Frankly, we are obsessed with Nanoleaf Essentials thread stuff with the HomePod mini in our house. So fast to respond! We will likely be adding more of those in the smart house this year (and a vid coming soon)
I use my Alexa for a lot of different tasks^^ When I say "it's warm", she activates the cooling fan; when I say "it's cold", she activates the heating fan; when I do my laundry, I use Drop In to hear the machine's beeping notification, when it's done; Good morning reads the news and turns on LED strips; Good night turns the LED strips on 1% red
For dark bathrooms and dark hallways, we have installed electrical plug covers that have a small LED strip in the bottom of the cover. It has clips on the cover that touch the sides of the electrical plug when you put the cover on. It also have a light sensor built in and it only comes on when it is dark. It provides plenty of light to see where you are stepping when walking around at night or going to the restroom and uses just a small amount of electricity at night. No automations and it is always on and available for use when it is dark. We also installed some underbid LED light strips that have a motion sensor that comes on when you get out of bed. You can control the time they stay on, the intensity, and the colors of the light strip. It even has a remote to go along with it. It comes with two devices so you can put a light strip on both sides of the bed when two different motion detectors, so whoever gets up, the other side doesn't come on too unless they get up as well. 2 Pack - SnapPower GuideLight 2 for Outlets [New Version - LED Light Bar] - Night Light - Electrical Outlet Wall Plate with LED Night Lights - Automatic On/Off Sensor - (Duplex, White) Under Bed Lights, LEHOU 6.56ftx2 Motion Activated Illuminated RGB Include Warm Color LED Strip Light Kit Motion Sensor Night Light with Automatic Shut Off Timer for Bed, Cabinet, Stair, Toilet (Double) I tried to post links to the Amazon page for each but it wouldn't post. So I just posted the title of the product instead.
A less expensive option for a closet or bathroom where you want the lights to turn off when vacant, but doesn't really warrant a full smart switch is to get a motion-sensor switch. Lutron makes a nice one. It will turn on when you enter the room and has a configurable time to turn off after no motion is seen. I put one in our laundry room since my wife often forgot to turn off the light. It works great. Now adding them to closets, pantry, and back hallway. Saves money over a smart switch or smart switch + motion sensor for those areas that don't really need any additional automation.
@@Shadow__X I thought the same thing. However, the two are not mutually exclusive. You can achieve both things in a healthy relationship. Seems like they got balance in their lif and tech in their home. Loved watching the video (pardon our fun at your expense)
Omg this looks so nice! I usually stay away from smart home stuff but I think now I’m gonna start setting things up. It all looks so nice together and is really clever how some of them work together like that.
Amazon now sells LED Garage lights that work very well to brighten your garage. My wife is a teacher who is currently using our bedroom as her virtual classroom. The lighting in the room is horrible for the video classrooms that she does. As a quick, cheap solution, I bought her one of these lights to use in the bedroom while she is teaching and it has worked great. I made a quick video of me installing it and the difference it made. I won't spam the link here, but let me know if you'd like to view. Love your videos, just starting to build a smart home with Alexa and some Wiz bulbs and also using a couple of Wyze Cameras for security. Great info on this channel that I will use when my wife lets me spend some more... : )
Congratulations on getting fiber optic I got mine in March last year except for 3 days when someone cut the main wires coming into town it has worked perfect. Your smart home looks wonderful! I hope you enjoy it every day. And one last big congratulations congratulations on your next child. Take care and thank you for the home tour
The tip with having smart light switches is so useful! I always end up having hue lights offline that I then can't control via my echo or phone because the switch is turned off. Really enjoyed watching the tour! :D
Don’t know if this help you but our ceiling fan had a “dim” light too and after a few weeks we realize that you hold the remote light button to adjust intensity. It might be make it a little more practical.
Well Done Brett! One video you may consider is to include your wife and children and how they find the smart home integration. I have a much smaller integration and my wife at first complains about how the system works, but then seems to adopt the new technology, and would now complain when it’s taken away. Thanks for your helpful videos and your calm cool style to share your knowledge of smart technology, keep up the great work!
I love all things smart tech. There is a cost though and I would like to know how much energy your house uses with all items off. Meaning the parasitic energy loss from having all these devices on standby waiting for commands.
The reason is that if you are watching the video next to a Google speaker or have Google Assistant on your phone, my voice will still active your device and make them to start going crazy. So it makes the viewing experience much better.
Lol. He mutes it because, if not, your phone and other smart devices (if you have Android, will be going off each time he says it - unless you're watching with headphones.
@@TechWithBrett actually, idk about you, but I recommend having google learn your voice so it's harder for others to activate your smart devices accidentally (or otherwise)... I'm not sure how that works for the google home devices though
I don't have a smart washing machine, but I do have a cheap zigbee accelerometer. When that detects motion for 1 minute, Home Assistant sets a timer for an hour, and then wait until the accelerometer hasn't detected motion for 10 minutes. By then the laundry is done, and I send a notification to phones, and make a speaker announcement if someone is home. :)
I decided to watch to get some ideas of what’s possible. I have to say, many of these use cases are advanced ways to flip a light switch. I think home automation is still a solution waiting to find a problem in many cases. I cringe at the thought of all those controllers laying around the house, waiting to be lost and/or run out of battery power.
I always think that I should be close to having everything I need but then I watch one of your videos and I get into the "I want that" mode. We have a couple of Ikea smart blinds that work well but I need some Switchbot smart curtains. Maybe more motion activated automations. Thanks Brett!
@@TechWithBrett I set one up in my furnace room with Smartthings and it's not great and it's probably because of all the electrical interference and distance from a WIFI point. Need to work on it to get it right
Nice smart home & reviews. Lets hope FINALLY this year google adds a zigbee hub to there 2021 home hub refresh (fca says yes)& FINALLY let's 3rd party access to routines like amazon does. Need a smartthings sensor to trigger home automation within google home. Please.
There is one thing I found absolutely essential to do with automation. Scheduled amd/or remote window ac power sockets. I drive all week, come home with a cool home without any input of my own or wasting power
Beautiful And Outstanding Home! You've Done Well With All The Cool Toys! Stay Safe All Of You! Thanks Brett For Everything! God Speed To You And Your Family! 🙏💖💕
I also set up routines to create different light conditions. I have 13 lights in my living room so I created a couple different routines, I call them dark, bright, etc, and you just say hey google then the routine name, google will only turn on certain lights defined in that routine (and turn off the ones you don't want), saying 'hey google, turn on light' will always turn on all lights in a room and that can be too bright sometimes. I also set up a routine called Two, which is used when I'm done with the living room and plan to go up stairs, it will turn off most lights on the first floor and leave just 1 or 2 small lights, and turn on my second floor lights.
I’m loving all the automations, what a great video! I’ve been debating on smart blinds, but the automatic closing was amazing, might have to go to Ikea and pick some up for a future video we do.
@@KitKatsTube i was looking for a while as well. There is no reliable brand (at least I wasn't able to find) . Only MySmartBlind by Tilt looks like having something acceptable, but 150$ per window. Brett, what are you using?
Just found that Brett did a video about it, so he uses MySmartBlind with Solar panel, so be ready to spend 200$ per window. Unfortunately there is nothing else available at the market..
Very cool, can see a lot of this being very convenient (especially the shades) - though some of the lights are a bit overkill imo, and I think using a single assistant for everything is more ideal
Yeah lol some are a bit trivial. It’s cool to see the commitment to making it as smart as possible. I Would rather make my entire home smart then do half smart and have basic
@@TechWithBrett ughh yes it does, I had to rewire those 3 locations and re wire my other 2 to go 😞. I won’t recommend the Hampton bay zigbee device I had it and dropped signal left and right.
Trying to figure out how to patch the additional slot since I am going to use that exact switch to replace a plate with a fan and light switch. First world problems
Wemo or lutron you helped me with my 1st wemo dimmer. The app for wemo sucks though. When connecting to wifi during set up i just get the wheel of death. I am think about getting all lutron.
I think it’s funny how all these tech reviewers awkwardly stare at their Google or Alexa when they give it a command and wait for it to respond lol overall good video
samsung are phasing out their hardware line of smart home devices to mostly concentrate on software, in the UK it is is almost impossible to find smartthings hub or the switches
I absolutely love your videos. I've been growing my smarthome for the last year, but there is only so much you can do in an apartment 😭 When we get a house next year, I will enjoy having a nest thermostat, a ring doorbell, a Google hub, and some smart blinds. You just showed me a lot of things that I didn't know existed!
You need a Athom Homey controller and connect that to your Google Hubs. Then you can use devices running on Z-wave, WiFi, Zigbee, 868 MHz, 433 MHz, bleutooth and Infrared. All in one controller.
Brett Amazing Video as always, Glad you also mentioned the time because it does take time to get it just the way you want.Much respect for mentioning the names as well.Congrats Deb. 💯👌✌
Love the setup. You should try the Bond hub bridge for your fans. I use it for both my ceiling fans on two different floors and it runs both by voice or with your phone app.
@@TechWithBrett Why? You already have Lutron for at least one fan, and some of the shades, why add yet another device controller? You already have too many as is.
I am using two different kinds. The Kitchen was MySmartBlinds: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3K49sinxHqc.html And in the Bedroom it is Serena Shades: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NmNEH8ylaXw.html
Hey Brett, how do you use multiple Google hubs/home minis in multiple rooms which are nearby. Mine triggers in one room if I ask another hub from another room.
Fun Hack To turn all light on with Google assistant say "Lumos" Turn them off say "nox" It's a Harry Potter thing that Warner Brothers and Google came up with 👍 Oh if you say it to Google home it only turns them on/off in that room you're in 😁
@@TechWithBrett You know you wanna! I'm pretty sure you can fit at least two more on that shelf and if you get creative with magnets or hot glue you could easily mount another 3 on your switch 😂
Great video! I've been building our smart home over the last two plus years. We have a number of devices now. Smart displays, thermostats, lights, cameras, lock and a monster home-theater. I love what I'm able to do with technology. My wife uses SOME things, but tends to not use others at all. Which leads me to this conclusion. IMO, I think that the more people there are in the home. The less that everyone in the home will fully adapt to using it. Although in my mind I'm trying to makes things better for both of us. It really ends up being only me that uses all of it. So the trick is to not end up with overkill.
Me and my husband are both tech nerds so I actually told him I want a smart darn near AI house and he got on RU-vid and led me here. I'm in love. Next thing i need is automation on lawn sprinkler system and to see if they came up with anything smart for pool areas.
Great recommendation! I actually have one setup at my parents and they have 5 ceiling fans that controls and was super simple to setup. The main issue with my home is I have 3 fans fans that don't have IR remotes so I need to come up with other options.
@@TechWithBrett Try the Fan/Light control from Inovelli. I have 7 fans in my house that I converted and it works with SmartThings. I have it tied in to Google Home and my ceiling fan/lights now work with voice or the wall switch.
@@ericreed2864 Did you wire a separate fan wire? That is the main issue with all my fans is that I don't have the extra wire available and will need to re-wire.
@@TechWithBrett No, that's the beauty of the Inovelli switch, you just need three wires, a hot , a neutral and a ground. The new switch essentially becomes an RF remote, there is a receiver that is placed in the fan canopy that changes the fan speed high/med/low/off and functions as a dimmer for the light. It looks like a standard Decora style switch with a button for the light and the fan. If you look for it on Amazon, you can read my full review. They're a bit pricey at $70 each, but I've converted all 7 of my old ceiling fans in my house and they work great. They are Z-Wave devices and integrate with SmartThings and other hubs. Inovelli has other Z-Wave switches, I'm going to replace my Wemo wall switches with their other products as they integrate right into SmartThings. I already have a couple of the Inovelli 3-way switches, next I'm going to get a couple of their dimmers.
Can’t wait to watch the full thing tonight. How do you like the ring? I feel like the ring 3 was a total sham. All sorts of subscriptions needed to get the full value
I really liked using the Ring Video Doorbell Pro. Ring can now auto display the video feed on Echo devices and that was my only real compliant when I used it. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vz9SbUljsI0.html
nice walk through. although, we get to see the bane of smart home functionality. Even Samsung's smart things features like scenes, automations, cloud based triggers, etc can be aggravating at times. It is critical to know the limitations and design factors (local control vs. internet reliance for example) to ensure fallback to primitive usage. otherwise, guests and family will not like; and the DIY'er unless you have years of patience can get tired of chasing issues too :).
samsungs smart devices suck thats your problem, hubitat solves all those issues, this dudes entire house is a cobbled together mess of random switches assistants and devices thats also why he has so many issues 3 different brands of light switch all in one 3 gang panel what a joke
Love your smart home tour Brett thanks for sharing! & love your time stamp in your video. So need a home like yourself awesome 👍Congratulations to your beautiful family with the pending arrival 👶
I have a set of automatic keys for my vehicle. I set them on the counter and tell it to stay. When I get up in the morning they are automatically in the same exact spot I left them. It's crazy.
Instead of having the bathroom light on a timer to cut off you can add a door sensor and program it to cut the lights off when the door is open and turn on when the door is closed. This and maybe motion to cut it on when you just want to look in the mirror or something with the door open
Not many folks close the bathroom door fully. I tried to implement this automation and it was never used as bathroom gets colder than bedroom with doors closed
Looks pretty cool... with some caveats. Not sure I’d want auto-blinds, for one thing. Post-shower living room dash for clothes and all. Also a lot of this seems light based, which is fine, but in many cases, the effort to simply use a switch vs all the $$$ and time that goes into setup... for instance, do I really need my phone to tell me to put clothes in the dryer or can I guesstimate that after a half hour or so, they’re done washing? It’s interesting and it’s fun, but I think smart systems are so slow to become popular because they just aren’t necessary. Not yet. Anyone sorta feel the same way?
Yes. I have some WiFi switches to replace analog timers, but other than that all of these gadgets are the epitome of mindless consumerism. Plus most of those devices are connected to some company server and pose a pretty big security / privacy risk. I work in AI so I'm not exactly a technophobe, but I don't need some company that makes its money collecting your personal data to physically follow me at home too, thank you.
Is it possible to use commands from one room to another? Like changing the lights or switch off/on blinds from your living room to your kitchen and vice versa?
14:30 that’s actually smart I remember I used to live in an apt where the smoke detector in the kitchen was expired by who knows how much and it went off randomly if you breathed on it. They should let you use the motion after the smoke detector is expired though. Or replace the actual sensor yourself
Awesome tour... Never even considered the faucet, I'm gonna have to add that and the blinds to my plan. Something I'd add for the laundry room, en suite toilet and walk in closet lighting is a non-smart lutron motion sensor light switch... That way if you're walking in or out with an armful of laundry you're not fumbling for switches and it'll turn itself off when you leave.
You have the 2nd gen Nest Protect smoke alarm. The 7-year life is with the 1st gen, the 2nd gen has a 10 year life. I have the 2nd gen, and it is said that it was made in 2019 and is to be replaced by 2029.
I mean, if the power goes out it doesn't really matter if the things are smart or not, they won't work either way. And if the internet happens to go out, everything can still be opperated manually.
