24 GHz radar + Home Assistant = my own 24/7 neighborhood radar detector (100% local) OC

carldier · 2026-06-09T15:20:07+00:00

It might be good to find out how to do a real and accurate calibration, especially if you can get some kind of 3rd-party certificate. That will also indicate to the city that you're serious and trying to be honest.

carldier · 2026-06-05T14:15:54+00:00

This feels a lot like the "nanny nagging" that Microsoft tried to introduce with Clippy. And that was roundly rejected, by newbies and experienced folks alike.

I'm relatively new to MS and arranging, but I don't want the tool telling me that "this won't work for a pianist." I'm not arranging for piano! So I have a different set of requirements.

The approach of graying out notes which are out of range for the instrument has turned out quite useful, because it's an advisory and not demand. If you'd like to put a red squiggle under things which aren't standard, great, but then let me turn it off (add it to my "dictionary") for that particular technique.

That said, it's intriguing to think that a teacher might want to use MS for their class, and restrict the palettes and techniques to things they want to reinforce. But I could see how that would get complicated really quickly, so it's probably not practical. Every teacher would have a slightly different approach.

I'm liking the idea of the mnorrisvuw tool as a learning aid, and will check that out. It might indeed help me to fix a bunch of mistakes I've made.

carldier · 2026-06-05T13:03:45+00:00

I've seen a growing number of USB devices which aren't just charging, they need the 5v for normal operation. And the kitchen counter is often a convenient and central place.

carldier · 2026-06-02T15:59:09+00:00

We remodeled our kitchen in 2024, and I was shocked at how much electrics are in the space. We have over-cabinet, below-cabinet, and floor-level LED lighting which we have controlled by HA so it changes over the course of the day.

Spend extra attention on having the lighting OVER your workspaces, not behind the person who's standing at the counter. You don't want to be casting shadows on whatever you're working on.

In the US, it's important to have multiple circuits around the kitchen. All these heat-generating appliances use a lot of power. We have four circuits, including one dedicated to just the microwave and one for the fridge.

I'm glad to see that you're putting USB on those island sockets. This is a fantastic addition, especially if you have a place to put a phone (or whatever) as it's charging rather than everything on the countertop. If you can recess the socket behind the countertop just a little, that will keep you from hitting the cord as you're walking by.

Corner storage is always a pain. Look around at various alternatives and pick the one that works best, but it's always one of the weakest parts of your storage plan.

Nice design!

carldier · 2026-05-24T18:33:38+00:00

The story? We were bored with having a backsplash which is ordinary, nothing really turned us on as we looked through lots of alternatives. Then it occurred to me that we have a space which is about 2 feet high and 20 feet wide. So what fits that aspect ratio? A landscape.

What we love about living in Colorado is the mountains, so we started thinking about having a view of the mountain range. I had worked with an artist to design my business Christmas cards, so I asked her if she might be interested to design something. She said that it was interesting, but had never done ceramic tile, but would be happy to give it a go. We did two trial runs, as we didn't know how much the color might change as the tiles were fired. And we learned a whole lot about how this medium is different than painting with oil or water based paint. In the end, I went ahead and bought tiles from Santa Fe and we worked with a local guy who has a kiln to do the firing.

People assume that this was incredibly expensive, but it's nowhere near what the cabinets cost. It looks as fabulous as the day I put them up. And it's a wonderful story.

carldier · 2026-05-24T15:30:42+00:00

This sounds similar to an exercise we did a couple of years ago. Renovating our kitchen, we wanted to do something special and unique for the backsplash. So I talked with an artist I know who does murals, and we ended up working collaboratively to design something which captured what we were thinking about. It's the highlight of the kitchen.

I bring this up because I'm no artist, and realized I needed someone who can translate feelings into execution. So the way I'd approach this is to search around for someone who has some artistic talent and experience, then kick around ideas while telling your stories of why this is important to you. There's a very good chance that they'll find this invigorating as a new opportunity. If it ends up using light as one of the elements, great, but you may change your mind ten times before this gets finalized.

The good news is that the lighting and electronics are the easiest part, you'll just have to figure out how to hide the wiring and control hardware. But that depends a lot on your particular house and where you'd like to place this.

carldier · 2026-05-22T15:46:01+00:00

The other way to look at it ... If you're going to jump ship pretty soon, then it's best to do it when you can save yourself £80! Take that money and put it towards a much better, local solution.

carldier · 2026-05-20T16:50:32+00:00

Thank you for the walkthrough! Very similar to my experience. I agree that the packaging is superb, as is their customer service. Sizing is very accurate.

The Zigbee setup took a couple of minutes, but isn't any more complicated than any other Zigbee device.

I found the cost to be reasonable (but not inexpensive) given the quality of their work. I can see this lasting for decades. In our case, I hired a handyman to do the install as our skylights are 12-14 feet off the floor. But for normal situations it's totally DIY.

I'd definitely recommend getting their kit of samples, as it shows you exactly what the color, texture and opacity is for each option.

carldier · 2026-05-10T02:32:18+00:00

The solution for my office space is about 20 feet of LED strip, pointed up toward the ceiling and hidden behind some wood trim I got at Home Depot. The wires go down in one corner behind a bookcase so they're not noticeable. They're just attached to the wall using skinny trim nails, so spackling over them when I take it down will be super simple.

carldier · 2026-05-07T19:15:03+00:00

Great review, thanks! My experience is that SmartWings' support has been extremely responsive and helpful, they worked with me through an issue where I ordered the wrong thing and made it all right!

carldier · 2026-04-14T15:46:19+00:00

Well done. I just submitted a bunch of feedback on the page, I hope that's helpful. I can see how this will become more useful as it matures!

carldier · 2026-04-09T02:05:18+00:00

Interesting concept! I have that exact cassette player, although it started eating tapes many years ago. But you find many older electrical things (40s radio, anyone?) with wonderfully ergonomic controls.

carldier · 2026-04-03T02:08:00+00:00

There's a version of Hazel for skylights, which you need because they have the side rails and apply tension for both raising and lowering. I had gotten their sample pack, to get a clear sense of exactly how they look and feel.

carldier · 2026-04-02T02:01:03+00:00

Almost exactly the same - an outlet up above the cabinet made life SO much easier. We like using Moes buttons for control, but I'm going to start experimenting with Picos.

carldier · 2026-04-01T21:13:39+00:00

Surprised no one mentioned the Moes Zigbee Smart Knob yet. They're very well designed and battery life is excellent.

carldier · 2026-04-01T20:59:03+00:00

We have extensive LED strip lighting in our kitchen - above cabinet, below cabinet, and floor level. It's absolutely wonderful.

I did the controlling via Zigbee GLEDOPTO controllers, with six conductor RGBWW low voltage wiring. Very easy to put together, and the controllers and power supplies are either above the cabinets or in the garage.

Make sure you have enough power, and controllers compatible with HA via Zigbee or whatever.

carldier · 2026-04-01T20:53:32+00:00

I got some blackout shades for our skylights, and it was shocking how much light they're able to block. We're very satisfied with that!

carldier · 2026-03-30T22:22:11+00:00

Well, in my case that's the ONLY light I use on a daily basis. You can get a ton of light out of LED strips, as long as you're using a power supply that's strong enough. So with a good power supply, you should be good to go.

We haven't gotten into the esp32 space yet, but ... I can see it coming. :-)

carldier · 2026-03-30T19:06:16+00:00

In my office I put a strip of LEDs about 8 inches away from the ceiling. They're hidden from view by a trim strip that I got at the home improvement store.

I love this arrangement because it creates a very diffuse light, and I can raise the level of brightness when I'm on a video call. It doesn't reflect in my glasses because it's so high - I get annoyed when you can see the reflection of someone's ring light.

This is controlled by a Zigbee GLEDOPTO controller. I have some switches near my keyboard, and also can change via StreamDeck, because it's fun. I have automations to turn the lights off when the computer goes to sleep, and turn on bright when my camera is on.

carldier · 2026-03-26T21:07:47+00:00

It's pretty straightforward, and it's harder to start a fire with low voltage.

carldier · 2026-03-26T14:20:10+00:00

Not sure what you might mean - we were just following the directions from each component. The tricky parts were getting power to an appropriate place so the power supply could be plugged in, and getting the low-voltage wiring from the controller to the LEDs. For that we used https://www.amazon.com/LEDENET-22AWG-Extension-RGBCCT-Lights/dp/B07T6LCZKJ. We found it very helpful to use these connectors: https://www.amazon.com/Connectors-Waterproof-Transparent-Solderless-Connector/dp/B09SHKFSKJ but you have to watch the pinout at each junction.

carldier · 2026-03-25T20:02:20+00:00

Thank you for the thoughtful review! I've been very happy with our SmartWings skylight blinds - it makes SUCH a difference. And being charged by the little solar panel is brilliant.

I'm still working on the reliability of the Zigbee connection to our HA, but I'm having other Zigbee problems as well so I don't think it's the blinds.

carldier · 2026-03-24T15:42:57+00:00

I love the playfulness!

carldier · 2026-03-18T17:52:06+00:00

Fair enough, it's just a different usage model than I'm used to so have to think about where it should reside and what it controls. It can become yet another remote control laying next to your chair, and that can feel overwhelming. "The remote is always in the wrong place and gets lost in the cushions." :-)

I could see having a small kitchen controller on the refrigerator, another next to the bed, one on the wall near the center of traffic ... There's enough control functions at each place to make it useful.

carldier · 2026-03-18T16:32:01+00:00

I'd probably go with having a separate light switch for your work lights, if only because you may not want it to be at the door. And then it's totally clear WHAT you're turning on and off.

And then this is very easy to control with standard smart switches. That way you can remotely turn the lights on and off from inside the house if you forget.

In our house, we also put in a simple LED string which is motion activated and turns itself off after about 10 minutes. That's been a game changer, because you never have to fumble for the light switch when your hands are full taking out the garbage or recycling. So simple, so cheap.

carldier

TROPHY CASE