I just mix and match with tuya, sonoff, xiaomi since i use homeassistant to link them all

1) sensors I’ve been using xiaomi ones since i started and it just works
2) xiaomi cctv is ok lah, but a bit restricted. Browse other brands like foscam, hikvision, reolink where they provide much more controls/configuration for their ipcams
3) i only had 1 yeelight i bought a few years back, got tuya bulbs now at cheaper price and works just the same
6) get the ones using lidar for better mapping out your house and can clean anytime even in the dark
8) depends on your door lock type, tuya comes with lots of variation at affordable prices. But I’m holding out until their locks have proper integration in homeassistant.
As cryheart mentioned about xiaomi locks possibly getting hacked, instead of pairing to xiaomi hub you could just pair to your own zigbee coordinator instead.

There was ewelink server outage just last month affecting europe region. Might wanna consider making full local control of your smart devices with homeassistant

As for xiaomi/aqara ecosystem, got their homekit integration which tuya/ewelink don’t directly provide without some workaround (homebridge)

I’ve setup on pc, and raspberry pi
Rpi 4 is now limited stock it seems, actually got my 8gb rpi4 from carousell for like 240 which was really good deal last year

If you wanna just try it first, you can just reuse your old laptop/pc before you migrate

Only reason i use pc because some apps like face recognition (deepstack/compreface) needs x86 machines & using google coral m.2 pcie module (for frigate cctv).
Last year the google coral usb is mostly out of stock.
Even worse this year, the pcie, usb coral all takde

My priority was just getting frigate nvr to work without impacting cpu much since all the ai object detection is done locally with the coral edge tpu. Also, less false detection

The facial recognition is just something I’m messing around. If you point camera outdoor you can get alerts of exactly who is outside once it’s trained

LTT did a video using frigate last year, his device is overkill though (a few dozens edge tpu in 1 card)


Zigbee device -> zigbee coordinator > homeassistant
Wifi device -> cloud -> homeassistant

Some don’t like this reliance if the cloud goes down, like what happened to ewelink euro servers just dec last year.
Also, might impact your router if you have more devices connected.
There’s sonoff & tuya integration for respective devices

If you wanna go full local with wifi devices, can flash custom firmware like tasmota (requires esp chip). There’s also some challenge with that recently

1) if device is not using esp chip - what to do?
  a) find matching esp chip (esp12s)
  b) desolder onboard chip
  c) transplant esp


Basically less headache with zigbee devices if you plan to a do fully local setup

just ventured into HA.
tried running in VM (debian + HA) on my laptop.. just for venturing in HA 1st.. see how to use, programmed it, integrate smart switches.
manage to run it basically.

looking for Raspberry Pi 4 to run it.. minimal power usage for 24/7.
but problem is to get the Pi... if available, the price is also dem on high side.. 

Just get your old pc (if you have) installed with docker, then you can use docker to run firgate and HA containers.

my environment setup (a bit complicated but you don't have to use my setup)

3 x Ubuntu Server master nodes (1 x86 PC  + 2 ARM Single Board Computers)  running on Rancher K3S kubernetes cluster
Longhorn storage to mirror container persistent volumes between 2 x Ubuntu Server master nodes
Home Assistant containers running on K3S cluster
Frigate runs on docker container with Coral M.2 PCIe as AI image recognition accelerator
Nginx load balancer ingress engine to handle internet access to HA in K3S cluster
Cert-manager to mange my HA SSL certificate using duckdns.org free dynamic DNS

i would like to offer my second opinions.
remember u will now need to run the mini desktop 24x7x365xn-years.
mean now u need to consider the power consumption, the heat management and durability.

u might want to research on intel nuc/fanless/natural ventilation/nas grade hdd.

actually pi4 fit ur need, just that it is not suitable for cctv

Just need to confirm if it’s got mini pcie slot inside the mobo, the coral pcie is a lot cheaper (once restocked) than the usb coral

Depends on your cpu, object detection processing is just offloaded to the edge tpu. If you add like 8 cam to frigate running on latest i7 and if cpu hovers 30-50% then just keep adding more.

Yes, need used HA but are you ready to spent some time to play around with it?

😅 I think the looks quite subjective… but if I’m given a chance to redo my wiring… I’ll have all my switches hidden somewhere. I rarely press the mechanical switch nowadays.

Which one you’re planning to get? Silent enough during operation?
I think can use some zigbee quirks if not supported yet

What is the best way to run HA? How are you guys running HA ya?

Pi4?

Zemismart Curtains review

Just received Zemismart’s Matter curtains not too long back. Managed to unbox it and had a first impressions of the device.

1. The unboxing experience was good, no fluff. All the items inside the box were laid out in a presentable manner.

2. I got the 3 meter length curtain rails. In the Box, you will get 3 rails, one of which is the rail that mounts to your curtain motor. The other 2 are the extension rails. Theres one rail that is partitioned to short lengths that are tied together with clips. This allows you to fine tune the length that you need for the curtains. I found that the materials used for the rails to be solid and firm. Definitely not flimsy at all. Thumbs up for that.

3. The other items were the motor itself, which has an AC 2 prong input for power, which is connected to (in my case) a 3 pin 13A plug top. There’s also some screws with wall inserts, clips, a remote (CR2032 battery not included for shipping purposes), and an instruction manual. Theres a matter QR code on the motor, and also a QR code in the manual. Definitely take a photo of the QR code for safekeeping, and better yet, put it into a 3rd party app for posterity.

4. The installation was dead simple. Clip the extensions together to the desired length, and then twist the motor into its socket. Plug in the 13A supply to the motor, and your set. Once its powered up, just press the little button on the motor (named Set) and then click on the remote to pair. Note: prior to using the remote, make sure that you unclip the curtain lock latch, and pull both sides to the extreme ends of the rail, then lock it. This will ensure that the curtain motor will recognize the length of the curtains.

5. Pairing to your Home ecosystem. This being matter, it’s dead simple. You must have a Thread Border Router in your home, so in my case, it was a Apple Homepod Mini. To pair, just triple click the SET button on the motor, and then use your iPhone to scan the QR code. Note that you should update your iPhone’s software to the latest software at the time of this first look review, which is 16.6. The Homepod should also be updated to the latest firmware. I’m also on Homekit’s new architecture. Once i scanned the QR code, Apple Home app launched, and it showed the Zemismart as blinds. Then it just takes a minute or 2, and you’re able to select the room that you want to put it into, and rename the device. So so simple.

6. Once setup, you’re ready to use it. So simple. It’s like any other remote, but it operates without a 3rd party hub. So, click the remote, to open, close or to stop. Correspondingly, drag the slider in the Home app to whatever position you want it to open or close to. Couldn’t be simpler.

All in all, I’m pretty happy with these curtains. A must buy for the price that they’re charging, which is around a little over USD100. Recommended.

Budget wise, this one with tuya homekit hub and use homekit controller
Since you can’t pair with z2m or zha

Here's the mount and brackets. U can't see the linen bracket cos it's behind the curtain bracket

You're right, very keen eye.

I bought a 3 meter length rail, that can be adjusted to different lengths, short pieces that clip together.

The Zemismart and other manufacturers provide the same rollers to be used with conventional hooks

Since my curtains are button-hook type, I just transferred the rollers with their corresponding clips over to the Zemismart. So didn't need the ones that came with the Zemismart

And I took off the end fitting that overlaps each curtains cos my curtains are cut to length and to overlap would make them very ugly and stretch and not fold nicely

Everything is working nicely in Homekit, as these are matter over thread, and I've got the homepod mini as my matter thread border router. Can't control them in Google home cos I don't have a border router in Google home yet

Actually even cheaper than I recalled 😂. This was the first time I saw the S1E.


This shop quite responsive one lah, especially a few times wrong item delivery but this time kena ignored WTF 😅

I have 2x E1 (seller sent wrongly, but seller also resend me with new D1). Actually I prefer E1 design than D1, the E1 is easier to replace, no need to peel the case off from bottom like D1.

Yes, my entire home is smart switch (minus 1 of them is my storeroom LOL). Too bad Aqara no 20A switches, else I would change those too. just to have it looking similar .

I have a lot of switches to control those cabinet lights and ambient lighting... having smart switch makes it very easy to change different scenes. Rather than manually switching 1 by 1. My visitors always gets impressed when I change scenes LOL.

Normally I run the downlights, but when got visit I have a few different scenes especially at my living hall where different config of lights will be used.