My hiking pole gives me extra stability on walks, but I have a bad habit of leaving it behind, including at home. Today I attached a tracker, so now my watch vibrates if I walk away without it. I posted on social media to see if anyone has a better way to mount it.
Category: Smart Home
Deep hollow river
Dropped Dwight off at the Sawbill Trail trailhead for the Superior Hiking Trail. Went for a short ride on the Gitchi-Gami Trail, which goes right past where we’re staying. Here, I’m looking down at the Temperance River, so named because there is no sandbar (“no bar”) where it flows into Lake Superior. I’ll go with the Ojibwe name: Kawimbash, meaning “deep hollow river.”
Debugging the light switches
Perhaps this is why most people do not automate their homes! Today, I fixed a few glitches in our “smart home.” For example, when a particular scene (a group of lights) was selected, it turned on, shut back off, and then turned back on again. Generally, the smarts are hidden; light switches, for example, look and operate just like regular switches. We do like the extra layers of control, such as turning off all the lights by voice command as we leave our home.
The click of death
Dwight was a little spooked this morning by a random clicking sound. It seemed to stop whenever he moved, leaving him with the distinct feeling that some hidden creature was watching him. AI revealed it was actually the “click of death” caused by a failing capacitor inside this formerly smart ceiling fan control. A replacement ordered online was delivered this evening, and I’ll swap it out in the morning.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
With temperatures hitting -21°F (-29°C), our building’s heat failed. My smart home setup let me manage this from afar. I watched the temperature drop and ran ceiling fans and the AC blower to circulate air. The thermostat remained “on,” so glycol stayed moving through the radiators to prevent frozen pipes. There wasn’t anything more I could’ve done in person. After a few hours, the heat is finally back on and the plants look OK.
At least Google’s still on speaking terms with the dishwasher
The GE app on my phone had forgotten our appliances, so I spent too much time unsuccessfully trying to reconnect the oven via Wi-Fi. Oddly, Google Assistant still recognizes the dishwasher, allowing me to ask Google about the wash cycle status, a feature we use two or three times a year. As for the oven, not only had the app forgotten about its “smart” access, but I had, too.
My science project: optimizing a vent fan
Built a dashboard to compare humidity and temperature in the closet beside our front door to another room. It also displays outside conditions and the status of the closet’s vent fan, providing the data needed to optimize its run times.
Smart home upgrade for snowbirds
Spent the afternoon making the home of friends smarter. Like us, they’re snowbirds who head to warmer places during the depths of winter. After setting up a plant watering system for them previously, today’s project included configuring two cameras, and installing smart wall switches and water leak sensors.
Checking on an economical plant watering system for a neighbor
Checked on a neighbor’s plant watering system. I set it up for them in December, and it’s been working perfectly for six weeks. The controller (with a built-in pump), tubing, and drippers cost around $35. The only drawback is the controller’s battery, which needs recharging about once a month. An $8 smart plug allows them to remotely initiate charging from Arizona.
Adding a Shutoff Valve to Our IoT
We have moisture sensors under appliances and sinks connected to our Internet of Things to alert us of leaks. Now, I’m aiming to automate the water shutoff process. Working with this ceiling space today was quite a challenge while exploring ways to install motorized overlays to control the valve levers. Unfortunately, there’s no space to automate the hot water valve, but I may have better luck with the cold water valve.