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 UNIFIED SMART HOME - GOOGLE HOME AND APPLE HOMEKIT, Connected home with no compromises

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iamsobloodysick
post May 13 2020, 09:37 AM

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Nice write up! Did you come across any 20A smart switch that pairs well with Terncy smart switch side-by-side? It doesn't look nice if I have Terncy ones everywhere except switches for water heater.
iamsobloodysick
post May 14 2020, 01:19 PM

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QUOTE(adamw @ May 14 2020, 12:58 PM)
If switch point not done yet can consider using this because deeper than those they are selling in our local electrical shop so easier to install smart switches.
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Can you please share the seller link?
iamsobloodysick
post Jun 7 2020, 12:29 AM

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QUOTE(kokhoong0624 @ May 13 2020, 08:06 PM)
Nope. Now my house switches look like this
[attachmentid=10490154]
Hahah please let me know if you find any that supports 20A or more. I'll update you if I know of any that supports high wattage too.
At the very start my requirement for the Connected Switch is the ability to be reliable and to integrate to Apple Homekit/Google Home, so I can add family members easily and they don't have to install a dedicated app like broadlink/xiaomi and register an account to take control.
I was considering Lutron Caseta switches... which cost around RM300-RM350... because of their reliability.
Then I seriously considered XiaoMi because Aqara is relatively affordable and can integrate to Homekit. But ultimately the lack of ethernet at the Hub, tons of reviews about intermittent connectivity and the max of 2 gang switches that cost around RM100 at the time I renovate made me chose Terncy instead.
I had a bad experience initially because I bought the Terncy switch from a non-official seller in Taobao to test in Malaysia before bulk purchasing. The app does not allow me to connect after trying for 2 hours+. Then I contacted the seller and the seller asked me to contact Terncy official store on Taobao myself.
To my surprise, their support is excellent and they even offer to send me another switch after I told them I reside in Malaysia and I can't return my original one. They reassure me that I don't have to return mine yet if the issue cannot be resolved. But thankfully it's just some firmware and app bugs.
With this kind of attitude I made my bet on them and bought 30+ switches at one go and they shave about 10% off the retail price which total around RM4k. When you take into account the 3-4gang prices its not that absurd when compared to the Aqara counterpart.

They are excellent. All my house switches are the neutral ones. They had been working so reliably for the past 6 months I have them and I have nothing to complain. Whenever I have any queries, their support is excellent and I always have my issues resolved in no time.
I feel like for a "smart home", the most important aspect and foundation is reliability and responsiveness, and Terncy really overachieved these two qualities and I think they are well worth the money I spent on them. I never ever have to try to restart the router or to tinker with the hub just to make things work in the past 6 months. The only "incident" I had is I bought a motion sensor from them and it came with a defect, and they promptly send me another one... Yeah.
I think currently my only complaint is the app is kinda... not optimised and not very user friendly. Little bugs here and there put me off from using their app as a daily driver. In this regards, Xiaomi one is probably better, but it doesn't matter if you use Google Home or Apple Homekit or HA.
I would recommend you to wait for them to have sales or discounts... or you can contact them via Shopee/taobao and see if they can offer you a discount if you doing bulk purchase.

As far as I know, Google Home local control and HomeAssistant is in development now and they will be released in the next few months? So if you need HA integration now I think the only option you have is Xiaomi one.
I haven't integrate into Google Home yet because local control is not possible.. and I am really spoilt with the speed and responsiveness of local control. hahaha will update once I get my Google Home running
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I've changed my mind. Terncy switches look nice but I want consistent look and feel.

I'm probably going for Simon switches / power sockets + Shelly relays. For 20A load I'm thinking about using contactors i.e. switch -> relay -> contactor -> load.

This post has been edited by iamsobloodysick: Jun 7 2020, 12:29 AM
iamsobloodysick
post Jun 7 2020, 08:37 PM

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QUOTE(adamw @ Jun 7 2020, 01:46 PM)
If you want consistency there are many types of 16/20A Smart Switches that matches those normal smart switch. Why go through the hassle of Shelly relays and "switch -> relay -> contactor -> load" for high amp switches.
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Many? I could only find one which has a glass finishing - https://shopee.com.my/20A-Smart-Wifi-Touch-...7179.2837158247.

 

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