Happy Saturday everyone! Hope it's a blinder. If you're interested in any of these products they are listed below!... BUY THE PRODUCTS FEATURED IN TODAY'S VIDEO As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. By buying through any of the links below I will earn commission at no extra cost to you :) Amazon UK: 20% discount code: PAULBL20 Sensor Kit : amzn.to/3UXCBSS More FastCon Products: amzn.to/49zEqKb Amazon US: 20% discount code: PAULBL20 Sensor Kit : amzn.to/3IjD4ra More FastCon Products: amzn.to/49XjFYZ Broadlink Amazon Stores UK: amzn.to/3TbjJig US: amzn.to/49Ecuoa
I had to watch that clip several times to admire how well he did it. He was literally there in the film because of time travel and a special security pass to be on set.
The fact that the Broadcom BLE Fastcon stuff is closed is the biggest annoyance for me as a HA user (#thrust) I bought the starter kit after your video showing the BLE bulbs some time back with the hope to use them via HA. There's some work being done to integrate which requires flashing an ESP32 with particular firmware which I'm hopeful for, as this will make this lot really useful in 1001 ways
Oh god. Is it provided over the BT copper line? If so they MUST stop doing that. It tells the Exchange equipment that the line is unstable and it recalculates and lowers the broadband speed to try to get the service to stabilise. 😬
@@paulhibbert thankfully, no. They use Virgin Media. Even so, you're supposed to keep it on for 24/7 firmware updates and the like. There's just no telling them! 🙄
@@nate_river_ Well they are going to have to change their ways soon if they have a BT landline phone because Openreach are switching to digital only phone lines and that will require a continuous internet connection to operate.
@@paulhibbert agreed, it will be a slow but steady price increase for all services eventually. I noticed amazon prime video now has ads unless you pay extra for it.
I really enjoyed this video, thank you, been watching your videos for a while now. I also live in the UK. I'd love to see a video about running a totally local home assistant setup and the best/cheapest products to achieve it. So many products out there and its hard to know which ones work in home assistant and are cheap/good
@@paulhibbertThe same thing for Hubitat would be amazing, I’ve recently started using one and struggle with getting things working as I would like? Thanks for the vids, entertainment every Saturday morning 😂
Actually, the Ikea smarthome devices do this already for years with Zigbee and you don't need a hub as long you are using Ikea devices. If you want support other Zigbee devices you'll need a Zigbee hub. However the Ikea stuff is very affordable and as if better than average quality. I especially love the magnetic Ikea dimmer which costs only 8 dollars. It's a simple on /off rocker switch design, but is support bot both positions the short and long press gestures. short presses turn the light(s) on or off, while long presses changes the brightness. But when you write your own home control software, you can also intercept these button events if you want and use them to your liking...
Did you know you can also use a Philips Hue hub to manage your Ikea Tradfri bulbs? I have both and found that the Tradfri bulbs are more stable on Home Assistant if I pair them with the Hue hub. As for the rocker switches, I find the Tradfri and Rodret both to be unreliable in my setup.
MORE hilarious cutaway gags. I love this channel. I watch it every week, and I love it so much. It would be horrible if he'd just review the thing. Constant cutaway gag, after cutaway gag. Perfect use of my time. I love it!
Unless something has changed in the past 6 months, the gen 1 hue bridges still work. They are merely limited to local control. If you are about local only and no cloud then no problem there. Though im not sure if those devices get any updates for newer devices. My guess is no, so your point is still likely valid.
Nice video. No wonder the motion sensor sold out everywhere. I've had one for some time, love it. I have door sensors on my closet lights, love them. I would like to see a HA or HE integration. Cheapest RGBWW bulbs on the market that don't use wifi. Battery life on these sensors is fantastic.
Yo Paul, I’m moving house soon so I was thinking about changing from using apple home, to home assistant. What would I need to get started? A video would be very helpful for me. Thanks bro 😊
Hopefully they support Home Assistant in future. All my automation is in there. Alexa and Google Assistant are just “mouth hole portals” to control Home Assistant for me
Give it a month or two. It's clearly using BT mesh, and there are already variants of drivers out there for things using that in HA. Someone will buy one, sniff it, and make a module, more out of challenge or boredom than anything else.
I use a hubitat hub to keep my home devices local rather than having to worry about the manufacturer disappearing. What i would like to know will the new Echo hub do the same with Alexa commands an keep my smart home local?
The whole thing felt like a throwback, replacing RF with BT and an app. Not saying I dislike it. Just interesting to see things come back around again.
I use them at work with the 4-button switch. I turn them red when I’m on a call and blue when I’m away from my desk. IT doesn’t breathe down your neck since they don’t connect to the network.
Got to thinking, if someone pairs a pir with a radar sensor to use the pir to run 24/7 to turn on the radar sensor if that would let the batteries last a decent amount of time? Some of them use both now but not as described
Question: What buttons do i use for a smart home? I'm thinking right now I want matter/thread switches so I can directly use home assistant to link them to output devices without a system in between. But I also want those switches to be wired, I also want them to be compatible with future switches. I don't want to replace wires if there will be a better switch out there or they break down and they don't exist anymore. I also want like half of my switches to have 4 buttons (or more). I want a few to have a dimming option. I also don't want them to use wifi so I dont overload my router. Where the hell do I start. What do you recommend?
So how is the motion sensor connected to the bulb? If everything is “offline” then surely you couldn’t separate the two devices very far? Nothing mentioned on this
It looks like these are using Bluetooth. It will be interesting to see how it progresses. Eventually they will likely come into Home Assistant with the Bluetooth Integration. That could make it more interesting.
I believe it’s BLE. I’d be willing to bet you can reach the devices over BLE but would need a bit of reverse engineering as BLE isn’t that common for these device types. The routine ofc though is totally proprietary.
Hadn’t thought of timers and stuff, just checked and amazingly no! It’s a shame the BroadLink scenes are so basic. Alexa routine would be the only way to do it currently
The issue is that electricity and server time is becoming more and more expensive. Working in software and using such things as Amazon and Microsoft cloud services it's all becoming quite costly. As we move into more AI server processing then that's only going to get worse. I can see there being a "Prime" and "Prime Gold" or similar. We will all end up paying for these services somehow. I'd move to totally local but, As Paul is all to familiar with. the better half loves the voice responses and commands in Alexa. Nobody does it better than them and do quote that fine lady you have on your videos sometimes :"It just works"
That light bulb that you can supposedly plug in and it auto connects to your network... first of all... HOW?? and second of all, very troubling IF TRUE
Great to focus on keeping everything local. I used to use Mycroft but that seems to have died and now something is going on but not sure what. IT would be great to have local voice control.
They should have added a USB port on the mm wave sensor and let us choose between battery operation and wired power. Then it could fully utilize mm when plugged in.
You had me laughing, but then suddenly.... seemingly out of nowhere, you brought me to tears with the world's tiniest violin performance. Emotional rollercoaster! lol Seriously though, I simply love technology AND humor and your channel brings me both. Keep being you bud
The lights switches all failed but 2 out of 8, which it's why got the Ble lights. I got 15, 5 have gone dead or randomly changes colors and won't stay off.
Just skimmed the fcc filing for the sensor as I was curious how they’re achieving a high enough duty cycle to be useful but a low enough duty cycle to not constantly be out of battery. Answer is: they’re not. This device has a pcp imprinted 2.4ghz antenna for BLE, and a 5ghz antenna for radar. The submission test report shows them using 5.7ghz for that. mmWave is 30-300ghz. So, there is a pretty bad lie going on here from them. And that also explains why you saw such a long period between presence detections. Would love to get my hands on one of these and stick some test equipment around it, see what it’s actually doing. I have a hunch as well that it would play havoc with 5ghz WiFi on the higher bands.
From my understanding, the paid for Alexa service is going to be optional, and it will all be added features. Alexa will function as it always has. Or so they say. Pretty sure it won't be that way for long.
I will most likely never use any of these products. I come here for the cut aways and dad jokes. F the haters! Your videos are the highlight of my Saturday morning tea time. Lot's of love from North Carolina USA!
Another great video by Paul! Thanks Paul! I’ve actually seen this video twice now and I’m kinda hoping all these smart home signals in my house aren’t messing with my mind! Haha! Thanks man ❤
Dang right Amazon should charge those without Prime to use Alexa. Not doing it from the beginning was their mistake. The amount of processing and manpower that goes into it has costs. I want it to be profitable for them, so it will continue working and get improvements.
it exists, but if you want to use more than one or two actions for an automation, you have to pay. And I htink you're limited to 5 automations in total for the free version. It's a subscription. I am all for supporting developers, but it's just a garbage experience now. I got rid of it the day after learning that.
If the sensor looses track of you, is it really a radar? It seems to be more like the more common motion detection sensors in a little dome. It's still useful, particularly at the price, but It would be nice if it could tell that you were still there. I love the tiny violin gag, and the JP edit was really well done.
It's annoying me (was going to use another word but youtube friendly lol) big time how many of these companies are making things subscription based. Amazon just done it with Prime Video (by this I mean they added ad's and charging more to remove them) and now they want to charge for Alexa. As if they dont get enough from us with buying the devices and subscribing to prime to use it, Yes you already need a subscription (aka Prime) to even use Alexa and now they want to separate it and charge more. If this happens I can see me cancelling Prime as lets be honest Amazon isn't even the best place to shop anymore it's just the most convenient. (Edit: I've been corrected, you don't need prime for alexa) Sorry to rant Paul. Great video as always and wow not see anyone use actual devices to store the routines yet, very good idea. Now I need to hurry up and get Home Assistant set up
If it needs the could it doesn't get into my smart home infrastructure unless I absolutely need it and there's no alternative option (currently only my solar installation)
Longtime watcher, first time commenter. Finding your videos hilarious 😂. Where did you get those steampunk valve lightbulb sockets from? Can’t seem to find them😢 anywhere
I still haven't started doing anything smarthome - but I am still lurking, keeping myself at least a little up to date. First of all.... in general... you should NEVER had been on the cloud to begin with.... I have been called everything from dumb to paranoid, but I would say that list in the beginning is a sign that maybe I wasn't wrong. I like the no internet required, I would really like stuff like that when(if) I get to play with smart home stuff, but I think I would want something that worked with HA. Also... batteries.... I really want the choice. I would want as little battery powered as possible, but at the same time, it is nice to have the option when getting power there gets a bit too complicated
0:36 i have smart speakers and echo shoes, (3 and about to buy another !). I don’t speak to them ! I can google a question ! Everyone thinks they are in Star Trek ! 0:36 😊
So, instead of Zigbee it's using Bluetooth mesh. There are a ton of bulbs on the market that do that, which also link directly to SOME Alexa (non-dot models) with BT mesh capabilities. The product feels like a slightly updated X10 home control system from 1990s Radio Shack, just BT vs RF. Putting simple on/off/timer routines on a small ESP32 is super simple (low power, could handle I/O for a mmWave board, etc.) You can do the same with Zigbee by getting a Sonoff Pro and flashing Tasmota to it. The real question is HOW LONG WILL THE BATTERY LAST? My bet is about 2 months with normal usage (assuming 2 normal AA size, which is what it looked like in the video. It IS nice to see a push for local control again, now that people realize how easily hackers can... oh. Wait. No? It's not about security? OF COURSE. Thousands of cameras broken on the internet, people watching you in you own home, that's all fine. But a monthly subscription for an online server so you can start your kettle from Zimbabwe? Get the pitchforks! I hate this timeline...
What Amazon actually said was they planned to add extra AI based functionality and that would be an extra charge. Basic Alexa functionality wouldn’t be charged for yet. We all know that is subject to change but they’re not locking everyone out, just expanding the service. Full disclosure, I ditched my Ring doorbell with the latest price increase and went to the Aqara G4, which you recommended, and I’m more than happy with it. (So you’re not just an old windbag!….well…..kidney beans…..parp!)
When it rains clouds usually go empty and vanish, so it is not a good idea to live in the clouds, you may fall one day and lose everything you were holding over there (lol)
So far my home is not terribly smart precisely because I shy away from cloud based services that could vanish overnight and\or charge a fee. I have a Ring doorbell because it seemed sensible but they charge me and force me to use their app rather than the browser based service they started with. I have a device that monitors my electricity meter and they want to charge me for the service of keeping the data past the end of the year. I have a solar inverter that stored all data in the cloud but they went bust. So I'm really not too taken by the idea of needing the services of some corporation just to turn my lights on.
I hope these things work better that Broadlink's TC3 switches. I have three of these, I've already swapped out two that failed early. Now I have three that have become "dumb", two doubles and one single. It's a real shame as they look gorgeous, but I will need convincing....
I have had TC2 switches and an RM Pro to control them for several years and a few weeks ago the RM Pro just stopped being connected to the internet and no amount of factory resetting will get it to pair again. So, now I have to manually use the light switches, which is highly inconvenient (first world problem I know). I have seen others with the same issue on Reddit. Over the years it has had small outages when the servers have gone down, but this looks like they have EOL'd the RM Pro...
Yes? UA-cam? I need a way to give more thumbs up to Paul! Yes, I know you think once is enough but have you seen his latest cutaway jokes?? They are hilarious!! Yes, I'll hold...
I unfortunately am with the Google ecosystem. I'll slowly be leaving to maybe Reolink for cameras and check out other thermostats. I don't want to be at the mercy of a company.
All the AI enabled voice recognition and speaking software had been making strides in the past year. I'm not surprised that I would had moved to a home based voice assistant system before Alexa started charging money.
Amazon has to start charging fees because they’re losing billions making movie and other content that is straight up garbage, your point is very good Subscriptions are getting way out of hand.
I have just migrated all my Hue and hive devices to HA, no hubs required, shouting "Oh the Zigbee" while making some pelvic thrusting movements. Used some simple emulated Hue comands which allows Alexa to see all the devices on HA. So I can still control all the devices by Voice, as long as they don't take away the voice activation, personally I'll be fine. At least all my HA devices no longer require the internet to run.
Happy Saturday everyone! Hope it's a blinder. If you're interested in any of these products they are listed below!...
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Jurassic Park joke: DEFINITELY WORTH IT 🤣🤣🤣 #genius
I deeply appreciated the hours spent on the Jurassic Park gag. 👌🏻 Totally worth it.
My best and most pointless work 🤣
The shadow detail in Paul's face, That's dedication right there! Nice work!
I had to watch that clip several times to admire how well he did it. He was literally there in the film because of time travel and a special security pass to be on set.
I've come here to shout home assistant and thrust in your direction 😂
I accept your kind gift and thrust my hips in return!
@@paulhibbert It's a thrust off!
I think you have a Home Thrussistant Paul.
I bought the thrust master 4000 years ago and attached it to my ageing hips so I could win these battles
So these are lusty thrusts, rather than musty thrusts then?
If they charge for Alexa she’s being binned for sure
Same. THe instant they do that, the market will be flooded with cheap Alexas because they'll be no use to anyone.
I don’t know what I would move to. I have sooooo many of their blinking speakers!
I have 5 in my house but to be honest I can live without it 😂
@franticblue9376 wish I could, just for multiroom music alone I’m a bit trapped with it
@@paulhibbertvoice assistant
The fact that the Broadcom BLE Fastcon stuff is closed is the biggest annoyance for me as a HA user (#thrust) I bought the starter kit after your video showing the BLE bulbs some time back with the hope to use them via HA. There's some work being done to integrate which requires flashing an ESP32 with particular firmware which I'm hopeful for, as this will make this lot really useful in 1001 ways
Can you share the link to the ESP32 project?
This would be ideal for my parents. Despite having always-on broadband, they turn the router off whenever they "don't need it".
Oh god. Is it provided over the BT copper line? If so they MUST stop doing that. It tells the Exchange equipment that the line is unstable and it recalculates and lowers the broadband speed to try to get the service to stabilise. 😬
@@paulhibbert thankfully, no. They use Virgin Media. Even so, you're supposed to keep it on for 24/7 firmware updates and the like. There's just no telling them! 🙄
@@nate_river_ Well they are going to have to change their ways soon if they have a BT landline phone because Openreach are switching to digital only phone lines and that will require a continuous internet connection to operate.
IIRC, the subscription will be for enhanced intelligence and won't cause Echos to just stop working. Appreciate the list.
Will be interesting to see how long they keep that promise
@@paulhibbert agreed, it will be a slow but steady price increase for all services eventually. I noticed amazon prime video now has ads unless you pay extra for it.
Love the small violin. Did it to my kids when they complained.
I really enjoyed this video, thank you, been watching your videos for a while now. I also live in the UK. I'd love to see a video about running a totally local home assistant setup and the best/cheapest products to achieve it. So many products out there and its hard to know which ones work in home assistant and are cheap/good
Good idea man! Thanks, will add it to my list
@@paulhibbertThe same thing for Hubitat would be amazing, I’ve recently started using one and struggle with getting things working as I would like? Thanks for the vids, entertainment every Saturday morning 😂
Actually, the Ikea smarthome devices do this already for years with Zigbee and you don't need a hub as long you are using Ikea devices. If you want support other Zigbee devices you'll need a Zigbee hub. However the Ikea stuff is very affordable and as if better than average quality. I especially love the magnetic Ikea dimmer which costs only 8 dollars. It's a simple on /off rocker switch design, but is support bot both positions the short and long press gestures. short presses turn the light(s) on or off, while long presses changes the brightness. But when you write your own home control software, you can also intercept these button events if you want and use them to your liking...
Did you know you can also use a Philips Hue hub to manage your Ikea Tradfri bulbs? I have both and found that the Tradfri bulbs are more stable on Home Assistant if I pair them with the Hue hub. As for the rocker switches, I find the Tradfri and Rodret both to be unreliable in my setup.
Not enough yachts!
Amazing isn’t it? Prime video now has ads too. The richest company on earth just couldn’t quite sustain itself 🙄
The day they charge for Alexa is the day my Echo Show 5 becomes a dumb clock.
Look what they did with Prime. Pay extra for ad-free films. No thank you. Wish I could have cancelled Prime but I'm addicted to the delivery benefits.
4:03 As Alan Partridge would say ‘JURASSIC PARK’ love it so good
MORE hilarious cutaway gags. I love this channel. I watch it every week, and I love it so much. It would be horrible if he'd just review the thing. Constant cutaway gag, after cutaway gag. Perfect use of my time. I love it!
Would it work with HK through Homebridge?
Unless something has changed in the past 6 months, the gen 1 hue bridges still work. They are merely limited to local control. If you are about local only and no cloud then no problem there.
Though im not sure if those devices get any updates for newer devices. My guess is no, so your point is still likely valid.
Nice video. No wonder the motion sensor sold out everywhere. I've had one for some time, love it. I have door sensors on my closet lights, love them. I would like to see a HA or HE integration. Cheapest RGBWW bulbs on the market that don't use wifi. Battery life on these sensors is fantastic.
Yo Paul, I’m moving house soon so I was thinking about changing from using apple home, to home assistant. What would I need to get started? A video would be very helpful for me. Thanks bro 😊
Hopefully they support Home Assistant in future. All my automation is in there. Alexa and Google Assistant are just “mouth hole portals” to control Home Assistant for me
I wish there was a decent mouth hole portal option for HA other than Alexa. That’s all I use it for as well.
@@c1ph3rpunk agreed. I try to avoid Alexa too. I much prefer Google Assistant. Amazon depreciated the LG washing machine skill
Give it a month or two. It's clearly using BT mesh, and there are already variants of drivers out there for things using that in HA. Someone will buy one, sniff it, and make a module, more out of challenge or boredom than anything else.
I might just try it. thanks
Hey, could you do a Video about Philips Interact Pro? I'm using it for my work as a electrician and would really enjoy a Video about it
I use a hubitat hub to keep my home devices local rather than having to worry about the manufacturer disappearing. What i would like to know will the new Echo hub do the same with Alexa commands an keep my smart home local?
Will wait for Home Assistant interoperability. So frustrating that there is over a two week lead time on the "kit". I must be more patient!
X10 modules were the first to program the routine into each sensor going back to the 1970's.
The whole thing felt like a throwback, replacing RF with BT and an app. Not saying I dislike it. Just interesting to see things come back around again.
I use them at work with the 4-button switch. I turn them red when I’m on a call and blue when I’m away from my desk. IT doesn’t breathe down your neck since they don’t connect to the network.
Got to thinking, if someone pairs a pir with a radar sensor to use the pir to run 24/7 to turn on the radar sensor if that would let the batteries last a decent amount of time? Some of them use both now but not as described
Question: What buttons do i use for a smart home? I'm thinking right now I want matter/thread switches so I can directly use home assistant to link them to output devices without a system in between. But I also want those switches to be wired, I also want them to be compatible with future switches. I don't want to replace wires if there will be a better switch out there or they break down and they don't exist anymore. I also want like half of my switches to have 4 buttons (or more). I want a few to have a dimming option. I also don't want them to use wifi so I dont overload my router. Where the hell do I start. What do you recommend?
So how is the motion sensor connected to the bulb? If everything is “offline” then surely you couldn’t separate the two devices very far? Nothing mentioned on this
Brilliant! Keep being you! I subscribed BECAUSE you are funny and clearly put in a ton of time to mix education and entertainment!
Thanks dude!! 😁
It looks like these are using Bluetooth. It will be interesting to see how it progresses. Eventually they will likely come into Home Assistant with the Bluetooth Integration. That could make it more interesting.
I have the broadlink light switches and hub. Is the hub for the presence sensor the same or will i need two?
So it's proprietary then? That matters...
I believe it’s BLE. I’d be willing to bet you can reach the devices over BLE but would need a bit of reverse engineering as BLE isn’t that common for these device types. The routine ofc though is totally proprietary.
Can the bulbs be configured to turn on/off or change temperature on a timer? Without connecting to Alexa that is
Hadn’t thought of timers and stuff, just checked and amazingly no! It’s a shame the BroadLink scenes are so basic. Alexa routine would be the only way to do it currently
@@paulhibbert oh man not ideal, thanks for the reply big fan of your videos
Would this work with the aqara app without need for WiFi? Looking to simplify my home automation based on aqara system..
The issue is that electricity and server time is becoming more and more expensive. Working in software and using such things as Amazon and Microsoft cloud services it's all becoming quite costly. As we move into more AI server processing then that's only going to get worse. I can see there being a "Prime" and "Prime Gold" or similar. We will all end up paying for these services somehow. I'd move to totally local but, As Paul is all to familiar with. the better half loves the voice responses and commands in Alexa. Nobody does it better than them and do quote that fine lady you have on your videos sometimes :"It just works"
Couldn’t agree more.
Aren't we already paying for these with our Prime membership?
Fortunately for HOMEASSISTANT users voice control is moving forward at a great pace so users will be able to ditch Amazon complely.
That cast shadow on your face in Jurassic park shot. Chefs kiss¡
Cracking job with the Jurassic Park bit, it looks really good!
Is there a Homebridge plugin?
That light bulb that you can supposedly plug in and it auto connects to your network... first of all... HOW?? and second of all, very troubling IF TRUE
6:58 so my guess is it’s a smart 433mhz RF
Charging us to listen in and mis use our data and privacy…..kinda like paying a bully to beat you up and take your lunch money🤣
I'm only here for the cutaway gags :)
Great to focus on keeping everything local. I used to use Mycroft but that seems to have died and now something is going on but not sure what. IT would be great to have local voice control.
paul cutaway gaffes skill level 10 unlocked 😂😂
I sometimes watch these videos even if I'm not interested in the tech being discussed, because I find the cutaways and comedy bits really funny.
Get well Dawn ❤
They should have added a USB port on the mm wave sensor and let us choose between battery operation and wired power. Then it could fully utilize mm when plugged in.
Not enough cutaway gags😊
You had me laughing, but then suddenly.... seemingly out of nowhere, you brought me to tears with the world's tiniest violin performance. Emotional rollercoaster! lol
Seriously though, I simply love technology AND humor and your channel brings me both. Keep being you bud
A Philips Hue lamp can also connect to a Philips remote without any bridge or app
I have just discovered my two Phillips Hue Plugs £30 each are now classed as Amazon plugs
Another awesome bit of VFX editing…. Oh And that review bit was good too lol 😂 ❤ thanks again Mr H
The video title reminded me about Sonoff iHost. Please do a video on that too. Wonder if it is a good replacement for when Alexa starts subscription
BRUH, never mind this cool vid. where the hell did you get that tiny violin?!
Nice to see broadlink use the EXACT same temperature and humidity sensor as SwitchBot .
The lights switches all failed but 2 out of 8, which it's why got the Ble lights. I got 15, 5 have gone dead or randomly changes colors and won't stay off.
Just skimmed the fcc filing for the sensor as I was curious how they’re achieving a high enough duty cycle to be useful but a low enough duty cycle to not constantly be out of battery. Answer is: they’re not. This device has a pcp imprinted 2.4ghz antenna for BLE, and a 5ghz antenna for radar. The submission test report shows them using 5.7ghz for that. mmWave is 30-300ghz. So, there is a pretty bad lie going on here from them. And that also explains why you saw such a long period between presence detections. Would love to get my hands on one of these and stick some test equipment around it, see what it’s actually doing. I have a hunch as well that it would play havoc with 5ghz WiFi on the higher bands.
From my understanding, the paid for Alexa service is going to be optional, and it will all be added features. Alexa will function as it always has. Or so they say. Pretty sure it won't be that way for long.
Get well soon Dawn
I will most likely never use any of these products. I come here for the cut aways and dad jokes. F the haters! Your videos are the highlight of my Saturday morning tea time. Lot's of love from North Carolina USA!
Another great video by Paul! Thanks Paul! I’ve actually seen this video twice now and I’m kinda hoping all these smart home signals in my house aren’t messing with my mind! Haha! Thanks man ❤
Dang right Amazon should charge those without Prime to use Alexa. Not doing it from the beginning was their mistake. The amount of processing and manpower that goes into it has costs. I want it to be profitable for them, so it will continue working and get improvements.
Wait, IFTTT no longer exists?
it exists, but if you want to use more than one or two actions for an automation, you have to pay. And I htink you're limited to 5 automations in total for the free version. It's a subscription. I am all for supporting developers, but it's just a garbage experience now. I got rid of it the day after learning that.
If the sensor looses track of you, is it really a radar? It seems to be more like the more common motion detection sensors in a little dome. It's still useful, particularly at the price, but It would be nice if it could tell that you were still there.
I love the tiny violin gag, and the JP edit was really well done.
It's annoying me (was going to use another word but youtube friendly lol) big time how many of these companies are making things subscription based. Amazon just done it with Prime Video (by this I mean they added ad's and charging more to remove them) and now they want to charge for Alexa. As if they dont get enough from us with buying the devices and subscribing to prime to use it, Yes you already need a subscription (aka Prime) to even use Alexa and now they want to separate it and charge more. If this happens I can see me cancelling Prime as lets be honest Amazon isn't even the best place to shop anymore it's just the most convenient.
(Edit: I've been corrected, you don't need prime for alexa)
Sorry to rant Paul. Great video as always and wow not see anyone use actual devices to store the routines yet, very good idea.
Now I need to hurry up and get Home Assistant set up
If it needs the could it doesn't get into my smart home infrastructure unless I absolutely need it and there's no alternative option (currently only my solar installation)
Mesh computing, mesh computing, mesh computing!
Longtime watcher, first time commenter. Finding your videos hilarious 😂. Where did you get those steampunk valve lightbulb sockets from? Can’t seem to find them😢 anywhere
I still haven't started doing anything smarthome - but I am still lurking, keeping myself at least a little up to date.
First of all.... in general... you should NEVER had been on the cloud to begin with.... I have been called everything from dumb to paranoid, but I would say that list in the beginning is a sign that maybe I wasn't wrong.
I like the no internet required, I would really like stuff like that when(if) I get to play with smart home stuff, but I think I would want something that worked with HA. Also... batteries.... I really want the choice. I would want as little battery powered as possible, but at the same time, it is nice to have the option when getting power there gets a bit too complicated
I admit it, I laughed my ass off when the tiny violin started playing. I have a thing for tiny violins.
Thanks i want move to local stuff.
I'll give a thumbs up for this video simply because you gave Alexa a tick 🤪
0:36 i have smart speakers and echo shoes, (3 and about to buy another !). I don’t speak to them ! I can google a question ! Everyone thinks they are in Star Trek ! 0:36 😊
Love the tax deductible small violin. Keep it up!
So, instead of Zigbee it's using Bluetooth mesh. There are a ton of bulbs on the market that do that, which also link directly to SOME Alexa (non-dot models) with BT mesh capabilities.
The product feels like a slightly updated X10 home control system from 1990s Radio Shack, just BT vs RF. Putting simple on/off/timer routines on a small ESP32 is super simple (low power, could handle I/O for a mmWave board, etc.) You can do the same with Zigbee by getting a Sonoff Pro and flashing Tasmota to it.
The real question is HOW LONG WILL THE BATTERY LAST? My bet is about 2 months with normal usage (assuming 2 normal AA size, which is what it looked like in the video.
It IS nice to see a push for local control again, now that people realize how easily hackers can... oh. Wait. No? It's not about security? OF COURSE. Thousands of cameras broken on the internet, people watching you in you own home, that's all fine. But a monthly subscription for an online server so you can start your kettle from Zimbabwe? Get the pitchforks! I hate this timeline...
I'm slowly going off cloud based storage. America charge you for everything!
What Amazon actually said was they planned to add extra AI based functionality and that would be an extra charge. Basic Alexa functionality wouldn’t be charged for yet. We all know that is subject to change but they’re not locking everyone out, just expanding the service. Full disclosure, I ditched my Ring doorbell with the latest price increase and went to the Aqara G4, which you recommended, and I’m more than happy with it. (So you’re not just an old windbag!….well…..kidney beans…..parp!)
When it rains clouds usually go empty and vanish, so it is not a good idea to live in the clouds, you may fall one day and lose everything you were holding over there (lol)
So far my home is not terribly smart precisely because I shy away from cloud based services that could vanish overnight and\or charge a fee. I have a Ring doorbell because it seemed sensible but they charge me and force me to use their app rather than the browser based service they started with. I have a device that monitors my electricity meter and they want to charge me for the service of keeping the data past the end of the year. I have a solar inverter that stored all data in the cloud but they went bust. So I'm really not too taken by the idea of needing the services of some corporation just to turn my lights on.
What you didn't get on the Echo Hub bandwagon this week. Thankyou
Whose noggin’ shines more? C3PO or Paul?
Bye-bye alexa, my whole eco system is set up to you, but it looks like we'll have to go to Google...😮💨
Loved the Violin.
I hope these things work better that Broadlink's TC3 switches.
I have three of these, I've already swapped out two that failed early. Now I have three that have become "dumb", two doubles and one single.
It's a real shame as they look gorgeous, but I will need convincing....
😬 hope they see this man. That sucks
I have had TC2 switches and an RM Pro to control them for several years and a few weeks ago the RM Pro just stopped being connected to the internet and no amount of factory resetting will get it to pair again. So, now I have to manually use the light switches, which is highly inconvenient (first world problem I know). I have seen others with the same issue on Reddit. Over the years it has had small outages when the servers have gone down, but this looks like they have EOL'd the RM Pro...
Yes? UA-cam? I need a way to give more thumbs up to Paul! Yes, I know you think once is enough but have you seen his latest cutaway jokes?? They are hilarious!!
Yes, I'll hold...
"it just worrrkkksss" ♥️
I tend to find myself doing that voice when something does work unexpectedly 😂
I unfortunately am with the Google ecosystem. I'll slowly be leaving to maybe Reolink for cameras and check out other thermostats. I don't want to be at the mercy of a company.
Found this one hilarious and informative thanks man, the Jurassic Park bit was brilliant!
This is how iot is supposed to work, mesh computing not central cloud
Thanks Paul. Happy Saturday.
Happy Saturday Ron!!
All the AI enabled voice recognition and speaking software had been making strides in the past year. I'm not surprised that I would had moved to a home based voice assistant system before Alexa started charging money.
I find it astonishing that people are still realizing that you do not own hardware if it relies on the cloud connection or requires a signup.
Editing skills approaching black belt level Mr Hibbert
Thanks dude! 😂
Amazon has to start charging fees because they’re losing billions making movie and other content that is straight up garbage, your point is very good Subscriptions are getting way out of hand.
Why do you not cover Sonoff?
I have just migrated all my Hue and hive devices to HA, no hubs required, shouting "Oh the Zigbee" while making some pelvic thrusting movements. Used some simple emulated Hue comands which allows Alexa to see all the devices on HA. So I can still control all the devices by Voice, as long as they don't take away the voice activation, personally I'll be fine. At least all my HA devices no longer require the internet to run.
I keep yelling "I have feedback" followed by "if you want a subscription fee, you better make sure this shit works properly."
Great video Paul, love the effort put into the film clips, keep up that type of comedy.
Thanks man! That means a lot, they’re my favourite bits too 😁👍🏻
@@paulhibbert adds a new comedic angle to your videos 🃏
That Jurassic Park clip was epic. 😂
I've been preparing to dump Alexa! DON'T TEMPT ME BEZOS!