Must-have CHEAP smart devices for Homey: Post your suggestions here!

Pete · January 2016

Topic says it all, people - please feel free to recommend any cheap(ish), Homey-compatible device in this thread. Since this forum caters to an international audience, please keep in mind that links to product pages are necessary in order for everyone to place orders. Consider using this template:

Product: Product name (i.e. "Smart Power Switch")
Price: Price tag (provide currency, i.e. "€49.99")
Short description: Z-wave power switch with an open API suitable for a Homey network

tommyjay · January 2016

This topic is exactly what I've asked @Emile about a few times in the past months. I'm sure that when the Athom website gets the promised new look, that a page like this will be featured.

Phuturist · January 2016

tommyjay said:

This topic is exactly what I've asked @Emile about a few times in the past months. I'm sure that when the Athom website gets the promised new look, that a page like this will be featured.

Why would Athom create a page for cheap smart devices? What Pete is suggesting is something different then a device compatibility list which might eventually make it to the website or wiki for Homey. It would be nice to see some good examples for using (cheap) smart devices for inspiration purposes. If they support one of the supported protocols then chances are Homey can control them.

tommyjay · January 2016

But anyway, as of me, I live in Prague, and I really don't have too much money to spend, but I have invested in this:

Solight 433Mhz plugs (cheapest option) - $25 for 3
433Mhz LEDs (recommended by Emile) $17 for controller
IR LEDs (complete kit) $32 for 10m kit
Flic.io Wireless BT button - nicer then a 433Mhz doorbell - $35 each
ThinkingCleaner (already supported) - Give WiFi to your Roomba - 99E

I want to further invest into cheap but functional devices. Anything I buy must be compatible with Homey.
I have an ever growing list, some things are DIY (Arduino style), some things are just random like for example:

I'm also a backer of several IoT crowdfunders that I hope will work with Homey:

Nuki.io Smart lock - 200E
Eight Sleep - smart mattress cover - $250
MonKey Intercom - give your intercom internet capabilities. 80E
Qube light bulbs - Affordable WiFi & BT lightbulb - $19 each

RobertLijkendijk · January 2016

robbshop.nl (Dutch domotica web shop) is having a sale at this moment. This is a nice discount:

http://www.robbshop.nl/greenwave-systems-z-wave-powernode-6-np310-f-demo

Phuturist · January 2016

RobertLijkendijk said:

robbshop.nl (Dutch domotica web shop) is having a sale at this moment. This is a nice discount:

http://www.robbshop.nl/greenwave-systems-z-wave-powernode-6-np310-f-demo

Thanx for this, I was considering buying an extra one and this deal pulled me over the line. These 6 socket bricks by Greenwave are one of a kind as far as I have been able to figure out.

MarcoF · January 2016

Phuturist said:

tommyjay said:

This topic is exactly what I've asked @Emile about a few times in the past months. I'm sure that when the Athom website gets the promised new look, that a page like this will be featured.

Why would Athom create a page for cheap smart devices? What Pete is suggesting is something different then a device compatibility list which might eventually make it to the website or wiki for Homey. It would be nice to see some good examples for using (cheap) smart devices for inspiration purposes. If they support one of the supported protocols then chances are Homey can control them.

Emile mentioned some time ago that the had an idea to create some sort of wizard/shop for domotica stuff.

honey · January 2016

I found this funny:
http://www.robbshop.nl/manufacturers/homey-uk

Image: https://forum.athom.com/uploads/editor/5t/wj36j4vifrnv.jpg

Already out of stock? It was surely a limited edition.

And why is it called Homey UK...

Phuturist · January 2016

MarcoF said:

Phuturist said:

tommyjay said:

This topic is exactly what I've asked @Emile about a few times in the past months. I'm sure that when the Athom website gets the promised new look, that a page like this will be featured.

Why would Athom create a page for cheap smart devices? What Pete is suggesting is something different then a device compatibility list which might eventually make it to the website or wiki for Homey. It would be nice to see some good examples for using (cheap) smart devices for inspiration purposes. If they support one of the supported protocols then chances are Homey can control them.

Emile mentioned some time ago that the had an idea to create some sort of wizard/shop for domotica stuff.

My guess is that Emile got some other priorities for at least a couple of months ...

Nienix · January 2016

For the engineers: https://iprototype.nl/products/components/communications

tommyjay · January 2016

Phuturist said:

tommyjay said:

This topic is exactly what I've asked @Emile about a few times in the past months. I'm sure that when the Athom website gets the promised new look, that a page like this will be featured.

Why would Athom create a page for cheap smart devices? What Pete is suggesting is something different then a device compatibility list which might eventually make it to the website or wiki for Homey. It would be nice to see some good examples for using (cheap) smart devices for inspiration purposes. If they support one of the supported protocols then chances are Homey can control them.

I think mainly because there are at least a few people like me. I want to utilize Homey to the maximum potential... I live in a small studio apartment and don't have a whole house to experiment with, and Homey will be my first home automation controller, and actually because of Homey I've started investing into these things. I mean I've always dreamt of sic-fi home automation and everything being automatic, but I can't afford to put 5000E into getting started... Because of Homey I started looking at how to cheaply do some automation, like 230V devices (so I bought the Slight 433 plugs) and so on. It's a start, and having a guide would really help and be much appreciated!

ThijsDeJong · January 2016

tommyjay said:

Phuturist said:

tommyjay said:

This topic is exactly what I've asked @Emile about a few times in the past months. I'm sure that when the Athom website gets the promised new look, that a page like this will be featured.

Why would Athom create a page for cheap smart devices? What Pete is suggesting is something different then a device compatibility list which might eventually make it to the website or wiki for Homey. It would be nice to see some good examples for using (cheap) smart devices for inspiration purposes. If they support one of the supported protocols then chances are Homey can control them.

I think mainly because there are at least a few people like me. I want to utilize Homey to the maximum potential... I live in a small studio apartment and don't have a whole house to experiment with, and Homey will be my first home automation controller, and actually because of Homey I've started investing into these things. I mean I've always dreamt of sic-fi home automation and everything being automatic, but I can't afford to put 5000E into getting started... Because of Homey I started looking at how to cheaply do some automation, like 230V devices (so I bought the Slight 433 plugs) and so on. It's a start, and having a guide would really help and be much appreciated!

+1

mistercage · January 2016

RobertLijkendijk said:

robbshop.nl (Dutch domotica web shop) is having a sale at this moment. This is a nice discount:

http://www.robbshop.nl/greenwave-systems-z-wave-powernode-6-np310-f-demo

nice, just bought myself 2 power nodes !

tunf · January 2016

For thermostat:
http://www.amazon.de/Max-99017-MAX-Heizkörperthermostat-weiß/dp/B004W1PSNC/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1453017886&sr=8-7&keywords=zigbee (no experiance myself)

or
http://www.amazon.de/eQ-3-142016A1-MAX-Heizkörperthermostat-basic/dp/B014VHFPXO/ref=pd_sim_60_9?ie=UTF8&dpID=31dQKyL6E-L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=0359BB3XDJHP32RXCA77

tunf · January 2016

Door contact:
http://www.amazon.de/Max-99023-MAX-Fensterkontakt/dp/B004W1PTYU/ref=pd_sim_60_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=31m5a3-e4SL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=105N80JNG3KACKVJR899#productDetails
(no experiance myself)

tunf · January 2016

Wireless switches or sockets;
http://www.amazon.de/LightwaveRF/b/ref=bl_dp_s_web_3718165031?ie=UTF8&node=3718165031&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=LightwaveRF

Wimstradamus · January 2016

i wonder if they work without the hub, and direct to homey.
Anyone got experience or better google search results?

Found this on amazon:

Question: Can I use this MAX radiator thermostats work on HomeMatic® CCU2 ( without MAX -Cube) ?? Or has which are similar to the frequency ago did not ?
Answer: Not compatible ( 99 % sure)

and it is zigbee protocol with is not yet used by homey.

fuzzybear · January 2016

I thought the communication was 868 MHZ Maybe this helps http://blog.hekkers.net/2011/08/29/unravelling-the-elv-smax-heating-control-system-protocol/
I believe the person who wrote this blog is also a member of this forum and will be getting a homey in the near future so maybe there is a good chance this will work in the future. More info and details for intergration can be found here https://developer.mbed.org/users/charly/notebook/reading-a-max-wireless-window-sensor-with-rfm22-an/

Fire69 · January 2016

tunf said:

Wireless switches or sockets;
http://www.amazon.de/LightwaveRF/b/ref=bl_dp_s_web_3718165031?ie=UTF8&node=3718165031&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=LightwaveRF

LightwaveRF is not supported by Homey.

tunf · January 2016

i thought that homey was the ultimate connection hub, nog zigbee, no lightwaverf... had hoped for more support already.

phil_s · January 2016

I also thought zigbee is supported?! In the Homepage are 7 radios listed. Z-Wave and Zigbee ! Is this mit true? I ordered homey because of these 7 ways of Communications between the devices. I Wonder what can homey from what athom told us?!

Wimstradamus · January 2016

fuzzybear said:

I thought the communication was 868 MHZ Maybe this helps http://blog.hekkers.net/2011/08/29/unravelling-the-elv-smax-heating-control-system-protocol/
I believe the person who wrote this blog is also a member of this forum and will be getting a homey in the near future so maybe there is a good chance this will work in the future. More info and details for intergration can be found here https://developer.mbed.org/users/charly/notebook/reading-a-max-wireless-window-sensor-with-rfm22-an/

Zigbee is also on the 868Mhz like z-wave but different protocol. (correct me if im wrong)

zigbee hardware is on board, but the software is not yet implemented (as far as i know)
"Emile Administrator, Athom

December 2015

And that's the problem with Zigbee (and the reason we haven't implemented it yet), devices' lack of support of the official standard."

Fire69 · January 2016

tunf said:

i thought that homey was the ultimate connection hub, nog zigbee, no lightwaverf... had hoped for more support already.

Don't think they ever said LightwaveRF was supported.
Zigbee will be implemented in the future. See the Trello timeline.

rvdm · January 2016

Fire69 said:

tunf said:

i thought that homey was the ultimate connection hub, nog zigbee, no lightwaverf... had hoped for more support already.

Don't think they ever said LightwaveRF was supported.
Zigbee will be implemented in the future. See the Trello timeline.

http://www.rs-online.com/designspark/electronics/blog/control-wireless-mains-sockets-with-arduino-and-raspberry-pi

Build it

fuzzybear · January 2016

Wimstradamus said:

fuzzybear said:

I thought the communication was 868 MHZ Maybe this helps http://blog.hekkers.net/2011/08/29/unravelling-the-elv-smax-heating-control-system-protocol/
I believe the person who wrote this blog is also a member of this forum and will be getting a homey in the near future so maybe there is a good chance this will work in the future. More info and details for intergration can be found here https://developer.mbed.org/users/charly/notebook/reading-a-max-wireless-window-sensor-with-rfm22-an/

Zigbee is also on the 868Mhz like z-wave but different protocol. (correct me if im wrong)

zigbee hardware is on board, but the software is not yet implemented (as far as i know)
"Emile Administrator, Athom
December 2015
And that's the problem with Zigbee (and the reason we haven't implemented it yet), devices' lack of support of the official standard."

This is true but zigbee also communicates in the 2.4 Ghz spectrum with 16 channels. This is not mentioned in the specs for the elv max so I think it's unlikely that is uses zigbee.

Wimstradamus · January 2016

Just saw on Trello there working on EQ3 app that is the company from the Max thermostat an doorsensor posted above.

Motha · January 2016

Wimstradamus said:

Just saw on Trello there working on EQ3 app that is the company from the Max thermostat an doorsensor posted above.

Aye, that sparked my interest as well. Reminds me I still have to place my EQ3 vote there. Please do so as well if you're an EQ3 user! See https://trello.com/c/cx735hGH/17-eq3. Glad the dev team placed it on list. This gives me (more) hope for future support.

The protocol is not open, but has been reverse engineered enough by other projects (FHEM, OpenHAB, etc) to be able to produce a working solution for Homey as well. I would be willing to help a bit with coding and financing for EQ3 (sometimes called ELV) support.

As for the product, I'm a very satisfied customer, using 5 radio thermostats and 3 open door sensors for 5 rooms. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for an affordable smart thermostat solution. My set was based on a €130 combo kit (2 stats, 2 door sensors, amongst other things: https://www.conrad.de/de/eq-3-max-funk-heizungssteuerung-set-806616.html), extended with seperate items. Financially, the investment will repay itself by saving me energy bills.

I love the Eco button, setting all to low when leaving the house, all back to auto control when entering the house. The door sensors can be used as a DIY alarm system. Thermometers in every room (not too useful during wintertime, they are close to the radiators). And last but not least: Smart zone control, controlling seperate rooms instead of a complete house. Most more expensive alternatives lack this option as well.

Endless possibilities for home(y) automation projects, a true must have for the affordable list. That's why Homey staff placed it there, I reckon. And owning a set themselves of course

One downside in my case: I needed 5 adapters to fit them on my Comap radiator valve mounts. Choosing shiny and strong metal ones (https://www.conrad.nl/nl/thermostaatadapter-geschikt-voor-radiator-comap-560384.html) set me back an extra €50. Cheaper plastic solutions exist, but I'd choose the same ones again if I had to.

keverjeroen · January 2016

I'm curious if the wireless 433-fire(smoke) detectors will work with Homey. Some examples here (NL): https://www.conrad.nl/nl/rookmelders-brandmelders-o0801039.html?filterBijzonderheden=koppelbaar&sort=Price-asc&productsPerPage=24

For example, the Flamingo's work great with Domoticz: http://www.amazon.de/koppelbarer-Rauchmelder-Testtaste-Batterie-FA21RF-4/dp/B00SB53ZM6/ref=sr_1_11?s=diy&srs=1682092031&ie=UTF8&qid=1453453071&sr=1-11

I would like to make a scene like:
- If fire/smoke detected
- then turn on lights
- and send notification to phones

Yamahaa · January 2016

There might be one problem. When 433 smoke alarm detect smoke they spam the frequency to allarm the other connected smoke alarms. At that way the frequency 433 is spammed and olmost usable for domotica on that frequency.....keep that in mind. Other frequency to turn on lights is possible...

Must-have CHEAP smart devices for Homey: Post your suggestions here!

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