Home automation thread

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by Chick Webb

For the last several years we've had a pretty extensive SmartThings/Hue ecosystem running very effectively. Most lights are Hue, sensors and other devices are on SmartThings. Interface is the SmartThing app and Alexa. Extensive automations driven by a SmartThings app called WebCore. I would recommend it, but SmartThings is moving in the wrong direction and closing their ecosystem down to third-party apps like WebCore. When that happens I'll likely be moving over to Hubitat. HA is an option, as it can run in a Docker container on Synology. Not looking forward to re-doing everything, but the one thing I've learned about HA is that you're never done, you just move on to solving the next problem.

That's the same issue I'm having with Homekit. Always something wrong.

[ryan stewart]

Originally Posted by Chick Webb

For the last several years we've had a pretty extensive SmartThings/Hue ecosystem running very effectively. Most lights are Hue, sensors and other devices are on SmartThings. Interface is the SmartThing app and Alexa. Extensive automations driven by a SmartThings app called WebCore. I would recommend it, but SmartThings is moving in the wrong direction and closing their ecosystem down to third-party apps like WebCore. When that happens I'll likely be moving over to Hubitat. HA is an option, as it can run in a Docker container on Synology. Not looking forward to re-doing everything, but the one thing I've learned about HA is that you're never done, you just move on to solving the next problem.

If Smartthings goes to hell Im going to go to a locally process z-wave system like Homeseer. Setup my own code and routines and then just get the attachment to enable it to work with google assistant/IFTTT.

I tried some other stuff but eventually went all to z-wave+ because of the response/reliability since its a low frequency mesh system. Also frees up my wifi for my media functionality. I did just recently switch to the M1 Mac Mini for that and a controller for another system, its a little beast and sips juice.

[M_Six]

My issues appear to be more of a network issue than a platform issue. My weather station went offline tonight and it has no connection at all to Homekit. My wifi setup or my router setup needs some serious tweaking.

[ryan stewart]

Ive been a big fan of my asus mesh system: https://www.asus.com/us/content/zenwifi/

Admittedly most of my automation is on z-wave+ but I have IP cameras, a plex media server and 100% of my house TVs are wifi streaming only, WFH, have 7 of those google homes/screens, etc and its been rock solid for a couple years now. And if you run wired backhaul you can have two 5ghz networks and can isolate devices on it using binding.

Usually about 34 devices active at any given time and it has no issue streaming 4K HDR from a computer connected wirelessly to a remote node, wireless backhaul down to the other node, and then wirelessly to my TV.

*Oh snap, I even see where there is a new model with a 6ghz network, could run that backhaul for even higher performance.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by ryan stewart

Ive been a big fan of my asus mesh system: https://www.asus.com/us/content/zenwifi/

Admittedly most of my automation is on z-wave+ but I have IP cameras, a plex media server and 100% of my house TVs are wifi streaming only, WFH, have 7 of those google homes/screens, etc and its been rock solid for a couple years now. And if you run wired backhaul you can have two 5ghz networks and can isolate devices on it using binding.

Usually about 34 devices active at any given time and it has no issue streaming 4K HDR from a computer connected wirelessly to a remote node, wireless backhaul down to the other node, and then wirelessly to my TV.

*Oh snap, I even see where there is a new model with a 6ghz network, could run that backhaul for even higher performance.

Wired backhaul is my next project. I have all the parts to set up a MoCA system, I just haven't started putting them to use yet. All my coax cables terminate outside the house, so I need to set up a box out there and then get everything wired in.

[M_Six]

Does that Asus system allow you to have separate SSIDs for the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands?

[ryan stewart]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Does that Asus system allow you to have separate SSIDs for the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands?

Yes. And if you go wired backhaul you can have 3 SSIDs. You can also do binding to force devices onto specific nodes, so if you have one thats kind of in the middle you can test each node, find which is the best, and then tell the system to only connect that device to the better node.

Also does beamforming so when you move devices/nodes you can tell it to re optimize the signal.

About the only thing that isnt stellar about it is QoS, its service based and some people are concerned about security, I dont use it though.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by ryan stewart

Yes. And if you go wired backhaul you can have 3 SSIDs. You can also do binding to force devices onto specific nodes, so if you have one thats kind of in the middle you can test each node, find which is the best, and then tell the system to only connect that device to the better node.

Also does beamforming so when you move devices/nodes you can tell it to re optimize the signal.

About the only thing that isnt stellar about it is QoS, its service based and some people are concerned about security, I dont use it though.

I've about had it with the Decos. I finally got my Homekit stuff working as it should, but our wifi in the living room was balky. Streaming TV kept freezing and surfing was sometimes slow. So I rebooted the Deco mesh. The slowness in the wifi went away, but now my Homekit stuff isn't responding again. I'm using an app called Discovery to look for devices using Homekit Protocol (_hap._tcp.). Yesterday and earlier today all my devices were showing up there. Now there are only a few showing, which explains the large number of devices not responding. It's like the Decos suddenly aren't transmitting traffic properly.

The thing that really burns me about the Decos is the inability to separate the 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands into different SSIDs. That makes it nearly impossible to add new 2.4ghz widgets since my iPhone uses 5ghz if it's available. TP-Link could have made band separation possible, they just didn't. I have a thread open with them and today they suggested I download and install a beta firmware update. That sounds pretty risky to me.

[ryan stewart]

So that does remind me, a couple of notes about that 2.4ghz issues.

I was having TONS of issues with the nest connect I use for my nest front door lock. The connect would show connected on it but the app would lose it endlessly, but my router would show it connected and using data, etc. Nest send me a second one, etc. Running two eventually BOTH would eventually stop talking.

So one day I disabled the 2.4ghz on one node so only running one 2.4ghz node in the mesh and those stupid connects have been ROCK SOLID ever since. No issues with any other devices working between the two nodes with the same SSID in 5ghz but for some reason those nests could not handle it.

Having the 2.4ghz only on the upstairs node is fine since throughput was never an issue and the range is really good since the low frequency. The only things connected are those stupid connects, nest protects, nest thermostats, etc, which dont need throughput anyway.

[M_Six]

I tried turning off the 5ghz band on my mesh. It's all or nothing with the Decos. I can't go 2.4ghz on just one node. But I figured if the speed and stability on the 2.4ghz band was acceptable, I'd just leave the 5ghz turned off. But I couldn't get my iPhone to connect to the 2.4ghz band on the main wifi at all. I also have a 2.4ghz only guest wifi that my iPhone can see, but when it connects it has no internet access, so it defaults back to LTE. My old Airport Extreme system was better than this. I'm tempted to go back to it.

[ryan stewart]

I feel you man. When covid hit I was one of the first sent home and I thought I was gonna run out and setup a beast of a home network to replace my ancient ASUS/surfboard combo. I got the new DOCSIS3.1 Moto and tried the Netgear Nighthawk AX mesh system and it fucking SUCKED. WHen it worked it was fast as hell but it felt like such a damned beta, shit would fail in maddeningly unpredictable ways.

I finally said fuck this, my asus single node router worked for a decade without issue, going back to asus, but since in a bigger place still wanted mesh, so I ended up with this system (which was closer to $500 at the time as it was the newest). Dont regret it, a bad system is a bad system and since its not enterprise the tools and support never delivers on a resolution.

[M_Six]

Do you have a router sitting between your Asus mesh devices and your modem? Or are you letting the Asus handle router duties? I have a Ubiquiti Edgerouter 4 as the gateway to the internet. So it's cable modem => ER4 => TP-Link switch. My Decos are in AP mode with one wired to the switch. The network is flat (no VLANs) with just the 192.168.1.0/24 network. So I'm not sure if the issue with the multicast packets within the Homekit system lies with the Decos or with the ER4. The ER4 has the ability to run an mDNS repeater and an IGMP proxy, but neither of those should be needed on a flat network. And the Decos handle the IGMP traffic (supposedly). The Deco router options are pretty Mickey Mouse, so I'm not sure I want that to be the moat around my castle, so to speak.

[ryan stewart]

Just using Asus.