Home Automation with Home Assistant

< Previous                                                                                              Next > The Overview page is the default 'dashboard'.  It is not very user friendly, but it is very useful, so we should leave it alone.  Instead I created a new 'dashboard' just for what I wanted. Go to Configuration -> Lovelace Dashboards. Here you can see all defined dashboards and create new ones. Lovelace is the "UI" for home assistant.  Engineers love to use abbreviations, "UI" is an abbreviation for 'User Interface'. Select   and enter a title.  I used "Door Controls".  You can also set an icon using any icon from  https://cdn.materialdesignicons.com/3.2.89/ .  Just prefix it with "mdi:" Once yo...

< Previous                                                                                              Next > Locking and Unlocking Locking the door is straightforward and easy. From the main 'Overview' page, select the 'Door' This will bring up a window with a link to 'unlock' and 'lock' the door. When you click these links the lock will either lock or unlock.  Note:  The computer and dongle must be relatively close to control the lock.  It may also take several seconds for the lock to react to a 'command' - like 'lock'. Setting a Code Setting a code is not as simple as locking and unlocking.  In fact, it is pretty esoteric. But - we got this. To set a user code, go to Developer Tools Select your lock from the 'Entity' drop...

< Previous                                                                                              Next > I initially just set the lock up and placed it on my desk. Setting the lock up was mostly a very simple manual process.  You have to add batteries, and plug the two sides together, but to see it work, that is really all.  You can work you way through the website -  https://www.kwikset.com/support/productdetail/912-smartcode-electronic-tustin-lever-with-z-wave-technology . Or you can just follow the directions -  https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/3d/3dbc5840-026f-4740-a22c-1ec2686c6e81.pdf  (another copy is here -  https://kwiksetprodstorage.blob.core.windows.net/documents/kw_is_5049718_912.pd...

< Previous                                                                                              Next > So Home Assistant is a free platform for automating your home. You did hear 'free' right? Like most free things, the cost is in learning how to make use of it.   But you are here reading this, so you have the benefit of someone else who has already done some initial work and is sharing it.  The absolute best way to reward me is to simply let me know that I helped you out. So I followed these directions:  https://www.home-assistant.io/getting-started/ Specifically, the part where you set up a Raspberry Pi.  Th...

< Previous                                                                                              Next > So the first step is to get the hardware to make things happen. Note on links: I have direct links to the hardware I used below.  I know people make money off links like these, but I do not even know how to make that work as of this writing.  I may figure it out later and if I do I might make money off the links.  However, this is written as a history of what I did to make this work, not a way to make money. I want a door lock that I can lock/unlock, and that has a keypad with multiple user codes. I know I need three t...

Next > TL:DR Set up an app to lock a door at your house, and to change codes on the lock from a web page or phone. Background I am getting started with home automation. For now, my want was 'simple'.  I want to have a way to change the codes on the door locks on the inside of my house using a web page, and/or a mobile device.  The interface has to be extremely simple. So I did research.  I am a techie guy, and a handy guy, so I figured that there had to be a solution out there, and I expected it to be 'wifi' enabled locks. I was (kind of) wrong.  The articles I read explained how wifi is too power greedy to be used in something like door locks that use battery technology.  In other words, the wifi locks exist, but you will be replacing batteries way too frequently for my taste. Ok, drat. So I know people are making their homes 'smart', how are they doing it? So I found some things called 'zwave' and zigbee' that are low-power alternatives to wifi ...