Hello everyone, I wanted to share my journey with OpenHAB and how I’ve integrated it into my daily life. It all started about a year and a half ago when I was introduced to OpenHAB by my father-in-law. At the time, I had no experience with coding or electronics, but his guidance helped me learn the ropes and dive into the world of home automation.
One of my most proud achievements is my wall-mounted tablet setup. I use a Kiosk app to display my OpenHAB sitemap, which I find much cleaner and more organized than the default OpenHAB app. The tablet automatically turns on when I approach it, thanks to the front camera detecting movement. This makes it incredibly convenient to control my lights and other devices without fumbling for my phone.
Here’s a quick overview of my setup:
Hardware:
- TRADFRI smart lights, motion sensors, and hub from IKEA
- SONOFF Basic and Wall contacts, which I’ve modified with ESP firmware for MQTT integration
- WLED LED strips for customizable lighting effects
- Google Home Mini (though I rarely use it now)
- WITTY boards with DHT22 sensors for monitoring temperature, humidity, and light levels
Software Bindings:
- Chromecast
- Exec
- Expire
- HTTP
- MQTT
- Network
- NTP
- Samsung TV
- Spotify
- TRADFRI
- Wake-on-LAN
- Weather
I’ve implemented several features to keep things tidy. For example, I use visibility options in my sitemap to hide certain elements when I’m not home. This helps with HTML images that don’t work outside my local network. When I’m away, everything turns off automatically after four minutes, thanks to the ARP bindings that detect when my devices disconnect from the router.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to explore temperature control and add more door sensors to enhance my presence detection system. I’d love to hear from others who have similar setups or have tackled these challenges in different ways. Feel free to reach out with questions or suggestions!
Cheers,
Freddy