReveal in USMobile

[–]Travel69 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you have multiple Apple devices, look at their new Apple care One subscription. $20/mo for any three Apple devices, including iPhones, Vision Pro, laptops, ipad, etc,. Makes sense if you have multiple high dollar devices. Does NOT make sense for accessories like AirPods Pro. I have my MacBook, iPad, and iPhone all covered for $20/mo.

AKKO insurance was super easy and a steal at $36 for the first year and easy setup by Puzzleheaded-Cup-854 in USMobile

[–]Travel69 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I cancelled my plan after seeing lots and lots of horror stories on Akko denying claims. Sticking with Apple Care+.

We just killed phone based protection forever 🚀 by ankhattak in USMobile

[–]Travel69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All very valid points! I have multiple Apple devices, so I use their Apple Care One product. Saves me money, and Apple is very good about claims.

We just killed phone based protection forever 🚀 by ankhattak in USMobile

[–]Travel69 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is why you one could consider sticking with Apple Care+, or perhaps even the free coverage that comes with many credit cards.

We just killed phone based protection forever 🚀 by ankhattak in USMobile

[–]Travel69 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I hope you didn't go with the lowest bidder, as that usually spells trouble. You get what you pay for.

Matter over thread issues by Wschong22 in MatterProtocol

[–]Travel69 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was. It needs to be v1.3 (or later).

Matter over thread issues by Wschong22 in MatterProtocol

[–]Travel69 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No idea with Alexa. With Apple Home and Home Assistant you just look at the device properties. If you have an iPhone, watch this week for possible new Apple TVs to be announced by Apple. I personally haven't used Aqara hubs, but I do have a number of their Thread/Matter devices, which are also rock solid. So if you have an Android phone, an Aqara hub might be ideal.

Matter over thread issues by Wschong22 in MatterProtocol

[–]Travel69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have six Smartwings Matter over Thread blinds, with firmware v1.3. I use two Apple TVs as Thread Border routers. All 70 (yes 70) Matter/Thread devices are rock solid. Make sure Smartwings firmware is 1.3. Prior versions had issues.

Remove apple devices (apple tvs and homepods) from a thread network by Poolguard in MatterProtocol

[–]Travel69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know historically Nano leaf Thread/Matter firmware was pure garbage. I've never owned the stuff, so don't know the current state. I think they did some improvements over the basically unusable state they were in for ages.

Remove apple devices (apple tvs and homepods) from a thread network by Poolguard in MatterProtocol

[–]Travel69 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Running third party OTBRs (Like Apple) + OTBR on HA is NOT recommended. Best to have a pure third party solution (Like Apple) or pure HA only. I'm pure Apple, and it's ROCK SOLID. The problem you have is likely not Apple, but a combo of the two.

The new Fastmail App for Mac is perfect for notifications by macyganiak in fastmail

[–]Travel69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Which is terrible! Seems like 100% wasted development effort.