There are many smart home devices on the market, but not all of them are suitable for me. If you are new to smart home, you may not know where to choose because of the dazzling array of smart home devices. This article will introduce you to Dankeju. Which smart home devices are connected to Home Assistant? I hope it will help you choose the device.
Table of contents
Light control
I think light control is one of the two most important things to deal with when getting started with a smart home (the other is curtains). There are many ways to control lights, you can refer to Full analysis of smart home lighting control solutions, there is always one suitable for you! – Smart Home Smart Home EP 4, find the solution that suits you.
| device | link | summary | Related content |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vizo Zigbee Zero Fire Switch | Vizo | Taiwan, Zigbee, Zero Fire, Mei Model, all the elements that all kinds of smart switches should have. | Full analysis of smart home lighting control solutions |
| Aqara ceiling lamp | Taobao | With the original light control circuit, you can adjust the color temperature and brightness in HA after turning it on. It has a simple appearance and sufficient brightness. | Ceiling lamp DIY |
| Lutron pico | Amazon | Place it on the console table to remotely control all the lights in the public area. Connect to HA and link with each switch through automation. |
curtain
Then there is the second most important thing in smart homes, "curtains." Our home uses track curtains and accordion curtains.
| device | link | summary | Related content |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aqara | Taiwan | When decorating, remember to reserve a socket in the curtain box. Depending on the situation, it can be matched with snake curtains or ordinary curtain tracks. | |
| Zemismart | Taobao | The rechargeable model has been used for about a year and has not needed to be recharged. The switch motor makes a little loud noise, but it’s not too bothersome. | Smart curtain DIY |
Smart socket
The main purpose was to monitor whether the washing machine and dryer were finished, so I found a socket with a metering function.
| device | link | summary |
|---|---|---|
| Zigbee socket US standard 16A with power function | Shopee | The functions meet the needs, but unfortunately it is too big to be plugged in two at the same time. I will find other more suitable ones to replace them in the future. |
sensor
Sensors are purchased according to automation needs, with priority given to their compatibility with the smart home central system (my home uses Home Assistant), and preferably to be compatible with the communication network of other devices (my home uses Zigbee as the main system).
| device | link | summary | Application scenarios | Related content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aqara door and window sensor | Taiwan | More refined appearance | 1. Entrance light automation 2. Automation of locker room lights | Eggshell Home Automation Example |
| Vizo Door and Window Sensor | Vizo | |||
| Aqara human body sensor | Taiwan | In addition to motion sensing, additional brightness detection | Entrance light automation (brightness judgment) | |
| Vizo body sensor | Vizo | General motion sensing | Kitchen light automation | |
| Aqara human presence sensor | More sensitive motion sensing | Bathroom light automation |
air conditioner
Our air conditioner is Daikin, and depending on the model, we need an external adapter board and Wifi control module. If I were to do it again, I would look for a brand and model that already supports smart control.
| device | link | summary | Related content |
|---|---|---|---|
| adapter board | Qianguli air conditioner | Some Daikin models require | Air conditioning WiFi module installation |
| WiFi receiver |
multimedia playback
Because our home has both Android and iOS devices, we chose Home Assistant as the smart home hub. The main consideration for this part is to be able to access Home Assistant.
| device | link | summary |
|---|---|---|
| Google Nest Audio | Google official website | I bought it when I first came into contact with smart homes. I will consider Google Nest Hub in the future. |
| Google Chromecast with Google TV | Google official website | The best choice for converting traditional TV to smart TV. I will continue to use this before switching to smart TV. |
| LG stanbyMe | LG official website | It is an external screen and a TV at the same time, but now there are other brands using Android as the operating system, which should be better |
gateway
When building a smart home, I hope that the fewer gateways the better, because more gateways means more systems to be integrated, so except for the Lutron series, I mainly use Zigbee for other devices, so currently I only have Z2M and Lutron two gateways.
| device | link | summary |
|---|---|---|
| Z2M Gateway | There are many channels for purchasing Z2M gateways, and there are also many people who make their own Z2M gateways according to open source specifications. Let’s put them here first. Shopee Search results, you can find the right one yourself! | Handle almost all smart home devices, including switches, sensors, curtains, etc. |
| Lutron Gateway | Amazon | Because Lutron only recognizes its own gateways, and does not want to waste the equipment that it has already purchased, it is still integrated into HA for use. |
Other home appliances
| device | link | summary | Related content |
|---|---|---|---|
| LG Knock Knock Refrigerator | LG official website | It can be controlled remotely through the LG APP, but it is not very practical. A refrigerator is just a refrigerator XDD | One year into your new home! Sharing the most authentic experience of using home appliances |
| Electrolux air purifier | Costco | 24/7, can be connected to HA to monitor air quality | What does Dankeju’s smart home system look like? |
| Xiaomi smart sterilizing humidifier | Taobao | HA automation and air conditioning are started at the same time to maintain indoor humidity and avoid dry mouth. | |
| Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra sweeping robot | Roborock Taiwan | An instant choice, it can sweep, mop, self-clean, and dry. The only drawback is that you have to change the water yourself. If you can suggest that you make the water line automatically fill and drain when decorating. | TOP3 essential appliances for small families! |
The above are the existing smart home devices of Dankeju for your reference. We will continue to update new devices in the future!
I would like to ask Neil, are there any problems with the zemismart honeycomb blinds you bought before? Thank you.
Hi Peter, everything is working fine so far, except that the lifting speed is relatively slow. It is also recommended that if you want to purchase, you should give priority to the plug-in model.
Thank you for sharing. I happen to have no power supply in that window and can only use battery-powered QQ.
Hi Peter, if you don’t have power, you can consider the solar model. Just find a way not to replace the battery🤣
Also, I would like to ask Neil, what brand of temperature and humidity sensor do you use? I saw the temperature and humidity sensor of Xiaomi Zigbee system in the auction. Is it available? As for the human presence sensor, I should use VIZO. Which brand do you use for the human presence sensor? Thank you~
Hi Richard,
I don’t use temperature and humidity sensors myself, but as long as Z2M supports it, it’s no problem. You can go to Z2M official websiteCheck supported devices.
For human presence sensors, you can refer to this article of mine:https://neiltw.com/how-to-setup-light-automation-with-sensors-in-home-assistant/
Neil, have you tried connecting all VIZO devices directly to HA without going through z2m? At present, it seems that the device needs to be added to Tuya App first, and then I use the Tuya plug-in of HA to connect, but I Now after Tuya app captures my device, it shows that it is offline and I cannot join Tuya App. Have I done anything wrong? Thank you.
Hi Rick,
I have never tried using tuya and then connecting to HA. In fact, there is no need to do this. Just use Z2M directly without using tuya. The cloud response speed will be faster and safer.
So it means that if you directly Z2M into HA, can you directly capture all the VIZO devices in my Homekit? Because I am very scared because I have joined Homekit and now in order to connect to HA, all the switches have to be reset🥲 Thank you
Hi Rick,
It seems like you want to be able to control switches in both HomeKit and Home Assistant, right?
First, let me give you what I think is the best approach: Z2M connects the switch to Home Assistant and then synchronizes the device to HomeKit through HomeKit Bridge.
For HomeKit Bridge settings, please refer to this article:HomeKit Bridge gives you more choices for your smart home – Home Assistant step-by-step tutorial EP 5
Of course, this requires resetting all switches, but if you want to achieve "controlling switches in both HomeKit and Home Assistant at the same time", there is basically no other better way.
Hi Neil,
Thank you for your reply. I really want to make Home Kit and Home Assistant controllable. It seems that I really need to reset them all.
In addition, because I happen to use Taobao’s JOSE as your presence sensor, but following the steps to add a Matter device in HA, after turning on the pairing mode in Home Kit to get the code input, it keeps showing that the new device failed. Which part should I pay attention to?
My Home Kit hub is Homepod mini. It was scanned in HA but failed to join HA. Is this related to it? Thank you!
Hi Rick,
A device can only choose to connect to HA or HomeKit. After JOSE connects to HA through matter, it is then connected to HomeKit through HomeKit Bridge. This is correct.
So the device actually belongs to HA, and HA authorizes HomeKit through HomeKit Bridge to operate the device.
Hi Neil,
Mainly because I also tried to remove JOSE from the Home Kit and then reset it, and then added HA as a new device, but it still failed.
That's why it bothered me for so long, I don't know where the problem is
Hi Rick, this is quite strange. Do you use the built-in Matter to add devices in HA?
Hi Neil,
That's right, it does use the built-in Matter of HA.
I'll try it a few more times to see if it's okay, because my HA was built using an existing old computer to install a virtual machine instead of directly using the Raspberry Pi. Maybe there was something wrong with the environment during the build! I will do the research myself, so I won’t bother you to take the time to reply. Thank you very much for your answer!
Hi Rick, no problem, hope this helps you
Hi Neil,
To report back, after the HA core was updated from 7.2 to 7.3, my JOSE can join HA normally (and it can also join HA simultaneously if it has joined Home Kit). For now, it will be treated as HA Core 7.2 There is something wrong with the version~
Hi Rick, oh wow oh that’s great👍
The presence sensor is very easy to use. It can be used to determine whether there is anyone in the bathroom. It is less likely to turn off the light by mistake and get scolded. However, it is very expensive. It saves money to buy it on Taobao later🤣
That’s right! The next article will introduce the existence sensor I found with great CP value👍
Here is an introduction to human presence sensors:https://neiltw.com/how-to-setup-light-autonation-with-sensors-in-home-assistant/
Hi Niel,
I found that your door and window sensors and human body sensors use two brands of products (Aqara, Vizo). I am curious to ask if there is any difference in the use of these two brands of products (door and window sensors, human body sensors)?
There is no difference in the door and window sensors. After all, doors and windows are just switches; the human body sensor Aqara also has an additional illumination sensing function, which has a wider range of applications.
Hi Neil, I would like to ask if Luen Thai’s smart light switches can also be connected? (Now I am extremely afraid of adding some devices that are not originally supported. People who bought a Tuya have been struggling for a long time with the sensor scanning but not supporting it.)
Hi Kate, I have never been in contact with Luen Thai. I suggest you ask their customer service directly.
Hi Neil, the Lutron single flame switch (mentioned in the YouTube video) purchased from Amazon is 120V. Is it suitable for Taiwan's 110V voltage?
Mark, it works, no problem👍
An additional question, Lutron's official installation manual has a grounding wire. Taiwanese switches usually don't have a grounding wire. Is it directly insulated?
Step 4
https://assets.lutron.com/a/documents/0301729_quick_start_caseta_in_walldimmer_us.pdf
Hi Mark, I used direct insulation. I saw some people suggested connecting it to the switch keyhole.
Hi Neil, I would like to ask if VIZO can also directly connect to zigbee2mqtt. I can’t find the supported equipment, or which module factory does VIZO use?
Because I will have a switch that needs to be integrated into 6 switches. Currently, I only see that VIZO seems to be more suitable.
Yes, after I connect to Z2M, it shows "TuYa", for your reference:
My superman, thank you so much~~
You're welcome, come on!
Hi Neil
Could you please tell me how bright the actual Aqara ceiling lamp is?
According to the specifications, it is only 24W.
It feels a little darker than ordinary ceiling lamps. I guess it is only suitable for supporting a space of two to three square feet? !
I installed it in the living room and it is indeed about 2~3 square meters. No matter how big it is, it may not be bright enough and other auxiliary light sources are needed.
Please ask
Is the Vizo body sensor also integrated into the Z2M?
My Z2M has detected the motion sensor but the display is from Xiaomi...Is this normal??
The sensors are all integrated into the Z2M, yes. Mine shows "TuYa" from the manufacturer. Yours may be a new model, and it should be fine if it functions normally.
Wow, I saw this article too late. After watching Dankeju Youtube, I bought a Daikin air conditioner together XD. I would like to ask if you have found out which air conditioner is more convenient to use?
It’s been a while since I’ve researched air conditioners. At the time, I thought Hitachi or LG were more convenient for smart homes, but you don’t have to worry if you’ve chosen Daikin. You can install a WiFi module. You can refer to our video:https://youtu.be/jabdFDyOcLs
At that time, it seemed that LG and Hitachi could be directly integrated into smart homes, which would be more convenient. However, Daikin was also OK. You could just buy a model that could be controlled remotely without having to install a WiFi controller yourself.
Thanks for sharing!!
My house has finally been decorated. As long as the move is completed, I can start to follow your instructions to build it step by step~ I’m looking forward to it!!
congratulations! Come on come on!