Hi Ok. a year ago, due to the need to remotely switch the heater on, I bought a 230v smart socket. It was the first time I had contact with the Smart Life application, which supports this and many other smart devices. In short, using this application, we connect our smart socket with a wifi router and we can turn on or off any devices connected to it via the Internet from anywhere in the world . In my case, it is this radiator. Later, I installed a night light on the facade of my house and found it would be nice to be able to handle this lighting through this app. I ordered a smart switch from aliexpress for $4, which was perfect for this. I set a schedule and the lights went on after dusk and went out at dawn. The appetite grew with eating. Curious about the multitude of various sensors, actuators, switches, household appliances and TVs cooperating with this system , my head started to flood with ideas for various interesting and practical solutions. As I had a vision of the upcoming heating season in my head, I decided to buy elements that would allow me to increase the comfort of maintaining the right temperature in the rooms and at the same time contribute to real savings on heating.
I read a bit, looked at and bought the following things: Gate, ZigBee hub – this is a small, aesthetically made device, powered by a 5v power supply, which allows you to connect up to 44 different elements of this system, such as sensors, switches, regulators, and create various scenarios and dependencies of their operation. I paid $26 for this device. Currently, as every year, a great promotion is coming to aliexpress on November 11 and you can buy it below $21. The link to the current price for this device as well as the others can be found under the movie. The next element is a temperature and humidity sensor, which cost me $17. The sensor is powered by two AAA batteries. Additionally, I bought 2 radiator thermostats that differ in design, but at a very similar price and identical functionality radiator controllers Each of them cost around $26.
They are powered by AA batteries. These thermostats can work outside the system as stand-alone devices that can be programmed with buttons on the housing. Of course, it is much more convenient and gives more possibilities to connect them with the zigbee gate and control them from the smartphone. Applications that support these devices are the previously mentioned Smart Life and Tuya. In my opinion, the applications are identical and differ only in name. Now I will show you how adding individual devices looks like. Previously, I had a 230V socket added to the smart application and an intelligent switch that turns on the night lighting on the facade. After adding the Zigbee gate, we can add temperature and humidity sensor and radiator thermostats. Now, only our imagination and needs determine how these elements are to work and how to cooperate. All you need to do is create a logical plan and transfer it to the application. Thermostats can regulate the radiator on their own, we can use the app to lower the temperature for the night, or during times when we are not at home, or to close the valve with the window open.
Of course, the sensor of the thermostat itself will not necessarily be able to properly maintain the appropriate temperature in the room, so in my case the main element responsible for maintaining the temperature will be the temperature and humidity sensor located in the central point of the living room and it will be him who will decide what the thermostat on the radiator should do. The application allows us to take into account the weather conditions outside, which are downloaded from the Internet for a specific location, when creating patterns . For example, I set the dependence on sunrise and sunset to switch on the facade lighting .
By considering the location of a person, many interesting and practical scenarios can be created. For example, when leaving the house or apartment, we do not have to remember to turn off the light, because it is enough to create a dependence that if we change the location, the intelligent lighting switch will do it for us. The same with the temperature in the rooms, if we leave the house, the valves will lower the temperature by e.g. 3 degrees. If we plug in motion sensors, we can use them, among others to activate the alarm, but also to change the room temperature or switch on the light or other equipment. The range of components cooperating with this system is really impressive, from household appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators, water heaters, air conditioners, vacuum cleaners, through elements that increase safety, such as flood, smoke, gas, carbon monoxide sensors , thermal, door and window locks, video surveillance , medical devices, including accessories for animals. It gives us unlimited possibilities to configure various scenarios and operation dependencies.
I will definitely expand this system with new elements. I am already planning to buy a universal remote control, smoke and motion detector. A smart home is not only comfort, but also safety. Additionally, the possibility of configuring the voice control of the system components with the use of popular standards can be a great help for the disabled. I put links to the current prices under the video. If you have any questions, write in the comments. I will try to answer them as quickly as possible. See you.
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