Transforming an IT Shop with WLED Lighting

 

Background

Our IT shop recently relocated to a new space.  This space had previously been configured as a engineering classroom.  As we began to move into this space, it became apparent that the harsh, non-defused fluorescent lighting was going to be an issue for folks that stared at a screen all day.  

Automated Garage Lighting

 

I became frustrated with our overhead garage lighting due to a lack of a switch at the exterior service door to turn on the lights when entering from outside.  In addition, the lights were occasionally left on overnight, burning at a whopping 845 watts!  This was my adventure in solving these issues through automation.

Smart Plug vs. Switch vs. Relay?

 

If you are new to the smart home scene and have done a little YouTube or other web browsing, you might be asking why would I use a smart switch or smart relay instead of the simple smart plug.  Read on, or watch my YouTube video, for more info on when you might select a particular device over another in your smart home.

Sound Reactive RGB Floor Lamps

 

In this post, I'm going to cover creating your own DIY sound-reactive LED/RGB floor lamps that have all the features of commercial Govee version (and more) at less than 1/2 the cost.

Parking Assistant with MQTT and Vehicle Presence Sensors

 

This blog actually covers two related, but separate projects.  The first is a digital parking assistant for the garage and the second is vehicle presence detection.  These can be used independently or in conjunction within your home automation platform, like Home Assistant to create automations or other routines.

Simple Motion-Activated LED Stair Lighting

 

There are many how-to articles and videos on creating LED stair lighting.  But many of these require substantial modification of the existing staircase or adjoining walls.  I wanted to create a similar effect using WLED, ESPHome and Home Assistant that didn't require modifying my existing stairs.

You've got mail! A mailbox sensor for Home Assistant

Would you like to have an announcement made, or to receive a notification on your phone when the mailman has visited and left your daily delivery?  There are now commercial options available, but you can easily build your own local device for around $35 and integrate it into Home Assistant with voice announcements via Google Home or Amazon Alexa.

Home Automation and the Family Acceptance Factor

 

Source: Quora

What is Family Acceptance Factor and why is it important?

Family Acceptance Factor is today's preferred terminology for the original 'Wife Acceptance Factor' (or Wife Approval Factor).  The original WAF was coined in the 80's and generally referred to large stereo speaker systems or emerging home theater setups that could dominate the living or family room.

The smart home community has latched onto this concept in terms of assuring that the technology that you may wish to install into your home automation system will have a high Family Acceptance Factor.  If it doesn't, you will be fighting an uphill battle on future projects, be met with frustration and potentially anger by other household members and, if not handled properly, could seriously curtail your desire to build a true automated smart home.

WS2812b LED Matrix Clock, Scoreboard and More

 

Time & Temperature, Countdown timer, Scoreboard and Text Display

Yet Another Clock!

After building a 3D printed clock, scoreboard and more, I wondered if I could adapt this code for an LED matrix I previously built for WLED.  The answer was a resounding 'yes'... and the matrix that was rarely used before is now on 24/7 and is a great addition to the man cave!

A Virtual Window for a Windowless Basement

 

Creating a Virtual Window

When the pandemic hit, like many others, I found myself working from home fulltime.  While I have dedicated office in my home, I quickly realized that this office space was not conducive to working 8+ hours a day, mixing Zoom meetings with email and other work.  Therefore, about a month into the process, I opted to create a better all-day workspace in our finished basement.  While this was a much better and larger space for working all day, the one drawback is that our basement has no windows.  I'd spend the entire day in this space with no idea if it was sunny, raining, windy or calm.  I knew that some of the cruise lines had begun placing "virtual windows" within their interior cabins with a live camera feed to make those spaces feel less claustrophobic.  So. I wondered if a creating and installing a virtual window next to my workspace would do the same for me, trapped all day in a windowless basement.

3D Printed Clock, Scoreboard and more with Home Assistant Integration

 

Clock, Countdown Timer, Temperature and Scoreboard

Yet another 7-segment LED Clock

You can find a multitude of variations on a 7-segment LED clock on YouTube and other web sites.  In fact, this one is an enhancement and variation of the original design by YouTuber Leon van den Beukel, but adds features like local push button control, a host of additional default settings and optional Home Assistant (or other  system) integration via MQTT. View a short highlight of the features on my YouTube video

Building your own LED light strip controller (for cheap!)

 

Did you know that you can build your own LED light strip controller for a fraction of the cost of buying one?  And that this DIY controller has over a hundred light patterns and effects, can sync multiple light strips together, has a mobile app and is designed to integrate with most home automation platforms?  Yep.. and you can do it with no soldering, programming or other special skills and about $8.

Smart Home Devices: Build vs. Buy

 

Do you like to tinker?  Do you like to learn new skills?  Can you follow basic instructions or follow along with a video?  Do you like to save substantial money?  If you answered 'yes' to any of these, you may want to consider building your own smart home devices.  This is actually easier than you think and doesn't require advanced tools, programming skills or a degree in electrical engineering.  In fact, some devices can be build without soldering at all and without writing a single line of code.

My Five Golden Rules for Adding New Smart Devices

 

Maybe you're still in the planning and research stage for your own smart home.  Or maybe you've already established a platform.  But at some stage, you are probably going to add new devices, actions and automations.  If you are sharing your household with others or routinely have visitors or guests, you'll want to assure that your smart home is following the goals you initially established.

Selecting a Home Automation Platform

Upping the Game

So you've decided that you'd like to move from a mishmash of individual smart devices to a true integrated and automated smart home.  The first step you must take is to decide on a platform or system that will serve as the "brains" of your automated home.  This is not a trivial step.  You will be spending substantial time (and possibly a decent chunk of change over time) getting your home to the desired state.  The last thing you want is to find that you've painted yourself into a corner and can't do some of the things you'd really like to do.  So, before beginning, you need to do some planning and research.