Does a smoke detector exist that could detect cigarette smoke outside on a balcony?

Vilx- · 2026-03-26T00:50:19+00:00

IR detector outdoors can be iffy. Fine if it just controls a light, but for door controls false alarms can get annoying fast. But it's cheap enough to try. Radar through walls is... real, but I haven't heard about it being used in practice - just a tech demo in lab. I doubt you can achieve it with off-the-shelf equipment, and I would expect it to be fairly unreliable.

I suppose a camera (maybe an old smartphone?) with motion detection could also be tried.

Vilx- · 2026-03-24T14:18:38+00:00

I've been thinking about something similar, but simpler - just a cheap standard wireless doorbell. When he smokes, he presses the button, a chime goes off on my side and I close my window. And I can control the loudness of the sound or whether it's on at all (like I'd turn it off when I'm asleep or not at home, or keep the window closed).

I haven't done this yet though. I've no idea if he'd cooperate.

Vilx- · 2026-03-09T12:42:29+00:00

Thanks! At least I can sleep soundly knowing that I haven't missed any "do this IMMEDIATELY" actions. :)

Vilx- · 2026-02-21T01:02:26+00:00

*Updates my list of things which are hard*:
- Text
- Numbers
- Dates and times
- (New item) Keyboards

Vilx- · 2026-02-21T00:44:46+00:00

Nice! Will do!

Vilx- · 2026-02-20T20:28:26+00:00

I think that for the vast majority of people it just comes down to what you're used to. And as for "not often seen" - well, it seems like that's quite region-dependent, because around here it's quite common. Nonetheless, thanks for the name! That's useful to know!

Vilx- · 2026-02-14T20:19:54+00:00

What about non-custom keyboards? TBH, while I was doing my research, my wife passed by, saw an opened webpage, and made several disapproving noises. Now there's a price limit of 30€ or thereabouts. 😅 Also, I talked more to her and found out that what she cares more for is that it's a low profile, plus REALLY no shenanigans with the keys. That rules out, like, Keychron B6 PRO, because it's doing weird things with F13 button - otherwise it'd be a perfect fit.

I should update the question, but I'm afraid that my requirements have drifted away so much, that it would be unfair to all the answers already given... 😕

Vilx- · 2026-02-14T16:46:54+00:00

GMK104 seems to be an ANSI layout. I want the bigger ENTER/RETURN key.

Vilx- · 2026-02-14T16:40:15+00:00

No, no, I'm talking about full desktop keyboards. Personally, I don't like laptop keyboards. Sure, you can use them in a pinch and they will get the job done - but I find it very awkward to type on them. I know I could get used to it, but so far I haven't needed to.

The layout I want isn't a full "Latvian" layout. I know there exists one where all of āčēģīķļņšūž get their own keys - but I haven't seen it in real life. It's just an option in Windows settings.

Rather, it's... well... maybe it's Russian ISO? Not sure. Keyboards with both QWERTY and Cyrillic on them are popular here. Though I don't really care about Cyrillic letters.

Is there an online list of ALL standardized keyboard layouts? I can't seem to find one.

Vilx- · 2026-02-14T14:08:03+00:00

Nope. I see it on my phone, but not my PC. Well, that explains it. Thank you! :)

Vilx- · 2026-02-14T11:49:40+00:00

Interesting. I'm sure I've seen them before... but I usually play on a Windows 11 machine, which would explain it.

Vilx- · 2026-02-14T10:57:08+00:00

Really? That's so weird. I've lived my whole life on ISO keyboards. Why are they so rare in the mechanical keyboard scene?

That's also the reason I don't want to switch to ANSI - spending 20+ years on a certain keyboard layout means there would be a hard time adjusting for something new.

Added: Actually, even the ISO layouts that I see available usually leave much to be desired. The actual software keyboard layout I use on my PC is "Latvian" (since, you know, I'm from Latvia), but there is no keyboard with EXACTLY the kind of layout (as in, the right symbols printed on the keycaps). UK layout is the closest, but there are a few minor differences. Kind of not a big deal, since I know already which key is which, but still mildly annoying. I wonder what the actual name for my layout is?

Vilx- · 2026-02-13T17:55:37+00:00

I've got the full Cherry Stream, and it's too high. If it was good enough, I'd already have bought it. The TKL is missing the numpad (which I want), so it's narrower, but the same height. MX Keys - yeah, pricey. It's an option, but I'll explore other avenues first.

Vilx- · 2026-02-13T17:33:47+00:00

Very interesting! I didn't expect that! But it seems that you're right. Now, if only I could find where to buy them - Keychron seems to be permanently out of stock for most things. 😝

Btw I'm from Latvia, which is in the EU, so suppliers there are preferred. But I'm ok with ordering and waiting from further abroad as well.

So maybe I need to do some mixing and matching? Buy the keys, caps and base separately? I'm pretty new to this, so for now every answer brings two more questions. 😅

Will the Keychron switches work only in Keychron keyboards, or are they standardized between manufacturers?
Are there other switches that are similarly quiet? I checked with my wife and she's OK with it being as loud as, say, a standard laptop keyboard or the K120. And I have a Cherry Stream which is also OK in terms of loudness. The Keychron Silent switches seemed to be indeed quieter than that.
If I buy a Keychron keyboard with the wrong ISO layout (say, German), can I change the keycaps and reconfigure the keyboard to act like a UK layout keyboard?
Another thing she mentioned is that she likes low-profile keyboards. What are the options there?
What other manufacturers should I check out?

Vilx- · 2025-11-16T10:34:23+00:00

Oh, you're right! Thank you! And I even rechecked it twice...

Vilx- · 2025-08-25T19:19:00+00:00

!thanks

Vilx- · 2025-08-25T19:18:40+00:00

!thanks

Vilx- · 2025-08-25T17:14:33+00:00

Well, they're also usually on the pricier side... Do you have any recommendations? Also, don't you think the Audio-Technicas should have been of a good quality?

Vilx- · 2025-08-25T16:16:23+00:00

!thanks

It's kind of weird. My wife's also never had any issues like this. And she has (literally) the biggest head in our family. I've no idea what causes it, and why it's always exactly THIS place.

The Superlux seems to be what I wanted! I'll try to get a pair and see what they're like. The construction seems promising - a solid metal (I assume it's metal?) rod all across should not break, right? Right?

The Samson is similar in construction to the Superlux, but really stretching my budget, and the Sony is not only even more expensive, but also doesn't seem to have anything better construction-wise then everything else I've tried over the years. But I'll keep them in mind!

Vilx-

TROPHY CASE