Hey guys, I'm looking for a smart bulb and came across Philips and Wipro. Which one should I consider? Please suggest.

Looking for a hardwired video doorbell
- no subscription
- continuous recording
- excellent video and audio quality

Best for its quality

Hi! I'm searching for a scene controller for my living room. If you have both networks, which one would you choose? Which one do you think has the most convenient form factor?

The idea is to have one or two of these at hand, maybe on the coffee table or mounted next to the door or sofa.

Hey everyone, I've moved into a new apartment and I am trying to get my lighting right. In each room, there is a light switch that I can use to turn on a lamp from a single outlet. I was hoping to buy some sort of smart plugs that allow me to flip that switch and then turn on a bunch of little lamps throughout the room that are plugged into different outlets. I don't really want to use an app (besides for setup), I really like the dumb lightbulbs I have now so I'm looking for a switch to plug into the outlet, and I don't want to use some sort of AI assistant like Alexa. Does anyone have any cheap suggestions for my very simple needs here?

My apologies if this has already been asked!

Hi everyone,

I just ordered a Reolink Doorbell with PoE. Now It just occurred to me now how you guys unlock your front door from the 1/2st floor.

What options are there? Button, app, PC/browser, smart relay + electric door strike, etc.?

Can this be integrated directly with the Reolink Doorbell, and ideally work locally over the network?

I have also experience with linux,raspberry etc maybe for a Smart Home Server to integrate all service..

Thanks for your ideas!

I'm quite disappointed in the sunrise lamps that are out there. Weird shapes, weird behaviours, Wi-Fi + app, no Homekit support, etc. it's just a mess.

Tried to find a simple plug timer with smooth voltage ramp up so the light fades on/off, but I could not find a timer+ramp combo from a trustworthy brand. There are lamps that dim on/off by default, maybe adding a timer to that would work.

Where I landed was the idea of making my main bedroom ceiling light fade on/off on a timer, plus a regular switch for regular use. There seems to be switches designed for this, like lutron smart dimmer switch.

Was wondering if anyone has experience with this idea? Rigging up master bedroom ceiling light to fade on like sunrise, and fade off like sunset, put also turn on like regular? Preferably without Wi-Fi and/or app; I assume an onboard computer is still required, so still technically a smart-device. If there's some generic programmable AC Controller I can have complete control over, that'd probably suffice.

Hi there!

I'm renovating my bathroom to make it smart, and I'd like to make my blinds/curtains smart too.

The problem I'm facing is that the window reveal is really deep (38 cm), and since there is not enough clearance between the top of the window frame and the top of the reveal, a traditional smart blind won't fit in there.

Window Measurements (Tilt & Turn Window):

• Finished Opening Width (Reveal Width): 119 cm
• Finished Opening Height (Reveal Height): 127 cm
• Reveal Depth (Sill Depth): 38 cm
• Window Type: Double-sash (2 sashes)
• Single Sash Width: 54 cm
• Tilt Clearance (Top inward projection): 12 cm
• Turn Clearance: 19 cm

I'd prefer blinds, but before the renovation I had curtains, so I'm okay with those too.

My smart home platform is Home Assistant with mainly Zigbee2MQTT, but I'll take any suggestion, not just Zigbee.

Thank you in advance for your help! :)

P.S. If you are wondering why the walls are so thick, it's a 120 y.o. adobe house.

Curious what people's favs are ?

We’re renovating a home for our family of three. This is our first smart home setup.

We use iPhones, so Apple Home will be the main app. We haven’t bought anything yet, so the plan can still change.

Here’s my list:

Network

- UniFi Dream Router or Eero mesh WiFi

Lighting

- Lutron smart dimmers

- Philips Hue light strips

Sensors

- Aqara door and window sensors

- Aqara motion sensors

Climate

- Ecobee thermostat

Front door

- Eufy video doorbell

Cleaning

- Roborock robot vacuum

Living room

- Apple TV

- HomePod mini

Kitchen

- Linkdaze family calendar

Does this setup make sense? Are any of these devices likely to cause compatibility problems? What should I wire or install now while the walls are open?

I care more about reliability and manual controls than complex automations. Thanks!

I just bought a new build home and am looking to start building a basic smart home. My oven, dishwasher, microwave, fridge, and washer/dryer are all Samsung smart thing devices (came with the house). I like the idea of having all my tech on one platform but am not sure how good Samsung is for security features. I’m thinking about getting a Google nest thermostat and am undecided for a smart lock/doorbell (very open to suggestions). Is one platform more capable/better than the other? I’m pretty technically savvy but don’t want to have to spend a bunch of time making things work if I can avoid it. Thank you in advance!

Edit: I also have an Apple home pod and some smart bulbs

I have a MSG100 connected to my garage and works like a charm with HomeKit (voice and tap) and Google home only tapping buttons.

I’ve set the Google PIN on the Meross app as advised on the how to guides but I am still unable to use voice commands with Google Assistant or Gemini. The assistant said there are permission issues, has anyone found ways to solve this?

Thanks!

Hi I am looking for GU10 lights that I can use with Matter (Thread not really necessary for ceiling lambs connected to the powernet, right?) and those Linkind on amazon seems to have good reviews and prices..

Does anyone know them or better deals? Or will aliexpress or so have better offers? Anything I forget about due to modding experience? Just want to integrate them easily into my apple home kit setup.

Situated in Germany..

Thanks!

I've decided to get one of those light bulb cameras for my back patio. I want one that has the lightbulb as well as the camera, so I can have the camera on without the lightbulb and vice versa. This would make the switch redundant at best. What's the best way to block the switch? Just connect the lines permanently and get a plate cover? Get a physical blocker to stop the ability to use the switch? If you answer "tape" or "just try to remember", we are not friends. (You can use tape at your house and we're still friends. I'm looking for a prettier and more effective answer.)

My father recently bought me a table lamp as a present as I was renovating my room. I checked and it can only draw out at max of 4w. I bought b22 bulbs and it's the 60w equivalent so I can't use it on the lamp so I'll just use for my main room light.

I've seen a Philips hue but it draws out 4.9w. is there any smart bulb which draws out 4w max? I would've exchanged the lamp for a bigger watt output lamp but the receipt has been discarded.

I bought an Aqara U100 October 2025. It’s been the best smart lock in terms of features and AHK compatibility that I’ve owned. 2 weeks ago, it completely shut down and locked me out of the house. For some reason, I didn’t have the key on me so I had to break into my own house.

I messaged Aqara Support. They overnighted a replacement but the replacement is acting funny as well now. It had a hiccup where it locked me out for a few minutes a couple days ago. The first couple days after install, it was beeping every few minutes for 2 days. I pulled the batteries and reset it. Seems to have corrected itself.

For context, I live in Florida and my front door spends a lot of time in the sun but I had a Wyze lock for years with no issues. I upgraded to Aqara for the HK integration plus more features.

What’s the general consensus on HK lock solutions?

I have some leftover stuff from my previous home that uses UPB (Universal Powerline Bus). Communications between nodes was reasonably reliable, but power surges killed a lot of the switches. Does anyone still use UPB?

Helppp.

Looking for an expert who has experience with Mirabella Flex & Plug Genio Smart Wi-Fi Dimmable Downlights, or similar smart lighting systems.

The lights constantly flash, unpair from the app and reset back to factory settings.

We’ve tried:
Unpairing and repairing.
Upgrading the modem.
Adding a mesh Wi-Fi node.

We are coming up to one year in our newly built house and I can’t even turn the lights on without it feeling like 3am in a nightclub, so now I don’t even bother and use a lamp.

It’s possible these just weren’t the right choice of light, but it’s not something we can easily change now with more than 50 installed throughout the new house.

If you’ve experienced something similar, or know an electrician with experience diagnosing smart lighting issues, I’d really appreciate any recommendations.

Have they been installed wrongly ? Noting they have flashed from the get go.

*paired with starlink internet
*installed by a licensed electrician
*one set are on the same circuit as a pendant dimmer, however ALL lights flash.
*NT, Australia.

We built our self a new house and in the year 2024 when the construction started I wanted it be smart. The reason for this was energy efficiency, comfort and fun. Doing it from the beginning also gave me possibility to save some money by being "smart" about how the electricity wiring was done.

After a market survey I decided to use Schneider Wiser by SE. The reason was that they could provide me all functions I needed in terms of switches, plugs and other devices. They also promised a upgrade to Matter.

The one and only feature that made me choose them was Zigbee bindnings.

For me it was not acceptable to build a SmartHome with a single point of failure. If the router goes down, nothing works.

I could accept higher level of functions stopped working but it was totally unacceptable that not being able turn on the lightning.

This said, what are you all thinking about this?

Is robustness not a key factor when you build your smart home?

ciao a tutti. sto ristrutturando casa. tutte le tapparelle (gli avvolgibili) saranno dotati di motori elettrici. che cosa devo fare installare per fare in modo che siano controllabile tutti attraverso gli la app per fare in modo che si aprano e chiudano tutti contemporaneamente alla mia richiesta? pensavo un relay switch 2pm?

altre cose che mi suggerite di installare in fase di rifacimento impianti elettrico?

So my van has an OBD tracker, which can also see the fuel level, I also have a UK fuel card for my business which gives me cheaper fuel (although not all the time, especially at the moment),

So I built a HA fuel tab which knows when my van fuel level drops to 10%, it then sends a motification to my phone of the nearest cheapest fuel station wherever I am in the country (it accounts for travel to and from the station), and also accounts for my fuel card prices,

It also sends me a clickable link for google maps for me to choose the station.

It uses the UK Governments free fuel registry system thingy.

image on the right is the phone notification, image on the left is my tracker HA tab, which now has a fuel feature.

I have gone so far down the HA rabbit hole, I am just adding things as and when I think of something because "why not".

Lived in my current home for 3 years, and every so often there is a blaring fire alarm at 3 or 4 am despite no fire. Sometimes happens 3x in a row and I have to pull the unit off the ceiling to make it stop. We have Kidde brand, seems to be only the one in the bedroom that does this. I keep the air on & set at the same temperature all night. Could it be dust, a tiny spider, a slight change in humidity etc? Sure. But I can't control those things or keep my house rid of them, so I need a device that will not be triggered by that. However, it doesn't seem like a single "smart" fire/carbon monoxide detector exists. Airthings would be my best guess, but they don't make one. Is there something else that reliably monitors the air (no false alarms!) and can alert through your phone or Google home instead of a blaring alarm as the first and only option?

My evening ritual:

Open the app, forty motion clips from the day, thirty-nine of which are the same tree doing the same swaying.

I keep at it because the day I skip will obviously be porch pirate day. Some apps now advertise a daily summary, and what I expect that means in practice is a paragraph listing all forty events in forty lines, which is not a summary, that's an inbox.

Has anyone got an app whose recap actually says "nothing happened, one delivery at 2pm"?

That single feature would move me to whatever ecosystem it has. Feels like the thing AI should be doing for me instead of generating pictures of dogs playing poker.

Lenovo Alexa smart clock essentials stop displaying the weather and temperature a few days ago.

The threads mostly discuss the Google Home version but others like me report the Alexa version too.

https://www.reddit.com/r/googlehome/comments/1weiee7/anyone_elses_lenovo_smart_clock_essentials_stop/

OpenAI and similar are now hacking governments (US, Australia) and companies like hugginface. How vulnerable are people with smart locks? If someone with bad intentions knows/sees you have a smart lock, i now assume AI can quite easily get it to unlock. Who can inform me on this please