Getting set-up right from the start

flogen

Hey folks;

I've no IoT devices in the house at the moment but am hoping to add a few things soon - likely starting with a bit of lighting & heating controls and seeing where I go from there.

I'm just wondering if there's a particular route I should go in order to ensure I'm starting off on the right foot, and not forcing myself to have to go back and change/upgrade certain pieces of kit down the line because they're too limited etc.

I'm particularly thinking of the likes of the bridges/gateways... is it the case that you can buy one here that will work with different brands or would I need to buy multiple ones as I add devices?

We're an iOS-heavy household so HomeKit compatibility will be important - though obviously I'd like to set it up so that we're not boxing ourselves off from other platforms too (my understanding is that most HomeKit-compatible stuff will work fine with Google Home or Alexa... but it's not guaranteed to be the case in the other direction).

Thanks in advance.

?Cee?view

flogen wrote: »

Hey folks;

I've no IoT devices in the house at the moment but am hoping to add a few things soon - likely starting with a bit of lighting & heating controls and seeing where I go from there.

I'm just wondering if there's a particular route I should go in order to ensure I'm starting off on the right foot, and not forcing myself to have to go back and change/upgrade certain pieces of kit down the line because they're too limited etc.

I'm particularly thinking of the likes of the bridges/gateways... is it the case that you can buy one here that will work with different brands or would I need to buy multiple ones as I add devices?

We're an iOS-heavy household so HomeKit compatibility will be important - though obviously I'd like to set it up so that we're not boxing ourselves off from other platforms too (my understanding is that most HomeKit-compatible stuff will work fine with Google Home or Alexa... but it's not guaranteed to be the case in the other direction).

Thanks in advance.

I'm in exactly the same boat. I occasionally look through the threads here but have no idea where to start. I'll watch the replies to this one with great interest. Thanks!

bk

flogen wrote: »

I'm particularly thinking of the likes of the bridges/gateways... is it the case that you can buy one here that will work with different brands or would I need to buy multiple ones as I add devices?

You will likely need multiple bridges for different devices. The idea of one bridge to rule them all is a great concept, but until now it has been a complete failure.

You are best off just focusing on getting the best device for each job and integrating them at a higher level with Homekit, GHome, Alexa, Stringify, IFTTT, etc.

flogen wrote: »

We're an iOS-heavy household so HomeKit compatibility will be important - though obviously I'd like to set it up so that we're not boxing ourselves off from other platforms too (my understanding is that most HomeKit-compatible stuff will work fine with Google Home or Alexa... but it's not guaranteed to be the case in the other direction).

Pretty much. Apple Homekit has very strict security and encryption requirements, that mean only gear designed with it in mind will typically work. GHome and Alexa on the other hand have far less stringent requirements.

So yes, gear the works well with Homekit, also normally works with everything else too (though I'm sure there are some exceptions).

Beyond that, it really depends on what you want to do?

It is best to figure out what problem you are trying to solve and then look at the available solutions. However here are some recommendations based on my own experience:

- Smart Lighting - Philips Hue ecosystem is fantastic, it works really well with Homekit and pretty much everything else too.

- Smart Thermostat - Netatmo works well with Homekit and also works with Alexa and IFTTT. Plenty of other good systems if you have a more complicated heating setup.

paulbok

Find yourself a place for a mini comms room/press.
As bk mentioned, you will probably end up with a few hubs/ bridges and ideally this should be central in the house so your router can go there to avoid dead spots in coverage.

Allow plenty of space in it initially as you will probably also need a lan switch for all the hub's, nas drive and God knows what other, "I have to have it" gizmo that you get your head turned with on this forum.
Also allow for lots of power sockets for the same reasons.

You can't really go wrong with the Philips Hue lighting system to begin with, easy to install and use. However before dropping €50+ on each bulb, consider for each room if you just want to control the (existing) lights rather than having colour scenes. I put 3 colour lights in my kitchen and only ever use the white light with it. Probably would have been better off with a relay just to control and dim the existing cheaper standard led bulbs. Colour though is highly recommended for living rooms and bedrooms.

Have a good read of the various threads on heating controls here. If you only require one or two controlled zones, then nest or similiar will be your man. Multiple zones will require something like lightwaverf or Evohome.

After that it won't matter, you'll be hooked like the rest of us and will end up looking for smart versions of mundane things such as kitchen press child locks.

And don't be afraid to ask for advice here.

flogen

Thanks for that folks. Shame that there's no single hub/bridge that can handle everything but I guess it'll be good to give my router's ethernet ports something to do!

Think I'm going to start with the Hue in a few rooms and see what happens. Also eyeing up the Netatmo for the heating, though need to figure out how to safely get rid of the wired timer that's currently there.