Hey everyone, I’m really excited to share some of my experiences and tips with smart lighting and camera automation. I’ve been diving into the world of smart home tech for a while now, and it’s been a fantastic journey filled with both successes and learning curves. Let me walk you through some of my setups and the challenges I’ve encountered along the way.
First off, I’ve been working with Philips Hue light strips in my garden, and it’s been a delightful experience. I’ve set them up to turn on at sunset and off at a random time between 22:30 and 22:40. In the morning, they come back on at 7:00, adjusting based on whether the sun is up or not. I’ve also integrated a motion sensor that brightens the lights to 100% when movement is detected and dims them to 40% after 25 seconds of inactivity. This setup works beautifully during the week, but on weekends, the lights stay on a bit later, turning off at 23:00 with the same random delay. The only hiccup I’ve encountered is that the lights occasionally dim to 40% at random times during the night, which shouldn’t happen based on my current logic. If anyone has any insights into what might be causing this, I’d be thrilled to hear your thoughts!
Another area I’ve been exploring is camera automation, specifically with Wyze cameras. I recently updated the firmware on one of my Wyze Pan cameras, but unfortunately, the update failed around 90%. Now, the camera is stuck with a solid green light, doesn’t show up in the app, and the reset button isn’t helping. It’s a bit disheartening, but I’m hopeful there’s a solution out there. If anyone has experience with bricked cameras or knows of a way to recover from a failed firmware update, please do share your knowledge!
On the software side, I’ve been using OpenHAB for my home automation needs, and while it’s incredibly powerful, it does have its quirks. Every few weeks, my system crashes, and I’m left without access to my Pi until I manually reboot it. I’ve managed to retrieve the openhab.log file, but I’m not entirely sure how to interpret it to identify the root cause. If anyone has tips on diagnosing these crashes or knows of common issues that might be causing this, I’d greatly appreciate the guidance.
One thing I’m particularly passionate about is privacy and offline functionality. I’ve been researching offline voice assistants and speech-to-text solutions that integrate seamlessly with openHAB. Mycroft and Sepia have caught my eye, but I’m still exploring how they can be integrated without compromising on privacy. If anyone has successfully implemented an offline voice assistant or has insights into the best tools for this purpose, I’d love to hear about your experiences.
Lastly, I want to give a shoutout to the community for being such an incredible resource. Whether it’s troubleshooting firmware issues, setting up complex automations, or exploring new technologies, the collective knowledge here is invaluable. I’m always eager to learn more and share my findings, so please feel free to reach out with any questions or suggestions.
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to connecting with you all!