Anyone make a automated ban hammer I can hook up to my pc/monitor? In all seriousness I've recently been playing around with arduinos with the aim of making environment sensors for the home and bit-tech HQ. Also useful for a bench marking project I'm working on
Me neither, really - even if my insurer were happy, I'm not confident that smart locks would keep my castle safe! CLARIFICATION: I don't live in a real castle, silly! It's a figure of speech!
There's a high probably that there's insurers out there who stipulate that smart locks must be used in conjunction with a standard approved lock, negating any benefit whatsoever. Speculation of course, but likely given they love a good caveat to save them paying out. Edit: Yep - see Direct Line's guidance on smart locks.. "As it stands, smart locks don’t currently affect your home insurance as long as they work in conjunction with a mortice deadlock" https://www.directline.com/home-cover/what-are-smart-locks
I'd like to live in a real castle i could automate my moat!! I guess my end result is to implement anything which fundamentally makes life easier. We've really only dabbled in lighting and powered sockets at the moment. So i guess the next route is temperature etc and these added circuits.
Ahem...that would be 'automoated'... Jokes aside, smart heating can save you a lot of money, correctly implemented. Add lighting on top and it's paid for itself within 12 months.
Good point on insurance. I had not checked their T&C. DIY alarm system using internet-connected sensors are probably not going to be covered. My current bug-bear with my home entry system is that it uses 1 normal key, 1 old style key (this is part of insurance requirement, night latch was not enough) and a bulky alarm remote. I'd happily go to 1 key solution if I can't have keyless. I've even thought about wiring the alarm remote to a Pi so that it is linked to my smart thermostat geofencing, this way, it'll satisfy insurance and I don't have to carry the stupid remote. We are changing all our windows to modern UPVC with a modern composite door this year (hopefully). So that'll get rid of the old styled key.
The problem with most "smart locks" is that they are made by tech companies utilizing practices used to make consumer electronics - i.e. holding everything with adhesive. Also wondering how long it will before governments start mandating that "smart locks" must have "backdoors". As we are talking home automation, anyone have experience with anything to automate plant watering?
Only Hozelock digital watering timers and micro irrigation tubing - but not for indoors and wouldn't call it smart home tech either.
Nah, besides...A neural net solution would be a better option. I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult to find a suitable data set If it's indoors, all you really need is a small pump on a timer.
Basically yes, but my main concern is overfilling if something fails (i.e. timer failing in on state), I've flooded my downstairs neighbors probably 5 or 6 times over the years already.
A moisture detector to turn it off if the level is too high would sort it. That, or a drain to an overflow
You would most definitely need to ensure there are several failsafes which normally makes the whole endeavour a little more complicated than it initially seems. When working with water, especially with mains, I would highly suggest having a drain of some description in-case the water source cannot be easily switched off. Maybe limiting the amount of water available to the whole system could mitigate too much damage such as an upturned water bottle feeding some servo driven taps? To be honest, if home automation was feasible for the effort and cost, it would most likely be already implemented and a lot cheaper than it already is. I would be looking to automate my heating system to make it as efficient as possible and lighting based on user activity.
While this probably isn't what you're looking for, it'll teach you the principles for scaling up https://www.rapidonline.com/Seeed-1...or-Arduino-Compatible-Boards-75-0486?IncVat=1 Drugs are bad, m'kay
Exactly what I assumed: you'd have to have a "traditional" lock alongside the smart lock which, as has been pointed out, rather negates the benefit of a smart lock. I'd imagine most other insurers would probably take a similar approach. Having a nascent/immature technology like smart locks as the sole means of preventing entry to the property opens up a whole mess of unacceptable risk for insurers. On that note, check out Lockpicking Lawyer on YouTube. He usually does padlocks, bike locks, chains, motorbike locks, etc, rather than things like front door locks, but he's made exactly that point on several occasions: these things are often made by tech companies seemingly without even consulting a locksmith. Again, these are padlocks, but several good examples:
In time, maybe smart locks will have developed enough and also be ubiquitous enough to satisfy the insurers requirements, even when used as the sole means of securing a property. Until that time, it's at your own risk if you choose to ignore your insurers requirements. I certainly won't be and therefore won't be fitting them at all. My old boss in the bike shop used to tell customers shopping for 'the best bike lock' that "anything man can make, man can break" - and he was dead right. It's about providing a significant enough deterrent to put off the opportunists and less-professional thieves. As for the professionals and the determined, if they want into your home, they're getting in - no matter what you have it locked with.
It's odd that you park your car in the drive and lock it with a button, and then have to unlock your house with a lock and key that has been the same design for 50 years.
It can be worse than you think. It's often a condition of home insurance policies that you have a "proper" locking system on all doors to the property (wording will be different, but something like "BS-approved" or "key operated multi-point locking system" or something). If you don't declare the fact that you've fitted a smart lock you could risk invalidating your policy. It's not unknown for insurers to invoke a process called "void ab initio", which voids your policy back to the point when you took it out. It usually happens when they discover that you didn't declare a material fact which would affect the decision as to whether they would offer a policy in the first place - such as not complying with lock requirements. It's not just locks either, there are plenty of other material facts that need to be declared and kept up to date. Even if your policy is 10 years old, a void ab initio will void the entire thing. All the premiums you've paid will be refunded and offset against the cost of claims that they have paid out; if they've paid out more than you've paid in, which is easily possible for claims like burglaries or even "simple" plumbing leaks, then you'll end up owing them money and they will pursue you, even take you to court. You'll also have to declare this to other insurers in the future and even if you don't declare it then insurance companies still run checks on your insurance history through the ABI (Association of British Insurers) and will likely terminate the new policy if they find a voided policy in your past. Having a mortgage usually requires you to have buildings insurance, so you can really screw yourself over. It doesn't happen often but it does happen - I've dealt with and referred such cases myself in the past - and it's a very bad thing to have happen to you. Sometimes the void is only back to a certain point - the point at which the material fact changed, i.e. when you fitted the smart locks - and not void ab initio. That's not quite as bad but is still going to cost you a lot more money when you try and get insured elsewhere. Man, sometimes I really wish I hadn't worked for an insurance company for so long...
Would never even dream at connect anything automatically driven to mains that has no direct drain to sewer/outside. My problem is with diy solution, by the time I account for most situations, I end up with pretty much a full on hydroponics solution. Maybe thats the way to go? And do you feel safe at leaving anything of value inside the car? Doors and locks changed a lot in the last 50 years (maybe not in a way we operate them, but its like saying cars haven't changed in the last 100 years), problem is, a lot of people insist on using 50year old designs (or a cheapest one).
