Home Assistant Day #3
Home Assistant is still going strong.
Yesterday I got themes added and a Time and Date sensor working. Also, added an automation to change the theme for day and night to help prevent burn-in on devices (otherwise I generally prefer a dark theme for everything).
I also threw plain old Ubuntu on my Yoga laptop and used the application Motion to have it auto-unlock the screen and turn off the screensaver on motion detection. This allows me to have screens which aren't always running. Also helps avoid burn-in.
The next thing to figure out is a custom card for a larger, more readable date/time format. Can only seem to get the current one as a tiny little thing in a 24 hour format.
I also want to figure out how to use a computer using Motion as a camera feed for the app. I have 2 devices running Linux with webcams. Those can become free indoor cameras if I can sort that out.
Longer term plans for this system include getting MQTT up and integrated with the whole thing. I don't have anything specific in mind for that yet. But, I would eventually like to get a bunch of low powered devices like some Arduino's or Pi Zero W's and throw some cheap displays and buttons on them and use them to send and receive data to Hassio to control/monitor individual rooms. I'm talking e-ink or REALLY tiny displays, so the web interface won't work here.
Also read about a project called Volumio which apparently integrates nicely with Home Assistant to drive network play of audio. But, there are a ton of media related Pi projects I could try. Honestly, it is the sensors and displays which I'm most interested in though. One of the major weaknesses in the smart home is often a lack of dedicated controls. Voice is a generally terrible solution. There are times of the day and other conditions under which you don't want to use it. It doesn't always hear you right. Not everyone is comfortable using them. And so on.
Which is why you want a series of wall or desk mounted controllers with simple, sensible controls. A simple Hue wall switch is fine if the only thing you need it to control is lights. But, if you want to be able to check on a camera feed, see the weather or adjust the thermostat, then you need something more.
Anyway, this post is getting off the rails now.
The bottom line is, Home Assistant is working great. There are definitely weaknesses and things which aren't 100% to my liking. But, in the end, it actually is better than what I had and further along as well. It seems fairly stable and like openHab, without extra configuration it seems to be local network only. The need to program a few things on my own doesn't diminish anything, because that is the same boat I was in with my home grown solution. I know none of this is new information really, but more to confirm that it remains true in my mind after a few days.
Yesterday I got themes added and a Time and Date sensor working. Also, added an automation to change the theme for day and night to help prevent burn-in on devices (otherwise I generally prefer a dark theme for everything).
I also threw plain old Ubuntu on my Yoga laptop and used the application Motion to have it auto-unlock the screen and turn off the screensaver on motion detection. This allows me to have screens which aren't always running. Also helps avoid burn-in.
The next thing to figure out is a custom card for a larger, more readable date/time format. Can only seem to get the current one as a tiny little thing in a 24 hour format.
I also want to figure out how to use a computer using Motion as a camera feed for the app. I have 2 devices running Linux with webcams. Those can become free indoor cameras if I can sort that out.
Longer term plans for this system include getting MQTT up and integrated with the whole thing. I don't have anything specific in mind for that yet. But, I would eventually like to get a bunch of low powered devices like some Arduino's or Pi Zero W's and throw some cheap displays and buttons on them and use them to send and receive data to Hassio to control/monitor individual rooms. I'm talking e-ink or REALLY tiny displays, so the web interface won't work here.
Also read about a project called Volumio which apparently integrates nicely with Home Assistant to drive network play of audio. But, there are a ton of media related Pi projects I could try. Honestly, it is the sensors and displays which I'm most interested in though. One of the major weaknesses in the smart home is often a lack of dedicated controls. Voice is a generally terrible solution. There are times of the day and other conditions under which you don't want to use it. It doesn't always hear you right. Not everyone is comfortable using them. And so on.
Which is why you want a series of wall or desk mounted controllers with simple, sensible controls. A simple Hue wall switch is fine if the only thing you need it to control is lights. But, if you want to be able to check on a camera feed, see the weather or adjust the thermostat, then you need something more.
Anyway, this post is getting off the rails now.
The bottom line is, Home Assistant is working great. There are definitely weaknesses and things which aren't 100% to my liking. But, in the end, it actually is better than what I had and further along as well. It seems fairly stable and like openHab, without extra configuration it seems to be local network only. The need to program a few things on my own doesn't diminish anything, because that is the same boat I was in with my home grown solution. I know none of this is new information really, but more to confirm that it remains true in my mind after a few days.
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