home assistant News - Page 5 of 13 - CNX Software

January 10, 2024January 10, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Emporia Vue Gen 2 energy monitor ships with 16 CT clamps, supports single and three-phase power

We’ve just written about the “Smart Powermeter” measuring the power consumption of AC appliances through six CT clamps and running either ESPHome or Arduino firmware on ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth microcontroller. Some people asked about tri-phase and having more CT clamps. One of the commenters then recommended readers to look at the Emporia Vue energy monitor that ships with 16 CT clamps for individual devices/rooms, two 200A CT clamps for whole house monitoring, and supports single-phase up to 240VAC line-neutral, single, split-phase 120/240VAC, and three-phase up to 415Y/240VAC (no Delta). So let’s do that now. Emporia Vue Gen 2 specifications: Connectivity – 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 Probes 2x 200A current sensors for service mains; 3.5mm plug; dimensions: 65 x 44 x 41mm 16x 50A current sensors to individually monitor air conditioner, furnace, water heater, washer, dryer, range, etc; 2.5mm plug, dimensions: 41 x 23 x 26; accurate from ±2% […]

December 19, 2023December 19, 2023 by Supachai Vorapojpisut - 9 Comments

Seeed Studio mmWave sensor kit – Part 1: unboxing and first impression with ESPHome and Home Assistant

mmWave Human Detection Sensor Kit Review Home Assistant

Excited to share my first review, written for CNX Software! This time, we’re diving into the Seeed Studio mmWave Human Detection Sensor Kit, which harnesses the power of mmWave radar. The technology I’m particularly interested in for its smart home potential. Therefore, I jumped at the chance when CNX Software offered a product review opportunity. The kit arrived promptly at my doorstep just one week after accepting CNX Software’s offer. Here are my initial findings of the product and its capabilities to replace existing motion detection products. Unboxing the mmWave sensor kit I opened the DHL box and found the neatly bubble-wrapped mmWave Human Detection Sensor Kit. Alongside the kit, I discovered a bonus: the MR60FDA1 60GHz mmWave Sensor – Fall Detection Module Pro. This higher-frequency module boasts better resolution and even adds a fall detection feature compared to the kit’s included module, the MR24HPC1. However, the MR24HPC1 24GHz mmWave Sensor […]

December 15, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Silicon Labs partners with Nabu Casa to support Home Assistant development

Silicon Labs has entered an official partnership with Nabu Casa, the company behind the popular Home Assistant home automation software, to support the development of Home Assistant open-source software and Silicon Labs-based hardware platforms. Most open-source embedded software projects start as a one-person (or a small team) effort as the vendor-provided firmware and related software may not have the features set needed by this user or group of users. So they hack existing hardware to build something that better fits their requirements often without input/help from the silicon vendor or product manufacturer. But sometimes the project becomes popular enough that large companies start to help it with support and funding. That’s apparently the case for Home Assistant project with Silicon Lans and Nabu Case entering an official partnership. The announcement does not provide details about the partnership but explains this should lead to better support and improvements for both Home […]

December 11, 2023December 9, 2023 by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments

RoomSense IQ – An ESP32-S3 modular room monitor with mmWave radar presence detection (Crowdfunding)

RoomSense IQ is a modular room monitor for presence-based home automation based on the ESP32-S3 module with Bluetooth Wi-Fi connectivity. It uses physical presence detection to automate your smart home devices. It comes with multiple sensors that can be used to detect human activity and track ambient light, temperature, and humidity levels. It uses mmWave radar technology to determine when rooms are empty and when they are occupied. It also features built-in temperature, humidity, and light sensors for indoor climate monitoring and control. Rather than relying on schedules, or voice detection, RoomSense IQ triggers automations or alerts based on whether people are in a room or not. It is therefore possible to set it to automatically turn off lights or air conditioning in rooms that are empty to save on energy. In addition, the device offers distance to target measurement that can be adjusted to trigger certain actions. RoomSense IQ […]

November 30, 2023November 30, 2023 by Paisit Wongsongsarn - 13 Comments

Review of SONOFF BASICR4 Smart Switch and S-MATE2 Smart Remote Control

Sonoff SMATE-2 + BASICR4 automation demo

We’ve received two new devices from SONOFF for testing, namely the BASICR4 Smart Switch and the S-MATE2 Smart Remote Control. For those familiar with SONOFF devices, the Basic series is well-known as it was one of the initial products SONOFF introduced to the Smart Home market. It’s a Wi-Fi switch that can be used for various purposes, including controlling lights, fans, and other electrical devices. The BASICR4 model enhances capabilities while reducing costs compared to its predecessor. The S-MATE2, on the other hand, is the second version of a simple Remote Controller powered by batteries. It wirelessly connects to other SONOFF devices that support the eWeLink Remote Gateway feature, enabling full control within the same ecosystem. This expands its usability across different devices. Let’s delve into the details. SONOFF BASICR4 Introduction The Basic series has been a long-standing Wi-Fi Switch family allowing control of electrical devices through the eWeLink app […]

November 22, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Theengs Bridge BLE to MQTT gateway supports Home Assistant, OpenHAB, Jeedom, NodeRed, and more

The Theengs Bridge is a new WiFi & Ethernet BLE to MQTT gateway running the open-source OpenMQTTGateway firmware, compatible with a range of sensors, and supporting Home Assistant, OpenHAB, Jeedom, NodeRed, and other MQTT-compatible systems. It follows the Theengs Plug smart socket introduced at the beginning of the board with many of the same features (minus the socket part…) but adds Ethernet and an external antenna for improved range, and improves modularity with a Grove I2C connector and mounting holes for a LoRa-E5-based Grove module and a prototyping area where you can solder your own circuitry with DIP components. Theengs Bridge specifications: Wireless module MCU – ESP32 microcontroller with WiFi and Bluetooth Storage – 8MB flash PCB antenna and u.FL antenna connector Connectivity 10/100M Ethernet RJ45 port 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE with 6dBi 50Ohm external antenna Optional LoRa module via Grove I2C connector MQTT protocol Expansion – […]

October 29, 2023October 29, 2023 by Paisit Wongsongsarn - 17 Comments

Review of RaZberry 7 Pro Z-Wave Raspberry Pi HAT and Z-Uno2 Z-Wave board

Z-Wave.Me has sent us a couple of Smart Home devices based on Z-Wave technology for review, namely the RaZberry 7 Pro Raspberry Pi HAT and the Z-Uno2 board. The Swiss company has primarily developed Z-Wave products for years and is a member of the Z-Wave Alliance. For those who are concerned about the issues of signal interference in the 2.4GHz range (WiFi, Zigbee, Bluetooth, and Thread), Z-Wave technology is an excellent choice because it operates on a less congested frequency range of 800-900MHz and the technology has been around for more than 20 years, resulting in a wide variety of Z-Wave devices available in the market, and they can work well together across different brands due to a proper certification process which is another advantage when compared to other protocols. The two devices we received are RaZberry 7 Pro, which is a shield that plugs into the 40-pin GPIO header […]

October 25, 2023October 26, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

SONOFF SNZB-06P Zigbee human presence sensor is based on a 5.8GHz microwave radar

SONOFF SNZB-06B human presence detection sensor

ITEAD has launched a new Zigbee sensor with the SONOFF SNZB-06P designed to detect human presence using a 5.8GHz microwave radar whose main advantage over a traditional PIR motion sensor is the ability to detect stationary persons since this type of sensor can detect breathing. You’ll need a Zigbee Hub from SONOFF such as the NSPanel Pro or SONOFF iHost, or from other manufacturers, for instance, the Amazon Echo Plus 2nd generation, or simply use a Zigbee USB dongle such as the SONOFF ZBDongle-E connected to a host like a Raspberry Pi. Configuration and control is done through the usual eWelink app for Android or iOS. SONOFF SNZB-06P specifications: MCU – Silicon Labs EFR32MG22 wireless microcontroller Human presence sensor 5.8GHz microwave radar Sensitivity configurable from 2.5 meters to 4 meters Wireless – Zigbee 3.0 (router type) up to 30 meters Misc – Red LED, magnetic base, button Power Supply – […]