Comment by enobrev
2 years ago
When I first read this post, it helped me decide not to try to adjust my home automation app for the masses.
I have a single JavaScript file that runs all the automations in my house. Everything runs on Mqtt and this file handles all timers and temperature adjustments and turning everything off in the house when the right button is pushed and checking that the doors are locked and keeping the front porch lit when the sun is going down and dimming as the sun comes up, and heats my office when I'm in it and it's colder than the rest of my house, but not otherwise, and notifies us when the washer or dryer are done or when it's time to change the automated cat litter.
Adding a device takes about 5 minutes. Changing a timer takes less. I've ssh'd in and changed things from my phone when lazy on the couch.
The commit history is practically useless. The code isn't ideal for a team. It could use a UI. But I love it. And my family is happy with how it all seems to work without much hassle.
That's fantastic. Sounds so much simpler than using Node-RED or something. How do you monitor the laundry? Like is your washer/dryer "smart"? or do you have some sort of vibration/current/noise sensor to determine when they finish?
I'm using the power monitoring feature on a "heavy duty" z-wave power switch (zooz zen-15) to track the power usage. When it jumps over a threshold for at least a couple seconds, I assume the appliance is on, and then when it drops to zero for at least a couple seconds, I assume it's "done".
Same goes for the kitty litter box, although that's just a standard z-wave power switch, not a "heavy-duty" one. That one gets some false positives, so our counter gets a bit higher than the real one, but the discrepancy isn't a huge deal. Looking forward to debugging this one eventually.