
Home Assistant reads my garage door as a window blind and I think that's funny
Home Assistant reads my garage door as a window blind and I think that's funny
User: Hey, is there a home automation device that'll do this specific thing that I want?
Other Users: Oh yeah, there's things like this on Amazon *sends link* or you can get this on AliExpress *sends link* but the latter may take more fudging to get it work, although I--
*loud crashing sound in the distance, followed by more clattering before the door is SLAMMED open by a frantic nerd carrying a pile of breadboards*
Home Assistant User: HAVE YOU HEARD OF ESPHOME???
I think it's #HomeAssistant switching on my LED strip on power-on. (or maybe zigbee2mqtt...)
Over the past few days, I "channeled" my inner nerd into building an automated radiation detection system using open-source tools.
The device combines an ESP32 running #ESPHome for sensor data collection, my #HomeAssistant for centralized smart home integration, and #NodeRED for automating hourly Fediverse updates via a bot account
@Radiation_SL (since this Geiger counter is located in northern Germany ( #Schleswig )
Technical Breakdown:
Sensor: Radiation D-v1.1 (CAJOE) - radiation detector
Connectivity: ESP32 transmits via Wi-Fi to Home Assistant
Case: #3dPrinting the case (photo) - base is black and the lid is blue and shows the logo of "Fallout" (pc game/ TV series)
Automation: Node-RED flow formats data into ActivityPub messages
Decentralized Sharing: Posts include μSv/h readings
While this started as a hardware tinkering project, recent global events — nuclear rhetoric in conflict zones, aging power plants, and insufficient transparency in environmental monitoring — made me realize decentralized citizen science could play a crucial role.
Open-source tools eliminate single points of failure, and Fediverse integration ensures censorship-resistant data sharing.
Feel free to follow my bot account I mentioned above, if you are interested.
If I can find some time I will write a blogpost about the build process and link it in the bio / or just toot about it.
Stay informed about the latest radiation levels in northern Germany (in a small town called Schleswig) with this small and tiny bot.
It retrieves microsievert (µSv) data every hour from an #ESPHome device, seamlessly integrated with #HomeAssistant and #NodeRed.
This data is then forwarded to this #Sharkey instance, ensuring you receive timely updates on your social media feed.
Stay safe and stay informed!
Still puzzled why I can't get the #HomeAssistant UI to work when I'm on a separate subnet. I assume it's mDNS related but
Wow, this calendar card is awesome!
https://github.com/alexpfau/calendar-card-pro
#homeassistant
https://github.com/alexpfau/calendar-card-pro
@vwbusguy Thanks, but it seems they are still widely available. I guess people still have POTS and old wired phones. :)
But will have to wait a few days for hacking my hot water heater onto #HomeAssistant
'My wife asked why I carry a gun around the house.
I looked at her and said "Spyware". She laughed, I laughed, Alexa laughed, I shot Alexa, it was a good time."
#Amazon #spyware #Alexa #Echo #HomeAssistant
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/everything-you-say-to-your-echo-will-be-sent-to-amazon-starting-on-march-28/
@arstechnica that's why i use #homeassistant in a vlan without regular internet access.
A lot of people are talking about throwing #Amazon #Echo devices in the trash this second; in my timeline.
We did this back in February.
Got to say the #HomeAssistant voice boxes are totally usable. A little dumber than Alexa sans a llm, but perfectly adequate if you are like us and mostly just turn smart plugs on and off and check the weather. #HomeAssistantVoice #AmazonEcho #Alexa #Floss
I did something wrong in #HomeAssistant, maybe somebody knows how to fix it. I have a setup with speakers plugged in to the machine HAOS is running on, and a setup to play internet radio via those speakers. I also have those same speakers use text to speech for announcements and reminders. Both functions use VLC. Suddenly, any time it plays a text to speech, after it speaks, it plays whatever internet radio I had last been listening to. I switched from just play/pause to actual stop, no change.
Humidifier & Air Gradient (Open Hardware) Adventures
- I looked again to see if there is any recent HomeKit integration improvements for AirGradient, but it appears not. They have some old code that has not been modified for newer boards. https://github.com/gohai/airgradient-homekit#usage It's not really necessary at this time unless I want a smart plug for the humidifier to turn on automatically.
- If I really wanted to. could invest in a device like the Home Assistant Green dedicated to run Home Assistant out of the box, and as well as other services. It's a steep $100 compared to other cheaper boards that can run HA, but would save me some labor. The only board I have is a OrangePi Zero 2w with 1 GB of ram, where HA needs 2 GB.
https://www.home-assistant.io/green/
Humidifier & Air Gradient (Open Hardware) Adventures
- I was able to successfully set up the AirGradient alarm, designate AirGradient as a VIP contact, and get banner notifications to my phone and watch when AirQuality has stagnated around 560 or lower to close windows or 900 to open windows. Admittedly, I'm finding that this is a small margin, but there might not be much better ways of improving ventilation as a renter. I will have to accept the humidity losses during the day as inevitable.
- I experimented with opening my window in the evening past the lowest outdoor humidity dip to minimize humidity losses, then closed the space and turned my humidifier on for about two hours before bed. The air quality was above 1000 just around 1 am, so I slept in non-ideal conditions for 7 hours.
- I learned that I can add notes to my data and hope to do that more often for a few days to better remember when actions can be correlated to changes in data.
Home assistant; alexa replacement; voice/ "ai"
Pessima notizia per chi ama la #domotica:
Un ricercatore spagnolo ha trovato 29 comandi non documentati nel microchip #esp32 (della azienda cinese
#espressif ), che potrebbero essere usati per infettare altri dispositivi della rete.
Fonte:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/undocumented-backdoor-found-in-bluetooth-chip-used-by-a-billion-devices/
(New server, new #introduction .)
I'm a newcomer to #portland #pdx. I moved here after living in #austin #austinTX for over 30 years.
I'm interested in #openSource #linux #selfHosted #homeAutomation #homeAssistant
I advocate for #civicTech #openData #communityTech
I like #libraries #classicalGuitar
I occasionally post photos of #cooking, #bread, #pizza, and Franklin the #cat. You're welcome.