Gnome's Home - 150 m² with outdoor space

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1

Hello,

I am currently in the process of buying a house and have not yet moved in (this should be in January/February 2025), so I will use this topic to present what I plan to do (or at least what I would like to do, as it will take time financially) but also to use your comments and feedback to evolve my projection and implementation…

This first post of the topic will therefore evolve according to the comments below and the changes.

My profile: I was a geek at one point but have set aside much of my computer knowledge (hardware or programming) aside, even though I have kept some electronics basics (like with Arduinos), so I would say that I have become a novice again, especially in programming

My needs: I would say everything… From comfort (lighting, roller shutters, …) to management (heating, presence, …) including security (detection, camera, …)

How I got into home automation: As an automation professional (initially), it was quite logical for me, and the current world (Alexa, …) means we all do it… Not to mention Tony and Jarvis… lol

Material / Installation / Future: I already have some equipment (mini PC, lights, plugs, …) but I will detail everything below…

Plan of my (future) house:
After several visits and some measurements, here is an idea of the plans…

Ground floor:

Ground floor
Ground floor605×467 86.4 KB

First floor:

First floor
First floor605×467 77.3 KB

There is also a basement, but for now, I do not plan anything in it (it is an earthen cellar of 25-30m²)

Entrance:

  • Base:
    • mini-PC with Gladys
      • USB Zigbee Sonoff dongle
    • mini-UPS (optional): about 15-30 minutes of power for Gladys and the internet box to monitor and follow power outages
  • Security:
    • presence detection (Tuya ZY-M100-S Zigbee Presence sensor mmWave)
    • camera (not yet chosen): in case of presence (according to other sensors present), take a photo/video and store it externally (probably by email)
    • door opening detection (not yet chosen): to know if the door is closed (ideally with a key…)
    • Siren (not yet chosen): alarm that will be « hidden » either in a high cabinet
  • Comfort:
    • lighting (Philips Hue Color): for lighting when present but also for flashing red lighting for alarm
    • doorbell (not yet chosen) and if there is a camera and intercom that would be even better… ideally a video intercom connected to Alexa and to my phone (ringing and communication)
    • Switch (not yet chosen) to trigger scenarios when entering if no voice commands or in addition
    • Speaker (not yet chosen): I would like something not too expensive, the goal being just to be able to make it speak for example to warn that the alarm needs to be turned off or to say hello or … but very basic without the need for audio quality

Kitchen:

  • Security:
    • window opening detection (not yet chosen): window facing the street…
    • smoke detection (not yet chosen): because it is the kitchen (and the living room with an insert fireplace is in the same open room)… I would like an autonomous system but also coupled with Gladys as a secondary.
    • water leak detection (not yet chosen): under the sink or/and on the side of the dishwasher
  • Comfort:
    • roller shutter (not yet chosen): existing (solar) shutter. I would like time-based and/or outdoor light management.
    • main lighting (not yet chosen): I think I will stick with white
    • secondary lighting (not yet chosen) probably like colored LED strips of 4m under the counter…
    • oven (not yet chosen): I haven’t seen a connected oven here… but since there is already an oven in place for the moment it would be « just » a power consumption measurement socket to know when it is heating/consuming to « know » but maybe also associate it with timers or others…
    • dishwasher (not yet chosen): I haven’t seen a connected dishwasher here… but since there is already a dishwasher in place for the moment it would be « just » a power consumption measurement socket to know when it is running/consuming to « know » but maybe also associate it with timers or others…
    • fridge/freezer (not yet chosen): I haven’t seen a connected fridge/freezer here… but since there is already a fridge/freezer in place for the moment it would be « just » a power consumption measurement socket to know when it is running/consuming to « know » that it is not broken or tripped…

Living room:

  • Base:
    • tablet (basic): it will be the base point for using Gladys. I do not plan for permanent display but only an on-demand access point…
  • Security:
    • window opening detection (not yet chosen): window facing the garden…
    • door opening detection (not yet chosen): door facing the garden…
    • air quality measurement (optional and not yet chosen): main living room of the house with an insert fireplace and open kitchen attached, this would be an opportunity to monitor both air quality and the absence of fire…
  • Comfort:
    • main lighting (not yet chosen): I think I will stick with white
    • secondary lighting (Philips Hue Play White & Color Ambiance) probably in/on a piece of furniture… and probably several but not necessarily the same…
    • Switches (not yet chosen) to trigger scenarios (multiple buttons, or dimmer) if no voice commands or in addition
    • roller shutter (not yet chosen): existing (solar) shutter. I would like time-based and/or outdoor light management.
    • Speaker (not yet defined): here I want a quality audio to play music… currently only Sonos seems compatible with Gladys but expensive… so we’ll see and maybe a « powerful » system coupled with the TV as well…
    • Temperature/humidity of the air (I have it but I don’t remember the model) if no air quality measurement or weather station with indoor module, this will allow to have the basic data of the main room
    • connected TV (not yet chosen): I haven’t seen a TV connected to Gladys here… and I don’t know the connectivity that we could do except for display as on a tablet or control the channel, the volume,… which could be interesting (especially for presence simulation during vacations) but not essential… otherwise it would just be a power consumption measurement socket to know when it is running/consuming to « know » and be able to control the shutdown or startup (if it is possible to control the channel,…) but also maybe associate it with counters for statistics and reminders to get out and reduce screen time…
    • Fireplace (…): I put this here just as a topic of reflection like ignition or monitoring or wood management or … in short for the moment nothing

Dining room:

  • Security:
    • window opening detection (not yet chosen): window facing the garden…
    • door opening detection (not yet chosen): door facing the garden…
  • Comfort:
    • main lighting (not yet chosen): I think I will stick with white
    • secondary lighting (not yet chosen) probably in/on a piece of furniture…Passage :
  • Security :
    • Presence detection (Tuya ZY-M100-S Zigbee Presence sensor mmWave) this is the central point of the house where you have to pass to go to the outside or coming from the garage…
    • Door opening detection (not yet chosen): door leading to the garage…
    • Camera (optional): in case of presence (according to other sensors present and following active scenario), taking a photo/video and external storage (mail probably)
  • Comfort :
    • Main lighting (not yet chosen): I think color in order to associate it with an alarm (intrusion or fire or …) and make it blink red in the center of the house… maybe add a siren as well

Laundry room :

  • Security :
    • Water leak detection (not yet chosen): under the sink and/or on the washing machine side
  • Comfort :
    • Main lighting (not yet chosen): I think I’ll stick with white
    • Air temperature/humidity (I have it but I don’t remember the model) to manage humidity (with VMC or air extractor)
    • Washing machine: I haven’t seen a connected dishwasher here… it could be programming the start or choosing the type of washing or… but otherwise it would be „just“ a power consumption measurement to know when it’s running/consuming to „know“ but maybe also associate it with timers or others…
    • Dryer: I haven’t seen a connected dryer here… it could be programming the start or choosing the type of washing or… but otherwise it would be „just“ a power consumption measurement to know when it’s running/consuming to „know“ but maybe also associate it with timers or others…

Toilet :

  • Comfort :
    • Main lighting (not yet chosen): I think I’ll stick with white
    • Speaker (optional) not great quality, but I spend a lot/too much time in the toilet with my phone lol…

Garage :

  • Security :
    • Door opening detection (not yet chosen): door leading to the street…
    • Camera (optional) to monitor the car and access
  • Comfort :
    • Mailbox (not yet chosen): I’ve always wanted a package box…. I don’t think I’ve seen one here on Gladys… it could be a Boks package box (very well advertised everywhere)
    • Lighting (not yet chosen): basic…
    • Electric car charger (optional): no electric car so just think about leaving the idea for one day if…
      - Proximity detection (optional): the idea could be to monitor the space with the walls when you park the car or even turn it into security with car movement alerts… for now just an idea
    • Car (optional): like for the electric plug, the idea is to keep in mind that we have more and more connected cars that could send their info to Gladys (gauge levels, mileage, …) or even allow managing the battery of an electric car as a home battery (fill it during off-peak hours and return it during peak hours, provided that no trip has been scheduled)

Hallway :

  • Security :
    • Smoke detection (not yet chosen) one per floor and the hallway is central…
  • Comfort
    • Lighting (not yet chosen): I think color in order to associate it with an alarm (intrusion or fire or …) and make it blink red in the center of the house… maybe add a siren as well

3 Bedrooms :
For each bedroom… since the need is the same, even if it will be the main bedroom first depending on the financial aspect and the real need…

  • Security :
    • Skylight/window opening detection (not yet chosen): skylight/window to avoid getting soaked without knowing (lol)…
  • Comfort :
    • Main lighting (not yet chosen): I think I’ll stick with white
    • Secondary lighting (not yet chosen) probably in/on a piece of furniture/wardrobe…
    • Speaker (not yet chosen): correct to good audio quality… could be used to listen to music and wake up… if there is no voice control, we will have to see how to program it and stop it without needing a tablet (depending on the display solution described below) …
    • Display (not yet chosen) for the time, the reminder of an alarm or the weather or the next appointments (Google agenda for example)
    • Air temperature/humidity or better air quality measurement (not yet chosen)
    • Roller shutter (not yet chosen): shutter not present. I would see a time management and/or linked to the alarms.

Bathroom :

  • Security :
    • Water leak detection (not yet chosen): under the sink or/and under the bathtub
  • Comfort :
    • Main lighting (not yet chosen): I think I’ll stick with white
      secondary lighting (not yet chosen) for ambiance…
    • Speaker (not yet chosen): correct to good audio quality… could be used to listen in the bath or to the radio in the morning during your toilet…
    • Air temperature/humidity (I have it but I don’t remember the model) to manage humidity (with VMC or air extractor)
    • Roller shutter (not yet chosen): shutter not present. I would see a time management and/or outdoor light function.

Office

  • Comfort :
    • Main lighting (not yet chosen): I think I’ll stick with white
    • Secondary lighting (not yet chosen) probably in/on a piece of furniture/wardrobe…
    • Roller shutter (not yet chosen): shutter not present. I would see a time management and/or outdoor light function.
    • Speaker (not yet chosen): correct to good audio quality… could be used to listen to music and reminders… if there is no voice control, we will have to see how to program it and stop it without needing a tablet (depending on the display solution described below) …
    • Display (not yet chosen) for the time, the reminder of an alarm or the weather or the next appointments (Google agenda for example)

Global

  • Comfort:
    • Heat pump (not yet chosen) I plan to go for a ductable heat pump with adjustable settings for each room … I would like management by Gladys in order to be able to manage it remotely depending on me, my presence and the weather…
    • Robot vacuum (not yet chosen) with storage under the stairs (if it could lift a trap door it would be super lol)
    • Electricity consumption monitoring on Linky (Lixee ZLinky_TIC) I haven’t yet chosen the electricity provider (currently I am with Engie in my current home)
    • Circuit breakers (not yet chosen, but I think SD contacts + arduino?) in order to monitor the status of each circuit breaker and differentials (or at least the main ones, see in chains)
    • Water consumption monitoring (not yet chosen)
    • Solar panel monitoring (optional) even if there are no solar panels… this remains an option that could even generate storage and switching management and use (of what can be shifted such as a washing machine, or even a heating setpoint)
    • Jarvis (what?)Garden and Terrace
  • Security:
    • presence detection (Tuya ZY-M100-S Zigbee Presence sensor mmWave)
    • camera (not yet chosen): in case of presence, take a photo/video and store externally (probably via email)
    • lighting/projector (not yet chosen) to illuminate the garden in case of presence
  • Comfort:
    • main lighting (not yet chosen): for the terrace
    • secondary lighting (not yet chosen) many different and colorful ones all over the garden and terrace… this will probably depend on what I find and not necessarily all connected… maybe even some solar-powered standalone ones.
    • speaker (not yet chosen): good audio quality… could be used to listen to music and reminders… or for the doorbell reminder…
    • watering (not yet chosen) management of watering and measurement of flow/consumption associated with weather management. Maybe several to manage different zones (vegetable patch/flowers/…)
    • shading (optional) management of a sliding shade above the terrace depending on the weather (rain and wind) and demand
    • lawn mower robot (optional)

Attic
Access is limited (trapdoor)

  • Security:
    • roof leak detection (not yet chosen) not necessarily easy to know what to put between water detection (too localized?) or ambient humidity (too influenced by the outside)… but there must be something…

Cellar:
For the moment, no use of the cellar planned except for storage (the cellar is cool and dry).

  • Security:
    • …
  • Comfort
    • …

…

So, for those who made it here in their reading… if there are any :crazy_face:… yes, it’s very long, I think I’ve emptied my brain and I probably won’t do everything and certainly not all at once… I wanted to put all my ideas here and what I could see myself doing… This first post will evolve according to my choices and what is feasible financially/technically as well… I will also add the equipment I choose (and trying to make links to the topics detailing or explaining the installation)…

Thanks for reading…
If you have any ideas/advice for the choices and implementation or things I’ve forgotten :sweat_smile:, don’t hesitate…

2

Wowww that’s a LOT of things to set up… and that’s cool :slight_smile:

I admit… I didn’t read everything closely, but you’re going to have work because managing lights / shutters / presence etc.. Gladys will do that very well, however managing cameras with alerts will be handled by other software and certainly dedicated hardware for that :wink:

3

Thanks guim31 for your feedback,
yes, it’s a lot, I’m not sure I’ll do everything either but I don’t want to leave out anything I want…
For the camera, I’m not going for image-based detection but « just » displaying the camera in Gladys and, when another sensor is triggered (presence detection, door opening, …), triggering an alert (SMS, email, notification) that includes the image (or a video of a few seconds) from the camera at the moment the sensor triggered…
Afterwards these are only projects that will be refined over time, with the hardware and the actual need…
I don’t see myself setting up a second auxiliary system for a « thing » that’s not really necessary… I’ll find a roundabout way to meet that « need »

4

Yes ok I understand.
Also, it’s cool — you can tell you’re an organized guy… I jumped in and dealt with the mess of all my additions afterwards… It’s better to plan!

5

And there’s also the fact that I don’t have the house yet (I’ve been looking for a year)… so that

6

Hi @Gnome and thanks for this super thorough post :slight_smile:

We have a tutorial to connect a mailbox:

For presence detection, you talk a lot about this sensor, but be careful: in some rooms I think a traditional motion sensor is more suitable.

The millimeter-wave sensor works well but sees through walls, so potentially in small rooms there can be false positives if someone passes behind a wall — after that it’s something to test at your place. I would recommend starting with one of each sensor (one mmWave / one motion), and run tests to see what you prefer day-to-day.

If you want something cheap just for announcements, the Google Nest Mini is good; I bought a new one on leboncoin for €20. It works with Gladys!

That’s what I do at home and it works great! Telegram notification with a camera image attached to the message

You should like this, new tutorial today in the training:

7

Pierre-Gilles, as always a very thorough and enlightening answer…

  • mailbox, yes thanks, that remains a stopgap solution for what I want to achieve

  • presence detection, as you say it’s something to test… I bought a millimetric one, we’ll see how it goes. On the other hand, it can have advantages like seeing through walls in certain places or under certain conditions (e.g., when there’s officially nobody in the house and pointing it toward the interior)

  • speaker, your answer that Google Nest is compatible confirms that I didn’t read everything… I’m more Amazon-focused, so I need to check whether an Echo Dot would also be compatible lol

  • smoke detection, having taken the training I don’t doubt that everything will respond… I based my project largely on your own installation that you describe and explain in the training… which I recommend

8

Via Gladys Plus we are compatible with Google Home and Alexa for the control part. Like telling Google Home/Alexa commands: « Turn on the living room », that kind of thing

However, only Google Home speakers expose a local API (Google Cast) that allows Gladys to play a custom voice on those speakers.
I use a Nest Mini almost exclusively for that. To my knowledge, Amazon speakers don’t have this functionality.

Nothing stops you from having a Nest Mini just for announcements in certain places while using Alexa for the rest (but I understand that it’s redundant)