My latest blog post, "Smart Home Additions That Won’t Fill a Landfill with Old Tech" was originally published by the good folks at Residential Tech Today Magazine on their web site here:
https://restechtoday.com/smart-home-additions-that-wont-fill-a-landfill-with-old-tech/
Below is a copy of the article.
Smart home technology can make a home:
- More
Convenient to Live in
But, if you just go around replacing all the existing
appliances, switches, lights, window coverings, etc. in your home with new
smart products, you are placing a lot of items, that otherwise work perfectly
well, into a landfill. Fortunately,
there are many smart products available that, instead of replacing your
existing dumb devices, simply add smart capabilities to them.
Integration
One thing to consider, before purchasing any product to make
your home smart, is how that product will integrate with other smart products
in your home. For example, for added
safety, you may want to trigger a smart pathway light to turn on in response to
a smart motion detector being triggered by a person moving through the house at
night. This could eliminate a late night
visit to the emergency room after you trip over a toy that didn’t get put
away.
Some manufacturers publish their application programming
interface (API) to allow third parties to create “integrations” so their
products can work with products manufactured by other companies. Other manufacturers take a much more
proprietary attitude. They may build a
great many features into their products but they may not be able to communicate
with products manufactured by other companies.
Or, their products may only work with ones manufactured by a few
“trusted” partners.
Building a smart home takes some up front research and
planning so you don’t choose products that, in the long run, limit the
capabilities you want to build into your home.
Making Your Locks
Smart
Smart locks can offer an added degree of convenience and
security in a smart home. For one thing,
you never have to worry about making sure you remembered to lock your doors
when leaving the home or at night. You
also never have to worry about locking yourself out of your home unless you
ignore the smart lock’s warnings to change your batteries.
One smart device manufacturer whose products you will find
throughout this article is SwitchBot.
From the beginning, SwitchBot has specialized in creating products that
retrofit your existing products with smart features instead of forcing you to
throw them away and replace them with a smart version.
The SwitchBot
Lock can be used to convert an existing deadbolt lock into a smart
lock. It is easy to install and offers a
wide range of features. For example,
SwitchBot offers nine different methods for unlocking a door outfitted with the
SwitchBot lock:
- SwitchBot
App control (Device can be unlocked using the free SwitchBot app when
within Bluetooth range)
- Scanning
a SwitchBot NFC
Tag with your smart phone.
SwitchBot includes two NFC tags with each lock.
- Numerical
Code entry using an optional SwitchBot Keypad
or SwitchBot Keypad Touch
- Fingerprint
scan using an optional SwitchBot Keypad Touch
- Widget
for iOS and Android
- Apple
Watch
- Unlocking
using the lock’s original key
- Using
third-party voice assistants and services
- An
open API allowing developers to independently write software drivers to
integrate the operation of the SwitchBot Lock with different smart home
platforms
The SwitchBot Lock offers a number of additional important
features:
- Smart
phone notifications when the lock is opened, locked, or when the door is
left ajar.
- Long Battery Life – The batteries in the SwitchBot Lock
are expected to last 6 months under normal use. Notifications are sent when it is time
to change the batteries
- Event
log that includes entries each time the lock was locked / unlocked
- The
ability to remotely lock / unlock the SwitchBot lock using the SwitchBot
app when a SwitchBot hub is installed
- The
ability to lock and unlock using voice commands (unlocking requires a
code)
- Automatic
timed locking after the lock is unlocked
I had a chance to try the SwitchBot Lock. The first step is to validate that the
SwitchBot Lock is compatible with the deadbolt lock installed in your
home. SwitchBot makes this easy using a
tool on their website available here. Installation is also very simple. Included in the box are adapters to fit the
SwitchBot lock to a wide variety of deadbolt locks. Once the proper adapter is fitted to the
SwitchBot lock, the basic steps to installing the SwitchBot lock are:
- Clean
the surface of the door where the SwitchBot Lock will be attached
- Adjust
the base to accommodate the depth of your lock using the included screwdriver
- Check
that your lock operates smoothly with the SwitchBot Lock held in place
- Adhere
the SwitchBot Lock to your door using the included self-stick pad
- Install
a small magnet on your door frame adjacent to the SwitchBot Lock. This is used to sense if the door has
been left ajar
- Add
the SwitchBot Lock to the SwitchBot app
- Calibrate
the SwitchBot lock by following the procedure in the app so it knows how
far to turn the knob on your lock to lock / unlock it
SwitchBot provides a video that demonstrates the entire
process. That video can be found here.
The SwitchBot Lock works very well. The wide range of options for locking /
unlocking the lock will meet any user’s needs.
As described above the installation process is very easy. However, one thing that someone planning to
install the SwitchBot lock should do is to make sure that their deadbolt lock
operates smoothly before proceeding with the installation. If the deadbolt rubs against the strike plate
then their may be too much friction and the SwitchBot Lock’s battery operated
motor won’t be able to operate the lock.
A little work with a file on the strike plate can easily address this
issue.
SwitchBot also provided me with a SwitchBot Keypad Touch for
this lock. This was also easy to
install. First you install the
batteries. Then add it as a device in
the SwitchBot app, give it a name, and pair it with the SwitchBot Lock. The app then walks you through instructions
for mounting the keypad using either the included screws or double stick
pad.
Once the installation process is complete you can configure
the SwitchBot Keypad Touch to be operated through six to twelve digit
passcodes, fingerprints, and NFC Cards (the SwitchBot Keypad Touch comes with
one card). Passcodes can either be:
- Permanent
– Designed to be used by family members
- Temporary
– For house guests. The passcode
expires after a period of time.
- One-time
Code – Expires after a single use.
Useful for contractors our guests coming to a party
- Emergency
– For family members to use during duress.
Sends a notification to all other family members
Again, the keypad touch offers plenty of options for
users.
When coupled with a SwitchBot Hub Mini, SwitchBot offers a
number of paths to integrate their products with different smart home
ecosystems. Integration with Google
Assistant, Amazon Alexa, IFTTT, and Siri Shortcuts can be enabled through the
SwitchBot App. SwitchBot also offers an
open API (application programming interface) that software developers can use
to integrate SwitchBot products with the smart home platform of their
choice. I wrote a Crestron-SwitchBot
driver some time ago. An updated version
of this driver that supports the SwitchBot Lock is currently being tested and
should be available soon. This driver
can be downloaded from my GitHub here.
An alternative to the SwitchBot Lock is the Kwikset
Convert. It works with SmartThings,
Amazon Alexa, and Home Connect.
It is also worth mentioning the August WiFi Smart Lock. The design of the August lock only requires
you to discard the back plate and knob of your existing deadbolt lock. So, you don’t have to throw away the whole
lock; only a small portion of it. The
August WiFi Smart Lock is compatible with all the major voice assistants and a
wide range of professional and consumer smart home platforms.
Turning Dumb Devices
On / Off
The easiest way to turn a device on / off is with a smart
plug. There are more smart plugs than you can count on the market today. However, many are very cheap, and probably
won’t be a good investment. You are
better off paying a little more and purchasing smart plugs from a reputable
manufacturer with products that have been approved by UL, or another standards
organization.
But, not every electrically operated device in your home can
be made smart by switching it on / off with a smart plug. Many devices have to be operated by pushing a
button. The SwitchBot Bot was released
over five years ago and continues to be a simple solution for controlling
almost any device that is operated by a button.
This small, battery powered, motorized actuator is attached to an
appliance using a double-stick pad.
Then, it is controlled through the SwitchBot app over Bluetooth. The SwitchBot Bot is also compatible with
Alexa, Google Home, and HomePod. With
the addition of a SwitchBot Hub Mini, the SwitchBot Bot can be controlled
through IFTTT or integrated with other smart home platforms through the
SwitchBot Cloud API. Using this API,
I’ve written a driver to control the SwitchBot Bot, along with some of
SwitchBot’s other products, from a Crestron smart home processor. This Crestron driver can be downloaded from
my GitHub.
Making Your Lights
Smart
Smart lighting can add both convenience and safety to a
home.
- All
the lights can be turned off with a voice command when you go to bed so
you don’t have to walk from room to room turning off lights that were left
on
- At
night, pathway lights can be lit in response to motion sensors to make it
safer to walk around your home
- Lights
can automatically be turned on in the event of a fire, or other emergency
to make it easier for family members to safely exit the home
- Exterior
lights can be flashed in the event of an emergency to make it easier for
first responders to locate your home
The primary way that people make their lights smart is to
either replace their existing wall switches with smart switches / dimmers or to
replace their light bulbs with smart bulbs.
However, both of these approaches create waste in a landfill.
One way to make your lights smart, though this may not be viewed as the most
aesthetically pleasing approach, is to use a SwitchBot Bot to
operate the light switch. The SwitchBot
Bot comes with a self-stick pad that tethers the switch to the device’s
actuator arm; so a single SwitchBot Bot can turn a light switch on and off.
Another way of making a light smart, though it does require
some DIY electrical skills, is to use one of the small relays, or dimmers,
manufactured by Shelly. Shelly makes very small IoT relays and
dimmers that can be placed inside the electrical box, behind an existing light
switch, totally hidden from view. These
IoT devices are wired to both the lighting load you want to make smart and the
existing switch. The existing light
switch can continue to operate the connected light. In addition, the light can now be
independently controlled through the Shelly app and a wide range of smart home
ecosystems including Alexa, Google Home, Hubitat, Home Assistant, and many more
consumer, and professional, smart home platforms through their API. Using this API, I’ve written a driver to
control Shelly products from a Crestron smart home processor that can be
downloaded from my GitHub.
Making Your Window
Coverings Smart
There is something magical about automating the operation of
blinds, shades, and drapes in a smart home.
- Closing
smart window coverings in the summer, when the sun is shining directly
into a window, can keep your home cooler and save a significant amount of
money on air conditioning.
- In the
winter, allowing the sun to shine directly through windows can help heat a
home. Closing window coverings at other times during the winter can help
to insulate windows against heat loss.
- Daylight
harvesting is the term for opening window coverings during the day to
allow the sun to provide light in a room, and eliminate the need to turn
on electrical lights. During the
summer, if this is only done when the sun is not directly shining into a
window, this eliminates the issue of heat gain from the sun causing the
cost of air conditioning a home to go up.
- Smart
window coverings can also be automatically closed when you leave home or
at nightfall for added security and privacy.
- In the
event of a fire, or other emergency, smart window coverings can be opened
to allow first responders to have easier access to a home.
However, replacing existing window coverings with smart ones
is wasteful and, because window coverings are a décor item, expensive. Fortunately, there are less expensive add-on
devices to make your existing window coverings smart.
The Current Products
E-Wand and Sunsa Wand both operate by
replacing the control wand on mini blinds with a battery powered, motorized
version. The E-Wand is a Zigbee device
while the Sunsa Wand connects directly to your home’s WiFi network (Sunsa has
published an API for third party integration).
These products work with any size mini blinds; including blinds with
small 1-inch slats. As I said, these
products do require that you replace the control wand on your blinds to make
them smart. However, that produces only
minimal waste compared to throwing away the entire blind.
There are additional options for automating the operation of
larger 2-inch blinds. The Tilt,
by My Smart Blinds, and the Somfy
Clever Tilt Blind Motorization Kit can be used to make existing 2” blinds
smart. Both require the installation of
a smart motor inside the blind’s header; where it is completely invisible. One difference between the two products is
that the Somfy Clever Tilt Blind Motor uses a rechargeable battery while the My
Smart Blinds Tilt system uses a solar panel to keep an internal battery charged. A second difference is that Somfy offers a
wide range of integration solutions for their products while My Smart Blinds
does not. Some people have solved this
by reverse engineering the communications between the My Smart Blinds app and
the Tilt. But, there isn’t a supported
public API for integration with third party system.
The upcoming SwitchBot
Blind Tilt (currently on Kickstarter) also attaches to your blinds and then
uses your old control wand as a way to trigger the opening / closing of your
blinds. Like other SwitchBot products it
can be operated using the SwitchBot app and integrated with other SwitchBot
products; such as the SwitchBot
Tag (NFC Tag) and the SwitchBot Meter
(Temperature and Humidity Sensor). To
integrate with Alexa, and other smart home ecosystems requires a SwitchBot Hub Mini.
My
Smart Blinds and RollerTrol
offer solutions for automating roller shades.
A smart motor is installed inside the tube that your shade rolls on /
off of during operation. Like the My
Smart Blinds Tilt, the company’s shade motors are solar powered. RollerTrol offers a rechargeable lithium-ion
battery pack for powering their shade motors.
The RollerTrol shade motor are powered by 12 VDC so they can also be
powered using a compatible power supply.
Again, like the My Smart Blinds Tilt, My Smart Blinds
doesn’t offer integration with third party smart home platforms. On the other hand, RollerTrol’s shade motors
can be integrated with third party, smart home, ecosystems using the Broadlink
RM4 Pro hub. Adrian Biffen has written
an excellent article on the process of integrating products connected to a
Broadlink RM4 hub with Alexa. That
article can be found here.
Alternatively, if your shade is operated by a continuous
loop chain, there are kits available from Soma and RYSE that clamp onto the chain to
automate the shades operation. Soma offers
a published API and integration with a wide range of smart home platforms. RYSE offers integration with Apple HomeKit,
Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant.
Finally, if you have a curtain that is hung on a rod,
u-rail, or i-rail, SwitchBot also manufactures the SwitchBot Curtain
and SwitchBot
Curtain Rod 2. These are small,
smart robots that operate by pushing your curtain back and forth across the
rod, or rail, that the curtain is hung from.
Making Your Ceiling
Fans Smart
A ceiling fan can be leveraged as a first stage of cooling
in your home. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends that to
balance energy savings and comfort, a thermostat should be set to 78 degrees
Fahrenheit for air conditioning.
Instead, you can turn on a ceiling fan when the temperature reaches 78
degrees Fahrenheit, raise the cooling set point of your air conditioner to 82
degrees Fahrenheit, and still be comfortable.
Because a ceiling fan uses 1% of the energy of an air conditioner, you
can save up to 12% on the cost of cooling your home using this technique. However, to implement this you need a smart
ceiling fan.
If you have a ceiling fan that can be operated by a hand
held remote control, then it can probably be turned into a smart fan using the Bond Bridge. The Bond Bridge
is easy to setup and acts as a bridge between the ceiling fan and a home’s WiFi
network.
The ceiling fan can then be integrated with Alexa, Google
Home, SmartThings, and other smart home ecosystems through the Bond Bridge
API. Leveraging the API, I’ve written a
driver to allow a Bond
Bridge to be integrated
with a Crestron smart home processor.
That driver can be downloaded from my GitHub.
Making Your Garage
Door Smart
Nobody wants to drive away on a trip and forget to close
their garage door or forget to close their garage door when they come home at
night. A smart garage controller from Tailwind or MyQ can solve
these issues, and much more. These smart
garage controllers can be integrated with almost any garage door opener to
convert it into a smart opener.
Tailwind offers integration with a wide variety of smart
home platforms and has a published API that I used to create a Crestron smart
home driver, which can be downloaded from my GitHub. MyQ has partnerships with specific
manufacturers including Alarm.com, Ring, and Vivint; to name a few. However, they don’t have an API and only
offer smart home integration with select partners.
Making Your
Thermostats Smart
Unfortunately, the only way I’m aware of to make a standard
heating and air conditioning system smart is to replace the thermostat with a
smart one. However, the fact you have to
throw away your old thermostat shouldn’t stop you from buying a smart
thermostat. The energy savings offered by
a smart thermostat can more than compensate for that act. Be aware that some old thermostats have
mercury in them, so care should be taken in how you dispose of it.
On the other hand, if you have a mini-split heat pump
system, or a window air conditioner that is operated by a remote control,
products from Sensibo and Ambi Climate may be able to convert it
into a smart system. Both companies
offer tools on their web sites to check if your mini-split system, or air
conditioner, is compatible with their products.
Both companies offer a wide range of smart home integration options and
published APIs. I’ve written a Crestron
integration driver for each. The Sensibo
driver can be downloaded from my GitHub here and the Ambi
Climate here.
Summary
There are a wide range of products available that can
convert the existing products and appliances in your home into smart devices. Some are not nearly as aesthetically pleasing
as a direct smart replacement, but they can keep a lot of dumb products from
cluttering up landfills.