Smart Doorbell

 I keep my Home Assistant instance up to date by ensuring I install the latest release once the second or third patch has been published. I have just updated to 2023.4.2  By  delaying updates I avoid the bugs that sometimes crop up in the initial release each month as new features are added. I only install the initial release if there is a fix I am waiting for or a new integration/feature I am really excited for. 

A new integration that was added in the 2023.1 release that peaked my interest was the integration with Reolink.  I already had a Reolink  camera setup as an RTSP camera, so testing out the new integration was easy. The only problem I had with it was that motion sensors integrated into Home Assistant was not consistently functioning. Home Assistant clearly informed me of the issue with basic steps to resolve the issue, but those steps didn't work.  This was due to my instance of Home Assistant using port 8123 with https and Lets Encrypt to use my own domain. 

I thought I was just stuck, but someone else posted the same issue to the Home Assistant sub-Reddit. Someone there suggested setting up a reverse proxy to get around the issue, in this post. Following a basic tutorial for that setup, restarting Home Assistant, and adding some additional firewall rules to re-direct 8123 externally to 443 internally resolved the issue. 

With my existing camera working I was able to see what all the fuss was about.  The motion, person, vehicle, and pet detection was simply awesome. All of that worked on the device without having to run processing on my raspberry pi or involve another server or service. 

I was so impressed with how it handled things I decided to start the process of converting my remaining cameras to Reolink, but saw their new doorbell that several youtubers have given glowing reviews recently was on sale. I purchased the wifi version to avoid having to run an additional POE run or replace my POE switch that is already at capacity with my current cameras. 

This device was almost as easy as installing a simple replacement button. The only additional step was to add a jumper in the chime. All told it took about 25 minutes to get physically installed and connected to the Reolink app. Adding it to Home Assistant and fine tuning the motion alert area and recording settings took a bit longer but I am very happy with the edge storage, batch FTP backup, and ability to control alerting from inside Home Assistant.  

Given how simple this was to setup I will probably be ordering the remaining cameras to tackle that project next week end so that I can get it done before the summer heat makes it a less appealing chore.

Date Time Helpers

I am trying to simplify my Home Assistant dashboard to be able to provide clear information without having to drill down into sensors. The first step forward in this goal has made me realize how great the helper entities for date/time are.  I have been able to add helpers to track the start and stop time of my car charger.  

This allows me to more easily guess how long is left till my car is charged. This isn't critical information as my car is a plug in hybrid, but I do sometimes find myself waiting for the charge to complete to run additional  errands a couple times a month.  I know some different EVs actually expose that info directly and whenever I show for a new vehicle I will keep that in mind. 

While I am not thrilled with the current display being and input text box for the helper entities it is much better than having to switch to my vehicle view and select the current sensor in order to manually check the history to find out when exactly I started charging.  These helpers are set when the current spikes and dips when the charging cycle starts/ends.

Additionally I have started to add helpers for routine chores that I sometimes forget to do on their proper cadence. This includes changing air filters, watering plants, and changing sheets.  I am still working out how to get notifications based on this tracking. So far my best plan is to have a separate days counter incremented in my midnight chron task and reset in the same NFC automation that sets the date/timestamp helper.

 

Cutting the Internet out of Smart Devices

For the last couple years I have made an effort to choose devices with local control whenever possible. I have decided to remove dependency on a constant internet connection from as much of my smart home as possible. At this point the devices I have that rely on internet are  a Nest thermostat, Shark vacuum, Withings bed sensor, Withings scale, Zmodo cameras, and Chamberlain myQ garage door opener. 

The first step in this journey was the most mission critical, my home thermostat. After looking at the various options I settled on the Centralite Zigbee based option. This has allowed me to have completely local control. 

While I do miss the nice information that Nest provided, if I really want to I can re-create any of those features locally. The one feature that I really need to replicate is the reminders for changing the air filters.

The next step in cutting my dependency on the internet will probably be using Esphome to create a custom garage door opener.