I'm copypasta'ing my answer to this question from a month ago. Good luck!

Just reno'd my home, and I LOVE MY SMART HOME. I'm using SmartThings in conjunction with Logitech's Harmony Hub, and it is working fantastically!!

A few other recommendations:

1. CAT6 EVERYWHERE. This is so important and worthwhile, that I'm writing it to echo everyone else's statements :) I had my contractor's wiring guy run unfinished, plain Cat6 everywhere, and will finish the ends myself, which saved a ton of money.
   
   
2. Get them to install your Smart Thermostat. I supplied mine (Ecobee 3) to my contractor and wanted them to install it. This is because when I asked them if my furnace had the C-wire, they said yes, so I could install it myself. I pushed them to install it for me, and it turned out that I didn't have the C-wire, so they had to do the extra wiring run to my furnace and get it installed. Massive bullet dodged, no way I could have done that myself after the walls were up. I love smart heating/cooling. I chose the Ecobee 3 because it is actually a hard-wired thermostat, so no need to ever change batteries :)
   
   
3. Smart dimmer switches for nice pendant/chandelier LED lights in kitchen and/or living room (or anywhere else). I bought a couple smart dimmable GE z-wave switches (I think it was this, or a similar model) and had the contractor install those too. This you can probably do yourself, but it's better if they do it for you while they're installing all the other wiring and regular switches anyway. The switches are wonderful, and can dim my beautiful kitchen pendant LEDs, as well as my beautiful chandelier LED. Thus, those lights didn't have to be smart, just the switch, which allowed me unlimited access to any light I want. Light shopping is a lot of fun, a lot of cool stuff out there. If using this switch, just make sure the lights you buy for them are dimmable, as some LED lights are not dimmable, and will tell you so in the specs.
   
   
4. Outlets at every window. For what? SMART AUTOMATED BLINDS. And with the outlets by the windows, then you can order the blinds that come with standard wired power, which is cheaper than the battery powered and solar powered ones. And c'mon, let's face it, no one wants to change the damn batteries, especially with the blinds going up and down at least one cycle per day, and solar power never seems to deliver enough juice. I ordered smart Bali Blinds through Costco that have the Somfi receiver built into them. You build your own package when you order (because you have to measure and specify lengths and widths for blinds), and when choosing accessories, you have to order the Somfi to Z-wave controller (Zrtsi is what they call it) with it. I LOVE these smart blinds.
   
   
5. Get them to install your Smart Door Locks. I'm using a Schlage Z-wave (or zigbee?) lock for this, and it is working great so far. But it was a pain in the ass to install apparently, or more specifically, to line up with the hole the door bolt lines up with in the door frame.
   
   
   HOME MODE:
   
   Now, I have my smart home programmed so that when I pull up onto the driveway and into the range of my wifi, the blinds automatically open, my LED lights come on, and the TV system turns on, programmed to my starting channel of course (which is usually sports, because baseball is on by the time I get home :D), and the door unlocks. It's...really amazing lol...I freaking love this setup.
   
   If I have gone out for the day and just remembered that I didn't check to see if I locked the door? I can just check the status of it from the SmartThings app. Unlocked? Click. Locked.
   
   VACATION MODE:
   
   When I was out of town last month, I programmed a couple SmartThings routines to open and close my blinds, and turn my lights and tv on and off, at different intervals on different days. I used different timings for different days, because why not? It's so easy and simple to set up in SmartThings, so why not make it just the slightest more realistic and difficult for burglars to figure out?
   
   All in all, I can't believe my smart home is actually functioning the way I hoped it would. I expected there to be more issues and problems, but nope, it's working exactly the way I wanted it to.
   
   
   When my garage is cleared out, I will be installing my wifi enabled Chamberlain garage door openers too, so that the garage door will open automatically for me as well :) If you can get them to install that too, that would save you a bunch of time, since that's a lengthy install and you usually need someone to help with it.
   
   GOOD LUCK!
   
   Optional:
   
6. Speaker wire in every room, like bathrooms. Or at least the rooms you'll want sound in (kitchen, bedrooms, living room, bathrooms....that's pretty much every room :D). I wish I had done this. I initially thought I would just use a bluetooth speaker wherever I wanted sound. But then Google released the Chromecast Audio, and you can get whole home sound now for CHEAP...if you have powered speakers everywhere. Plus, it's always good to have speaker wires wherever you're going to have a tv, because true surround sound will always be better than soundbars.
   
   BONUS EDIT:
   
   Writing this prompted me to check my stuff while here at work. I just opened the SmartThings app and noticed I left the blinds open! Click. Closed. :D
   
   DOUBLE BONUS EDIT:
   
   I can't wait for my Google Home and Amazon Echo Dots to arrive!!!!

I was in your shoes not too long ago, it's overwhelming! Here's a list of things that I bought, but I am not an expert so if others have better input go for that:

Equipment

• 10 gallon tank with hood
  
• Broad Spectrum Light The one that came with the hood did not provide enough for the plants, you definitely need to invest in a broad spectrum bulb.
  
• CaribSea Flora Max Substrate I learned that shrimp prefer darker color substrate, this was worth the investment! My shrimp were so unhappy with cheap gravel, after switching to this substrate they are very active.
  
• Air pump
  
• Sponge filter
  
• Heater, maybe optional for you?
  
• Thermometer
  
• Gallon Bucket
  
• Siphon
  
• Seachem Prime Because it's a smaller tank, I ended up poking a pinhole sized hole in the seal so that I could use it as drops rather than pouring it in.
  
• [Seachem Stability] (https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-67101230-Stability-500ml/dp/B0002APIIW/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1499786377&sr=1-1&keywords=seachem+stability) Use this while you're cycling your tank, follow the instructions.
  
• API Test Kit
  
• Feeding Tray For the longest time I was really confused as to how the feeding tray worked, you can either get a tube or pre-soak the pellets and then drop them into the tray using long tweezers. This will help prevent ammonia/nitrite spikes.
  
• Long Tweezer Set
  
• Pellets Do also feed them blanched vegetables, make sure to peel the skin and buy organic to avoid chemicals/pesticides
  
• Timer Outlet Worth the investment! So you don't have to keep remembering to turn the light on and off.
  
  Shop for whatever is cheaper, I have a huge heater because I had an extra one from before. I've read that it's not necessary but also have read that if you want them to breed you need to stimulate warm water. For now, I keep the heater off and leave it at room temperature of 72F. They seem very happy! Most important in my opinion, add plenty of plants and a marimo ball or 2.
  
  Lastly, I'm unsure of the siphon, I think it's good to have a bucket and siphon just in case your water parameters are looking bad so you are prepared to do a water change. From what I read, shrimp have a very low bio load and should be able to sustain themselves. Make sure to do tests regularly.
  
  EDIT I just read that this is your first aquarium, so here is a detailed write up:
  
  Setting up your tank
  
  
• 1. Find a stable top to place your aquarium on, keep in mind a well sunlit room will mean more plant/algae growth. Make sure it's sturdy and made for heavy objects, don't want to place it on a flimsy shelf or it might break! I keep mine on top a waterproof place mat because water drips are going to happen.
     
• 2. Rinse everything as a precaution! NEVER use dish soap!! If you must sanitize, vinegar is okay. Just make sure to rinse thoroughly. Also, NEVER use any kind of soap on your hands before handling things, just rinse well with water. Add your substrate, I lightly rinsed mine as there are beneficial bacteria living inside the substrate, pour it in. Make sure it's at least 2" of floor. Your water will be cloudy if you bought the substrate I listed, don't worry as it will settle after an hour and be clear.
     
• 3. Fill water half way, use a small plate and pour the water on top of that to avoid the substrate being pushed around. NEVER use hot water! If you're using tap water be sure to always use cold water. It's also recommended to purchase "RO water" (Reverse Osmosis Water) as some times your tap water can be too "hard". The best thing to do is use the test kit on tap water and go from there. If the kH/gH are very high 100+ you will need to use RO water. I like to place my plants and decor now while the tank is half full. Place in your thermometer, heater, sponge filter, etc. After that, continue to fill all the way to the top remembering to aim the stream on top the plate. Leave about a half to an inch from the top.
     
• 4. Take out plate, plug in filter, add in Seachem Prime and Seachem Stability. Please read the label for instructions and dosage according to your tank size. Since there is nothing inside you can add it after you've added the water to the tank. Moving forward, be sure to add the chemicals in the water bucket BEFORE pouring into the tank.
     
• 5. Turn on filter, wait for the water to settle and temperature to come up. They say shrimp can tolerate 52F to 86F but ideally room temperature water is best, this is where your water heater will come into play. Follow which ever cycling method you choose before purchasing your shrimp. This can take up to 6 weeks.
     
     After your tank has cycled
     
     
• 1. When adding your shrimp, there are many methods, the way I acclimate my shrimp is:
     
• 2. Put the shrimp in a 1 gallon tub using the water that they came in.
     
• 3. Drop in a tablespoon of the tank water, ONCE every 2 minutes.
     
• 4. After the water has reached 1/3 old water, 2/3rd new water, your shrimp are ready to be placed into your tank.
     
     Please don't skip the important step of acclimating your shrimp! They are very sensitive to water changes and this ensures that they will survive.
     
     Here are my water parameters, people have all kinds of ranges but this is what works for me:
     
     
• kH: 60 / gH: 40 / pH: 7.0 / NO2: 0 / NO3: 20 / Ammonia: 0 / Temperature: 72F
  
  I hope this helps... again, I was in your shoes not too long ago, it was really overwhelming. But after a lot of research I think my tank is in a good place :). Other users, if there's anything in my list that seems incorrect please let me know!

Hey /u/adrojono,

Thought I could help and also offer some clarification on the patent question you had.

As /u/fastlerner mentioned, Philips Hue bulbs aren't meant to be put on a smart switch, but rather controlled from their app (or if you have their bridge paired to your HUB, you can control from your HUB -- either way, it's meant to be controlled remotely vs physically).

There are some other options for you. Philips Hue was actually one of my first smart home purchases and I love their bulbs. I use a couple of things to manually control them:

• They have a remote switch that you can use: https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Dimmer-Switch-Installation-Free-Exclusively/dp/B076MGKTGS
  
  
• Inovelli switch (Disclaimer: I'm the owner lol)
  
  The remote works fantastic and I still have them up around the house to control the dim levels of the bulbs. It pairs directly to the Hue bridge and you can dim up/down and also set favorite scenes (I believe... I just use it for dim up/down).
  
  The Inovelli switches (I have the old version bc the new one is still in testing, but it will have the same features) allow you to disable the internal relay and also send a Z-Wave Scene Command to your HUB (Please note: You have to have a HUB that supports Z-Wave for this as the Hue Bridge is ZigBee -- I'm assuming since you mentioned you have a GE 14294 switch that you do have a Z-Wave enabled HUB).
  
  How this works is that you would install the Inovelli switch, disable the internal relay (so when you tap the switch off, it does not physically cut power to the light bulb), and then set up your scenes to control the Hue bulb.
  
  To give you an example -- my daughters love their color lights and likes to go to bed with different colors each night, so the setup is as follows:
  
  
• Tap UP 1x = Turns Hue onto the last setting
  
• Tap DOWN 1x = Turns Hue off
  
• Tap UP 2x = Turns Hue PINK at 50%
  
• Tap UP 3x = Turns Hue PURPLE at 50%
  
• Tap UP 4x = Turns Hue GREEN at 50%
  
• Tap UP 5x = Turns Hue BLUE at 50%
  
• HOLD UP = Changes dim to 75%
  
• HOLD DOWN = Changes dim to 25%
  
  Now the limitation here is that you cannot dim up/down in real time, nor get to a precise level. This is because Hue speaks ZigBee and Inovelli speaks Z-Wave and it has to be interpreted at the HUB level and there is no commands that translate to dimming up/down in realtime between Z-Wave and ZigBee.
  
  Hopefully that makes sense?
  
  Ok, now onto the patent issue. I can't speak in detail about it for legal reasons, but I can say the patent was around how our switch works in a 3-Way setting.
  
  As you may know, one of the features of the switch is that it can be used in multiple 3-Way settings:
  
  
• It will work with a dumb switch at one end
  
• It will work with an aux switch at one end
  
• It will work with another smart switch at one end
  
  The first bullet point was actually patented by Zooz and they were kind enough to share this with us right as we were going to production, so we had to make a modification, which caused a delay.
  
  The good news is that we were able to find a different way of making it work, so we wouldn't violate the patent.
  
  So, to directly answer your question of cutting out features and quality:
  
  The answer is no, we did not have to cut out any features and no, we did not sacrifice quality to do so. I wish I could tell you exactly how we did it, but we are actually in the patent process ourselves around our approach to solving the 3-Way with a dumb switch issue, so I can't disclose right now :/
  
  As for switch recommendations:
  
  
• HomeSeer: I've had their WS100 since it came out and it's been my favorite switch since. I like the scene control (double tap, triple tap, etc) and the aesthetics. But their new WS200 looks awesome and has all the bells and whistles.
  
  
• Zooz: I don't personally have any of their switches, but Agnes is awesome and I really love what they're doing over there from an innovation standpoint. Their customer support is great from what I hear too. Amazing pricepoint on their switches for what you get as well.
  
  Hope this helped a bit and I'm happy to answer any other questions!
  
  Eric
  
  Founder | Inovelli

Okay let's start from the beginning- each of your devices needs to be machine-controllable.

Lights- you can use smart bulbs (Hue etc) or you can use lighting controllers (smart light switches, plug-in dimmer modules, etc). Either way you'll either need a network like Z-Wave or Zigbee or Insteon to control them, which will require a USB RF interface. You could use all WiFi devices but I don't recommend this.

TV- that probably means infrared. Some TVs you can control by serial port, other TVs you can control with network traffic. 99% chance infrared is your best bet though.

Fan- if this is a plug-in fan you can use a plug-in switch module. What kind of fan is it?

Xbox- probably via IR.

Voice control- Alexa or Google Home.

Hub- Home Assistant works, HomeSeer costs money but might be easier to set up.

So to break this down, you need to find a way to interface all these devices with your hub. Let's assume you're using HA.

For the lights, you need a primary control technology, that'll be Z-Wave, Zigbee, Insteon, etc. I suggest Z-Wave as it's got better support in both Home Assistant and HomeSeer. That unfortunately rules out Hue bulbs, but it means you can instead get nice Z-Wave smart light switches and use your existing bulbs. Here's a popular one. If you want super controllability check out the HomeSeer branded switches- they'll work fine with Home Assistant, they have several LEDs that you can program to do whatever, you can decouple the switch (so pushing the button doesn't turn on the light but rather sends a Z-Wave command), program double/triple/quadruple tap actions, etc.

Note that if you really really want Hue lights, Home Assistant and HomeSeer both (somewhat) support ZigBee. You can also buy a Hue Bridge, which is basically an Ethernet-Zigbee interface that's Hue-proprietary, and link that to HA or HomeSeer.

Fan- if it's a plug in fan you need a plug-in appliance/switch module. Here's one. If you have a ceiling fan type thing you'll need a ceiling fan switch. Here's one of those (HomeSeer makes one too).

IR (TV, Xbox, etc)- probably BroadLink devices or Global Cache iTach. Note that if you try HomeSeer, Global Cache works, Broadlink I think does not.

Voice commands- How to integrate Alexa and Home Assistant.

You'll want to look at Smart things by Samsung or even a hubitat with z wave motion sensors, door sensors and z wave light switches.

Smart things

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SmartThings-Generation-GP-U999SJVLGDA-Automation/dp/B07FJGGWJL/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=smartthings&qid=1568218834&s=hi&sr=1-4

Hubitat

https://www.amazon.com/Hubitat-Elevation-Home-Automation-Hub/dp/B07D19VVTX/ref=sr_1_4?crid=11LGAJMZT4XTM&keywords=hubitat&qid=1568218857&s=hi&sprefix=Hubitat%2Ctools%2C181&sr=1-4

If you go the z wave /z wave plus route things tend to be much more stable and you can build a interference free IOT network. Zigbee runs on 2.4ghz so its generally less preferred to z wave that operates at a interferance-FREE 800-900 MHz.

Things like the GE Z wave light switches are great for a good reliable IOT network.


GE Z wave light switch & Extender

https://www.amazon.com/GE-Repeater-Extender-SmartThings-14291/dp/B01M1AHC3R/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=zwave+ge+light+switch&qid=1568218742&s=gateway&sr=8-2

For locks I highly recommend the Keyless Yale locks. $98 a piece, very reliable and they work great with a z wave network. They also use a hardened steel strike plate, a solid steel body, a tamper alarm, a anti saw dead bolt core and cant be picked.

​

You'll want a good quality door sensor, good reliable ones are few and far between so make sure you get something that has great amazon reviews. Dont cheap out here as flaky contact sensors are everywhere and its not worth the $5 when it doesn work half the time.


Z Wave Door Sensor


https://www.amazon.com/Z-Wave-Magnets-Window-Sensor-DWZWAVE2-5-ECO/dp/B01N5HB4U5/ref=sr_1_4?crid=29QS4YGELWFZR&keywords=zwave+door+sensor&qid=1568220339&s=hi&sprefix=Z+wave+door%2Ctools%2C170&sr=1-4


Yale Z wave YRD110ZW619 Dead bolt

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PM6V1XW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

I also use an Abode Security System thats z wave based with my z wave locks feeding in to it. Abode is great as its got all the fancy features other alarm systems offer but has no monthly charge!!


Abode Security System

https://goabode.com/?rfsn=2685339.3291b5


​

For Smart outlets I dont have any z wave ones yet, just a couple of TP-Link kasa ones. I would probably go for GE in wall outlets though. DONT SKIMP on your outlets, lesser known brands have been know to catch on fire!

I have 19 kasa light bulbs and they work pretty darn good, but I would recommend GE outlets for much better home automation. Smart light bulbs are good for basic stuff but once someone turns off the light switch you cant turn them back on until you flip the switch.


Kasa Light Bulbs LB110

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-LB110-Smart-Wi-Fi-Dimmable/dp/B01HXM8XE2/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=Kasa+bulbs&qid=1568220252&s=hi&sr=1-5

Please note that Smart things and Hubitat are booth good in there own respects, Smart things is good for people who know how to use a computer but are not power users. Hubitat is great for people who own a github account and really want the full automation experience. Hubitat runs most/all IOT commands locally and doesn't rely on the cloud for processing.

I skipped hubitat and went for HASSIO, I really, REALLY, dont recommend this rout unless your a computer tech as the learning curb can be really steep!!! It runs on your own server, I use the VB version


HASSIO

https://www.home-assistant.io/hassio/

VIVOSUN 48"x24"x60" Mylar Hydroponic Grow Tent with Observation Window and Floor Tray for Indoor Plant Growing 2'x4' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DXYMQ9M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dx13BbGGT8164

VIPARSPECTRA Reflector-Series 300W LED Grow Light Full Spectrum for Indoor Plants Veg and Flower https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B4GQ6MO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Hz13BbPVVN2TK

This light is good for 2 plants but you’ll eventually want to add a second for your tent. You definitely can’t fill the tent with just this light, but it’ll get you started.

iPower 2-Pack 1/8 Inch 8-Feet Long Adjustable Heavy Duty Rope Clip Hanger, Reinforced Metal Internal Gears,150lb Capacity https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018WIOEDA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_wA13Bb58ZJ5GD

Century 7 Day Heavy Duty Digital Programmable Timer - Dual Outlet (Indoor) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MVF16JG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XA13Bb9NQJDG1

Comfort Zone CZ6C 6-Inch 2-Speed Clip-On Fan (White, 2 Fans) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JLUZSPC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.E13Bb05JK7B1

247Garden 5-Pack 3 Gallon Grow Bags/Aeration Fabric Pots w/Handles (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013JM3JAI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_VG13Bb7MGJS2R

https://www.oregonsonly.com/samples/

These are great nutrients and basically foolproof. This free sample kit will get you through 4 plants full grows. I love these nutrients and even now use them in a reservoir (which people claim you can’t do but works great).

Dr.meter 0.1pH PH002 High Accuracy pH Meter/pH Pen Tester with ATC LCD 0-14 pH Measurement Range (PH002 pH Meter for Water) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PU0W35K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fI13BbNRES1BK

That will get you started on your first grow or two. I recommend auto blue mystic from nirvana for your first run. They are very low smell while growing so you can get by without a carbon filter. They’re autos so you can leave the light on 24/7, and they finish fast. Also turns out a great finished product.

https://www.nirvanashop.com/marijuana-seeds/815-blue-mystic-autoflower.html

Less than $40 for 5 seeds and very discrete shipping.

When you have a bit more $ you can add on additional items. Eventually you’ll want to upgrade to PFD sun boards or quantum boards, but you’ll probably want to get a fan and filter first:

6" Inline Fan - 395 CFM Exhaust Duct Fan, Built-In Speed Controller, ETL Listed, Pre-Wired 6 FT Grounded Cord - Great Use In Grow Tent With Carbon Filters, Light Fixtures, Intake. Fits 6 Inch Ducts. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L0D0UEQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_TM13Bb5170NC1

Activated Charcoal Carbon Filter 6" x 16", Up to 400 CFM, Premium Grow Tent Odor Scrubber, 1.8" Extra Thick Layer of Top Grade Activated Australian Virgin Charcoal-Great for Hydroponics and Growing https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M0VN4I5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qN13BbEH9AG9W

Maybe you can upgrade to a 2x4 tray with reservoir so you can automate feeding.

If you don’t want autoflowers you can just do 12/12 from seed for faster harvest. https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-how-to-grow-cannabis-from-seed-under-12-12-lighting-n330

But I really recommend doing the auto blue mystic for your first round or two.

Dave from EEVblog recommends building power supplies. They're pretty simple, and it doesn't hurt to have a bunch of them. You can find kits, which will teach you how to solder parts onto a PCB, but it's not too hard to design a supply around an LM317 regulator, the data sheet will have the circuit you need right on it. This will also be a good chance to learn the non-electronics skills you'll need; instead of buying a plastic box, make one out of plywood and paint it up.

Once you have a power supply or three, start playing around with simple analog circuits. You should have a breadboard and jumper wires and at least one good multimeter, though the aforementioned EEVblog recommends two, and not cheaping out on them. He did a $50 multimeter shootout , if you don't want to watch an hourlong video this was the winner, but it's worth watching to see why it won. Anyhow, you can find kits and project ideas online, get some random parts and start playing around until you have a good feel for old school analog circuits. Try to make up your own project and build it, even if it's completely useless.

At some point, preferably after you have a good grasp of analog circuits, you're going to have to move up to digital. Arduinos are a good start, they're popular enough that you can't look at a single page of Instructables without tripping over an Arduino project. You're going to have to learn some programming to make it go, but there's a million tutorials online. To make the pinball machine go, you're going to have to learn how to use the Arduino (or something like it) to control analog components, probably while giving them their own external power source. You'll also need to know how to drive a display for the scoreboard, and of course you'll have to program the logic for keeping track of the number of balls left, current score, and what inputs translate to what increase in score. The programming alone is a big undertaking, so if you go forward on this, be prepared to spend years on it.

A good project to do would also be to make a MAME cabinet. It's much simpler on the electronics side, you either hack the buttons and joysticks into a USB keyboard controller, or buy one of these which does the same thing, and then use an old PC and monitor. The hard part is building an arcade cabinet, which is still a lot simpler than building a pinball table. You'd be looking at a couple hundred dollars in parts, but that's not too bad compared to what you want to end up doing.

So I don’t know exactly how much I’ve spent on my beardie since he was given to me with almost everything I needed to care for him, but I can give you the basics.

First off, for the flooring you can use paper towels to start, or contact cabinet paper that can be found at a dollar tree. I don’t think tile is that expensive, but if you’re unable to get some at the moment those work just fine. I also suggest covering the back and sides of the tank so the beardie doesn’t see its reflection and get stressed

You’ll need at least one hide on the cooler side, which can be made from something as simple as a small cardboard box with a hole cut in it or some bricks that are arranged into a cave-like hide

A basking area can be made from bricks purchased at Lowe’s or Home Depot, or if you choose to use any driftwood/rocks you find just make sure you clean them properly

Calcium powder is also extremely important to help your beardie not develop MBD. I’m part of a Facebook bearded dragon group that suggests this brand sprinkled over greens/bugs three times a week: https://www.chewy.com/repashy-superfoods-calcium-plus/dp/166276 I poke some holes in the paper lid with a toothpick to create a shaker-type deal so I’m not wasting any calcium

I think one of the most expensive parts is the UVB light since they can get pretty pricey, and since they need to be changed every six months. Here’s an 18”, along with a fixture that could be used, but obviously with a longer tank you’ll need a longer size: https://www.chewy.com/zoo-med-t8-reptisun-100-uvb/dp/126590 https://www.amazon.com/GE-Fluorescent-Included-Workbench-16466/dp/B000HJ75PW again, I usually stay away from reptile brands for things such as fixtures because the cheaper version works better and lasts longer. The T8 bulb needs to be hooked into the tank, which I use zip ties to the lid but Velcro to the side also works, as long as it’s 12” away from the basking area

Heat lamp with dimmer: https://www.chewy.com/flukers-clamp-lamp-dimmer-85-in/dp/129140

Pack of 90w flood lights (make sure they’re halogen, not LED): https://www.homedepot.com/p/Philips-90-Watt-PAR38-Halogen-Indoor-Outdoor-Flood-Light-Bulb-2-Pack-466268/205541724

Digital temp gun: https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lasergrip-774-Non-contact-Thermometer/dp/B00837ZGRY

Light timer for both lights: https://www.amazon.com/Century-Heavy-Digital-Programmable-Timer/dp/B00MVF16JG

Vet bills and fecal tests can be pricey as well, depending on where you live. My last vet appointment with mine, which did include a test for parasites, cost around $300

While I don’t know how much I’ve spent on my beardie, I can safely estimate it’s $700+, give or take a bit. One of the most expensive is buying the greens and bugs for him. I’m growing a garden to feed him but since it’s not ready yet, I have to constantly buy him collards, turnip and mustard greens, along with various fruits and veggies which can go bad very quickly. I’m in the process of looking into buying his superworms online where you can get a better deal, but at the moment I’m paying 100 for $10 at my local exotic pet shop, which he goes through quickly.

I don’t know how old you are, but if you say you’re not old enough to properly take care of a reptile I would wait a few years or so until you get another. Bearded dragons, while more of a beginner reptile than others, still require a lot of time and effort to make sure they stay healthy. I would recommend doing a lot research throughout the next few months (look at multiple sources, don’t just listen to people at a pet store because often they don’t know what they’re talking about), and if possible, perhaps slowly start gathering the needed supplies in order to properly care for one

I hope I covered everything since reddit refreshed and deleted my first response before I finished, but if you have any more questions you can always message me (:

Not sure on /u/Steammonkey restock times, you can always pm him. There are other vendors who carry it (shouldn't be hard to find) as well.

[This is my multimeter] (http://www.amazon.com/Equus-3320-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B000EVYGZA), I'm sure many are similarly laid out. (I had this before I started building; not sure if there's a "recommended" multimeter out there.) You can see the little "OHM" on the dial, set it there :) The battery voltage meter settings on the side are under "battery load test", you put the pos to the pos end of your batt, neg to neg :) There are some youtube videos specifically for multimeters + vaping that are helpful and will also show you where to position the leads for checking ohms, etc. On the vids, pay attention to how to check your meter's internal resistance, esp. with lower ohm builds. Be sure to buy a digital multimeter, not the analog kind w/ the bouncy arm for readouts.

I use Panasonic CGR18650s, AW 18490s, and MNKEs mainly for vaping so I don't know those (I had to search for mine, not printed on batts most of the time); it may be easier to search for the "c" rating of your battery so you can calculate its amp limits. (Again, sm's monkey u has a nice walkthru; it's not hard, just math.) Off the bat I'd say you likely don't want to use your "mystery" blue batt unless you can verify mfr/c rating... most batts packaged with kits are okay for vv/vw devices, not really super for mechs esp. when you're cloud chasing/low ohms. Is the ncr panny protected? (I don't know.) You don't want to use protected batts.

The 2c for safety fuse ... is a nice idea, but I think it has a 8 or 10 watt limit? (Don't quote me, I'm pulling numbers from you-know-where.) It'll be tripped pretty fast with low ohms... I don't think you can use them effectively with anything over 1.5 ohms or so. They make resettable ones (along w/ ones that are one time use, and that would stink), but again, they'll just stop your batt from firing when you want it to put out the watts you'll be pulling w/ lower ohms.

Honestly, I'd start high-ish and work your way down. Totally honest again, I'm kind of loving higher ohm (1.5-2.0) on my vv device (Provari), using one right now as I type. You can push much higher volts with the amplification of vv than you can reach with mechs, won't come near amp limits (you'll hit your device's amp limit before your battery's), and will still get a super vape. I have [a post on some higher (than sub) ohm builds + vv here] (http://www.reddit.com/r/electronic_cigarette/comments/1g9c87/fun_with_contact_coils_higher_ohm_rbas_and/) to give you an idea of what I mean. Not saying don't go mech, I'm running 0.8 right now on my GV Sentinel and it's super, but ... I'm a ninny, "true" cloud chasing/sub 0.5 ohms freak me the f out ;) and some people have written off vv devices + RBAs when they really shouldn't. It may be harder to build/test on a PWM (pbusardo has a vid if you don't know about PWM) vv device, but firing is lovely once you get it on point :)

Happy reading, watching, building :)

I've never heard of Legrand, and I've always seen Lutron as having more of a closed system, but I see that Caseta is getting, or just got official SmartThings support. What I meant was going with z-wave dimmers or on/off switches like the ones made by GE or Linear/GoControl. The nice things about regular z-wave, z-wave plus, and zigbee products like this is that it's compatible with a whole slew of hubs, and will probably be supported by all future hubs for a long, long time. Doesn't matter if you have SmartThings, Wink, VeraLite, whatever, it will work.

Lighting doesn't have to be complicated, it's more about the hub you go with, than the device that controls your bulbs because that is what you interact with. I have a mix of z-wave dimmers and smart bulbs around the house, altogether 20 something light devices connected to a SmartThings hub. Alexa integration is great, as is Google Assistant on android (I have no iOS devices). I can tell either Alexa or the Google Assistant to turn lights on/off, dim lights to a percentage (I love being able to dim lights to any percent I want, 1%, 10%, 63%, whatever I want) and they change instantly. I use an android app called SharpTools that has a great UI for controlling devices, and good support for creating widgets.

I don't use scenes, but SmartThings has "routines" so you can create a widget on your phone's home screen or control it with Alexa to perform preset tasks (Set Living Room light to 10%, Set Reading Lamp to 85%, turn on a power outlet, lock your front door, etc).

Here's some links if you want to look at some other options:

GE Z-Wave Dimmer: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006LQFHN2

Linear Z-Wave Dimmer: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E1OVFAK/ (I have a bunch of these and they're great).

Hi there! I have used these types of switches in my home for about a year now and have only had a good experience! However, I have also always been somewhat perplexed about the sheer number of these various branded and non-branded switches available on various sites, that all basically seem to be made of the the same components. This isn't something you really see very often here in the US, mainly due to patent laws. I'm thinking that might really be the reason these switches, and so many other electronic devices from China, exist in the overlapping way they do - I'm thinking it's very likely able to happen due to poorly enforced or non-existent patent laws. That's my main guess anyway... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

​

As for my experience with the setup and performance of these switches, I initially came across them out of the necessity of finding a wall switch that did not require a common neutral wire. My home was built in 1950 and half of the wiring in my home does not have a ground wire and most of the circuits are not wired with a common neutral line, which has been the norm/requirement here for most everyone likely since sometime in the 1980s. Unfortunately, most WiFi connected "smart" switches/devices all require a common neutral wire. These have been a lifesaver for me! I found my switches on Amazon and have only purchased "Funry" and "Livolo" branded switches, the versions that work via RF signal. Originally, it seemed that was all they made (the RF kind), but as this IoT/home automation thing has really become such a big market noticed they started producing WiFi and Bluetooth switches, using the same housings and touch panels/exterior components.
Which leads me to my next thought - and I have nothing to base this premonition on, but I have a feeling / feel it can only be prudent to not assume that all of these switches, while appearing nearly identical on the outside, are of the same quality and same technologies on the inside. I have nothing to base this on, and most of these devices aren't certified by the various engineering certification groups (like UL here in the US) anyway and I'm sure some people would say to stay clear of them altogether, but inevitably having spent a lot of my budget on cheaper consumer electronic products made in China/other neighboring regions that are sold online, I've seen this to be the case. However, all I can speak to is the quality of the products from the two manufacturers I mentioned above and my experience has been positive. I mean, I felt they were at least well-made enough that I wasn't completely terrified to install them in my home. I've had no trouble with the switch mechanism itself, and the tempered glass panels do feel and look solid/of quality.

​

As for trying my best to help provide insight on your three bulleted needs laid out above - I do think it's possible for you to achieve each of those wants; however, I'd say my answer probably echos what I rambled on about above (lol), that the various functions and features can really be very different from one manufacturer to another on these switches, even though they may look the same, at least if you mean right out of the box. With a little bit of configuration (and sometimes a lot), you can connect basically anything to anything these days, one way or another. One problem with not going with a "name-brand" here is that you're also less-likely to get "name-brand" software/apps for the devices. But that may not matter. As I wrote above, the units I've purchased have all been RF-controlled models, so I had to buy a small hub/controller to work with RF. Prior to this Google Home/Alexa explosion, I'd already purchased tons of these wireless plugs/switches and had them connected to devices/lights all over my home, so buying a cheap RF hub and these affordable glass wall switches allowed me to turn what I already had into Google/Alexa-connected devices affordably, instead of having to start from scratch (just throwing that out there if you have anything similar in your setup). I imagine you're wanting just the straight WiFi switches? I can't give any feedback on the particular WiFi version of these switches, but I guess I can say if you find any on eBay from the two brands I mentioned, I'd feel OK about it for my home.

• the ability to turn them off and on through an app independently, but also as groups
  
  They likely come from the manufacturer with some junky/not so great, proprietary software/"app" that you'll have to download and use just to get the devices setup anyway, but if you can get them successfully connected to Google Home (or Alexa), then yes, you can turn them on and off independently and can also assign them to groups, for group control. There are dozens and dozens of apps/interfaces out there now to control IoT devices, so I'd have to say yes this is possible. Out of the box, using the manufacturer's app? I don't know... but yes, totally possible.
  
  
• Control them with Google Assistant independently and as groups
  
  My RF versions, yes. I imagine the WiFi version of these likely can be Google Assistant connected, one way or another, if they're not right out of the box. But I can't totally confirm this one.
  
  
• Have dimming control
  
  Now this question... based on my working knowledge of these and other similar low-end devices and how they operate and are built, it's quite possible you would not have dimming control with any variety of these switches. I think you'd really need to be certain to buy a model that clearly states it has dimming functionality. I don't believe the majority of these are designed for that - only for on and off. In fact, I have no dimming control on any WiFi or RF-controlled light switch in my home - only on WiFi bulbs I've purchased with dimming capabilities. It seems to me that dimming "smart" switches are only available from some of the more [recognized] name-brand manufacturers and their more expensive, proprietary lighting systems, pretty much all requiring some sort of proprietary hub to control them.

I've been taking ice baths for a bit now using plastic water bottles as reuseable ice cubes while filling the tub daily. I have a nice jacuzzi tub available most of the time that is great, but lugging the ice bottles around (my tub is on the 2nd floor, and my freezer is on the 1st floor) and having to re-freeze them every day can be a PITA - as well as having to use new water each day instead of the ability to recycle. My next solution is a chest freezer, which I intend to set up as soon as I am able.

A few tips from my research:

1. Get one big/wide enough for you to fit in comfortably up to and including your shoulders. Checking craiglist for your area is a good starting point for a discounted price. Depending on your size, 10-15 cu ft is a good range to consider.
   
2. Some have a handy shelf inside that can act as a bench; if yours does, you may desire a foam seat pad to put on top to make it slightly softer.
   
3. You can put it on a wall timer (that cycles on/off), then have it run for ~2-4 hours/day to keep the rough temp you desire, or a more accurate option is to get a Outlet Temp Controller (which is my choice method) that will auto on/off for you based on an exact preset water temperature. I enjnoy the idea of setting the tub to a custom temp, based on the length of time I intend to use it as well as the ability to increase cold levels of time.
   
4. When you first fill it with water and want to cool it, either cycle it on/off over multiple days or put a BUNCH of ice in with it - as cooling a lot of water isn't the intended purpose and this will mitigate the strain on the motor cooling system.
   
5. Seal up the inside seams with some silicone sealant (like stuff used for a bath tub), or line the inside with a pool liner for a thicker, reinforced watertight space.
   
6. The cool temp will naturally keep the water cleaner, though using H2O2 is a good way to elongate the life of the water even more. You can get ~5% at most pharmacies, or ~30% at farm supply stores that requires much less.

Smart switches are the best replacement because it leaves everything the way every other house is built, but adds smart functionality. If you install smart bulbs, they are controlled from two different sources - the light switch, and your phone. Want to turn the light on but someone flipped the switch? You must get up to manually flip the switch, then control the light bulb.

Smart bulbs are only good if you live in an apartment complex, need RGB bulbs, or want to change color temperature. Overall, the smart switch is the best thing to use because it only adds functionality, not take any away. I personally use a technology called Z-Wave which creates a strong mesh network in your house. Z-Wave doesn't rely on internet, which means if your internet goes down they continue to function. A large portion of WiFi devices require you to have internet as well, which is a huge downfall of home automation relying on WiFi.

I have a couple of these, a Vision Relay that i've installed to keep my original switches, and a few other z-wave outlets around.

No problem! Just wanted to also add that since I made this post, I've actually done a little more research into smart home stuff. From my understanding, if you don't have bluetooth built into your receiver, you may actually not need Smart Things if you want to be able to control the outlet at the same time as the music mode.

If you get a wifi controlled smart plug (like this one), Alexa will be able to discover it over wifi without a hub like Smart Things. Once you get Harmony all set up and working with your setup, you can then get a phone app and Alexa skill called Yonomi. It basically discovers all your smart devices and lets you set up custom activities for them in the app, and lets them be discoverable by Alexa through the skill. If you then recreate all your Harmony activities within Yonomi as Yonomi activities (basically by making a new activity called whatever you want within Yonomi, that when invoked, activates the Harmony activity of your choosing), all your Harmony activities will then be treated as devices in the Alexa app.

This means that you can make a group within the Alexa app consisting of your Music Mode activity (the one made in Yonomi that calls the one made in Harmony to turn on the correct devices), as well as your smart plug. Then just name that group Music Mode (or whatever you want to call it). Then you can just say "Alexa, turn on Music Mode" and she'll power on the plug and have Harmony turn on the right stuff. At least this is how it works from what I've seen. Definitely a bit of work, especially if you're planning on making a lot of activities for Harmony, but arguably ultimately worth it since you don't have to drop the extra $100 for a Smart Things hub.

Now, if you plan on getting into the smart home scene down the road, Smart Things opens up a lot of neat things you can do. So if that's the case, it may still be worth the investment to get a Smart Things hub. Then you could get a wifi smart plug, or a plug compatible with smart things (one that works using Z-wave, for example). But hey, you know, just another option.

First of all, does the wall plate in your office have just 1 phone line? 2 or all 4?

All 4 would be ideal, but you need at least 2 for this to work because Ethernet needs at least 2 pairs of wires.

Also if you only have 2 pairs of wires then you'll only get 100Mbit Ethernet. Gigabit Ethernet requires all 4 pairs.

This job would be made easier with a Tone & Probe kit (also known as a Toner). Simply plug the tone generator into the phone jack in your office, then go down to the basement with the probe and use it to identify the correct pair of wires.



Once you identify the pair of wires, you're going to have to remove all 4 pairs of wires (BlueWhite/Blue, OrangeWhite/Orange, GreenWhite/Green, BrownWhite/Brown) from the patch panel (the thing you showed in the picture)

It looks like you've got plenty of wire there to work with. Instead of crimping an RJ-45 plug directly on to the wire (and definitely DO NOT just twist the wires together), I would recommend punching the wire down to a surface-mount RJ-45 jack like this one.

You'll need a punchdown tool like this

As far as the jack in the office, You'll need to replace that too. You'll probably need to replace the wall plate as well.

Edit to make more clear

Only IF you have only 2 pairs of wires in the office

Then punching down the RJ45 jacks is a bit trickier. You still follow the [TIA-568B standard] (http://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/ethernetcables.html) but you leave the Blue and Brown wires out (Pins 4,5,7 and 8).

It's going to be a bit confusing because the colors of the wires won't necessarily match the chart. Just make sure that you punch down each end of the cable the same way. Remember, you'll only be punching down pins 1,2,3 and 6.

Hope that helps. Good luck! :)

• LIFX are brighter, have bolder colors, and for a single light will cost less.
  
• People occasionally talk about having connectivity issues with LIFX, and I can't imagine having dozens of extra WiFi devices won't lead to some issues.
  
• Hue has a bigger ecosystem. It's been very popular for a long time. There are lots of third party integrations that can provide all sorts of stuff. I've never tried it but the Hue app has built in support for automations based on your location or time of day. LIFX might have these in the app, but without a hub I imagine they would need to be activated from your phone, which sometimes works well, but sometimes doesn't.
  
• Hue has a motion sensor and a couple of choices for wall switches that can be used just with the Hue hub. The very popular dimmer switch is only $25 USD, and currently on sale.
  
• I think to have a wall switch with LIFX you would need to have some sort of home automation hub in place like SmartThings/Wink/HomeKit/Indigo/etc. Or you might be able to get some sort of generic switch like the Logitech Pop (which requires its own hub) to trigger things through IFTTT.
  
• I think either Hue or LIFX color bulbs will provide good color shift. Both have pretty good quality light and light color. I expect some of the no-name bulbs you can find on Amazon would be pretty bad.
  
• I find the reviews from the Wirecutter to be useful to research this kind of thing.
  
  Edit: In terms of a switch to control it, either bulb can be turned off by the existing wall switch or lamp switch. Either can be turned on by the same switch, but at least with Hue's current firmware, it will revert to full brightness white, I don't know about LIFX. However if you do turn it off with one of those switches, there is no way to turn it back on with the app/voice assistant/etc. So when I talked about the switches above, I'm talking about smart switches.
  
  I don't think I was clear either that I think Hue might be the way to go. Of course you will get some bias towards Hue in /r/hue, but if you are concerned about reliability, automation, and control capabilities, I think Hue has more to offer.

A lot of the $30 - $50 mirrors that are readily available at Walmart, Target etc. are really not that great. They're better than nothing, but that's about it. If she's as into makeup as you say she is, she's going to want something properly bright. If you're looking for a makeup mirror with lights built in already, you're going to have to invest around $80 - $100. Instead, if she already has a mirror, you can just add LED lights around the perimeter, and it works better than most makeup mirrors. Definitely better than the $30-$50 ones.

Here's what I use: this LED strip + this power adaptor. It's super easy to install if she already has a mirror, and it is BRIGHT. It's cheap (around $40CAD), and SUPER functional. I can't recommend it enough. You can probably even get a different adaptor with a switch/dimmer.

The easiest solution would be to go with something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076MGKTGS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_iTnJDbPWF33T2

The work great with the Hue bulbs and can be mounted on the wall like a regular switch. There are other similar options, but in my opinion these look the best and are the most user friendly. Might be a good interim solution even if you decide to get into a more sophisticated system like Smartthings or Home Assistant.

My girlfriend also hates using Alexa to control lights so I've done a similar thing and set presets for color and brightness based on time of day which greatly reduces how often she has to deal with the lights. Motion sensor that trigger simple lights like hallways and bathrooms work well too.

Setting up an automation system in your house requires 3 different areas:

1. Controlled "appliances"
   
   
2. A hub
   
   
3. A controller
   
   I am being specifically vague when I say controlled appliances because this group is vast and varried. You can have smart light bulbs, smart light switches, smart wall outlets, smart thermostats, various sensors, security cameras, and the list goes on and on.
   
   All of these appliances will have a communication system such as z-wave or wifi that allows it to connect to the hub and be controlled virtually.
   
   These can be extremely expensive, but most have gotten relatively cheap. For instance, the light switches I have are about $40 each. So, for about $40 per room you can completely automate the lights of your entire house.
   
   The Hub is simply a device that connects to all of the above appliances and allows you to control them virtually. I have a smartthigns hub. I really like it, but there are several other options that you can use. All have their benefits and drawbacks.
   
   As said above, the main job of the hub is to be the connection/control point for all of your appliances. The secondary bit is that each hub has a control OS that you interface with as a controller for your system. This will take two forms. First form is an app you can install on a tablet or smartphone that will allow you to set up routines or directly control every single connected appliance from wherever you are in the world. The second form (not on every hub) is a simple programming interface that gives you powerful customizing options to how you want to control your system. If you can imagine it (and code it) you can do it, pretty much.
   
   The controller group is also where the echo fits in. You don't need an echo, but it is an amazing addition. Typically having a smart system just meant you could control everything on cool customized timers, virtually from everywhere in the world, and from a centralized "remote" in your house instead of having to go to each device. With the echo you can skip the tablet "remote" all together and just speak to your house and it listens.
   
   I highly recommend diving into the world of an automated system. It is only a couple hundred dollars to get started and you can slowly build your system out over time. Check out /r/homeautomation for some more info too.

It does not look like the switches are the problem... I have not done a minidox, but from this build guide it looks like you might have soldered the jumpers for the left and right side, SJ1 and SJ2 wrong. Your photo is too blurry to tell for sure but it looks like all three pads are soldered together? This is how it should look. Also, do you have a multimeter to test your reset switch and the diode orientation? Did you take any shots of your diode side before you soldered the switches and switch plate on?

Take a look at SJ1 & SJ2 and see if you can clean that up and test that they are jumpered correctly and lets go from there.

I am far from perfect, but here is how I solder my switches and components... Contra, and close up... Clean and Smooth :) This is a good shot of the PM, switches and diodes from my Gherkin See how the solder curves up the sides of the switch? Like cones and not globs or balls.

It is a dance... apply iron to hole and component, add the solder, remove solder then remove the iron in just the right time to not get a cold solder and not too long to warp the switch so it either doesn't work on give double presses and then it has to be removed and replaced.

The solder will flow to the heat... it like heat... I try to keep most of the contact with the pcb and less to the switch cause then the solder flows it will add heat to the switch... hope that makes sense. Once you get the groove, it feels so good.

Hope you can get your minidox working. looks like a cool board!

I have the exact same desire as you, and it is frustrating that these are so hard to find. I do have a couple of experiments set up around my house's

The first is the easiest. I have a few Hue dimmer switches (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076MGKTGS) in strategic locations around the house, but they are typically next to existing switches that I've taped over-the-counter and overall it's an unsatisfying solution.

My second experiment is a zwave scene controller (Gocontrol Z-Wave 3-Way Wall Accessory Switch -https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EAY3K5Y), and it's probably my favorite solution so far, but they're difficult to come by. I don't think they're actually manufactured anymore. I have it installed talking to my automation system which turns around and talks to hue lights, and it works pretty well. I could achieve the same thing by using any zwave (or zigbee, I guess) in-wall switch and just not hook up the load write, but it seems wrong to me, and I philosophically don't want to pay for the switching or dimming hardware. My ideal price point for these would be $30-35 instead of $50.

My third experiment is something that just got released at CES (Click for Philips Hue (White) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MMWH2YB). It's actually also pretty elegant and doesn't actually need to be wired in, but I find it's slightly less reliable than I'd like, and I sometimes have to push the buttons decently hard or multiple times to ensure functionality.

My ideal solution would be a combination of second and third, basically a wired zigbee in-wall scene controller, and aside from the RGB one posted earlier in this thread (it's $80!!), I haven't really seen one that fits the bill, much less is reasonably priced.

I have refurbished / reconditioned or otherwise repaired just about every component in my theater. The KEF speakers are all same era and generation, plus or minus a few years.

Front Channels: KEF 103/4 Reference speakers - owner replaced foam surrounds on the internal push/pull woofers - and I refurbished the ferrofluid in the tweeters. $175 off craigslist

Center Channel: NOS (new old stock) KEF Model 100 - found on craigslist. Someone found it in their garage, sitting new in box for 20 years. Refurbished the tweeter (ferrofluid replacement). $60 off craigslist.

Surround Channels: KEF C55 speakers that I found at Goodwill for $20. Complete cleanup - ferrofluid treatment of tweeters. Great condition otherwise.

Rear Channel: KEF Model 90 "center channel" speaker - bought this before I found the Model 100. Roughly the same speaker, but smaller tweeter than the model 100. Tweeter refurbed, cleaned up inside and out. I went with a 6.1 configuration because my room wouldn't benefit much from 7.1 - and the window placement made that difficult. Mixing 7.1 down to 6.1 doesn't change much. $40 off Craigslist.

Subwoofer: PA-120 Premier Acoustics 12'' Subwoofer had this sub for 8 years now, and love it to pieces. Very punchy, very powerful, very affordable. Weighs a metric ton - and customer service was top notch. (Amp malfunctioned after 6 years - got a new one from them free of charge).

Surround AV Receiver: Marantz SR6008 receiver I bought for $200 on ebay because it was 'for parts/not working.' The HDMI1 output (there are two) was burned out. Bought a new HDMI board from Marantz for a hundred bucks and the thing is good as new.

Speaker Mounts: The left C55 surround and rear channel are on custom made speaker mounts - the rear is half custom - mounted to one of the speaker mounts I got from Amazon.

Projection Screen: Custom 105'' Screen Frame and made from a canibalized Da-Lite screen I got for free from work. (was hiding in the plenum when we purchased our office space.

Projector: Benq HT1075 - bought new, because it's already so cost effective. Found it on sale at Frys for $699 a year ago. Very happy with this little projector.

Theater/Home Automation: Home Assistant running on an iPad 3 in the theater room. The iPad was sitting in a drawer, not in use for at least a year, and found an OEM apple dock for $5 on ebay for when it's not in use. I can control my Smart Things devices (z-wave dimmer) - MiLight LED strips behind the screen, in the EXIT light, and the bulbs in the uplight/spotlights in the room, I also integrated Broadlink RM2 support for controlling cheap 433mhz outlet switches for the air purifier, popcorn machine, and whatever else I need to control.

Movie Posters: Marketing department had a bunch of these frames in storage from an old PR campaign. Tore out the foamcore inserts, found high res posters, and ordered them on this silk-like fabric directly from China for $9 a pop. They look incredible up close, almost lithograph-like.

RGB Lighting: Generic RGB Strips I bought for $5 a pop on price mistake with Milight RGB controllers. Milight 9W RGBW bulbs I got for $13 each in $15 brushed steel uplights from Lamps Plus. All controled with the Milight WiFi controller through Home Assistant.

Seating was transitioned from the living room when we bought new sofas - raised the rear seating on 10'' platform. 12GA Speaker wire from my local wire wholesaler (similar price to monoprice). Looking for some carpet options - and have a lead on a local seller of OC703 for acoustic panels.

It's come a long way in a year - here's a before and after - December 2015 and April 2016 -- not the most recent, obviously - but I'm very proud with how it's coming together.

Two things:

One. That light is made for a refugium. A lot of people will say that it's "harsh" or "cold" - that's because it's not really made for humans to look at - it's not a "display light". It'll work just fine for growing plants (it'll work really well, actually), but it will lack a lot of the "warmer" colors that look good to human eyes. Finnex makes a few others that are comparable: Plantet+ 24/7 (adjustable colors/remote/timer), Ray (bright white light), Ray 2 (very powerful white light).

Ultimately the light you choose will depend on a few factors. What kinds of plants will you grow? How deep is the aquarium (more powerful lights are needed for deeper water columns)? Do you mind if the light is "harsh"?

Of those considerations, I'd put the most weight on the tank dimensions and the plant specifications. Trying to push light through 24 inches of water for a carpeting plant? You'll want a Ray 2. Have an 8-inch deep tank that you want to grow some swords in? Don't waste your money on anything fancy.

----

Two. That CO2 kit is a money pit and here's why:

• The regulator is crap and you'll have a VERY hard time dialing it into 2-3 bubbles/second. I know this from experience.
  
• CO2 is most useful when it's on a schedule (in sync with your lights). To do that you need a solenoid regulator that can be turned on/off using an outlet timer. This regulator does not have that.
  
• That also means that every time you turn this on/off, you'll have to dial in your bubble count AGAIN.
  
• Those cartridges are tiny. 20g of CO2 will last you a good two weeks if you're lucky (probably closer to 1 week). The refills are 3-5 bucks each if you go with the Fluval ones. Finding off-brand cartridges is near impossible because of the threadding. They lock you into buying their refill products.
  
  So let's say you spend 25 bucks on the kit plus 15 bucks for some cartridges. That's an upfront of 40 dollars with a 15 dollars per month in perpetuity. That means that one year of this kit will cost you $220.
  
  Instead you could go for this paintball setup for the same price:
  
  
• Regulator - $110
  
• Atomizer - $20
  
• Paintball tank - $21 (probably another $10 to have it filled)
  
• CO2 proof tubing
  
• Check valve - $7
  
• Drop checker kit - $14
  
• Outlet timer - $10
  
• Bubble counter - $13
  
  That build adds up to $205, will be WAY less work in the long run, much more stable, and simply easier to run. Also if you ever get sick of it and want your money back - it'll retain a lot of it's value. You could probably re-sell that whole set for 170-ish used. Also, that tank will last you a good few months before needing to be refilled.
  
  CO2 can really help your tank flourish, but it takes a considerable buy-in. Go all the way or go home. Half-assing it to save money on sub-par equipment will just cause you headaches and a lot more money in the long run. I spent about 250 on my setup two years ago and haven't had to spend a PENNY on it since.
  
  ----
  
  PS: /u/Elhazar, are you really gonna go around using the little 2 in "CO₂" and pretend like it's nothing? Well aren't you fancy!

Like /u/JshWright, I use z-wave switches and dimmers that replace the physical switch. They're quite a bit more expensive, but easily fit in any switch junction box and don't have to connect to wifi.

I use either GE or Linear/GoControl brand. Both seem to work the same. Only reason I use a combination is because I'm picky and the white color of the Linear ones don't quite match the standard wall plates and switches. So I use the cheaper Linear switches for single gang boxes and the GE for multi:

https://www.amazon.com/GE-Dimmer-Z-Wave-12724-Amazon/dp/B006LQFHN2

https://www.amazon.com/Linear-WD500Z-1-Z-Wave-500-Watt-Wall-Mount/dp/B00E1OVFAK

3-way configurations are pretty easy with these, just might take you a bit to figure out which wires need to go where. With the GE switches you have one master switch like the one I linked above, and then their add-on switch for the others in the circuit. Linear has an add-on switch also, but it's like twice the price of the GE one. So I always use GE for 3 or 4-way switches:

https://www.amazon.com/GE-Bluetooth-Wireless-Lighting-12723/dp/B00RKJS8MQ

I've looked at the HomeSeer ones too, which look pretty cool. They're Z-wave Plus and also support double and triple tap, although I'm not sure if HASS and/or OpenZWave support that function anyway.

http://www.homeseer.com/compare-z-wave-on---off-wall-switches.html

Sorry if there are formatting errors and such I am on mobile.

Basics

You should really consider a better HUB/products if you want this level of automation. You are going to want an offline hub such as Vera or Homeseer (what I use). Homeseer I know will interface with the echo Vera should. Hubs like wink/SmartThings end up not working when...

1. Your router doesn't work
   
2. Your ISP's connection drops
   
3. Hub's service provider (AWS most likely) goes down
   
4. Hub cloud service doesn't work or needs maintenance
   
5. Random outages/problems
   
   Similarly, you should NOT get a nest (or EcoBee). I have a nest and while I love the design it is fickle. I would instead recommend a z-wave thermostat. With a z-wave thermostat you can do almost everything nest can (no auto scheduling). Already Purchased
   
    
   
   You should seriously consider a different HUB
   
   

   Dimmers and Wall Switches
   

   
   Here is a good place to start. Lutron dimmers are fantastics although they can be a bit pricy (I don't think you mentioned a budget...). Other options include the GE 12724 for dimming if you want to go z-wave over Lutron. And, the GE 12722 for regular on/off. Or Homeseer is releasing new switches soon that look fantastic (Also z-wave)!
   
   Here's some more info. 1 2 3 4
   
   

   Garage Opener
   

   
   Chamberlain is great!
   
   

   Security
   

   
   If you cannot change/return your system that fine but I would recommend a DSC power series system as they almost universally integrate with automation systems Homeseer has a plugin as does Vera.
   
   

   Audio
   

   
   Sonos is fine. It can be controlled via Homeseer/Vera (Think announcements). Or you can get an Echo Dot and connect it to the sonos connect via an audio cable. GET a WHA controller (Check the Outdoor speaker section for recommendations)
   
   

   Front Door Cam/Doorbell
   

   
   Either Doorbird a doorbell and camera (expensive) or a normal doorbell with an IP camera with motion record. The integrated solution is better but of course more expensive. If you end up with IP cameras you should consider Hikvison they seem to make the best cameras for the money.
   
   

   Outdoor Light
   

   Just install the smart switch of your choice.
   
   

   Fan's
   

   Not sure sorry. :-( GE has a fan controlling switch but I doubt it would work as you mention remotes...
   
   

   Under Cabinet Lighting
   

   Hue lightstips, Aeon lightstrips or a WIFI / Z-wave LED controller with regular strips. (Will edit later with links)
   
   

   Outdoor Speakers
   

   The Daytons are fine you could also go with Yamaha NS-AW150. For integration you could connect them to the MONOPRICE 6 Zone Controller and AMP. You could also connect the Sonos CONNECT to the monopice and have outdoor audio + sonos audio and send audio to any other zones you have!
   
   
   
    
   
   PM me or comment if you need any more info :-)
   
    
   
   *Will edit and add more info when I get to a keyboard.

I have a lot of different Smart outlets being used around the home. It really depends on what your use is going to be.

For a cheap outlet where space is not an issues, these from KMC have worked well for me. They are pretty dependable even in areas with weak WiFi signal and the energy monitoring is nice for things like air filters or fans.

KMC also makes a nice multi outlet plug. I personally use this to control the multiple led light strips at my garage workbench.

For anything 15A, I would say TP-Link is the way to go. These have been great for me, but the newer HS105 does have a better form factor. I have used these for my garage fridge, windows AC unit, and tools at my workbench. There is an energy monitoring variant as well, the HS110

You may see that there are a ton of the cheap round shaped smart plugs on Amazon and other sites. I have found all of these to be almost exactly the same, no matter what company they come from. They work well enough for simple devices like lamps, but they have tended to have issues in anywhere, but perfect WiFi signal areas.

Let me know if you have any questions on this or any other devices. After a few years of upgrades, I am at over 110 smart devices, so I can tell you what not to get...

Okay since there definitely seems to be some interested in the details of the set up i figured i'd go more into detail,forgive the poor quality photos please.

So first of here are the links to everything I'm using right now:

Polyscience Immersion Circulator

Cheap cooler

Smart Wall Plugs

Temperature Data Logger

So a couple note on these things. The only reason I'm still using the Polyscience is i paid way too much for it back when there weren't many other option and it still works. I'd like to get an Anova eventually. The whole reason for this project was I was trying to see if i could do what the Mellow Sous Vide has promised but not delivered on after waiting forever on my preorder.

This was just a test run and if I decide to cancel my preorder I'd most likely go with This cooler as it seems a lot nicer and still has the side cooler.

To answer in some more detail why I don't go with just an ice bath is honestly, I want to take all the food safety guess work out of this, and to me just hoping that you put enough ice in and that it will last long enough on that given day just doesn't work for me.

Here is a link to some photos of the set up as well as the app i use and a temp chart recorded with the data logger, that i'm using to figure out the time needed to get the cooler to food safe ranges.

I know this is a lengthy post but i hope it helps

Not the manufacturer, just a regular guy who loves gadgets and toys. I've had this thing in my living room, which has a really high ceiling, for years and yes, I genuinely recommend it. It's amazing for setting the mood in a dark room, very cool and soothing. You can even adjust the level of aurora. Would work in a bedroom too if you're into that sort of thing. I have Amazon Echo so I hooked it up with a TP-Link smart plug and now can just say "Alexa, turn on the stars" and it works. Great party trick when friends are over. Also a real panty dropper when you're getting cozy with the ladies. Trust me on this and get one. You won't regret it.

Is your litterbox enclosed? Because a good option if you're of the tinkering type would be to take one of those sewer tubes and attaching it to the top of the enclosure, then running the other end to the nearest window, attaching it to a window fan set to blow outward (towards the great outdoors) and insulating the window part with some foam board to save on the energy bill. The easy way to control the fan would be to unplug and replug it. A better way would be to use a smart outlet adapter to control it with your smart device, and the best option would be to set up a sensor that detects when the box has been used and waits until the cat leaves and turns on the fan until manually turned off/time limit is reached.

edit 1: make sure you use some sort of fencing to cover the hole for the sewer pipe, we don't want cat nuggets :P

First thing, I'm assuming that there is a corresponding port or cable, where the ethernet port that is in your room comes out in the basement, and you've connected it to your router? Following that assumption, I'd think that there are multiple cables/ports near your router that come from all around the house, and you've connected these (or at least the one from your room) to the back of your router?

If that is the case (that you have cables connected to your router coming from these outlets), the first easy test to do would be to make sure that the right cable is connected to your router. To save running upstairs each time, you could leave the computer plugged in, and try different cables in the back of the router until it lights up for one.

If that doesn't work, you'll have to do a bit more digging. First, are they actually ethernet cables? Look at where the cables come out downstairs, or remove the faceplate of the outlet and look. The cable should say CAT5, CAT5e, or CAT6. You can run networking over CAT3 as well, but long lengths might cause slower connections.

If the cabling looks good, the next go-to would be to make sure it was terminated correctly. This is not an uncommon mistake if the installer didn't know what they were doing. If both ends of the cable are terminated in jacks, this is easy. Unscrew the wall jack, and look at the spot where the cable is stripped and pressed into the back of the connector. There should be 8 notches, each with a color code (e.g. blue/white, red, etc). The wire going into each notch should match up with this color. If the cables that come out in your basement are set up in a patch panel, it's easy to tell there as well. For each end, make sure that all the wires are pressed fully into each notch.

If it is hard to tell, or one end of the cable is crimped with a plug, instead of ending in a patch panel, you may want to look into an Ethernet cable tester, which will tell you if all the wires inside the cable are correctly set up. If after all of this, you are still not sure which wire that you see in the basement is the one going up to your room, you may need a toner, which will let you easily determine which wire is which. You'll plug the device into the outlet in your room, then go to the basement and hold the probe over each Ethernet cable while holding its button: when you move it over the correct cable, you'll hear a beeping tone.

You're lucky to be somewhere with structured cabling added: I've seen far too many new-construction homes, even quite high end, that either have no network cabling, or it's half-assed (which may be the issue in your case). You'll hope that they just didn't put the connectors on the cables correctly, or that they labelled things wrong, because this is an easy fix. Some places give you a nice cabinet where everything comes out, but the cables don't have any actual connectors applied: also an easy fix, but kind of an unfinished job. More troublesome would be if they cut/kinked a cable somewhere in the wall, because that is less trivial to solve.

I have the 20-27" NICREW light for my 10 gallon low-tech planted tank and it seems to work well in keeping my plants alive (mostly anubias, amazon swords, and mosses) even though the lighting is on the low side. You MIGHT be able to grow medium light plants with this, but high light plants are a no-no (believe me I tried). Because you have a 20 gallon, go for the 28-36" one. Everything else seems good. Also, you might want to buy an automated timer like this one for your lights https://www.amazon.com/Century-Plug-Mechanical-Timer-Grounded/dp/B00MVFF59S/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1504061029&sr=8-4&keywords=timer+light. It can be quite tedious trying to turn off and on the lights for your plants each day. Remember plants need around 8 to 12 hours of light per day.

The rock wall looks cool! You can definitely try it out if you have the time. Also try to add some plants first when you cycle, as plants can help speed up the cycling process!

Good luck on your tank :)

Container: Rubbermaid 20 gal Brute Bin

Lights: Kingbrite 60 W Quantum Board (if you want dimmable, ask for a dimmable driver like the HLG-60H-36B and a potentiometer)

Screws: You'll need lots of nuts, long screws, washers, and spacers to mount the board and PSU. First put the board on the lid and mark where to drill, then drill holes. Then put the power supply on the outside in the middle, mark and drill those hoses. Mount power supply and then flip lid over and mount the light, using long screws and nuts to hold it in place (the light should NOT touch the lid but be 1-2 inches from it, held in place by nuts). Drill small hole for power line, then connect. Finally, drill 3 inch hole for exhaust beside the light. You'll also need long screws with nuts to keep the fan and shrouds together. Be sure to use spaces anywhere the screw heads or nuts are touching the lid or the lights. For light spacers, I used rubber spaces between the nuts.

Cooling shrouds: 120mm Fan Duct Cooling Shroud to 4 Inch Vent Hose

90 degree 4 inch elbow for exhaust: 4 in. 90° Round Adjustable Elbow

4" to 3" reducer for exhaust: 4 in. to 3 in. Round Reducer

2x regular JB Weld to mount the reducer and 3 inch "trunk"

Fan: Delta AFB1212SHE-PWM 120mm x 38mm 4pin PWM+Tac Sensor Extreme Hi-speed 3700 RPM 151 CFM

Fan controller: Noctua NA-FC1 4-pin PWM Fan Controller

Fan power supply: LE Power Adapter, UL Listed, 3A, 120V AC to 12V DC Transformer, 36W Power Supply

Fan power supply adapter: CRJ Female DC Power Supply Plug to 12V Molex Power Adapter Cable

Fan molex adapter: Coolerguys Mini 3-4 pin Fan Adapter (Single)

2x ABS fan elbow (for "snout" intake): 3 in. ABS DWV 90-Degree Hub x Hub Long-Turn Elbow

Air filter for intake: 16.25 in. x 12.5 in. x 0.19 in. - 16.3 in. x .2 in. x 12.5 in. - CF300 Carbon Filter

Air filter (not pictured): VIVOSUN 4 Inch Air Carbon Filter Odor Control with Australia Virgin Charcoal for Inline Fan

Fan hose (not pictured): iPower GLDUCT4X8C 4 inch 8 feet Non-Insulated Flex Air Aluminum Foil

Watering device (not pictured): Janolia Automatic Irrigation Kit, Self Watering System, with Electronic Water Timer

Camera (not pictured): Wyze Cam 1080p HD Indoor Wireless Smart Home Camera with Night Vision (glue steel piece for magnetic base onto the upper side of the bin)

Notes: This design is very safe because it keeps all electronic components high in the bin. At the same time, using a battery powered watering system keeps you from requiring to ever open it. The lamp runs very cool. The PWM fan controller works well and keeping the air moving without using a lot of power (do NOT buy a cheap voltage modulator, I did first and it doesn't work nearly as well as the PWM controller). The Wyze cam is super cheap and lets you keep an eye on everything or make timelapses. Have fun growing your tomatoes!

> Currently the main coax line goes through the basement direct to the 1st floor wall outlet, then coax to the modem.
I’ve made a drawing of how I understand the internet could go to the splitter, then run again to the 1st floor outlet, then to the modem.

Ideally, you'd have zero interruptions between the coax coming from the street, all the way to the plug on the modem. Since it sounds like the coax enters the walls to the first floor from the basement, just be sure you eliminate any coax splitters by using a barrel adapter
UNLESS you also want a coax drop for Cable TV elsewhere in the house.

Then it's just a matter of making sure you've simplified the circuit to the street using the fewest number of splitters as you can. Each two-way split introduces approximately 3.5dB of loss (a little more than 50%) of power lost. Splitters are also known to be super poorly made and absolutely go bad after a few years of use. You may consider replacing any that you're using. These are decent ones.


> I'm feeling bold

Two of those ethernet strips there in the basement look like basic patch panels. They're just for organizing the cables and don't do any switching, per se. I'd figure out what connections you actually need in the house, beyond maybe a ethernet connection to the modem, the TV and your desktop PC and then go through and eliminate everything else. If you want to double check where the lines are terminated to through the massive web of cables, you can pick up an Ethernet Probe and Test kit to make tracking everything down easier. I'd (ideally) only buy one that has a dedicated ethernet jack and is made by Extech, Fluke, or Klein. As a bonus, It's a handy tool for tracing out ANY sort of wiring, too.

Once you eliminate all the unnecessary stuff, you can start making it look nice. Use some velcro wire ties and bundle everything until it looks respectable. You MAY find that you have odd-length cables used as patch cables between the switch and the patch panel. Don't cut anything, and maybe lay out anything you eliminate by length so you can reuse them if your now-neat-looking bundle could benefit from different-length cables. Don't forget to label everything for clarity using your own philosophy.


> I’m not sure how to use this stuff, if it’s past it’s prime, or if I should even bother. But, If it could be useful I’d like to use it. I just don’t understand it despite reading the sticky’s, etc.

You'll feel a lot more comfortable once you understand what everything is and where it all goes.

All that cable is probably Cat5 or Cat5e at best. If you want to be ready for gigabit speeds in the coming years, you might consider running some new Cat6a or better. I don't know anything about the big switch in the photos, but it's probably doing the job fine for now - If you want faster than 100mbit/s network speeds though, you'll need to upgrade it along with the ethernet. As with the ethernet, it's not a priority, just a nice-to-have.

The big coax amplifier you've got there was probably built in 1974 (note: pre-internet) and is all kinds of lossy/noisy mess. I'd go ahead and get rid of that and anything coax-related that you don't think you'll end up using. There's better stuff available on the market now for stupidly cheap, if you decide that you still need an amplified coax signal.

I'd love to see more pictures once you get it all put together and looking nice. If you need any further hardware advice, let us know!

Assuming you have SmartThings (based on the /r), you can use any Z-wave or Zigbee switch. I've tried multiple (reputable) brands, based on what's on sale, and my experience has been they're all pretty much the same. But all mine look like modern paddle switches, there are other options out there.

It's debatable, but I'd call the 'gold standard' to be the GE switches. I was just providing a link to them in a thread yesterday and noticed they were on sale for $33, which is a damn good price. Looks like they rolled out an updated version so they're discounted, and personally I don't think the upgrades mean much. I just picked up 4 more, because... why not.

When those aren't on sale I've been going to Zooz. I like their small company attitude and they have terrific customer support. And they frequently have sales. You can get them on Amazon, but the sales are on their website.

These are the types of wall plates that I use. Easy to find in single, 2-, 3-, and even 4- gang. I have a custom made 7-gang at my house, so everything I've bought since was done to match that style.

But again, all these are because I wanted modern paddle switches and the "decora" style wall plates. You can get smart switches in traditional rockers, or modern version like the Caseta switches (which still use the decora shape).

You'd be surprised a) how easy it is to use Arduino, and b) how helpful the online community is. The nice thing about Arduino is that the complexity remains the same, regardless of how many sensors you add, provided you have enough expansion breakout board.

For a first step, I would buy a starter kit and a cheap soldering iron and a half-decent multimeter and just start making little projects, like light sensors and temperature sensors and making those projects both wireless and online.

After that, it's just a matter of interfacing the larger, higher-voltage components (like pumps and valves) with the lower-voltage Arduino. This is easily accomplished with a relay, which is also useful for electrical isolation between the two subsystems.

Start small. I would recommend making an Arduino into a timer, and then using the timer to control a pump. Then add an online API that allows you to adjust the on/off time of the pump. Then add water level sensors, then temperature sensors, etc.

Also, make sure you prototype everything on a small scale first, like the guy in the video was doing on his desk. It will save you a lot of money if you mess anything up.

Once you develop the skills necessary to build your smart-system, I cannot stress how important a good, detailed electrical diagram is. It doesn't matter if it's professional-quality, or done with pencil and a ruler. It will save you so much time.

Hey /u/Mercury357 !

Sorry I can't offer much advice when it comes to Inovelli or Zooz, but I'm sure you'll get a great response from some of the other members here.

I can however, relay that the GE Switches are on sale right now on Amazon for $30.99 and the GE Dimmers are on sale for $32.99

Our Add-On switches work great for 3 and 4-way setups as well, those run $19.50 right now

If you have any questions about GE product, feel free to ask. :)

I got you. I would skip over the Nicrew all together and just opt for something more expensive that will get the job done but is still in your price range. I have had the Nicrew, lights in between the Nicrew and what I am about to recommend, and then the lights I am recommending are now on all my tanks. There is SIGNIFICANT difference in plant growth even in my suuuuper low-tech tanks.

• Light: Finnex Fugeray Planted+
  
  The main reason I suggest these lights is they contain true 660nm Red LED lights which are crucial to plant photosynthesis. Without this specific red spectrum most plants have significant difficulty utilizing the light, no matter how strong it is. Here is a picture of one of my tanks running this light: https://i.imgur.com/hYhcp9Z.jpg
  
  
• Wall timer: Best ones hands down in my humble opinion: Century 7 Day Programmable Wall Timer
  
  These are freaking awesome. Extremely easy to use, High level of customization, and 2 outlets on each timer. I can't recommend them enough.

Alternative, the TP-Link Switch is compatible with Home/Assistant, as are their Plugs and LED Bulbs. Note that there is no IFTTT support as of yet.

I have two Smart Bulbs and a Mini Plug in my living room right now. App-wise, they're controlled with Kasa on my phone and a tablet. I can turn on/off, set schedules, dim (except Plug), etc... and do everything but schedules with my Google Home.

The Switch is part of the same family of products, same core functionality across the board.

Not sure how 2 Switches controlling the same lights would work... but might be worth a shot. (edit: see posts below)

I can say, "Hey Google, turn off the lights.", or call out a specific lamp. The Plug is treated separate (attached to bias lighting behind my TV). It doesn't trigger on "lights" calls. I wonder if Switches are yet another category.

With the possibility of IFTTT support, I hope to get movie/tv show time going with a single command, which would dim/kill the Bulbs and kick on the Plug.

Aside from the above, I have my Bulbs set to turn on when I get up for work weekdays. I'm going to get another, color changing one for my bedside, put that on a circadian schedule (option in Kasa).

My venture in to this started off with a Belkin WeMo Mini, but it would not connect to my hidden network (should not be the case with latest fw). My case went all the way to an engineer but after testing a TP-Link Smart Plug, which worked flawlessly and imo, had a much easier setup, I tried the bulbs and now I'm all in with them. I returned my Belkin products but was able to discuss my issues with an engineer we had a solid conversation. Kudos to them.

Hope some of this helps!

On a budget, I would stay well clear of things like Hue- they are very expensive to scale up because they rely on each bulb being "smart", and this also means they are limited in terms of which light fittings you can use in the future.

Personally i've gone for a self-build Z-Wave option, preferring to embed z-wave dimmers in my walls (behind the light switch) and make my own controller from a raspberry pi + some software called "Domoticz". This means an initial outlay of about $70 for the pi+Zwave adaptor, and then a cost of $40 per room after that regardless of how many bulbs you need. A hue solution would be 3-4x the cost.

The downside (or upside depending on your POV!) is that you need to build this yourself - setup your own alexa bridge, install + configure domoticz, and be willing to handle the electrical connections to your switches. It's all really easy though if you have the desire to get stuck in (there are lots of youtube tutorials). You can save a lot of $$ though particularly if you are in the US where the parts are generally cheaper than the UK (Where I am), and your setup will be much more configurable than any off the shelf solution. You can also add more obscure devices easily to a domoticz setup. I have my security cameras hooked in for example and setup so that a relevant light will turn on when the motion sensing is triggered between certain hours, and my wifi kettle connected so I can ask alexa to turn the kettle on. It's rather fun and addictive once you get started :)

As a starting point here are a few links that may help:

• Razberry - the Z-wave adaptor for the pi - http://razberry.z-wave.me/
  
• Domoticz - home automation software (free) - https://www.domoticz.com/
  
• Alexa-Domoticz bridget - https://github.com/madgeni/alexa_domo
  
• Fibario dimmers (what I use) - http://www.vesternet.com/z-wave-fibaro-universal-dimmer-2-250w
  
• GE Dimmers (fine for US, not usable for me in the UK) https://www.amazon.com/GE-Dimmer-Z-Wave-12724-Amazon/dp/B006LQFHN2
  
  

Yes, all on/off at same time.
I like Binary Warrior's item in the link they provided. I wanted somewhat of a little box, but that kind of item (strip) will give me additional smart plugs for regular items.
But...a multi charger, plugged into a single smart plug is your suggestion, yes?
A setup like this?
charger:
https://www.amazon.com/RAVPower-Charger-Desktop-Charging-Technology/dp/B00OQ19QYA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1526265382&sr=8-2&keywords=usb+multi+charger&dpID=41Oi-vRTv%252BL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

smart plug:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K1JVZOE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Looks like the benefit of this setup is that I have more usb ports for more pixel pals.

I bought these after a suggestion from another person on this forum. I didn't think they would work, but WOW, it made a huge difference. Brightened my area unbelievably good. First link is the LED lights. Second link is the adapter to be able to plug it in.

I just wrapped mine around the inside of my window.

LE 16.4ft LED Flexible Strip Lights, 300 Units SMD 3528 LEDs, 12V DC Non-waterproof, Light Strips, LED ribbon, DIY Christmas Holiday Home Kitchen Car Bar Indoor Party Decoration (Daylight White) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HSF65MC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_r-dzybVRAW2Y5

LE Power Adapter, Transformers, Power Supply For LED Strip, Output 12V DC, 3A Max, 36 Watt Max, UL Listed https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DKSI0S8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_ObezybTYECE37

I don't use this, but wonder if it meets your spec? https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Required-Control-Anywhere-HS100/dp/B0178IC734/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1485319546&sr=8-3&keywords=smart+outlet Wi-fi, no hub required, and if you put "tasker" into the search bar above "Customer Questions and Answers, you see the following response:

Only reason I took off a star is because this doesn't have an ifttt channel, as of yet. I'm sure that will change though. For the techies, it's doable though Android and the tasker app, but those don't don't like to fiddle with apps and code, go with the WeMo switch if you're looking for ifttt.
This does work with my Alexa, and works as advertised. You simply download the app and set a timer, done. This works great for my tomato plants, and I have one controlling a small space heater in my garage. Again, I'd love to automate everything with ifttt, if the temp drops to a certain degree outside, it would turn on the heater, but there are work around like i stated above.
Nice little device for $25

Edit: just realized you want one that does NOT require wi-fi. Sounds like this would not work, sorry!

Here are some useful links: Link; Link; Link. The Marantz cost about $58 using good quality replacements. I did a H/K 330B for $9.58. The Marantz 2285 I am working on cost about $90 for parts.

 

You will need a decent soldering iron; solder sucker; desoldering braid; lead solder; flux; and most importantly a multimeter. Here is another gear thread. Most of the manuals are available on Hifiengine. What you can't find there you can check the forums or Sams. Manuals on Fleabay should be an absolute last resort.

 

I would recommend going to a local thrift store and getting some practice junker units. It will take you some time to good at it and you certainly don't want to screw up your good unit. I still don't know anywhere near enough to do more than replace the parts and do basic troubleshooting. Fortunately for people like us, there are a lot of very helpful and knowledgeable persons on the forums who are always willing to lend a hand. Edit: Forgot about the Dim Bulb Tester.

You could keep your current bulbs and install a smart switch instead, this is a popular option:
https://www.amazon.com/New-Model-Wireless-Lighting-Wall/dp/B01MUCZA1C/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1506608062&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=ge+smart+switch&psc=1

You would need a hub with that, but considering smartthings is selling for $50 on Amazon it could be more cost effective depending on the amount of bulbs you would have to replace if you went with smart bulbs instead.

For the smart bulb option I'd say check out sylvania lightify. Lowes has them on sale now for 75% off. They're $7.50 for the basic white ones. It can pair directly with most smart home hubs like smartthings or wink so if you already have one it would be very cost effective.
https://www.lowes.com/pl/Lightify-promotion/4294400949

I used this article for some cursory info on switches, and went with these in the end:

GE Smart Dimmer, Z-Wave, In-Wall, 12724

The price was good for how many switches I was installing, and I like them a lot except for two minor things:

1. The lights fade on/off a bit too slowly for my liking. This however can be changed by altering a setting from your Z-Wave hub, though I haven't had time to fiddle with that yet.
   
   
2. The rocker doesn't depress all the way, it sort of stops half-way and clicks. Most people won't care about this or probably even notice it, but it's a minor pet-peeve of mine.
   
   I also got a SmartThings Kit to control them while it was on sale for $100 off for Black Friday (it was the lowest price they've ever sold for, but it's currently $50, which is still pretty good). You can also just get the hub, but I wanted some sensors so the kit made sense to me.
   
   I wish the Hue Hub was a bit more robust, but sadly it can't be used directly in conjunction with any known in-wall switches. However, You can add Hue bulbs to SmartThings, so that can wind up being a central place to manage things.
   
   Personally, I also setup Home Assistant which lets me do a lot more with other product APIs, and lets me control the UI to some extent as well. Be warned though that it does require some understanding of code and servers. I setup the Home Assistant MQTT Bridge for SmartThings so it can talk to my ST Hub, and use it for automation instead of SmartThings. Hypothetically you can just get a Z-Wave USB stick for your Home Assistant server in lieu of something like SmartThings and have it act as a hub directly, but I felt getting a ST Hub was easier.
   
   Finally, I also got a Google Home while it was on sale, and used IFTTT to create custom commands so I can trigger scenes in Home Assistant for things like watching a movie on my projector, watching TV, getting ready for bed, etc. I also want to have it automatically turn the projector and TV on eventually as part of the scene, but haven't had time to play with that yet.
   
   It was a little annoying to setup, but I like it a lot now that everything's humming along.

Technically, any plant will be fine any high light, but it's always a good idea to try to pair the plants with the light that you have, or vice versa. With even just a Stingray, you'll probably be hitting 45-50 PAR on a 20 long, since the distance from the light to the substrate will be absurdly short. The best way to alleviate this is to raise the light somehow, either with some sort of pipe contraption like I built, or mounting it to the ceiling or wall.

For that high of light, I would definitely recommend a timer that allows multiple on-off periods and have the light on for 3-4 hours, then have a 3-4 hour siesta, then on for another 3-4 hours. This way, the plants have time to use up all of that high light they've gotten from the first burst and they'll be ready for the next. It won't overwhelm them and it should keep algae in check to a degree. If this is a new tank, prepare for diatoms... delicious, disgusting, aggravating diatoms.

Edit: Here is a great article about lighting and PAR

Hello,

Profitability is always changing when mining. You can use Whattomine.com to check out profitable for specific hardware and electricity rates.

Also if you are planning to mine for a long time I recommend getting a smart plug to help track you kw/h usage more accurately. (Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0178IC734/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_lzHUBbX0FXV2P)

Some people who live where electricity is expensive find alternative solutions as well. We see many users try to find places where electricity is included with rent. Rural miners using solar panels, or building small hydro electric generators in streams, etc.

You may also find newer hardware is more efficient and uses less electricity. A 960 is powerful but not very efficient.

Lastly there are other reasons to mine besides profitability. If you are at break even costs you are still stacking BTC while providing a service to the networks' of the coins you are mining. Mining not only creates coins as a reward, but verifies transactions and increases the security of the entire network.

Keep a close eye on the profitability.

Thanks #GetThatHoney

SmartThings Version 3 Hub (I have the Version 2 Hub...you will have to look around for this one):
https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SmartThings-Generation-GP-U999SJVLGDA-Automation/dp/B07FJGGWJL/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1540989501&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=smartthings+hub+2nd+generation&psc=1

GE Z-Wave Plus On/Off Light Switch:
https://www.amazon.com/GE-Repeater-Required-Works-SmartThings-14291/dp/B01M1AHC3R/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1540989582&sr=8-3&keywords=z-wave+switch

GE Z-Wave Plus Dimmer Switch:
https://www.amazon.com/GE-Repeater-Required-Works-SmartThings-14291/dp/B07361Y54Z/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1540989582&sr=8-3&keywords=z-wave%2Bswitch&th=1

GE Add On Switch (if you have a 3-way or 4-way switch):
https://www.amazon.com/GE-Bluetooth-Wireless-STANDALONE-12723/dp/B00RKJS8MQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1540989718&sr=8-3&keywords=z-wave+add+on+switch

ZigBee Motion Sensors:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F8ZHBLS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

ZigBee Door Sensors:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F956F3B/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

ZigBee Leak Sensors:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F951JDP/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

ZigBee Outlet Plug (you will need to replicate your ZigBee mesh, I use to motion activate lamps, turn lamps on/off at sunset/sunrise, etc.):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F96JB63/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Z-Wave Thermostat:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EJ7YO2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

ZigBee RGB Landscape RGB LED Strips:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R1PB2ZY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

ZigBee RGB Lightbulbs:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073ZBYXKQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Z-Wave Deadbolt:
https://www.amazon.com/Kwikset-SmartCode-Electronic-SmartThings-featuring/dp/B004F1B24I/ref=sr_1_12?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1540990126&sr=1-12&keywords=z-wave+lock

Z-Wave Garage Door Opener:
https://www.amazon.com/GoControl-Linear-GD00Z-4-Z-Wave-Controller/dp/B00M75TEIU/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1540990160&sr=1-4&keywords=z-wave+garage+door+opener

Sonos One Speakers (Great music, and talking through SmartThings):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074XN1LH3/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Amazon Echo Show (for Voice Control...an Echo Dot will work just fine too):
https://www.amazon.com/All-new-Echo-Show-2nd-Gen/dp/B077SXWSRP/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1540990254&sr=1-1&keywords=echo+show

That's about all I can think of at the moment.

If you are going to do this, do it in stages. Z-Wave and ZigBee are mesh networks...meaning that the reliability of the network gets much better the more devices you have. Also, with these mesh networks:

• Battery operated devices DO NOT reinforce the mesh
  
• The only devices that reinforce the mesh are devices that are always powered from the mains
  
  I see so many people complaining about how the Z-Wave or ZigBee devices don't work, when they are relying on too many battery operated devices.
  
  For Z-Wave devices, choose Z-Wave Plus over Z-Wave...it's the newest standard, and has much better range.
  
  In the US, Z-Wave operates in the 900 MHz spectrum and ZigBee in the 2.4 GHz spectrum. Personally, I "prefer" Z-Wave devices as there is a lot of "junk" in the 2.4 GHz spectrum right now. However, the ZigBee devices are operating reliably as I have a strong mesh setup (with non-battery operated devices).
  
  Two great application for the Leak Sensors:
  
  
• Near your hot water heater (when they go, they always leak)
  
• Under your A/C drip pan (if you have central air)
  
  Great applications for door open/close sensors:
  
  
• Turn closet lights on/off when the door opens or closes
  
• Turn on entry and hallway lights when an entry door opens, but only when it's dark (30 minutes before sunset or after sunrise)...turn off 1 minute later
  
• Notify me when my gun safe is opened
  
  Great Application for Motion Sensors
  
  
• Turn on outside ceiling fans (but only if the temp is above 72 degrees)
  
• Turn on lamps while motion is active when it's dark
  
  The motion sensors I linked above are the new ones...the magnetically mount. What's cool is that the magnet is in the sensor, and it's strong enough to attach the sensor to a dry wall screw (no need to mount the adapter bracket).

I went to amazon and ordered these lights and this adaptor. I haven't gotten them in yet, but I'll let you know what I think of them when they do. They seem pretty straight forward but you never know with these kind of things haha.

As for preference of white vs warm (yellow), I used christmas lights and a white fluorescent lamp as different backlighting to see which I liked more. I picked the white because I felt it had a more mysterious/ night time feel (just my opinion haha), but all the Hari and Deepti ones use yellow light so it's all up to personal preference. Post pictures of yours when you finish! I'd love to see how it turns out! :)

This is making sense now, I'm pretty sure I'm following you. Black in your hot, white is your neutral, bare wire is ground, red wire is "load", this is the switch line. The fact that you have this in the outlet box coming from the ceiling is good.

So, I'm assuming that when you pull the fan down, you will see that there is a fan controller that is hooked up to the black and white wires. Making it permanently "hot" the fan controller then relays the fan on and off. You will find the red wire abandoned, it used to be used (or was intended to be used) to switch the light, it is still attached to the "load" of the switch.

You are in good shape.... GE makes a pretty good z wave fan control module. https://www.amazon.com/GE-Control-Z-Wave-12730-Amazon/dp/B00PYMGVVQ. You will remove the fan module and hook the black wire to the black wire of the fan and the blue wire to the red wire. The white wires should all be tied together and it should be capped off in the box the physical switch is.

Here is a diagram. http://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/images/fan-switch-loop.gif

Sure! I used these lights from amazon. I think they are supposed to be for garages but they met the specs I was looking for (CCT: 6500k and 2100+ lumens per square foot per light) and were relatively inexpensive. I have 2 on each shelf connected to eachother by cords that are included in the pack. The pack also comes metal snaps that screw in, but I opted to attach using large command picture hanging strips. I kept the metal brackets just in case the command strips didnt work but so far they have been working great and I dont have to put as many holes in the hutch. Plus I have run the lights for 8 hours straight and can still touch the aluminum housing. I would say after that amount of time its like touching one of those hand warmer packs right when they start. Its kind of hard to see from the pictures but I did have to drill small 5/8th inch holes so the lights could connect as a continuous unit. This was honestly just for me because I am forgetful and have them hooked up to this timer. I also have some mini fans that I would like to put in so I can keep the doors shut... but I havent quite figured that out yet haha

yeah, that's not normal. 6 LED bulbs definitely shouldn't overload a dimmer switch (a quick look at the dimmer switch data sheet says it should handle 150W of LED load), but an easy way to test is to unscrew all but one of them and see if that single bulb has full dimming range. You might also take one of these bulbs and put it in a normal switched light socket, and see if it goes to full brightness.

If the flickering is happening to all the bulbs at the same time, it's almost certainly the dimmer switch. All 6 bulbs having an identical flaw seems pretty unlikely. The flicker indicates it's not a software issue with your Vera, either.

Both the GE zwave dimmers and the Linear/2gig zwave dimmers work pretty well and are about the same price as that dragon tech dimmer. It's also possible your dragon tech dimmer is just a one-off lemon and the brand itself is generally fine.

Warm up your kitchen space with a butcher block table, maybe something reclaimed? Consider moving your desk as its the very first thing you see when you walk through the door. The living room/kitchen is a long space so no matter what your living room furniture will be a focal point. It looks like a nice updated apartment, I think an industrial decor with a splash of bohemian conversation pieces would officially make this place baller. Below are two photos that I think you should marry together.

http://www.renopedia.com.sg/products/blogimg/4801Industrial-home-decor-furniture.jpg

http://www4.pictures.lonny.com/lo/Bohemian+Living+Room+white+sectional+neutral+Ju6Ho_WaJ1xl.jpg


You should find a desk with some character:
http://cdn.homedit.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Rustic-desk.jpg
(and some wire management wouldn't hurt)

You have some space near the entryway beside the cabinet, I like having a table there to place my keys/wallet/phone when I come home.
https://img1.etsystatic.com/015/0/6671391/il_fullxfull.426696237_o5vl.jpg

You need some huge art. If you have a Buddha in the can, you should have one in the living room!
http://myoshka.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/buddha_mural_2.jpg?w=510

I like the natural light, but does it feel like an operating room at night with the lights on? You'll need some lamps:
http://2i.c-b.co/is/image/CB2/GroveFloorLampAVF14/&$web_zoomTrans$&/1406251340/groove-floor-lamp.jpg
http://www.homestreetdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Standing-lamp-designs-113.jpg
http://i00.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/1907182050/Vintage-Personality-font-b-Table-b-font-Lamps-Water-Pipe-Light-Props-Bedroom-font-b-Bedside.jpg
Pair them up with one of these bad boys so the ladies all think you're a rocket surgeon:
http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-ZAP-5LX-Auto-Programmable-Function/dp/B00DQELHBS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417982915&sr=8-1&keywords=remote+outlet

You need a place to check out the goods:
http://www.favething.com/uploads/images/main-fave-images/mirror_framed_in_large_reclaimed_boards-1.jpg

The bathroom just needs color, consider more vibrant towels and floor mat.

Last but not least, green. Studies show, people with plants are happier. Consider taking advantage of all the natural light with something like this:
http://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/static.brit.co/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Hawaiian-Umbrella-Bonsai-Tree1.jpg

Like others have said, the issue is more with space in the box behind the unit than it is side to side once you break off the heatsink tabs on the appropriate side. Here are a couple thoughts from my experience installing some a couple days ago:

1. Break off the tabs before connecting the wires to the switch. I forgot about the tabs on the first one I was doing until after I was ready to start screwing it back into the box. Also in a two-gang box you'll only need to break them off on the inward facing sides. On 3+ gang the central switches would need both sides done. Regardless, breaking them off before rather than after is much easier.
   
   
2. A good pair of pliers makes that much easier. I started out using a crappy pair of pliers from the toolkit that came as a "free gift" with the house because they happened to be closer at hand. The work could've been done with those pliers, but it became about 5 times easier and faster when I went out to the garage to get a better pair out of the toolbox.
   
   
3. On a couple of the switches I was working on, I noticed there was way more wire in the box than is actually needed. Normally I would be in favor of leaving excess extra in case it is needed for some future change, but a pair with a pair of wire cutters/strippers you can remedy much of the cursing other users are warning about when stuffing everything back in by removing some of the excess. Obviously only do that if you're confident you're leaving enough to work with both now and in the future.
   
   
4. Not related to the wiring, but I believe the one you linked to is not Z-wave Plus (just regular Z-wave). The Z-wave Plus version is available (looks like the same price right now, though the Plus version was actually slightly cheaper recently) here.
   
   
5. Also not related to wiring, but I've noticed there is a brief delay with the GE switches (I got the z-wave plus version, but I don't think that is the problem) between pressing it and the lights activating. This was even before connecting to any hub, so it's not a delay there. I'm assuming it's something I'll get used to in time, but it's worth being aware of before you buy them.

This is my system:
Network Diagram

I have several switches like this: Zwave Switch, some are on/off like that, some are dimmers. For my dining room I have a hanging light with 5 bulbs. I can control all 5 with one dimmer.

I use a SmartThings hub to control everything. So I can walk in to the room and hit the switch like decades of muscle memory has taught me, or I can say "Alexa turn on the dining room light". Google integrates with SmartThings too, I just have a Echo Dot and Ecobee 4 already. Guests don't have to guess how to turn on and off a light. It looks and acts just like the switch that used to be there.

If you have WiFi bulbs that you control through Google it still gives you the same end result but there are more points of possible failure in that path. If you leave the room and turn off the switch they are useless until you turn the switch back on. Any WiFi device answers to it's home base server. Each and every bulb has to ping home to check in and ask for commands. So each bulb is working separately. Even if you create a group in Google home, it's still 10 bulbs. All 10 have to be working perfectly for them all to turn on together. You may end up with one bulb that didn't get the memo and stays off, or more likely they will turn on at slightly different times due to latency. You ask Google to do something, Google has to ask the bulb server to do something, and the bulb server has to ask the bulb to do something.

A hub may still call home the same way, but it's a single point. The hub then sends the command locally to the device directly. It should be more reliable and faster that way.

The only time that smart bulbs make sense to me is if you really really want color changing bulbs. Otherwise it's simpler and more cost effective to use a switch. Bulbs will always burn out, even LED bulbs. Dumb bulbs are cheaper to replace down the line. The switch shouldn't ever need to be replaced.

Many new people resist getting a hub. See it as an unnecessary expense. But over time the limitations of a hubless system will show up, and the hub often doesn't work well with the WiFi devices, so you end up re-buying everything. So in the long run it's cheaper and easier to just bite the bullet and get a home control hub that uses Zwave or Zigbee. You can still add voice control with Google or Alexa to most hubs.

Many companies make Zwave devices, it's a standard and there is competition to keep prices in check. And if these companies go out of business tomorrow the Zwave devices they already made still work. If the company that made a WiFi device goes out of business the device stops working. That's a real risk for a cheap Chinese made WiFi device, it can be abandoned without notice.

If Samsung killed SmartThings tomorrow, my entire Zwave network is portable. I could get a Wink, Vera, HomeSeer, HomeAssistant, etc and only have to replace one piece of hardware to be back up and running. So it's a scalable and portable methodology.

Edit:
I thought of another analogy. A hubless system of WiFi devices is like organizing a pot luck with a group of friends. You have to get them all to agree to a certain time, organize who is going to do what, carpools, etc and pray no one forgets something or flakes or breaks down. A hub based system is like giving a command to an Army general. You give one command and they get it done. You can give the general standing order and they will act on their own, when such-and-such happens, do this-or-that.

All your eggs are in one basket, but lots of people make baskets, and the eggs can be moved easily.

Started seeds in early november. Put in the system around november 8th. the last pics in that album were around nov 16th, so about a weeks worth of growth. i pulled out the lettuce tub today to clean it up and i'm gonan replace it with a DWC bucket for some cherry tomatoes. here's pics of the peppers in their current state http://imgur.com/a/NY6xR . insanely bushy and got a few peppers and a TON of blooms that are quite healthy.

the lettuces were a mix of Perpetual spinach (A type of chard, it did insanely well), some oak leaf, some butter crunch, and some romaine. The lettuces did pretty well, but I think I was overcrowding the tub. Also, most of those lettuces really didn't do too great with the "cut and come again" type harvest, but the P. spinach did GREAT. You could slice off the outer edge leaves at the base, and the next day it'd be back to growing new ones at a crazy pace. I think next time, I'm just gonna do a tub full of it cause it was not only delicious eats but grew very very well. Lettuce is just so damn cheap at the store that it was not very practical to grow in the tubs, which is why I'm pulling it out to start some cherry tomatoes. With as good as the peppers are doing, I imagine a cherry tomato plant in a DWC bucket will thrive quite well.

Here's everything else I'm using
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LS07T5E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JPEVMC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MVF16JG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IB2TL08/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CKCQJKQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The nute levels were around 1000-1400 (Meter seems to fluctuate). I have hard water with a base PPM of about 160. The nutes I added had calcium/mag added, so I was a little worried about possibly too much calcium since my water definitely has plenty, but nope, no issues. Big healthy green leaves and fast growth. No root rot as well. Only issue so far is aphids. Lots of the little fuckers. Going to my local hydro store here today to try and figure out a solution

​

Motivation behind this setup: There are no overhead lights in the living room. So the lights we use are regular floor lamps. The wall outlets are not connected to any wall switches. So we use the etekcity remotes and outlets. It's nice because the remote sits centrally located in the living room on the coffee table.

Here is my setup:

- Etekcity remote controlled outlets, 5pk set, with 2 remotes: amzn link

- I wanted more remotes, so I bought more: amzn link

But you'll notice that the remotes are not paired to the outlets. Yes, the outlets have a "learn" button, but ... You have to think of it like this, the outlet learns the remote's code, not the other way around. So what if your remotes (the transmitters) have different codes? it doesn't work. So the only way to fix that is to make all the remotes transmit the same codes. So that's where you go to this review on amazon and do some soldering "It's about a 5 minute job if you're handy with a soldering iron." If you're not confortable with soldering, this is such an easy job that you could find a friend that does solder and show them the amazon review and have them do it for you.

So now I have 4 remotes (transmitters) controlling 5 outlets. Each transmitter has 5 pairs of on/off buttons and each transmitter operates the same way.

Outlet 1: Living room light 1

Outlet 2: Living room light 2

Outlet 3: Something

Outlet 4: small reading lamp in bedroom

Outlet 5: Main light in bedroom

Transmitter 1: living room coffee table

Transmitter 2: on the wall by the door to the bedroom

Transmitter 3: My side of bed

Transmitter 4: Wife's side of bed.

(Bonus: if I'm in the bedroom in bed and forgot to turn off the living room lights, I can use the same remote to turn off the living room lights)

Then, I paired the RF transmitter/outlets with a "Hook". (This particular smart home device does not appear to be available for sale any more, but it's still working for now. An alternative appears to be the Broadlink or Sonoff). The "hook" connects to the internet and converts internet commands to RF so that my Alexa can communicate with the RF outlets/lights.

So in summary, I have a wife-approved smart home situation. The wife can use the remote or Alexa to turn on or off these 5 lights. Nothing gets messed up if a light is turned on with one method and off with another. The setup doesn't care.

For Tone gen, Fluke makes the gold standard. They also have a cheaper version.
You didn't mention a probe, so maybe you are looking for a cable certifier?. That's super expensive though. if you just have to test that there is continuity and not certify the cables, you can use this, or this if you want to look like a pro.

As for Screwdrivers, Wiha makes the best screw drivers, hands down. I have this set for working on electronics & laptop repair. Magnetic tool-kits are fine. This isn't the 80's anymore. There aren't too many magnetically sensitive items inside a computer anymore. especially with the advent of SSD drives.

As for a toolbox, depending the work, I prefer a tool bag or pouch.

Good luck, hope that helps. What helped for me when I started was to go to harbor freight and just get an assortment of tools. As I worked I slowly replaced the stuff I used all the time with quality gear, and didn't have to burn myself buying expensive tools and gear that I would never use.

You are going to want to balance tools and parts.

TOOLS (must haves)

• Multimeters (At least two, I suggest starting with one cheapo ($5-$10) and one in the $30-$50 range)
  
• Variable regulated power supply with current limiting (Skip the cheap/dangerous chinese crap and get a used HP/Agilent/Keysight one off ebay like this or this.)
  
• Breadboards (several)
  
• Jumper wires
  
• Wire strippers and cutters
  
• Decent soldering Iron ($50-$100) (DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON THIS)
  
• Desoldering pump and/or wick (The ctrl-z of the soldering world)
  
• Heat shrink tubing for sealing connections (Especially if you are going to be doing outdoor stuff)
  
• Microcontrollers (I suggest starting with an Arudino Uno since it has the largest amount of online support material, you could get an Uno kit, any of them will be fine)
  .
  .
  TOOLS (eventually)
  
• Logic Analyzer (Let's you see the logic signals in your circuit which is super helpful for debugging, I have a bitscope micro which is decent, but the software kinda sucks and is more than just a logic analyzer)
  
• A function generator (variable voltage and frequency for sine, square and triangle waves) (Again I suggest used off ebay, something like this.)
  
• Oscilloscope (a really amazing tool for actally seeing what is going on in your circuit)
  .
  .
  PARTS (vaguely in order of usefullness)
  
• Elenco Resistor Kit
  
• Elenco Capacitor Kit
  
• Elenco Transistor Kit
  
• Elenco Diode Kit
  
• Elenco LED Kit
  (Of couse you don't have to get the Elenco kits, those are just the ones I use and really like)
  
• Voltage regulator ICs (Great for providing regulated power to things that need more than what your arduino can provide)
  
• Trimmer Potentiometer Kit (really useful to have around for many projects)
  
• Old electronic equipment to scavenge parts out of (Many of my parts have come from old equipment or broken ATX computer power supplies. Tearing stuff apart is both fun and yields great parts.)
  .
  .
  .
  I think that's all for now...

If you currently have two switches, one for the fan and one for the light, you can get these. I have this setup in my living room and it's pretty sweet. You just need to set up the fan switch as a dimmer so that you can remotely adjust the fan speed just like you would a dimmer.

GE Z-Wave Wireless Smart Fan Speed Control, 3-Speed

GE Z-Wave Wireless Smart Lighting Control Smart Dimmer Switch

So you would realistically do smart switches instead of having smart bulbs. The only reason I would see to use smart bulbs is because you don't own the property or because you want the ability to change colors of a color lightbulb.

> Do smart switches always keep the smart bulbs powered?

It depends on what you mean by smart switches. You would realistically just use a smart switch like this. The light switch itself would always have power no matter if you turn the light on or off (unless you kill the breaker), so you could control it no matter the state of the light.

Your best bet if you want to continue using the smart bulbs, and not smart switches, is by buying the Philips Hue Dimmer switches. You would still need the power for the light to be on (meaning don't touch it/block it off if needed). They would still be at the mercy of people using the light switch itself.

But, unless you rent or need color control, it doesn't make sense to keep dropping money on this path.

3x Northern Lights From Sensi Seeds

1x [Mars Hyrdo] (https://www.amazon.de/MARS-HYDRO-Wachsen-Vollspektrum-Pflanze/dp/B078Y74D67/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546344239&sr=8-1&keywords=mars%2Bhydro%2B600w%2Bled&th=1)
Pulling 217W from the wall, honestly cant complain with the results so far.
I would have went with a QB if I knew about them earlier on, will switch it out once this one runs out I think.

Avg Temp is 24 degrees or 75,2 fahrenheit - The light is super cool and has two massive fans above it. This entire grow, the temperature was never an issue.

1 x Secret Jardin Hydro Shoot 80 R2.00 80x80x160 cm - Honestly a bit too small for 3 plants, will be running 2 next time around.

2 x Smart Plug - I got these from another site, at a higher price but they have been great. They allow me to see my exact wattage from the wall, my usages over 24hours/7days/1month. You can build in a schedule for your light and intake fan - that's why I got 2. Its all via an app, which has a kill switch built in so if you need to turn the setup off in seconds, you can do that remotely.

1 x AC Infinity Intake Fan + Carbon Filter

1x AC Infinity Multifan

1 x C02 Bag

3 x 5 Gallon Smart Pots (20L)

Nutrients

• Plagron Grow (during veg)
  
  
• Plagron Bloom (during bloom)
  
  
• Plagron Green Sensation (Last 4 weeks of bloom)
  
  
  I have honestly no idea what I'm doing - I can provide an entire list of everything I ended up using if you want :)

You could do this using zwave devices. It will cost some money up front but you'll have a solid base to build out more complex home automation tasks if you want to.

You can turn any computer into a local "hub" with a Zwave USB dongle. This one is pricey but works really well. Plug that into a spare laptop lying around the house or buy a Raspberry PI.

Install the Home Assistant package on the computer or PI that you plugged the dongle into. This makes it easy to send and receive signals from Zwave devices without having to learn a bunch of low level APIs. You can write automation commands using YAML markup or write complex, custom tasks using Python. Home Assistant is just a bundle of open source free software, so I don't think of it as a "service", but you could roll your own software if you like that replaces it. It all runs locally, not in the cloud, so you own and control it.

Now you can buy any Zwave switch you want. GE has a bunch of reasonable priced switches.

You can get an "add on" switch that does not hook into your home power but controls smart light bulbs like Hue using over the air signals.

Or you can buy a real switch that does control existing lights through the power in your home -- this will let you send signals to your switch using your Home Assistant "hub" to turn lights on or off and dim them without having to replace existing bulbs.

Have fun.

• Get an arduino starter kit and start building projects.
  
• This is a good one for a good price.(it's twice that or more on amazon)
  
• and this is a good price for a batch of sensors(no arduino included)
  
• if you want to move stuff a batch of servos is fun
  
• a soldering iron is good
  
• this one is good for the price. I don't like the ones that adjust at the handle. I prefer a base station.
  
• need solder as well
  
• and a solder sucker
  
• flush cut wirecutters are good to have
  
• a good pair of wire strippers is a life saver
  
• Good idea to have a multimeter around for verifying resistance values and voltages
  
• this is a decent one for the price
  
• Need some breadboard for prototyping. I'd suggest at least 3
  
• and some protoboards to finalize your circuit(until you start getting pcb's made)
  
• some solid conductor wire
  
• I like these storage cases for keeping my mess semi-under control.
  
  That's about all I can think of for now.
  

I'm still pretty new to this myself, but like you I have some electronics experience in the past. I just got this Weller 40w iron station with a desolder braid/sucker and a solder tip cleaner. Oh and a more precise tip for the solder iron

I'm really happy with it all so far, and couln't imagine needing more for a while. A heat gun would be nice for de-soldering and reflowing premade boards (like modding Boss pedals), but that can also be done with a regular solder iron as far as I know. You can get the above for about $60 total, so it's a nice way to get your feet wet without a huge investment. Then you gotta add on components/enclosures/pots/switches etc. Maybe get a helping hands and/or circuit holder if you need

Oh and get a good multimeter. I went a step up from the $20 ones and got this one which I'm also really happy with.

Do you mean a normal side and a dimmer side, for two separate lights/loads, in a single gang? No, I don't.

If you mean a smart switch for a single load, with separate normal and dimming actions, Lutron Caseta has four buttons (on/off with dim up/down in the middle). Those are quite popular, mainly due to their ability to work without requiring a neutral in the electrical box, plus the flexibility of their Pico remote that pairs with them, allowing 3-or-more-way switches, even in places that aren't wired, but won't work directly with Alexa without picking up a Lutron Caseta hub.

Switch/Pico kit
Switch/Pico/hub kit
Pro hub (if needed, for example, with a solution like Hubitat)

GE makes Decora-style paddles that are tap top on, tap bottom off, and hold top/bottom for dimming; they're Zwave and work with Alexa ... if you have the 2.0 with smart home hub. They need a neutral, however.

GE Enbrighten Z-Wave Plus Smart Dimmer Switch (also Zwave Plus and Zigbee options)

GE and Lutron also make ceiling fan controls that match their light switch products.

1. Go to a homebrew store, buy a 5lb tank for $90 or so, it will cost $5 to refill in the future and might last you 6 months depending, likely less in a 55gal tho.
   
2. buy this: https://shop.glassaqua.com/products/uns-mini-co2-single-gauge-regulator
   
3. then this: https://shop.glassaqua.com/collections/co2/products/inline-co2-atomizer
   
4. then a timer like this: https://www.amazon.com/Century-Plug-Mechanical-Timer-Grounded/dp/B00MVFF59S?ref_=Oct_BSellerC_495340_&pf_rd_p=1f7ed03e-6b56-52da-837f-50a4f94e13b7&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-6&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=495340&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=DF50PCP11P6M4SRKZV11&pf_rd_r=DF50PCP11P6M4SRKZV11&pf_rd_p=1f7ed03e-6b56-52da-837f-50a4f94e13b7
   
5. but preferably this: https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Enabled-Google-Assistant-HomeKit/dp/B01NBI0A6R/ref=pd_bxgy_107_img_3/141-4234734-0750431?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01NBI0A6R&pd_rd_r=7997e8e9-6f56-11e9-8d62-07ed84270f12&pd_rd_w=TOZXS&pd_rd_wg=mtJni&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=8GW94BPKJ41S91G2319H&psc=1&refRID=8GW94BPKJ41S91G2319
   
6. Then this: http://greenleafaquariums.com/co2-bubble-counters/atomic-bubble-counter.html
   
7. Then this: https://shop.glassaqua.com/collections/co2/products/co2-pressure-proof-tubing
   
8. Then this and fill it with the juice it comes with, and hang it over the edge of the tank. You will turn on the gas then check it every couple hours and adjust that tiny knob until you get what you need, which means likely that it turns lime green/yellow midday but goes back to dark green at night, its a balancing act until you get it right. https://shop.glassaqua.com/collections/co2/products/glass-co2-drop-checker-set
   
   ​
   
   Setup (in case you want this extra guide):
   
   
9. Fill the bubble counter with water from the topside (not the side with the red check valve, which is the bottom)
   
10. Plug in the timer, then tubing, then bubble counter, then inline diffuser.
    
11. Turn the big valve knob all the way to the right (clockwise / closed)
    
12. Pull out the tiny valve (fine adjustment) on the regulator and turn it all the way clockwise (closed)
    
13. Turn the big valve knob to the left (counter clockwise) until the gauge reads .3 MPa
    
14. Then turn the tiny knob to the left (counter clockwise) until you get to about 4 bubbles per second, i would recommend at least that for a 55gal heavily planted
    
15. Set timer turn on 30m before the light, and turn off 30m before the lights go out.
    
    ​
    
    It ain't cheap and won't likely solve all your algae issues (i have all manner of thread algae currently but it comes and goes) but it makes all the difference in overall plant health and growth, you will be trimming weekly if all goes well.
    
    Success, now just wait until the plants get wildly healthy in a week.

I'd recommend going with a SmartThings hub. The Echo can easily interface with it, and you can control it from both your iPhones and Apple Watch (I find the utility of controlling things from my Mac to be pretty low, and so don't really bother -- but I'll mention one possible solution below).

Here's what I recommend:

1. Get and install a SmartThings Hub along with the iOS and watchOS apps (if you install SmartThings Classic, your phone can send and install the watchOS app to your watch through the Watch app).
   
2. There is a SmartApp for SmartThings you can install to connect to and control your MyQ garage door
   
3. Ring already works with SmartThings, so nothing to really do here.
   
4. For the lighting, I recommend installing smart switches, replacing your existing light switches for the lights in question. I like the GE switches myself.
   
5. If you really want to be able to control everything from your Mac(s), install and configure HomeBridge. This bit of software will emulate Apple HomeKit for the devices connected to your SmartThings Hub. Then you can simply use the Home app built into macOS 10.14 to connect to and organize your devices for use on your Macs, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch.
   
   HTH!

The uno is going to be the most compatible with just about anything you encounter.

For components, get leds, caps, transitors, resistors, diodes, buttons, switches, breaboards, jumper wires, hook up wire, and other odds and ends from aliexpress, deal extreme or ebay. The shipping times can be a bit lengthy, but you'll get the best selection and prices this way.

For tools, check out dave's amazon list or ladyada's tool list. You should at least get a multimeter and a wire cutter. Don't skimp on tools.

After that, check out sparkfun, adafruit, seeedstudio, hackaday, the eevblog, and this subreddit to get some ideas flowing. By the way, in addition to the eevblog, Sparkfun and adafruit have youtube channels that are really good. To get started, try out some simply shields: anything with audio or video is always fun; also anything with motors can be cool, but robotics can get expensive. Or, perhaps go shield-less and try doing stuff with just the arduino. You can do a lot with just LEDs, a speaker, some resistors and the uno.

So the plus just gets you Zigbee control. I have an Echo Plus, but all my smart home devices are wifi, and not Zigbee (except a few hue lights, but I already have the hub for that).

So I'm controlling:

• 2 smart light switches, 1 smart dimmer (all wemo)
  
  
• ~6 hue bulbs
  
  
• 2 tp link bulbs
  
  
• wemo outlet
  
  All over wifi.
  
  You'd need the echo plus to control:
  This light switch without a hub, but you wouldn't need it for this other switch.
  
  I did some googling, and it looks like no Apple TVs do Zigbee. So the normal echo should be able to do everything it can currently do. The plus just opens the option to directly control Zigbee devices.
  
  edit: as /u/RichardBLine correctly pointed out, Echo Plus supports Zigbee and not Z-wave. I've updated the post and links. Thanks!

You are welcome, as far as the camera goes I search on eBay and use the keywords "Vivint ping camera" (I am unsure how to link an auction from my phone. As far as add ons to my system I use 2gig PIR1 Passive Infrared Motion Detector https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TZ73C6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Ng.CzbM9GCJSE for the motion sensor, GE Z-Wave Wireless Smart Lighting Control Smart Dimmer Switch, In-Wall, Includes White & Light Almond Paddles, Works with Amazon Alexa, 12724 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006LQFHN2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_wi.Czb8H4K514 for my dimmers, Previous Model: GE Z-Wave Wireless Smart Fan Speed Control, 3-Speed, In-Wall, Includes White & Light Almond Paddles, Works with Amazon Alexa, 12730 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PYMGVVQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_1i.CzbBD0V1RF for my ceiling fans, GE Z-Wave Wireless Smart Lighting Control Duplex Receptacle Outlet, On/Off, In-Wall, White, Works with Amazon Alexa, 12721 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013V1SRY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Lj.CzbQAY9KV4 for my outlets. I have found home automation to be addicting and expensive haha.

Soldering iron: https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-FX888D-23BY-Digital-Soldering-FX-888D/dp/B00ANZRT4M

Edit: most people recommend getting a chisel tip for the soldering iron. Big tips for big jobs, small tips for small jobs. Just having the pencil tip and one chisel will get you by for a long time.

Desoldering braid: https://www.amazon.com/Aven-17542-Desoldering-2-5mm-Length/dp/B003E48ERU/

Desoldering pump: https://www.amazon.com/WEmake-WM-SP4-Solder-Sucker-desoldering/dp/B0002KRAAG

You want both the pump and the braid. Get thin solder for electronics. You should probably use lead-free, but I like good old 60/40.

There are a ton of suggestions on multimeters. The exact right one for you depends on what you eventually want to do. Dave Jone's EEVBlog has some good suggestions. As does Adafruit. Anything Adafruit recommends isn't too far off the mark. If you just want a suggestion: Extech EX330 for $45 https://www.amazon.com/Extech-EX330-Autoranging-Multimeter-Thermometer/dp/B000EX0AE4 Cheaper ones will do the job, but this is a better one. The next step up are True RMS meters for about $100.

I bought an Extech EX330 for the exact same purpose as you. Eventually I will upgrade to a higher end model, but this one is a good balance of price, size, and durability to keep in a toolbox or have banging around in my backpack. I expect it to last for many years, so I plan to keep it as a backup when I upgrade. Right now, looks like Amazon is running a discount on them, as well. http://amzn.com/B000EX0AE4. Also, the EX430, which adds RMS capability, is about the same price right now: http://amzn.com/B0000WU1AC.

Good luck!

I actually ordered everything individually from Amazon. I’m sure you could probably find everything locally as well but it was easier for a newbie like me to get it all from the same place.

Aluminum CO2 Paintball Tank https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0008G2WAW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_J3vBDbY97P8E0 - $22 ( + $5 to fill with CO2)

Aquarium CO2 Regulator with... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F7P8TL3?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share - $53

AQUATEK CO2 Paintball Tank CGA... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004M49QDC?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share - $12

aFe Power Magnum FORCE 54-11473... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N36MAO4?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share - $18

AQUATEK CO2-Proof Tubing 16 Feet https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008UCOFJW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_z6vBDbMW07193 - $8

Century 24 Hour Plug-in... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MVFF59S?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share - $9

Aquarium Carbon Dioxide CO2... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C9DGXV0?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share - $11

Total: $148

Again, total newbie and this is the bare minimum of quality and price I was comfortable with. I plan on upgrading to a bigger tank and a better regulator in a few months. Do your own research too.

hey, the relay won't work very well if you're using RGB LEDs. One of the coolest features of RGB is the ability to mix colours by pulsing each in sequence for different amounts of time. The relay may not be able to switch fast enough, and you'd need of for each 'colour'.

Personally I don't find the Reddit format to be the best for asking these types of questions, as often the 'popular vote' goes to the answers that are short and easy to understand, which may not be the 'best' answer. I prefer http://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php and the related electronics vblogs, and https://electronics.stackexchange.com/.

For a great mid-range multimeter I love the Extech EX330 (https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B000EX0AE4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1), especially with its built-in non-contact voltage detection for working on household wiring (not related, but it's so handy!). The Fluke 87-V is, in my opinion, the cream of the crop and priced accordingly. There are cheap multimeters for $5 that will get the job done, and I do keep these in my vehicles -- eBay and a month of shipping time works well here. Searching eevblog.com for "shootout" (search Google for "site:eevblog.com shootout") reveals great comparisons, too many to read through but indulge the a bit to get a feel for what to look for.

It's a tad more expensive than the cheapest. Not neccesarily a bad thing, as the cheapest is often... the cheapest.

Your link is for 2835 LEDs. Have you researched LEDs sizes? Nothing wrong with 2835; just a matter of aesthetics and taste as to what's the "right" size, but there are other sizes available.

With crown molding, probably not possible, but it's best to put them in an aluminum channel.

Also, those cheap ass WIFI controllers and remotes work surprisingly well, but you may want to upgrade to the Hue platform using an FLS-pp. The main advantage for this immediate one-off install would be allowing tying more than one together for a single remote. Using the WiFi things, you're going to get boxed into trying to wire and power them as a single strip (which may work perfectly fine). Of course, you'd need a remote that works with Hue... the Hue Dimmer works well.

These are basically the best budget LEDs I could find and I tested a lot of different brands around that price range. I have 10 strands of these on my setup, essentially one per shelf, tied along the front edge, but hidden from direct view. That casts an even light across the whole shelf, as opposed to if you put them behind one of the TVs, the light was casting more of an aura effect that I didn't quite like.

These are also really great for casting a larger volume of light, say if you want to bounce a color off your back wall behind your monitor. Then put all your lights onto the same power switch and put them on a controller like this one. That's essentially the cheapest way to get a nice effect of whichever color you'd like.

So the wine fridge came with the house. Free.

Humidifier: $40
Crane Filter-Free Droplet, Cool Mist Humidifier, Blue and White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O1CQ9OO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FEJ1CbDZ3G50M

Fan: $17
AC Infinity AXIAL 8025, Muffin Fan, 120V AC 80mm x 25mm High Speed, for DIY Cooling Ventilation Exhaust Projects https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009OXSFBA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_HGJ1CbDYVZV8J

Fan speed controller: $14
AC Infinity, Fan Speed Controller for 100 to 125V AC Axial Muffin Cooling Fans, Single Connector, for DIY Cooling Ventilation Exhaust Projects https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00809BQZG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_7HJ1Cb633YCRV

Timer: $13
Century 7 Day Heavy Duty Digital Programmable Timer - Dual Outlet (Indoor) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MVF16JG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XIJ1CbQQD38YE
(I'm going to upgrade to a wemo smart plug here, at some point)

Exit vent: $10
Plastic Air Vent Grille Cover 3 Flaps Wall Duct Ventilation Grill With Net Plastic Louvre Air Vent Grille with Flyscreen Cover(1515CM) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079N83QSG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GPJ1Cb3KV0CYM
(Can get for half this price at Home Depot)

Controller: $175 + shipping (day... $15)
https://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37&products_id=642

Miscellaneous: $65

Total: $350 (ish)

Acquiring a suitable fridge will certainly add here. I got lucky and we had the wine cooler sitting around for years. It was literally in our house when we moved in.

Hope this helps!

The Z-Wave system is designed for interoperability, with management by a local hub that reaches out to the cloud as necessary. Hence there are many manufacturers, competitive pricing, interchangeable components, flexible control modalities. Also, a huge range of sensors, modules, controllers, locks, remote controls, and thermostats in addition to switches.

Wi-Fi smart devices are focused on ease of installation. Without standardized interfaces, the only way to offer remote control is through cloud management. Configuration and automation could be provided through a switch-hosted web server, but since the whole point is remote control and Echo/GH integration - and since the manufacturer has an eye on your data and your possible future income stream - the cloud solution wins. Wi-Fi power requirements means that in general these devices must be hardwired.

Non-cloud Kasa support requires an always-on computer running node.js, with manual device installation and static IP addresses everywhere. This is only an issue if TP-Link abandons the product or starts charging, in which case you have to decide whether it's worth the hassle...

I have a bunch of GE/Jasco switches and dimmers and one each of Leviton and Evolve - and also door/window sensors, motion sensors, thermostat, door lock, lamp modules, remotes, wall controllers, and garage door sensor.

The switches are all pretty much indistinguishable. GE/Jasco and HomeSeer 3-ways require a proprietary companion switch but you can dim from the companion and up always=on, down=off. Zooz and Inovelli 3-ways use your existing remote switch but no remote dimming and remote setting is random.

Yeah, you can do that! I've become a big fan of Zooz switches [Amazon]. The linked one there is the ZEN26, which is for on/off switches (as opposed to dimmers). An important note: Zooz switches are Z-wave, meaning they need a hub (like SmartThings or HomeSeer) to control via Google home.

If you don't want to get a hub, there are plenty of other options available. TP-Link makes some great switches, and their app is wonderful. You just set up the switches, then connect your TP-Link account to your Google account, and then all of your switches can be controlled from the Google Home app or your Google home mini.

The process of rewiring the switches is quite simple, and there are plenty of video resources available. But, as always, have a professional do it if you're not confident.

Reply back here if you have other questions, I'd be happy to try and help!

I've been in this situation, it sucks but it doesn't have to be that bad. First get one of these https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-Networks-26000900-Pro3000-Generator/dp/B000FTADX0/ That will let you trace the wiring through the walls and make things 1,000x easier. Heck these days there are even cooler things out there like this thing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoWdmFFnMi0

We also didn't "gut it to the studs" but we did make lots of holes in drywall. What I did that was super helpful, was use a big hole saw for most of the holes the drywall, then all the holes were the same size, they were clean holes, and very quick and easy to patch.

When I was a field tech, mostly working with structured cabling and networking equipment I took the following along with me, some of these things are no longer needed with VOIP phones though:

• Klein Scissors, great for working with cabling. http://www.amazon.com/Klein-2100-7-Electricians-Scissors-Stripping/dp/B000VL03NC/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hi_2
  
  
• Klein 11-in-1 screwdriver (I actually had two) http://www.amazon.com/Klein-32500-Screwdriver-Driver-Cushion/dp/B0015SBILG/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_text_y
  
  
• Harris puncdown tool ( I think fluke took them over though in quality) the little flip out hook is really useful when doing 66 blocks or panels - something like this http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-D914S-10061810-impact-EverSharp/dp/B000GA6QEI/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1377872619&sr=1-2&keywords=harris+punch+down+tool (You can get cheaper here, but I burned through the ideal ones pretty fast. The harris ones seemed to last a while).
  
  
• Multimeter (Fluke makes some nice ones)
  
  
• Cable Tester - this will do phone, coax, cat5/6 and isn't crazy priced. You can buy more remotes for it too: http://www.amazon.com/Test-Um-TP300-Resi-Tester/dp/B000J15CEE/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1377872779&sr=8-7&keywords=test+um+cable+tester
  
  
• Tone and probe kit (sends a signal over a cable and you can use the wand to figure out what cable it is. Killer for unmarked cables. You'll probably want to take some jacks and make up your own adapters too) - http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-Networks-PRO3000-Tone-Probe/dp/B000FTADX0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377872864&sr=8-1&keywords=harris+tone
  
  
• Banjo adapter is nice if you don't want to make your own: http://www.amazon.com/Paladin-Tools-1902-Modular-Adapter/dp/B000099O64/ref=pd_sim_indust_13
  
  
• If you have traditional phone lines to deal with, a buttset (or linemans set) isn't a bad thing to have either.
  
  
• Some coax tools (crimper/stripper)
  
  
• A drywall saw
  
  
• A decent tool bag. I used a generic husky one from lowes.
  
  
• A drill (keep the charger in the bag) and a decent bit set
  
  
• A box of random screws and anchors
  
  
• Bigass roll of velcro
  
  
• Double sided tape
  
  
• ALL the connectors (in bulk)
  
  
• Electrical tape
  
  
• Pull string anytime you fish a conduit or a pain in the ass space, leave a string.
  
  
• Various standard hand tools, spackle isn't bad to have and a putty knife, I had a cheap soldering iron and some basic stuff for it too. Sharpies (a whole pack of them). A level, a tape measure.
  
  
• A label maker! Brother makes a bunch. Label everything!
  
  
• Flashlight. I carried two. One small penlight on myself (streamlight) and one that shared the batteries with my drill.
  
  Obviously this all doesnt go in one bag, but I had mine in my car/truck all the time. It'd be a lot easier in an office.

Oboy, I'm probably the wrong person to ask. However, /u/BriThePiGuy recommends Joe Knows Electronics boxes, and /u/NeoMarxismIsEvil recommends the following:

> I would order some cheap assortment kits from people on aliexpress. These are the sort that come with like 10 of most common values of resistor, capacitor, etc.

> Other stuff:

> - WeMos d1 mini or mini pro
> - small i2c OLED displays
> - small LCD display
> - tacswitches (buttons)
> - SPDT switches
> - 74HC595 and 74HC165 shift registers
> - either bidirectional logic level shifter modules or mosfets and resistors needed to make them
> - 7 segment led displays (individual)
> - 8x8 led matrices
> - various environmental and physics sensors (often come as a kit of 20+ different modules)
> - extra breadboards
> - jumper wires
> - male and female header strips (for modules that lack pins)
> - cheap breadboard power supplies
> - voltage regulators (both LDO ICs and buck converter)
> - possibly some 4xAA or 4xAAA battery holders
> - trim pot assortment

> Those are just ideas. Some things like 7 seg led digits are pretty cheap and worth having a few of but not terribly important if you have a real display of some sort.

I personally like the assortment of bits I got in my Sparkfun Inventor's Kit, but found that I wanted more of the following:

• Jumpers, though it's since been recommended to me that I just use solid-core 22 AWG wire so I bought this wire kit and these automatic strippers
  
• Breadboards, both self-adhesive and solderable, and maybe some mini ones of each type.
  
• LEDs (RGB and single-color)
  
• A good selection of potentiometers and trimpots, both slide and radial, plus knobs for them if applicable
  
• More buttons of varying types, both clicky and quiet momentary ones (here's a quiet button that's nice)
  
• A good multimeter and maybe some extra probes
  
• Some power supplies, both 12v and 5v. Here's one that's supposed to do both simultaneously, but you'll need a molex plug (which Sparkfun inexplicably doesn't carry) unless you want to strip the end. You might also want some barrel jacks, and this cheap extension cable provides the male end.
  
• A variable power supply would probably also be very useful, but I haven't yet invested in one of those so I can't make a recommendation at this time.
  
• A good selection of resistors
  
• Alligator test clips, plus some with pigtails for prototyping on a breadboard with components that won't fit in those little holes
  
• Some heat shrink tubing and a heat gun that you should only use on the lowest setting for this purpose. When selecting heat shrink tubing, pay attention to it's shrink ratio and what size it'll end up being when you're done.
  
• A soldering kit and some solder. Note that all solders aren't created equal but the one I linked is supposed to be decent.
  
• If you get into larger gauge soldering (for home or automotive wiring), a propane torch will be handy, but you can get something like that for $20 with a propane tank at your local hardware store
  
• Some project boxes

Thanks OP. Burnout for the PS2 and PSP have always been my favorite racing game. It just felt much more fun and chaotic. I would love to play a reboot of that series. As for the giveaway, I would like rocket league, but if money is short, then this smart plug for my desk lamp will do. It's so annoying having to reach for the plug. If money is even shorter then you can skip me, thank you. :)

If you're somewhat familiar with electrical wiring, I'd say grab a tone generator & probe and trace the various leads from there - I've mostly used the RJ-45 stuff, but pretty sure there's 120VAC compatible stuff out there. (Technically, I'm sure they'd all work... some are just a little more user friendly to various specs than others)

If you're not familiar with electrical wiring... a tone generator plugs into one end of a wire and sends a signal down it. You can then take the probe (a fancy speaker) and poke it around listening for the signal to find the other end of the wire. Once you find all the ends, switches, junctions, etc you can build a pretty decent wiring diagram. Make sure you kill the breaker before plugging anything in, and keep in mind anything designed for low voltage might not have enough power to drive a signal over larger gauge AC wiring.

Personally, I'm partial to the Fluke brand - they're basically the defacto name brand in the industry, and a quick search turned up this one.

Happy to answer questions or elaborate, either here or via PM.

I am controlling wireless sockets with my pi and a 433 MHz transmitter and it works flawlessly, so might be worth a thought

If you are looking into wiring them to the gpio pins, you have to make sure you find a dedicated relais that is able to switch the voltage and current and can be used with the pi. But please be careful when handling those. Don't just cut the cable and drill and place the wires into the relais. Use something like this to make sure you get a good contact. You are dealing with a lot of power afterall.

Sorry, English is not my first language :D

Looking through the options I can't really find an affordable, convenient option for this that wouldn't be a chinese product with little support and that wouldn't be a huge headache.

Without knowing about the specific family of home control/ app economy you use its hard to recommend any of them at all but I can tell you what I would do for the highest quality experience and ability for expansion.

Buy a contactor like this. Put it in a box, put the plug into the box, put a light switch on the wall, tie it into the coil of the contactor. Get a generic wifi light switch that works on 110 that ties into Google or Amazon that's cheap and easily replaced.

This is the best full product I could find but it's zwave so you'd need a hub, it costs twice as much as putting a contactor in and you have to hardwire it anyway.

To be fair though I'm in industrial automation so my solution to most problems is to put relays in it

I started by picking up a few of these and connecting them to my Amazon Echo: https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Controls-Electronics-Anywhere-HS100/dp/B0178IC734/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467748762&sr=8-1&keywords=tplink+smart+plug

Super easy to set up and you can ask Alexa to "turn on the TV" or "turn off the lamp". You can also group things together and say "Alexa, turn everything off" which is pretty neat for when you're going to bed. You can use your existing bulbs and it's cheaper (well save for the Echo) then jumping into a Hue starter kit, for example. That said, I do plan to pickup an EcoBee and Hue kit soon now that I have the itch to automate all the things!

• 433mhz Transmitter with Etekcity Outlets
  
  -I followed BRUH Automation's tutorial to set this up. I immediately reprogrammed the outlets to custom codes. Home Assistant now has sole control over the outlets and I can re purpose the remote to be used for other commands
  
  
• 433mhz Receiver with Etekcity Outlet Remotes
  
  -I currently use the remotes to control automations within HomeAssistant. When I push a button on the remote, it is received by the 433mhz rx that is connected to a NodeMCU. The NodeMCU takes the signal received and published the rf code to an MQTT topic. Home assistant is subscribed to that topic. I look for the payload of each published topic and if it matches the button I pressed it will run an automation.
  
  
• 433mhz Motion Sensor
  
  -These broadcast a rf signal that is also received in the same fashion as the Etekcity Remotes do. Then published via MQTT from the NodeMCU.
  
  
• Hue Bridge
  
  -I am currently using 2 white bulbs, 1 bloom, and 1 colored bulb. They are spread out across multiple rooms. I absolutely love the control you have with this product!
  
  
• IR LED
  
  -The NodeMCU is subscribed to a topic that Home Assistant will published to when I tell it to trigger. This is currently in use to turn on the TV, Soundbar, and tower fan via Alexa. "Alexa, Turn on the tv" - runs a script in HA to publish to a MQTT topic. NodeMCU grabs the payload, my code determines the device, and blasts the signal - turning the TV on/off
  
  
• IR Receiver
  
  -The TV remote has many useless buttons on it. I use these to also send commands to Home Assistant. For instance, I push button '1' on the remote. The NodeMCU processes the value received, publishes it via MQTT, Home Assistant looks at that payload and runs the corresponding automation - turning on the lamp in the living room.
  
  
• Amazon Echo Dot
  
  -I currently use this with the emulated hue component. It works great for what I currently want it to do!
  

hi dave, welcome back to the family! :) i'm glad to hear things are looking up for you!! what are some of your favorite bands?

​

i have a super kick ass smart plugon my main WL that i want so i can turn my himalayan salt lamp on and off lol!

I have all of my outdoor lighting automated.

• Front Porch
  
• Back Door
  
• Back Deck
  
• Detached Garage Light
  
• Low Voltage Outdoor lighting
  
  In combination with a few other devices, door sensors, ring door bell for motion, garage door automation (MyQ) etc. I can setup a multitude of different scenarios. Open the front door, lights go full brightness, close door dim them back down. Motion from the ring at night, crank the brightness up. Open the garage door, turn on the light above the garage to full brightness. Most of the lights turn on about 15 mins before sunset with some nice transitions in brightness.
  
  I use GE Z-Wave Outdoor Modules that I plug into the low voltage transformers that are always set to the on position. That way I can just toggle the switch on thus turning on the transformer and the lights.
  
  
  In most of the outdoor fixtures I use Smart Bulbs (the lights that are shielded from the elements). My front porch I use Hue Color that I automated for holiday lights. I have a detached garage that I
  put in a Lutron Caseta dimmer since the switch was in the house.
  
  
  Essentially I used a variety of devices to tackle each lighting situation based on what would work best and then automate everything with Home Assistant. You can see all my devices and automations here.
  

You want this: Aeotec Heavy Duty Smart Switch, Z-Wave Plus Home Security ON/OFF controller, 40 amps record electricity consumption https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MBIRF5W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_AgVADbSZ5ATQG

Then get a 240v 2 phase plug and a socket. Wire the smart switch up to the two. So you have plug - switch - socket.

Then you plug your air compressor to this new thing you just made and the new thing to the wall.

You will need a hub to control it.

Bonus you also get current and electricity usage for free :)

Lutron makes great smart switches. As others mentioned occupancy sensors are better than smart switches for high traffic areas like kitchens, bathrooms, hallways and smart switches are better in bedrooms, living rooms, etc.

Flukes are definitely the best, but for automotive use, you're not really going to be super demanding. Less expensive + disposable may be a better way to start off your career on this specific item.. i'm sure you have other expensive tools to buy ;-) You can always upgrade later.

I have one of these guys, and it does what I need it to, personally: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EX0AE4

Hue ecosystem uses the Zigbee protocol. The Hue app can only control lights out of the box. There is only 1 fan controller for HA that I'm aware of and that's the GE zwave fan controller which requires a z-wave hub similar to SmartThings which also integrates with Hue and it works pretty well.


GE Z-Wave Wireless Smart Fan Speed Control, 3-Speed, In-Wall, Includes White & Light Almond Paddles, Works with Amazon Alexa, 12730 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PYMGVVQ

Most recipes will probably be fine with an additional 2-4 hours. Crock pot recipes aren't very fussy. But that counts more for beef than chicken, because chicken dries out easier. A couple tips:

For chicken, use thighs instead of breasts. The thighs have more fat and will keep from drying out longer. And yes, chicken can still overcook and become dry while in a sauce. It's just less noticeable.

Beef will probably work great it's a bit more forgiving than chicken.

One other solution many people here do is to buy a timer you plug your crock pot into like this. That way, you can program it to turn on 4 hours after you leave. And especially if you're using frozen dump recipes this is a great solution.

Or I'm sure there's programmable crock pots you can buy to skip the plug timer.

a cheap hps kit is a good start. Can grow plants through all stages. Just need a decent sized space like 6' tall, 4 x 4

want to spend more / better quality? get a cmh kit.

want to diy? build a LED COB kit

looking for more shelf compatible that are good for seedlings? get LED shoplights at your local lowes / depot

yeah you will want a timer. they are cheap / normal timers u see for like christmas lights

I have a Smartthings hub. That talks two home control protocols, called Zigbee and Z-Wave. Many manufacturers make dimmers that use one or the other protocol. There are wall switch-types, and in-line "puck" type fan controllers.

Google finds many...

I'm using TP-Link switched outlets to turn amplifiers on and off. They also have a smaller version, but I got the big ones for $20 each, so went with those. The outlets can be controlled directly by a GH or Amazon Echo, and don't depend on the Smartthings hub.

Search Amazon for wifi switches/fan controllers that say "works with Alexa" for products that don't require a smart home hub. A hub provides some additional flexibility and control methods, but there seems to be a move away from hub-dependent approaches. There are arguments for and against both types of devices. Hubs can offer programmable logic (eg. Turn pitch light on when I arrive home, if the sun has set. If nobody else is home, turn on all amps & play White Stripes really loud,) though using 3rd party tools like IFTTT or Tasker can usually accomplish the same things.

DETAILS ON SET UP

Light: Roleadro 300W LED light

Fan and filter: ipower 4" inline fan with carbon filter (my roomates are worried about the smell

Tent: Millard 30" x 18" x 36" tent

Odds and ends: A digital timer to schedule lights

A fan speed controller

3-gallon smart pots

A humidity and temp sensor

Plus a small clip on fan.

GROW DETAILS

I have three different strains, Northern Lights, Pre-99 big bud, and pure power plant, and then an unknown seed(which I planted about two weeks ago as the previous unknown seed turned out male, see previous post [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/microgrowery/comments/5qo1yo/early_sign_of_balls_details_in_comments/0. One in each 3-gallon smart pot. For the first two weeks of growing I had an 18/6 light schedule, and then switched to 12/12. (I'm essentially doing 12/12 from as early as the plant could respond to the change in light schedule). Over the past 15 days I watered twice with tiger bloom nutes.

I definitely made the mistake of not listening to your advice when I originally posted and am trying to grow 3 plants in a 1.5X2.5X3 foot tent...It is getting crowded, I should've listened and stuck with one, maybe two plants. Other than that I haven't had any problem that I have noticed other then a few spots of damage on leaves occasionally but no pests or wilting. I'm sure there are things I could've done better though. Thank you for all your help, I can't wait to get to harvest.

Haha, thanks! I like to know what's what, but it looks like since they didn't move the switch box, they didn't have to update it to the latest code when they renovated. I might have to look into a leak-to-ground switch if I can find one. I might be out of luck without using a Lutron Caseta Wireless.

https://www.amazon.com/Lutron-PD-6WCL-WH-Caseta-Wireless-150-Watt/dp/B00KLAXFQA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1467145260&sr=8-3&keywords=lutron+caseta+wireless

Looking at that, I might actually do that, Lutron has better quality products anyway and the price has come down on them too!

If you’re sure 15 minute cycles are good, then mechanical timers work great and are super easy to program. I’ve used these in the past:

Century 24 Hour Plug-in Mechanical Timer Grounded https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MVFF59S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_cqeYzb0HS34MQ

However, except price, digital timers are pretty much better in every way. I once had an issue where 15 minutes was too long for an ebb and flow I built. Pump was too strong, overflow didn’t drain fast enough. I switched to digital to do a shorter interval and the problem was mostly fixed. Not exactly a common scenario, but for a couple bucks extra, the convenience of digital can certainly be worth it.

If you're going to go remote outlet and are OK with smart home stuff, I really like these from TP-Link if you're OK with "smart home" type stuff.

I've had some for about a year now and they've worked really nicely for misc. stuff around my (primarily lights).

I'd recommend that you put in the extra money and get a nice second tier DMM. You can get away with a cheapy $25 one, but when it's your eyes and ears, I've found spending a little extra is worth it.

I love this multimeter, and Dave from the EEV Blog liked it as well. He did a whole teardown on a bunch of $50-$100 meters.

I like the GE Z-wave smart dimmer paddle. I've installed 4 of them and 2 add-on switches for the three way switches. No issues so far, they were easy to install, the videos they have on YouTube are very easy to follow. I set up a price alert on amazon for these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006LQFHN2/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and nabbed them when they got down to $33 each, which is about the best price I've seen.

TP-Link Mini WiFi Smart Plug (Works with the Google Assistant).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K1JVZOE/ref=ox_sc_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Remote access: control devices connected to the smart Plug wherever you have internet using the free kasa app on your smartphone. Requires a secured 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network Connection
Scheduling: schedule the smart Plug to automatically power electronics on and off as needed, like setting lights to come on at dusk or turn off at sunrise
Away mode: turns your devices on and off at different times to give the appearance that someone is home. Usage Tips - Place your Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini within the range of your Wi-Fi router or access point (approximately 100 feet). Avoid physical obstructions and radio interference in the surrounding area.

GE makes good z wave plus smart switches capable of 3 way switching. You would buy one of these

GE Z-Wave Plus Wireless Smart Lighting Control Smart Switch, On/Off, In-Wall, Includes White & Light Almond Paddles, Works with Amazon Alexa, 14291 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M1AHC3R/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_K4LZzbMEWM70Q

And one of more of these

GE Add-On Switch for GE Z-Wave, GE ZigBee and GE Bluetooth Wireless Smart Lighting Controls, NOT A STANDALONE SWITCH, Includes White & Light Almond Paddles, 12723 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RKJS8MQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_y5LZzb3VB99ZF

Giantex Indoor Grow Tent Room Reflective Mylar Hydroponic Non Toxic Clone Hut 6 Size (32''X32''X63'') https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PXK7ICK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_UhVuybY2C4CHS

Roleadro 2nd Generation 600W LED Plant Grow Light Upgraded Full Spectrum Indoor Growing Light with 120pcs 5W Chips https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IVQ96MW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_diVuybHJCV7XV

VIVOSUN 4 Inch 203 CFM Duct Inline Fan with Variable Speed Controller https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CTM0H6I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_BiVuybSGHVZTE

Century 24 Hour Heavy Duty Plug-in Mechanical Timer Grounded https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MVFF59S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_nkVuybNGBW6PS

MacDoDo PH-02 Digital PH Meter Tester Best For Water Aquarium Pool Hot Tub Hydroponics Wine - Push Button Calibration Resolution 0.01 / High Accuracy +/- 0.05 - Large LCD Display - 100% Guaranteed https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JOHTMEO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_MkVuybZ08V91M

VIVOSUN Pair of 1/8" Adjustable Grow Light Reflector Clip Hanger Rope Ratchet with Zinc Alloy Internal Gears 75lb Each https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P7TZNPQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_nlVuyb1Q8670K

This is my setup, my fan is coming in today and my seedlings sprouted this morning. I did quite a bit of research and The light is a little underpowered but I was on a pretty tight budget and can always add more light later.
I spent $40 on seeds and super soil mix from Mephisto genetics, going a more organic route and won't require nutes.
I also spent about $30 on peat moss, perlite, and compost. I already had some ducting and pots.

Yes. You can use the dresden elektronik FLS-PP Ip: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_lc?tag=huelig0f-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B00NMSQ4QQ&adid=068KHP2BJGQ0PK23866W&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fhuelights.com%2F

I tested this last night with my Hue Lights app, http://huelights.com, and bridge firmware 01030262 on the v2.0 HomeKit square bridge. This LED controller supports RGB or RGBW, so even strips with a white channel can be used. It can handle up to 6A with a suitable power supply. By comparison, the Lightstrip Plus has a 1A power supply and 1A LED controller.

The controller does a good job mapping color temperature modes to pure RGB strips. For example, Concentrate, Reading, etc., look pretty close to bulbs with color temperature support. You can also get a bundled package that includes a 3 meter strip and 2A power supply. With the bundled strip the controller could select colors, dim, and turn on/off with good response time.

Your previous post mentioned that this started after day light savings time. Have you considered just putting her to bed at her regular (before the time change) time? Then maybe adjusting bed time by 5 or 10 minutes every night to make it an easier adjustment for her?

Also, I let my kids stay up as late as they want but only if they are in their bed reading. This goes for all three of them (11, 7, and 2.5) and has always worked wonders for keeping them in the bed. They usually fall asleep on their own within 30 minutes or so. We have these lights strung up in the toddlers room on a switch timer so they automatically turn on at bedtime and off 30 min later. Gives him enough light to look through his book (his current favorite is "Too Many Carrots") and we don't have to risk waking him up to turn them off later. The 7 year old has a cute cat shaped silicone light, which she adores, and the 11 year old uses a head lamp from our camping gear.

I bought one of these in 2010 and another in 2017; the first one is still working fine. It's worked great for basic troubleshooting and measurements. I've used it for power consumption measuring and it seemed accurate enough. I've used them a lot, but none of it requires super accurate readings and I haven't had a single issue. If you buy one I can't guarantee the same experience, but they've been great for me.

Currently $18.80 https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVYGZA/

You can use nay 12v battery you'd like to that can supply the cca (cold cranking amps) to the motor to get it started, I have a designated large car battery to do this.

I wouls strongly suggest that you invest in a multimeter of some sort. I do not own the one linked but based on the reviews it can't be that bad for the price. and see what the voltage of the battery is, if it is above 11v I would consider the battery to be salvageable and try to recharge it. if not, yes I would get a new battery. Just know that while you are troubleshooting the bike that you should have a way to charge the battery. I used to just hook up leads from my car battery to my bike to do the testing; relying on the alternator of the ca to get the battery charged as I drove it.

Yes, a good place to start would be the battery, next I would test for spark: take the spark plug cap off, unbolt the plug, put the cap backon and ground the plug to the engine by holding threads up to the engine case (bare metal). and then try turning on the bike looking for small spark jumping at the tip. That should be good if he said it was running sporadically. then, again I would assume the carb is the main problem.

I'm thinking that perhaps this was one of the trade-offs to get to market. As technology marches on, things tend to get smaller. I had the same complaint as you but I found smaller outlet switches that you can stack on top of each other on a standard outlet by TP-Link (TP-Link Smart Plug, Wi-Fi, Works with Alexa, Only Occupies one Socket (HS105),Wall-Light, Electronic-Component-switches, 1-Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K1JVZOE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qAT1BbAV1Y4RD). Honestly, now I have a surplus of those things as I've moved to smart power strips (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071ZGDDQG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_OJT1BbP8K2Y6R). To take it a step further, might even consider these (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GB7WFZH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_ZLT1Bb49TWG2S).

There is always a solution.

If I understand your question correctly, as long as your truck is parked within WiFi Range you could buy one of these smart plugs, then use IFTTT to set up a trigger using the Weather Underground service in conjunction with the TP-Link Kasa service to create an applet that will turn the outlet on if the temperature drops below a certain limit (in this case 32° f). You could also set up another applet to turn the outlet off if the weather rises above a certain temp or turn it off at a certain time in the morning (when you leave for work for example).

This might sound more difficult to set up than it actually is. Creating a new applet is as simple as tapping a few buttons in an app on your phone and there are even ones that already exist out there to do what you want, all you have to do is turn them on.

You should be able to use any smart WiFi outlet as long as it has IFTTT support. I just suggested the TP-Link one because I have a few and I found they work well.

Do you think you'll use the features of the Hue bulbs? Like do you need the different colors or are you just looking to remotely control the lights?

I originally went with LIFX but decided that I didn't like the idea of having to replace every light bulb in my house with smart bulbs. Instead I've been opting for the GE Z Wave Plus switches and I've been loving them.

This way it doesn't matter what bulb is used, the whole switch is smart.

Not sure if you're using Philips Hues or not, but I picked up one of these and it works with the Philips hub. You can use the cheaper light strips that you mentioned with it.
I use Smartthings and it works pretty well with that. I know it's ~$50 but you're not tied to a 6' strip of lights. Hope that helps

the beauty of the z-wave light switches is that if somebody turns off the light by hand, you can always switch it back on with automation. so you'll always be able to control the hues from automation app.
[these ge switches](GE Z-Wave Smart Dimmer, In-Wall, 12724 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006LQFHN2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_KEO3xbHRNDQBB)

another reason i went with z-wave switches is that i can mix and match my bulb types. some fixtures can be plain led bulbs and still have on/off or dimming capability via the switch.

the velcro solution is a neat one and i'd probably end up doing just that if i was in an apt or unwilling to spend extra money.

This is going to format like shit because I'm copying it straight from an email I wrote my sister.
The important bits: the hub is Samsung Smartthings, switches are mostly GE zwave switches, voice control provided by Amazon Echo.
Rolling it out across the whole house isn't easy or cheap, but it's worth it when you have someone over and you give the "turn on everything" command and you watch every light pop on, then do it in reverse.
This will get you started :)
>
> Switches: http://www.amazon.com/GE12722-Z-Wave-Wireless-Lighting-Control/dp/B0035YRCR2
>
> Add-on Switches (for 3+ way): http://www.amazon.com/GE-12723-Add-On-Switch/dp/B00RKJS8MQ
>
> Dimmer:  http://www.amazon.com/GE-Z-Wave-Dimmer-In-Wall-12724/dp/B006LQFHN2
>
> Fan: http://www.amazon.com/GE-12730-Z-Wave-Smart-Control/dp/B00PYMGVVQ
>
> SmartThings: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SmartThings-Hub-2nd-Generation/dp/B010NZV0GE
>
> Door Locks: http://www.amazon.com/Schlage-Connect-Camelot-Touchscreen-Deadbolt/dp/B00AGK9KOG/ref=lp_511306_1_2?s=hardware&ie=UTF8&qid=1461284077&sr=1-2
>
> Thermostat:  http://www.amazon.com/Nest-Learning-Thermostat-Generation-Works/dp/B0131RG6VK/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1461284145&sr=1-2&keywords=thermostat+smart
>
> Echo (for voice control): http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-SK705DI-Echo/dp/B00X4WHP5E/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1461284177&sr=1-1&keywords=echo
>

There are other things like motion sensors and garage door controllers that start opening up some really cool "routines."

I don't like the analog timers because they make clicky noises. I've also been through A LOT of various timers on Amazon because I own 2 auto cat feeders along with my multitude of reptile lights. I will break down my experience for you:

Enover TS18 Digital Timer -- I needed this for my triple-prong power strip and it worked for a couple months but then started turning the "random" feature on by itself and wouldn't turn off in the evening. Junked.

Westek TE08WHB Timer Strip -- I really like this one and I still use it for a couple of my cages. I like that 4 are timed and 4 are always on. NOTE though that when the power goes out this does NOT keep the time and will reset, which is very annoying.

WenTop Digital Timer -- I used this one for my single cat feeder for awhile, but it eventually stopped working for some reason. I never figured out why but it stopped turning anything on. Junked.

Century Digital Timer -- I bought a second feeder and needed a timer that had 2 outlets. This one has worked well so far, but you may just need a single outlet.

Woods 50006WD Analog Timer -- I still use these when my digital timers break lol. Honestly, they're really reliable, they just make that clicky sound that drives me nuts. But it's a great deal if you're just looking for something that works with no frills.

Nearpow Digital Timer -- My most recent purchase. I've only been using it for a few weeks but has been working fine. It has a bunch of settings, I have no idea what all of them do, I just need it to turn the lights off and on lol.

Just getting back to this thread. Holy shit, you are amazing!

A) First time hearing about Ride. Awesome job!
B) Didn't realize the IFTTT support spawned from this thread. Even more awesome.

I appreciate your hard work... Sending some beer money your way :-D You deserve it because this will probably end up saving my life. Or at least prevent a couple broken bones.

---
Also, being in the US, I ordered a slightly different smart socket, and also a cheap broken-screen ipod touch so I can use it to cut off the charging while I'm away.

I am very tempted to make a youtube video about this whole thing when I get it set up.

I would like to run all the other equipment except the heater at the same time (chlorinator and pump) and only have the heater off but in pool heat mode with a set temp so when powered with a switch it turns on and begins to heat. I have a inline thermostat that monitors the water temp going to the heater to gauge the temp.

From the panel it goes into this switch:

https://www.amazon.ca/Aeon-Labs-White-V3-26-AL001/dp/B00MBIRF5W

Which ties into a home automation platform for on and off times. I would also like to use the same style of switch for the heater so on a swim day I can check the temp and fire up the heater from work to pre-heat the pool so it is ready to go when I get home (father of young impatient kids who don't like swimming in cold water)

There is a disconnect outside.

Current flow

240V Panel --> IN Smart Switch OUT --> IN Disconnect Switch OUT --> IN chlorinator OUT ---> IN Heater OUT --> PUMP

Hope this is more helpful.

Yes, you need a smart bulb for every bulb in the fixture.

If you have a neutral in the switchbox (IEC code in America since 2011), you can add a smart switch. Z-Wave, Zigbee smart switches require a hub. Kasa makes a Wifi smart switch as well:

https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Wi-Fi-Light-Switch-TP-Link/dp/B01EZV35QU/ref=sr_1_1?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1536589791&sr=1-1&refinements=p_n_amazon_certified%3A16741513011

You can do this on the cheap but you'll have to compromise on a few things.

​

You'll need a smart plug that does not require a hub. I like the TP-Link smart plug.

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Occupies-HS105-Wall-Light-Electronic-Component-switches/dp/B01K1JVZOE/ref=sr_1_8?crid=JC3FOI5287VF&keywords=tp+link+smart+plug&qid=1550610795&s=gateway&sprefix=tp+link+%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-8

​

I only have experience with Android, but you can use Google Assistant on your phone to voice activate the switch. I find that the mic on my S8+ doesn't always hear me correctly so I like using a Google Home Mini better.

​

I believe you can do the same thing if you download the Alexa app on your phone.

​

The problem with smart plugs is that you can only control the light with your phone. If the outlet is wired to a light switch, you need to make sure the light switch is always on.

Long warmup time is one of the downsides of HX machines. Twenty minutes is about the minimum.

I've got my Appartamento on a scheduled switch, one of these:

https://smile.amazon.com/TP-Link-Required-Anywhere-Occupies-HS105/dp/B01K1JVZOE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1496170180&sr=8-2&keywords=tp+link+outlet

$35 has the machine turn on an hour before I wake up and if I'm on the way home and know I want coffee, the internet integration means I can click it on from my phone so it's hot when I get home.

There's some debate on Home Barista on whether you can leave HX machines on that long, and the consensus is mixed. If you're interested in doing so, check the site. I determined that $35 was a fair enough price to not have a 1000+ watt machine running all night.

Lastly, congrats on starting law school. I graduated in 2012. It's a fun time.

Love it! Just last week I installed rgb leds in a similar channel as part of new baseboard on the stairs, and I gotta warn you--once you're done, you'll be looking all over the house, plotting what to light up next.

I think you're right to do them in channels--especially in a kitchen, that'll be easier to keep the fancy bits dust-/moisture-/grease-free. They're really easy to work with, just use a mitre box and a hacksaw.

rosencratetc's point about adding a motion sensor is a good one. Do you have any other smart bulbs in your environment? We're using Hue's new motion sensor, and I really dig it. With that, you can do scheduling, too.... You can control generic strips with Hue by adding this ballast .

(Briefly: cut the barrel jack off the end of the power cord, strip the wires back a wee, and connect to ballast. If you go this route I can add detail & photos.)

I have a mixed environment. I have several z-wave devices because I wanted the aeon multisensors and decided to try the switches while I was at it. I also have 20ish Insteon switches and the usb plm. For switches I would pick Insteon 10/10 times again. When I bought the switches in 4-packs it came out to $37/switch putting it roughly in line with z-wave for price. The difference that sold me was for that price I got instant device feedback on state change instead of waiting for the weird way z-wave has to do it because of patents and them not wanting to license it. I also had a much simpler time setting it all up.

I have owned a few Insteon items including the plm for about 8 years, with the plm finally failing about a year ago. I've read that they used to use crappy capacitors but the new ones are built with better components. So far the new plm is working like a charm. I've also got the old one around to try swapping out capacitors to see if that fixes it. The grand majority of switches I put in about 3 years ago with no issues yet.

For smart plugs I tried some aeon z-wave plugs but eventually settled on https://www.amazon.com/Kasa-Smart-Wi-Fi-Plug-TP-Link/dp/B0178IC734. You don't need to register it with their site to be able to access data from it locally, it is reliable which the z-wave ones were not, and I could easily load data into influxdb to view in grafana.

I still have yet to try the Insteon water sensors, but for any other sensor type I would go z-wave. price+features make that a no brainer.

As far as the company going anywhere, I met a dev that worked there a year ago and it sounded like they suck at making software for their cloud offering, but their hardware business is still going very strong.

Alexa/Google Home are compatible with the bridge, not the bulbs, meaning any bulb that works with the bridge works with them. When Ikea advertises compatibility they mean for their bridge, so don't use that as a guide.

Hue bulbs are built on a standard called ZigBee Light Link (ZLL), so are the Ikea bulbs. As long as you buy bulbs that faithfully implement the standard you should be okay (Ikea bulbs might need a firmware update from their bridge to do this). If the bulb supports dimming/color temperature via ZLL then the Hue Bridge will be able to control them, and by extension Google Home.

All this said, if you're doing your whole house, have you considered smarthome light switches? Something like https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01MUCZA1C/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1510413289&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=zwave+dimmer .

They work just like a normal light switch you can press to turn on/off/dim but add a SmartThings/Wink hub and you can control them via Google Home/Alexa and have all the automated routines/etc you get via Hue. For multi-bulb fixtures I use those switches, plus Philips Warm Glow LED bulbs, which change colour temperature as they dim. The result is full smart home control, good colour temperatures, regular wall switches so I don't have to use my voice all the time, and I can buy cheap non-smart bulbs.

Also, be aware that one Hue bridge is limited to 50 bulbs and 7 dimmer switches. That's the other reason I went for wall switches, I would need multiple bridges and then I couldn't have one button to turn off the whole house.

Caseta makes a great product, I use them everywhere - both the smart dimmers, and switches, and also use their non-smart motion sensing switches.

Having said that, you can't use voltage switches with smart bulbs!

At least not the current generation, and since they need to maintain state non likely in the future unless the add non-volatile storage and that will get expensive.

You need to use a "virtual switch" of some type, one that basically sends data commands to the bulbs like your phone does. I have about 30 smart bulbs in my place and so believe me it's a sore spot.

The good news for you is that since you have Hue bulbs (too expensive for the number I wanted), you can use the Hue Dimmer Switch which is designed just for this purpose:

No wiring needed, just paste it to a wall somewhere and connect to your hue hub.

I use a combination of the Brilliant Switch and the SmartThings controller to kind of do the same things, but my bulbs are Tuya which doesn't have an integration yet, so it's a kludgy solution.

Yeah. I use this one because it is a lot nicer than the even cheaper ones while still being pretty cheap. And its auto-ranging which is a big plus in my book. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EVYGZA/

And https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014ERIFU6 those for drivers. I too was fed up with the cheap ones stripping. Again, not the best in the world but a lot better than the harbor freight special. They bite well and I haven't stripped anything with them yet.

Might be able to install something like this and use it with any fan. http://www.amazon.com/GE-12730-Z-Wave-Smart-Control/dp/B00PYMGVVQ and use it with smart things. If you have a fan with infrared control you could hook it up to logitech harmony, then to smart things, then to alexa.

The fan connected to this Smart Plug. There is an app for the Plug that makes it very easy to program. In my mind, much better than a mechanical timer, especially when you are trying different configurations.

The fan works great, however there is one consideration. The plug at the end of the cord is about an inch wide and will not fit through the drain hole. You have 3 options, choose whatever one best matches your skillset.

1. Run the cord out the door, next to the door seal. This will make a small gap in the door seal and you will loose a little humidity.
   
2. Make a the drain hole bigger. Once the plug is through, you will need to seal the hole with a sealant.
   
3. Cut the power cord and splice it back together.

Actually, you can edit comments and posts, but not post links and titles.

If you are on reddit desktop, edit your comment with your link, select your link, press crtl x to cut, highlight the rest of your comment text, and then press CTRL K. Then ctrl v to paste your link.


That will allow you to embed the link into text like this.

On desktop I recommend using old.reddit.com with a Google extension called reddit enhancement suite. Better browsing experience imo.

On mobile, I recommend using the app relay for reddit.

https://www.amazon.com/Lutron-Wireless-Lighting-P-PKG1W-WH-Assistant/dp/B00JJY0S4G

Then you can have a remote! And if you care, the Lutron Caseta Bridge will allow you to control it with your phone, and it also integrates nicely with Home Assistant, if you want to go that route (look it up!). Otherwise, the dimmer and remote will work by themselves.

P.S. ♥️

Just wifi does not mean it is or would be compatible with Alexa at all.. Do you have a hub such as Smart Things or Wink? If so, you're at least on the right track.. you would need this product, which is very hard to get your hands on. This isn't compatible with Alexa just yet, but should be on the road map.

Aside from that, you can wire up two switches, like GE Zwave Fan Control, Lutron, Leviton Fan Control, ect. for Light and Fan independently. These run to the hubs mentioned above and than can be found via Alexa. Sometimes the hub isn't needed, it really depends on your home setup and which switch you want, and the functions you're after. Either way, these are zwave devices, not wifi.

My apartment has pretty terrible lighting and with fall/winter coming on strong in the Boston area, I decided to put together a little home gardening station to help with lighting and movement of the plants for watering. I went into this with the goal of having my setup accommodate most of my small collection of plants and to allow for easy movement without having to mess with the grow lights. In the end, I decided on a cart-based design composed of the following items:

Bror Utility Cart 33 ½” X 21 ⅝” X 34 ⅝” ($99)

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/bror-utility-cart-black-pine-plywood-60333850/

Bror Add-on Shelf 21 ⅝” X 6 ¼” X 5 ½” ($10)

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/bror-add-on-shelf-black-20402001/

Koppla 3 Outlet Power Strip 19 ¾” ($4.99 for two pack)

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/koppla-3-outlet-power-strip-grounded-white-00086428/

2x Hemma Cord Set, Black 15’ 5” ($7.00 each)

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hemma-cord-set-white-10175810/

(IKEA site only has white showing up now, black was available in-store)

2x Luftmassa Lamp Shade 10” ($17.99 each)

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/luftmassa-lamp-shade-rounded-70462648/

Kasa Smart WiFi Plug Mini HS105 ($21.75)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K1JVZOE/

Relassy 20 Watt Dual Head, Gooseneck, Full Spectrum Grow Lamp ($27.39)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C68N7PC/

2x GE 9 Watt BR30 Balanced Full Spectrum Bulbs ($9.98 each)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NN6SVG6/

4x 3M Command Utility Hooks 3 lbs ($8.99 for nine)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0751RPD3V/

2x Velcro Thin Ties 8” X ½” ($9.70 for 100)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E1Y5O6/

Total Cost (pre-tax): $234.76

Exactly!
But honestly the small hangers they include are pretty good and running your light house up to a permanent place on the wall isn't a bad deal considering it gets rid of any space concerns.

But consider something like this as well - https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Household-Appliances-Unlimited-Connections/dp/B00DQELHBS/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1551114394&sr=8-6&keywords=remote+switch

So you can turn stuff on and off from one area and don't have to plug/unplug each lighthouse when you want to use or put away. Something like this lets you just control power remotely. I had AUKEY ones that apparently aren't sold anymore so I can't link them. There should be some better ones that are smaller in my opinion, but it made turning off the whir/whine sound of the lighthouses much easier than plugging/unplugging them over and over.

Well, I'm skeptical of the smart home stuff for two main reasons. The biggest is because most of it seems like either more fragile and less reliable than the good ol' mechanical stuff. I know a light switch is going to turn on and off my lights. If it doesn't, odds are it's a problem with the light, not the switch. If I say "Hey, Lady in a Tube, turn off the lights," there's a much bigger chance of it not working in a way that I can't do anything about. A lot of other home automation stuff seems like it could be just as easily, and a lot more reliably, done with a simple, mechanical outlet timer. I want hot water in the morning, why buy a smart kettle or a smart plug that needs Wifi, when one of those timers will do the same thing, more reliably, even if my internet is down? Then there's the issue of so many of these smart home gadget companies getting bought out and bricking their devices. No fun.

The second concern I have is, of course, privacy. These things are collecting a lot of data, and I don't know how a lot of it is being used. I'd prefer to not have a hot microphone picking up what I say and sending it to a data center to be picked through for ads. Yes, I know the Echo doesn't send any audio unless it's been triggered first, but I don't know what all these other devices are sending out. Wasn't there a smart vacuum that was uploading maps of its users floorplans? Then there's the Vizio smart TVs that literally uploaded a framegrab of everything it displayed to Vizio every 30 seconds. I might be paranoid, but until the privacy stuff shakes out, I ain't gonna bother, even if I can find a use for it.

For the multimeter, I have this one and it works perfectly fine. That module you linked won't work, though. That mudole's module's minimum input is 4V, and the Pocket runs on 3V with fresh batteries. Something more like this module would work. I could be wrong though, as I've never done this mod; I just shoved a lithium-ion battery into my Pocket and it works great.

Also, going down the rabbit hole is really fun! I started with the backoight backlight mod, then I did a prosound, then a USB rechargeable battery, then a bass boost, then an amplifier, and I'm debating doing a bivert, though with how little space is left after the preceding mess, I probably can't. :P

EDIT: Wow I butchered the spelling of "module"

EDIT2: And the spelling of "backlight"

Thanks! The switch is a long ways from my hub. However, I have a kwikset deadbolt there and it seems to work just fine. I am hoping it will work.

Is this the switch?

GE Z-Wave Plus Wireless Smart Lighting Control Smart Switch, On/Off, In-Wall, Includes White & Light Almond Paddles, Works with Amazon Alexa / Google Home, 14291 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M1AHC3R/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_pPg5ybFJ9EEK7

Thanks so much! I highly recommend these LED strips. They're paper thin so they bend easily at the corners of a detolf. You'll need this adapter for the power.

My only complaint about them is that they're a little too bright at first. You get used to them though! You can't beat this nice even white lighting and the ease of installation.

I have a few of the 4 button Hue dimmers, which I love... there was a hack to use them with Smartthings, which is OK except I want to get away from any reliance on the cloud at all.

So, since you already have a Hue bridge, these buttons can be had for @ $25. Pair them with your Hue bridge, but don't assign them to any rooms/groups/lights.

On your Pi, install node-red, and install the nodes for Homeassistant (node-red-contrib-home-assistant) and Hue(node-red-contrib-huemagic) from the palette. You can then make a flow that will allow you to do pretty much anything you want with the Hue dimmer buttons. I currently have one attached to a lamp with a Cree ZHA bulb that does on/off, dim up and down in 10% increments, long-press dim up sets to 100% brightness, long press dim down sets to 5%. I have another that controls a hacked Wifi smart plug I picked up at Walmart (Homie firmware) that works with MQTT.

I'll link the full order:

• LED light strip
  
• LED light strip power connector 8mm
  
• L-shape LED strip connector
  
• DC power adapter
  
• DC cable extension
  
• DC switch
  
• DC cable splitter
  
  I am not 100% happy with the light strip I got. They are super sensitive to the power draw and flickers time to time(maybe it's the power adapter =/). Though, it's cheap and does its job pretty well!
  
  [EDIT] correcting the led power connect as opinted out by /u/BishoujoReview
  
  [EDIT] flickering was due to an old extension cord. I plugged the power adapter directly to the wall outlet and that solved the problem.

What you want to accomplish is certainly possible, however, you have a 3-way switch, so you will have to replace both switches. GE makes a 3-way compatible z-wave dimmer switch that I've used in my house that I've been pretty happy with. You will need to install the z-wave dimmer on your load switch (where the hot line comes in) and an "add-on" switch on the other 3-way switch. The photo you posted appears to be of your non-load switch since there isn't a black line connected to the switch, but to be sure you should test the load portion of the switch with a multimeter.

Here's links to the GE switches I use:
GE Z-Wave Dimmer
Add-On Switch

Edit: Upon looking at the photo you posted again, I do see a black line, but I can't see how it's connected to the switch. It's possible this is your primary load switch, but again I'm would test with a multimeter to be sure.

Is there already existing power wiring for a z-wave switch? If not, you might need to wallmount a battery operated MiniMote or something like that.

If you're not stuck on Z-Wave you might want to look at Lutron's dimmers with their Pico Remote which can be mounted in a low voltage single gang old work bracket and covered with a decora plate for a nice looking wireless install. Same with their connected bulb remote which I'm using for a couple of Cree Connected bulbs.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00JJY0S4G/ref=pd_aw_fbt_60_img_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=86N3WGD52NQ4GTPN2MDD

You'll find the single gang bracket for the Pico Remote in the related items.

Edit: I realize there are a few Z-Wave battery operated buttons, however if you want something that looks more like a lighting controller, something geared more towards a high WAF, I think the Lutron products are your best bet.

I do this at work a bunch, but we have something that looks like this tone generator and wand. One side clips to the cable and makes a noise in the line. The wand is something you can wave over (and in and around) the wall panel wires and see which one of them makes the noise.

Easy as pie, but pricey. I bet any friend who works IT in a company larger than 50 people has one at work. Also, telco guys always have one.

Ok, here is my build list minus a couple things that I bought locally.

Century 24 Hour Plug-in Mechanical Timer Grounded https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MVFF59S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_e3IZi2JQyzkoT

ON Smart Solution Household Power Strip-4 Multi Outlets with 4 USB Ports-15.5W Universal (100V~240V) Charging Station-600J Surge Protector Power Bar-6 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EWSU32U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_ZxNnKD3WD1MXo

Roleadro UFO 138W LED Grow Light for Home Grower https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RWYCRB2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_gk82nAf13MTzV

AC Infinity MULTIFAN S5, Quiet Dual 80mm USB Fan for Receiver DVR Playstation Xbox Computer Cabinet Cooling https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IJ2J2K0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_SCXe7KPU8uBsq

Plus a roll of black duct tape, roll of reflective ducting tape, and a 3 gallon smart pot

Edit: Oh yeah, and 4 Ace Hardware 5 gallon buckets

Depending on how much you want to spend, this could be done several different ways. Let's just say you want to keep it under $35... Here's what you might do (keep in mind this isn't exactly what you were going for, but it might be a better option depending on how you look at it):

Get the ZAP 5XL from Amazon for $30. It comes with 5 outlet adapters that plug into one socket on each of your existing outlets, and gives you a remote controlled outlet. These outlets are then controlled by a wireless remote that has 5 on/off buttons. The remote can be programmed to control multiple outlets with one button.

You could then surface mount a blank wall plate to the wall, and use a 3m command Velcro like strip to attach the remote to that blank wall plate. This would allow the remote to act as a stationary wall switch and also a removable remote control.

I own this to control all my lamps. It works great, but I see amazon is starting to pump out their own as well if you want a cheaper option.

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Heavy-duty-certified-Assistant-HS100/dp/B0178IC734/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-skills&ie=UTF8&qid=1520459871&sr=8-1&keywords=wifi+outlet

As for the garage, I think that's something you'll have to control, like others recommended, with a raspberry pi.

Sure first here's the LED strips, Power Adapters, and Dimmer. Looks like they've gone up in price a bit since I did it but it's still not too bad. I didn't take any in progress pictures so I'll just have to describe how setup went. The LED strips come with a sticky back side so I just stuck that to the poles on the front side of the Detolf. I used 1 LED strip, 1 dimmer, and 1 power adapter per 2 Detolfs but you could also use 1 strip per Detolf. This will give you more even lighting, and the power adapter should still be able to handle powering 2 fine, you'd just need to also buy a connector for the 2 strips. After you've got the stuff its as simple as just taping on the stip in a |‾| running from the outside poles and across the top of the Detolf, running the power cord outside of it through the gap in the door, and the plugging in the dimmer.

Mostly a gimmick. A fun gimmick, but a gimmick nonetheless. It really depends on what your budget is. Is approx $20/bulb worth it for a novelty? For me, it was in a few places, but I probably wouldn't do it again. The temperature thing is now a must after having the color and the ambient. I hope to never go back to a single temp bulb again. That's worth $15 premium of the ambient over the cheap white ones.

Get the dimmer switches. 100% worth the money. Then put these guards over your current switches.

In my example, I believe I would need 3 FLS-PP IP Zigbee ballasts ($55ea), 1-2 RGBW LED strips ($17ea), 3 power adaptors ($17ea), a splitter (~$15ea), and 4 ethernet cable adaptors (~$20 total). Grand total ~$268 on the conservative end + tax.

Or I could buy 3 Hue lightstrips ($90ea), splitter (~$15ea), and 4 ethernet cable adaptors (~$20 total). Grand total ~$305 + tax.

I could save ~$40 or bite the bullet and know that my current ecosystem will work seamlessly with the Hue lightstrips. Either way its not cheap but there are trade offs to going the DIY route.

Please disprove my estimates/theory, I would happily pay less for a setup with equal functionality :)

P.S. I'll add links to the items listed above but I'm on the train commuting in and the wifi sucks :/

Z-wave switches will do what you want and are compatible with Smartthings. I have a few GE dimmers but they also make non-dimming switches. You can get them for about $35, sometimes less.

GE Z-Wave Plus Wireless Smart Lighting Control Smart Switch, On/Off, In-Wall, Includes White & Light Almond Paddles and Zwave Repeater Range Extender, Works with Amazon Alexa (Hub Required), 14291 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M1AHC3R/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_shK0AbC9YFRW8

Can’t speak to how well they control fans or how they work in the same setup as the Lutron Casetta.

So what I was thinking of was like this switch, but maybe I was having a bit of a brain fart and confusing parts... This one is specifically designed for a multi speed ceiling fan type device. I had thought that there was a concern about wattages on a bathroom exhaust type fan too, but looking at this switch it specifically lists fans as compatible (at least as long as they are under 600w).

Edit: ah ha! The warning is to not use a standard dimmer switch to control fan speed... use a specific fan rated dimmer... or like the first link above.

Ok so here is the breakdown of what I am doing and a couple more photos of the UI and videos of it in action.

Here is the configuration.yaml and ui-lovelace.yaml files on Github.

The main components that are currently being used on the front end are:

• TP-Link/Kasa WiFi switches/outlets
  
  • HS100, HS105, HS200, HS210, HS220
    
• TP-Link/Kasa WiFi bulbs
  
  • LB130, LB200, LB230
    
• Ecobee 4 with 4 remote sensors
  
• August Lock and Connect
  
• Automatic
  
• Harmony Hub
  
• Foscam cameras
  
  • C1, R2e, FI9928P, FI9900PR
    
• Abode security system
  
• Darksky forecast
  
• Speedtest
  
  I intend for the UI to be displayed on a few Fire HD8 tablets. One that will be centrally located on the main floor of the house. Two others will be used as nightstand clocks in the master bedroom.
  
  At a high level, all I have done is drawn the floor plan and layouts in Sketch and exported individual assets as pngs and position them within a picture-elements card mostly utilizing image and its state_image. I would basically just plop down the button or icon or whatever with style: "top":50% "left":50%. Once the asset was in the UI I would inspect it via Chrome's dev tools inspector and select the parent container that the style was being set on. I would then manually adjust the top and left percentages until I was satisfied. I would then update ui-lovelace.yaml to include the new values and double check them in the browser.
  
  For the buttons, currently the button background and button text are baked into the image but I intend to change that soon. Basically the indicator light is actually the same size as the whole button its just 95% of it is transparent.
  
  Here are some screen caps (since i just posted photos from my phone last night)
  
  Here are a couple videos of it in action:
  
  
• Flipping a couple switches
  
• Switching between tabs
  
  Thats all I can think of for now to answer the basics... I am more than happy to go deeper into anything anyone has any questions about

If you want smart lights and need a physical switch to use I would suggest two options.

The first option is to upgrade your wall switches. I have used these before and have had no issues Lutron Caseta Wireless Smart Lighting Dimmer Switch for Wall & Ceiling Lights, PD-6WCL-WH, White, Works with Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and the Google Assistant https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KLAXFQA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_x-WWBbPYJ4QP5

If you want to go the Hue light route you can buy wireless switches and use the included 3m mounting to hang it on your wall Philips Hue Smart Dimmer Switch with Remote (Installation-Free, Smart Home, Exclusively for Philips Hue Smart Bulbs), 1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076MGKTGS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_IeXWBb02JK78V

Lutron Casseta has one, but that falls into the category of requiring a hub. However Alexa and Harmony can both control that hub.
I think the Aeontec micro dimmer switches can be wired up in a 3 way configuration. Just watch your power draw on them. However, you will need a z-wave hub to accommodate, which the harmony hub can't do by itself.
And I think these GE Switches should be capable of being wired in three way because they have a traveler wire. However, you will again need a hub to manager z-wave devices.

Fluke makes great equipment, of course, but I would also consider Extech. While they don't cater to the professional market as much as Fluke, they make great meters and you can find a full featured one new for well under $100. Extech also manufactures Sears Craftsman branded meters. The one I use is similar to this one