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Home automation success
Now that the rubber hose mod has ensured that the LR's low water alarm will sound in time, I felt comfortable looking into what Internet of Things power devices could be used to make life a little easier.
I had the following requirements:
- Plugs into a wall power socket
- Allows scheduling of on/off
- Homekit/Siri integration
So this week I gave the Elgato Eve Energy a try. It's a big device, but most of these things are.
Setup was super simple. I got it registered on my network without drama and used the Elgato app to name that switch 'Coffee Machine'.
From there I set a schedule to start the coffee machine at 6am daily, and turn it off at 10.30pm (if still on).
Using my iPhone and/or Apple Watch I'm able to check the status of the machine and turn it on/off remotely. I leave the front switch on, and I control whether it's on or off via the Home app or Siri.
Yesterday I decided to pop home for lunch, so said "Hey Siri, turn the coffee machine on" to my Watch. By the time I arrived home, the machine was hot and ready.
I could set scenes - i.e. if I leave the house, it'll turn off. If I return, it turns on - but I'm in and out enough that it's not practical.
One caveat - it's got a max wattage rating of 1840. It does occasionally trip the Eve Energy device and turn the machine off. It's simple to restart via the app however. YMMV with this particular aspect, and I'm hoping that more robust IoT devices for power management will become available that fit my needs.
Nevertheless, I was giggling with glee during the testing.
The power. Oh, the power.
I had the following requirements:
- Plugs into a wall power socket
- Allows scheduling of on/off
- Homekit/Siri integration
So this week I gave the Elgato Eve Energy a try. It's a big device, but most of these things are.
Setup was super simple. I got it registered on my network without drama and used the Elgato app to name that switch 'Coffee Machine'.
From there I set a schedule to start the coffee machine at 6am daily, and turn it off at 10.30pm (if still on).
Using my iPhone and/or Apple Watch I'm able to check the status of the machine and turn it on/off remotely. I leave the front switch on, and I control whether it's on or off via the Home app or Siri.
Yesterday I decided to pop home for lunch, so said "Hey Siri, turn the coffee machine on" to my Watch. By the time I arrived home, the machine was hot and ready.
I could set scenes - i.e. if I leave the house, it'll turn off. If I return, it turns on - but I'm in and out enough that it's not practical.
One caveat - it's got a max wattage rating of 1840. It does occasionally trip the Eve Energy device and turn the machine off. It's simple to restart via the app however. YMMV with this particular aspect, and I'm hoping that more robust IoT devices for power management will become available that fit my needs.
Nevertheless, I was giggling with glee during the testing.
The power. Oh, the power.