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Modern home materials & technologies discussion thread

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Greenman said:
And that's pretty much the issue. I shouldn't have to do that, it shouldn't need any sort of internet connection beyond my local router.
Click to expand...

Two factors:

1. Online service lets you see remotely

2. Data collection haha
 
skyking said:
I can side load it on the PI that is included with my lighting system. It uses Phillips Hue integration.
https://atx-led.com/pages/about?view=home-assistant

I may want another server, hard to tell. As it stands my lighting hub serves up a web page for full scene programming and control.
PI under a hat.
View attachment 138122

I will get that home assistant voice unit. Hopefully it can connect via WiFi and only need the USB-C for power. I need more than one.
Click to expand...

Is the core unit this one?

atx-led.com

Da Bus Master System Hub

The ATX LED® Smart Hub assigns user-friendly names to DA switches and DALI drivers while enabling full configuration of DA features. When cloud-enabled, it integrates with Alexa, Siri (Apple HomeKit), Control4, Wink, and Samsung SmartThings for remote control, scheduling, and voice commands...
atx-led.com atx-led.com
 
Kaido said:
Is the core unit this one?

atx-led.com

Da Bus Master System Hub

The ATX LED® Smart Hub assigns user-friendly names to DA switches and DALI drivers while enabling full configuration of DA features. When cloud-enabled, it integrates with Alexa, Siri (Apple HomeKit), Control4, Wink, and Samsung SmartThings for remote control, scheduling, and voice commands...
atx-led.com atx-led.com
Click to expand...
Yes. I have not touched it. Busy with other things 🙂
 
skyking said:
Yes. I have not touched it. Busy with other things 🙂
Click to expand...

Short version:

1. ATX LED Hub has native Apple Homekit integration. This makes your job a THOUSAND times easier!!
2. HA has an existing Homekit plugin: https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/homekit/
3. You just need to buy an Ethernet bridge adapter (i.e. a DALI "language translator")

The best bridge hub in this situation is the Ethernet 4K ATV: ($150)

www.walmart.com

Apple TV 4K 128GB (3rd gen) Wi-Fi + Ethernet, MN893LL/A, 2022 - Walmart.com

Buy Apple TV 4K 128GB (3rd gen) Wi-Fi + Ethernet, MN893LL/A, 2022 at Walmart.com
www.walmart.com

Vertical mount:


Setup:

1. Hardwire everything:

a. Internet
b. Router
c. Router LAN ports or network switch: (all Ethernet)

* Home Assistant (Pi or PC)
* AppleTV 4K (always-on Homekit)
* ATX LED Hub (lighting controller hardware)

2. Setup the AppleTV:

a. Sign into iCloud
b. Enable Home in settings
c. Confirm it shows as Home Hub

3. Add the ATX hub to Apple Home:

a. Use iPhone Home app
b. Scan the HomeKit code from the ATX hub
c. Confirm the lights work in Apple Home

4. Import into Home Assistant

a. In Home Assistant: Settings -> Devices & Services -> Add Integration -> HomeKit Device
b. The ATX devices should appear.

Notes:

1. ATX does not expose ALL controls (as limited by the manufacturer)
2. Homekit gets the important ones
3. This allows HA to custom-control the publicly-accessible controls with zero custom programming required!

In HA, this means you get:

* Lovelace UI
* Custom cards
* Grid layouts
* Floor plans
* Touch panels
* Wall tablets

HA acts as the "brain":

1. Motion -> lighting
2. Sunrise/sunset lighting
3. Adaptive lighting
4. Occupancy logic
5. Presence lighting
6. Dashboards
7. Whole-house automations
8. Voice assistants (HA beta hardware)
9. Energy modes

This means that you can build completely custom dashboards in Home Assistant:

Whole-house lighting control:

1. Per-room lighting panels
2. Master lighting control
3. Global off buttons
4. Floor layouts

Zone & dimmer panels:

1. Brightness sliders
2. Color controls
3. Scene buttons
4. Quick presets

Scene control UI:

1. Movie mode
2. Night mode
3. Evening lighting
4. Automation triggers

Smart lighting dashboards:

1. Occupancy indicators
2. Adaptive lighting control
3. Schedules
4. Automation toggles

While the ATX does have its own Pi and technically CAN run HA on it, there's no native support, which means that you would have to engineer a solution for every publicly-available lighting feature. While you could do that with ChatGPT, the fact that you can buy a turnkey Ethernet Homekit Hub for $150 USD & simply drag & drop whatever setup & scenes you want in HA is FANTASTIC!!
 
Ok I informed myself and Siri and Apple work hard to not send data out, and anonymize it when they do.
I could see going this way and parking the AppleTV behind the new TV when we get it.
👍
 
skyking said:
The big caveat is anything to do with Big Sister or brother, AKA Apple. If adding them to the mix compromises the whole " own your data" of HA, I would go another way. It's a hard line, I do not want to share with them.
If I go that way, Siri (Homekit) can integrate with the ATX and no need for HA for the lighting.
What I see as a problem, is while Siri tries to keep it all in-house it still wants a net connection, whereas HA can run with limited command sets entirely off grid.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the weird thing about ATX; they have extensive third-party support:

Does ATX LED integrate with Alexa or Hey Google?

Yes! ATX LED can integrate and function with Alexa, Hey Google, Siri, and Control 4 (compatible products only).
Click to expand...

1770827244303.png

Automation:

ATX LED Hub - ZWD
First Time Installation
Hue
Alexa
Home Assistant
Crestron
Lutron
Savant
SmartThings
Dual PS4-4 Setup
About Matter
Click to expand...

They even have a page on HA "support":

atx-led.com

About

Upgrade your space with ATX LED—innovative low voltage DC lighting built for sustainability, performance, and smart integration.
atx-led.com atx-led.com

And yet:

We currently do not offer full support for Home Assistant installations.
Click to expand...

So basically:

1. ATX supports third-party Big Tech systems
2. These all require a Cloud connections
3. HA talks to each of those no problem

The problem is that ATX does not have any published HA data controls. Normally we could use the Lovelace interface in HA to add the controls from ATX, but they have none listed. Nor do they have any offline Matter access documentation. So that means we'd have to reverse-engineer every available control. That CAN be done (in theory, at least) with ChatGPT, it's just really tedious because there are a TON of commands for these systems!

Very odd that they have so much third-party support & even say you can run HA on their Pi, and yet provide zero support for people who want a fully offline solution!
 
The one issue is not having an Iphone for the home App. I suppose I could get an old one for just this purpose. At what OS level will that work?
OK hold that phone! Friends gave my wife an Ipad, so that would do the trick?
 
As long as you don’t have to be connected to the internet for it to work after the app is downloaded…?

Just a guess, no experience with it.
 
here is some network hardware suited for remote extension. I can beam 300Mbs with Ubiquiti Nano Loco when I have Line of Sight (LoS) but if you are over the hill or have trees, fiber is the ticket.
I am now going this route to my gate 600' away. I could beam wireless with a single carefully placed and pruned repeater station, but that requires intermediate power there.
6 watts idle, 12-48VDC is perfectly suited for solar. $90
Pick the house end switch to suit your needs.
Example 5 x 2.5 GbE plus SFP+ $50
Pair of multimode GB SFP good to 500 meters. $27
200 meter Multimode LC patch cable. $200

$367 for the gate link in my example.
 
iRONic said:
As long as you don’t have to be connected to the internet for it to work after the app is downloaded…?

Just a guess, no experience with it.
Click to expand...
skyking said:
I think the Apple TV will want the interwebs. Perhaps @Kaido can confirm.
Click to expand...

Some potentially good news: Depending on the vendor configuration, HA's Apple plugin does NOT require an Apple hardware hub for offline use!

www.home-assistant.io

HomeKit Bridge

Instructions on how to set up the HomeKit Bridge integration in Home Assistant.
www.home-assistant.io www.home-assistant.io

This depends on the ATX LED Hub's implementation:

1. Does it offer a pairing key or QR code? (local HomeKit pairing mode)
1. Does it require iCloud login? (Apple Cloud backend required)

Do you have access to the ATX hub web interface? The documentation doesn't specify the method they use. Which means:

1. Local pairing = HA direct
2. Cloud login = needs a relay middleman (~3w 4K ATV hub for $149) to talk to HA
 
you see what is going on in the build thread. I may build a network to connect it to in a couple of weeks, when I have a sheetrock crew working.
 
ChatGPT is rumored to have 200 people working on a smart speaker & smart lamp:

www.engadget.com

OpenAI will reportedly release an AI-powered smart speaker in 2027

OpenAI may release its first AI-powered consumer device in 2027.
www.engadget.com www.engadget.com

My family hates the latest Alexa AI update, so this would be pretty interesting! Our primary uses are:

1. Music (spotify)
2. TV control (Roku)
3. Smarthouse control (mainly lights)
4. Timers (litchen, laundry, schedules, etc.)
5. Asking questions (for quick information about different stuff)

They really need to just buy Sesame for proper voice interaction:

Sesame

app.sesame.com app.sesame.com

What would be great is to set it up like Apple Continuity with Voice ID per family member so you could seamless switch between your house speaker, phone, computer, car, etc.
 
Old school tricks for home theater.
Put in the electrical outlet up high behind the TV for that clean look.
PXL_20260225_170515880.jpg
But what about those unsightly wires dangling down to the rest of the gear?
In new construction, drop a conduit like this down the wall, or big Smurf tube. End it at outlet height so it is behind the gear.
PXL_20260225_170520509.jpg
Note the lack of low voltage boxes or mud rings. I do not want the sheetrock guys to work around them. Also note the small smurf going left and right.
These go through the walls to a good location for those big rear channel speakers.
PXL_20260225_170601849.jpg
I pulled the insulation aside to show. It will be left there and is referenced to that outlet next to it. If I want those locations, I cut them in with Caddy low voltage plates. PXL_20260225_170704572.jpg
I put in Catx runs the same way, leaving them behind the wall with service loops. I can choose to pull one out, and leave the other to the next location. Example.
This pair starts in my wife's sewing room/office. She *may* want a connection there.
PXL_20260225_170739560.jpg

It continues up the wall to the second floor main bedroom. Loops.
PXL_20260225_171028791.jpg

Then up the wall to a handy spot for a POE Access Point (AP).
PXL_20260225_171017689.jpg

So that pair of Catx is serving several possibilities.

Interior walls:
Spot a pair of drops where they could get cut into either room.'
PXL_20260225_170751522.jpg

Back to that TV. I have an equipment room below, so I ran a small smurf to the stud next to that electrical box,with a cat5 through it for a pull string and a cat6 next to it.
I can choose to leave all that behind the wall and just use wireless, or I can cut in the plate and access it.
PXL_20260225_172332547.jpg
 
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