Blog from September, 2024

I'm a huge advocate for local everything. That's not to say I don't use Cloud - in many cases, it's awesome, but I also want everything to continue to work perfectly if the Internet is down.

When it comes to home safety and security, I want both. I want notifications and alarms anywhere I go, but, at home, I also want an audible alarm. That's especially useful when I'm asleep and tend to have my phone off.

With this in mind, I spent 10 minutes this past weekend on a low effort high value project - a 110db siren and strobe light, controlled by Shelly 1 Gen3.

The strobe siren is very low cost and comes in a variety of voltage support. Most sellers offer at 12vdc, though I went is 24vdc since I have dozens of power supplies for 24. You can get 2 for $10 on Amazon. One word of caution - it's LOUD.

I'm mounting mine underneath a wall mounted cabinet in the laundry room. If my family appreciates it, I'll mount a second on the far side of the house, probably in the network wiring closet.

I wanted to use the flanges for mounting, since this allows me to mount the strobe and still have access to the cover. It wouldn't make much difference if I used Velcro or two sided tape on the bottom, but I'm out of both and didn't want to wait on Amazon to do the project.

Again, the siren is loud, but that is the point. It warbles and blinks while the relay is on, so no need ot cycle the relay on and off. I can use this with any sensors, but, right now, I have my smoke and flood sensors sending actions. I haven't set up a script to handle door/window sensors yet, but that's coming in the near future.

Just for your reference, here is an example of the webhook to trigger the siren from any Shelly Wi-Fi connected device via the Actions menu: http://192.168.1.100/rpc/Switch.Set?id=0&on=true - just replace the IP address with the IP for your Shelly 1 Gen3.

I've used the original Shelly 1 to control my LiftMaster garage door opener for years. It's worked perfectly since day one and I'm not a fan of changing smart home solutions that work the way I want. On the other hand... we've made some big improvements over the years. Shelly Plus and Gen3 relays have added features and capabilities I hadn't dreamed of back in 2019 when I set this up the first time.

Earlier this year, Mike Salerno, one of my colleagues at Shelly USA, wrote an in-depth solution guide on using Shelly products to control garage door openers. This included using Shelly Plus 1 or Plus Uni to control traditional doors, additional diagrams and instructions for openers with Security+ 2.0, as well as using Plus 2Pm to control openers with up/down/stop function. It also covers using a Shelly plug to schedule hours when the opener is powered off, how to connect an invisible eye sensor, and how to get a great visualization of the door's position (open or closed) using Plus AddOn and a reed switch. The guide is worth your time and covers any option you might want. You can find it here:

As I said, I don't like to pull out perfectly good automation gear. However, I wanted the open/closed indicator, I'd like to add Virtual Components and I always take the chance to add another Bluetooth gateway. I pulled the old Shelly 1 and went to work.

I have a LiftMaster, so I grabbed the magic button from Garadget.

Since this is all low voltage, I didn't feel the need to use a big enclosure, I just grabbed a couple of the IP66 boxes we sell on Shelly.com

I wired the button to Shelly 1 Gen3, which also had Plus AddOn installed for the reed switch.

Next, I cut a couple of strips of 2 sided tape for this. Normally, I like to mount things with Velcro, since I have been known to make changes. On the other hand, I have to climb a ladder to mess with these, my son and I lways have a stack of lego boxes here waiting for the next project, and i don't want to accidentally knock them off. I've used this kind of 3M tape on both my projects and B2B projects I've been involved in for years (if you use the right primer, it even works in commercial freezers).

I used Shelly Plus Plug US to set the schedule on when the garage door can be used. I have a 5 year old and he loves to go outside. he's also finally tall enough to hit the button on the wall. By setting a schedule that's good for me, or by always having it off and only turning it on when I want to run the opener, I can always make sure my workshop and home are secure.

Next, I decided to change out the wire I used for the reed switch. Doorbell wire may have been fine, but I wanted something a little more flexible, so I grabbed some two conductor 20 awg in a silicon sheathe. Because of how the drive belt is secured, I decided the best place to mount the reed switch was to the door.

I stapled the wire to the ceiling but used zip tie anchors on the concrete wall. I ran the wire back to the IP66 boxes and connected them to a length of the original doorbell wire with Wago connectors. Using Plus AddOn and the reed switch gave me the great door position indicator in the app, which is what i was looking for.

All told, I’m happy with the installation. Originally, I had a wall mounted LiftMaster button and soldered leads to each side of the switch. That worked perfectly, but the Garadget switch is smaller and has an LED so I know when it is powered. I’m REALLY happy to see the indicator and know at a glance if the door is open or shut.

It’s got me thinking though… maybe I want to add the “Invisible Eye” sensors. I am always worried about my kid. I can also set up an Alexa routine for my wife and show everyone how to do it (saying “Alexa, garage door ON” isn’t natural. Maybe next week!

As often as the words "local control" come out of my mouth, you may be shocked to learn that i like Cloud-connected smart home devices. I like the convenience of checking cameras, my garage door, or kitchen lights from anywhere I've wandered of to. I like that my wife can use her voice assistant to turn lights on when her hands are full. Those are NICE features and I want to keep them.

However, when it comes to how my smart home actually functions, EVERYTHING must have a fully functional local interface, automations must happen within my home's walls, and I want devices triggering or controlling each other, based on my preferences, without a need to offload intelligence to someone else's computer.

To put it another way, my smart home is intelligent at the point of control, autonomous, and Cloud is a handy tool that makes the user experience software but doesn't alter the underlying control system.

With timers, schedules, scripts, webhooks, sensors, and power on defaults, I have made everything work exactly the way that I require and desire. Shelly gives me this - again, it is intelligence at the point of control and is fully local.

In fact, aside from checking for the occasional firmware update, the only thing that Shelly devices ever need Internet access for is time. Their default NTP server is http://time.google.com - which is acceptable, except that I don't want to have a Cloud dependency for my schedules.

I run an NTP server on my Linux server, but it also has a Cloud dependency.

What I wanted was to have full local NTP for my rleays, so that if there was a power outage that impacted my fiber connection, everything still works as expected.

To get this done, I found a cool (and cheap) GPS sensor NTP server, the FC-NTP-MINI Network Time Server.

It is a well behaved guest on my network - the only traffic is when a device queiries it for time data. Not a peeop otherwise.

In fact my Unifi DMP doesn't even see it on the network, though the switch registers a connection on the port I'm using.

Setup was easy on this - I connected an Ethernet cable between a laptop and the NTP box, matched the DHCP range of the servr (default address is 192.168.0.100, so i set the laptop for 192.168.0.99) and then ran a small utility program to assign it a Static IP address on my mainm network - using the same VLAN as my shelly products.

When I plugged it into my network and ran w32tm, it fired off perfect results.

The final step was to add the NTP server's IP address to my all of my Shelly products and now I have local NTP (though I still have a bunch of relays to add it to).

One note - make sure you keep track of the IP address - if you lose it, you’re going ot have a hard time getting back to it.

Simulate 3-way and 4-way Switches with Shelly

Here's my latest project, as introduced in my last post (see Reference A below)

Last year, I replaced the actual fans, so just need them to work reliably. Only 6 of 16 possible switch combinations turned the fans on. I'm replacing a circuit with 2 three way switches and 2 four way switches that were wired incorrectly - so incorrect that it was easier to convert to a single pole than to correct it.

However, Shelly makes it easy to retain the expected behavior from a 4 switch circuit, using one Shelly 1PM Gen3 and three Shelly i4 Gen3's. After identifying the wires in each wall box, I used Wago connectors to create one continuous neutral connection and one continuous line connection. Shelly 1PM Gen3 is installed in the last wall box in series to control the fans - no Wago connectors or wire nuts are needed here, allowing me to pass neutral to the fixture via the second N terminal. Since I used Wago connectors in the other boxes, it was easy to splice in the i4 Gen3 units without interrupting the circuit.

I'm using 4 single pole switches to behave like a circuit with two three way and two four way switches. I actually improve on it a little bit, by adding an Auto off timer to the fans, as well as only allowing the i4 Gen3's to trigger the fans during hours when someone is likely to spend time outside on the patio.

Here's a wiring diagram illustrating the circuit:

The recipe:

1. Install 1PM Gen3 and the three i4 Gen3s.

2. Add all four devices to your Shelly Smart Control app

3. Assign static IP addresses to all 4 devices (see Reference B below) Note: technically, 1PM is the only device that needs one, but it is a good practice to use static IP on all of them. I also recommend a matching DHCP reservation on your router.

4. Update firmware on all 4 devices. This may require reboots of individual devices and/or two stage updates to get to the most updated version (see Reference C below)

5. On 1PM Gen3, set power on default to "Off," button/switch mode to "Switch," and relay type to "Edge."

6. Also on 1PM Gen3, I set an Auto Off timer to turn the fan off after 2 hours - my family tends to leave it running all day after a swim.

7. For each i4 Gen3, create two actions (one for switch on, the other for switch off). Each action toggles 1PM Gen3 (rather than control output on/off). Also, when creating the actions, I set the schedule to run from 7 am until 10 pm, so nobody runs a fan for two hours at midnight by accident (or by my 5 year old's "choice.")

Optional: i4 Gen3 is going to create 4 channels in your room. Since I'm only using one switch with each i4, I prefer to disable the three other channels. Afterwards, I edit those channels in the app and move from the current room to the "Hidden devices" room, with a shorthand name. This makes for a clean, friendly user interface.

The switches now work exactly as the user expects, but with these benefits:

• Dramatically simplified wiring.

• Automatic off timer saves energy.

• Since I used Gen3 products, I can use virtual components to integrate BLU sensors and buttons.

• Action schedules prevent triggering the fan during hours it wouldn't be used.

• Power measurement data and charts allow me to fine tune settings.

• Electrical safety features built into 1PM Gen3 build on my work to correct wiring defects, making my home safer.

Screen Caps:

Reference A:

Reference B:

Reference C:

Shelly University has an easy class illustrating firmware updates. Click the picture below to breeze through:

One of the most important points to keep in your mind is to leave the wiring better than what you found it. In some houses, switches are swapped every few years to change the appearance. In others, they can stay for decades. Take responsibility for the people who come after you. One constant in smart home is that you'll sometimes find something so obviously wrong in someone else's wiring that you wonder that the house hasn't burned.

Maybe it's not so bad as that, but in most older homes, there's always a head scratcher hiding somewhere. My home was built in 1978 and the orighinal homeowner identified as an electrician (not his actual profession). Over the years, I've fixed a number of problems - he particularly hated ground wires and sometimes just cut them out of the way. Any wall box he installed is loose and two ceiling fans that should be switched are wired hot (and the switches do nothing).

I found a new favorite “present” from him in this project. Since all the wall boxes were loose, he put a six inch screw in to one of the switches (when I stopped to take the picture, I thought it was maybe 4 inches long. Nope.). Some people will go to no end of lunacy to get out of a problem they created, rather than stopping and doing things the right way.

The most irritating circuit in this house has been the patio ceiling fans. Based on the loose wall boxes and the fact that out of 16 possible combinations of switch positions, only 6 allow the fan to operate, I knew who installed the circuit. In fairness, the mounting was flawless, perfectly aligned, straight, and squared. But the switches were a train wreck. I'd pulled a few off the wall to check, but got sidetracked with fixing other issues and never came back to it. Yesterday, I finally decided to fix this train wreck.

Shelly is a fantastic tool for solving problems. Thanks to Actions (Webhooks), scripting, and local APIs, you can do nearly anything you can imagine with Shelly relays. One of my favorite projects is to use Shelly Plus Wall Dimmer to create a three or four way switch configuration using a script - I've turned entirely separate lighting circuits into a single control group this way.

My idea for the ceiling fans was not much different - I would take the four existing switches out, connect the lines together, and install Shelly 1PM Gen3 at the last wall box to control the circuits. I split off three i4 Gen3's into the other wall boxes. The fun started when I started pulling switches. I grabbed a continuity tester and a roll of tray cable (which provided one of the two lines for my tester, letting me focus on one wire at a time in the wall boxes). I opened the first switch and pulled it out to find a stripped line that wasn't connected to anything. I believe it was just seated against the plastic backing of the light switch.

That wall box was right over an outlet on a separate circuit breaker, so I turned that off and confirmed the line was now inert. Before going farther, I went to the next wall box and tested for the incoming wires. I marked these with colored tap on each side, then I pulled the outlet and saw where a second wire was connected. I hooked up my continuity tester, verified it was the same line, removed it, pulled the run out of the wall, and buttoned everything back up.

I found a second wall box where he'd done the same thing, though these wires were capped off. I didn't spend a lot of time looking over the switches to see where he messed up the wiring, but I figure he tried powering the circuit by each outlet first, couldn't get it working right, then pulled from the ceiling light fixture. He got it not-really-working, to the best of his ability, and surrendered.

My solution? I identified the wire going in each direction, bundled it together and labelled, trimmed out an extra 18-20 inches of wire from each box (not exaggerating), and installed Shelly. That’s the next post, when I share the setup and configuration.

This circuit could have been installed in 1980 or in 2010, it's hard to predict. Whenever he did it, though, he should have researched how to wire the circuit or gotten an electrician in the door. He's left a few landmines for me to fix and I've had a couple of zaps over the years. Electrical safety is critical and if you're not mindful of the lives of the people who follow you, you're best staying out of the home's wiring.

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

Starting your smart home journey is intimidating. Selecting between brands, technologies, communication protocols, privacy, and all the other choices can make you wonder if you're better off living in a cave with a fire pit. The solution is to clearly define your priorities and your skill, make a list of small, manageable steps, then plan your projects from there.

Define Your Goals

First, ask yourself what you want to achieve. Are you looking to save energy, improve security, or simply add convenience? Maybe you want to monitor an elderly relative or keep an eye on your pets. Knowing your objectives will help you prioritize your investments.

Assess Your Skills

Be honest about your DIY abilities. Can you install a smart thermostat or replace a light switch? If not, factor in the cost of professional installation. Remember, some projects may require an electrician for safety and code compliance.

Choose Your Technology

Decide whether you want a system that works locally or one that relies on the internet. Consider compatibility with voice assistants like Alexa or Google Home if that's important to you. Research different smart home protocols (Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Z-Wave) to ensure your devices can communicate with each other.

Make a Room-by-Room Plan

Walk through your home and list potential smart upgrades for each room. In the kitchen, you might want smart appliances. In the living room, smart lighting and a smart TV could be priorities. Don't forget outdoor spaces for security cameras or smart irrigation systems.

Prioritize Your Projects

Rank your list based on importance and budget. Start with projects that offer the most value or address your primary goals. For example, if energy savings is your main concern, a smart thermostat might be your first purchase.

Create a Budget

Research costs for the items on your list and set a realistic budget. Remember to include any necessary hub devices or additional equipment like Wi-Fi extenders to ensure good connectivity throughout your home.

Plan for the Future

Think about how your needs might change. Choose systems that are expandable and can integrate with other devices you might add later. This future-proofing will save you headaches down the road by breaking down your smart home project into these manageable steps, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed and make steady progress towards your goals. Remember, you don't have to do everything at once. Start small, learn as you go, and enjoy the process of making your home smarter and more efficient.

You usually only think about automating your garage door 5 minutes after your head hits the pillow and you wonder if it’s closed. It’s a neglected cousin in the smart home world, as well, with few manufacturers offering automation options, and those who do locking everything away in a walled garden - meaning you can’t use your existing smart home system to control and check on your garage door.

Unlocking the Full Potential of Your Garage Door with Shelly

Shelly enthusiasts have used Shelly 1 Gen3 and it’s predecessors (Shelly Plus 1 and the original Shelly 1) to automate the garage doors, powered gates, and access control systems for years. While this is a popular project, a lot of people worry it is complicated - but it is an easy and fun project anyone can do.

Why Choose Shelly for Garage Door Automation?

Shelly relays, such as the Shelly 1 Gen3 and Shelly Plus Uni, work with a wide range of garage door openers. Whether you have a standard 12vdc or 24vdc system, or even a 120vac opener, there's a Shelly device that can seamlessly integrate with your existing setup. This ensures that you're not left out of the smart home revolution just because of your garage door opener's specifications.

Enhanced Security and Control

By incorporating a Shelly relay into your garage door system, you gain unprecedented control and security features. The ability to add reed switches allows you to monitor the door's position accurately. This means you can check whether your garage is open or closed from anywhere in the world, providing peace of mind when you're away from home.

Safety First

Shelly devices can integrate with "invisible eye" sensors, adding an extra layer of safety to your garage door operation. This feature prevents the door from closing if an obstacle is detected, ensuring the safety of your family, pets, and vehicles.

Seamless Smart Home Integration

One of the most compelling reasons to use Shelly for your garage door automation is its compatibility with virtually all smart home systems. Whether you're using Home Assistant, SmartThings, or any other popular platform, Shelly can easily integrate, allowing you to create complex automations and scenarios involving your garage door.

Practical Applications and Benefits

Imagine arriving home and having your garage door open automatically as you approach, thanks to geofencing capabilities. Or picture receiving an alert on your phone if you've left the garage door open for an extended period. These are just a few examples of how Shelly can enhance your daily life.

The free Shelly app and Cloud service provide a user-friendly interface for controlling your garage door remotely. This GDPR-compliant solution ensures your privacy while offering convenient access to your garage door's status and controls.

Integrating your garage door into your smart home setup using Shelly relays is a practical and powerful upgrade. It not only enhances security and convenience but also opens up a world of automation possibilities. With Shelly, you're not just making your garage door smart; you're making it an integral part of your intelligent home ecosystem.

Want to try for yourself? Here’s how to automate your garage door with Shelly:

By choosing Shelly for your garage door automation, you're investing in a flexible, secure, and future-proof solution that will continue to evolve with your smart home needs. Don't let your garage door be the weak link in your smart home chain – empower it with Shelly and experience the full potential of home automation.

Other content covering Shelly and garage door openers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwLPFFNMtNshttps://community.home-assistant.io/t/shelly-1-garage-door-controller/209917https://community.openhab.org/t/how-to-automate-physical-button-press-edit-using-shelly-to-open-garage-door/150823https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEZUxXNiERQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtfX7HepvzQhttps://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/mz4cqp/shelly_25_garage_door_control/https://www.shelly.com/en-us/use-shelly-for/smart-home-automation/smart-doors-gates

When it comes to managing your home's electrical systems, not all circuits are created equal. Certain appliances and devices, such as refrigerators, freezers, and home medical equipment, play crucial roles in our daily lives and health. That's where the Shelly Mini PM Gen3 comes in, offering a smart solution for monitoring these critical circuits without any risk of disruption. With a solid connection between line and output terminals, your circuit will always have power while you measure consumption.

The Power of Passive Monitoring

The Shelly Mini PM Gen3 is a small Wi-Fi connected power measurement device that stands out for its completely passive monitoring capabilities. Unlike some smart devices that include relays for switching power on and off, the Mini PM Gen3 is designed solely for measurement.

This means it can be installed on critical circuits without any risk of accidentally cutting power to essential appliances.For refrigerators and freezers, continuous power is vital to maintain food safety and prevent spoilage. Similarly, home medical equipment often requires uninterrupted electricity to function properly and ensure patient well-being. The passive nature of the Shelly Mini PM Gen3 provides peace of mind, knowing that your monitoring solution won't interfere with these crucial devices.

Insights Through Power Consumption Data

While the Shelly Mini PM Gen3 doesn't control your appliances, it offers valuable insights through precise power consumption measurements. This data can be a goldmine of information about the health and efficiency of your devices.

Early Warning System for Appliance Issues

Unusual changes in power consumption patterns can often indicate developing problems in appliances before they become apparent through other means. For instance:

• A sudden increase in your refrigerator's power usage might suggest a failing compressor or a door seal that's not closing properly.

• Erratic power consumption in medical equipment could signal a malfunction that requires immediate attention.

• Gradual increases in energy use over time might indicate that an appliance is becoming less efficient and may need cleaning, servicing, or replacement.

By monitoring these patterns, you can catch potential issues early, potentially saving money on repairs and avoiding the inconvenience of unexpected breakdowns.

Optimizing Energy Efficiency

Beyond troubleshooting, the power consumption data from the Shelly Mini PM Gen3 allows you to optimize the energy efficiency of your critical appliances. You can identify energy-hungry devices and make informed decisions about usage patterns or potential upgrades to more efficient models.

Easy Integration and Access to Data

The Shelly Mini PM Gen3 is designed for seamless integration into your smart home ecosystem. It connects directly to your Wi-Fi network without requiring a hub, making setup quick and straightforward. The device is compatible with popular voice assistants and smart home platforms, allowing you to easily access power consumption data and set up custom alerts.For those who prefer more direct control, the Shelly Smart Control app provides a user-friendly interface to monitor your devices. Additionally, the Mini PM Gen3 supports various protocols like MQTT and WebSocket, making it ideal for tech enthusiasts who want to create custom integrations or advanced automation scenarios.

Compact Design for Versatile Installation

At less than an inch and a half in length and width, and just over half an inch deep, the Shelly Mini PM Gen3 can fit behind nearly any power outlet or in small electrical boxes. This compact size makes it easy to install without requiring significant modifications to your existing electrical setup.

Reliable Performance for Peace of Mind

The Shelly Mini PM Gen3 is built to handle the demands of critical circuits. In North America, it can be used with all 120VAC circuits on 15 amp breakers and supports up to 16 amps on 20 amp breakers. This capability ensures that it can reliably monitor even high-power appliances without becoming a bottleneck or safety concern.

Mini PM Gen3 for what matters

The Shelly Mini PM Gen3 offers a unique combination of passive monitoring, precise power measurement, and smart home integration that makes it an ideal choice for critical circuits. By providing valuable insights into the power consumption of your essential appliances and medical equipment, it helps you maintain their efficiency, catch potential issues early, and ensure uninterrupted operation. Its passive nature eliminates any risk of accidental power cuts, making it a safe and smart addition to your home's electrical system. Whether you're looking to optimize energy usage, prevent appliance failures, or simply gain more control over your home's power consumption, the Shelly Mini PM Gen3 is a powerful tool that offers peace of mind and valuable data insights.

What I like best about Shelly products is the ability to set up local automations between devices, plus timers, schedules, and scripts.

Sometimes, though, I miss the ability to control other systems in my home or to trigger special events with Shelly.

Home Assistant gives you almost endless ability to customize and automate your home.

For some people, though, Home Assistant can be VERY intimidating, but I have something that might help.

Our friends at Home Tech Hacker wrote a great guide to help you get the most out of Shelly with Home Assistant, without a tech degree.

The guide offers a step-by-step walkthrough on integrating Shelly devices with Home Assistant and covers everything from initial installation to advanced automation techniques.

Take your smart home to the next level with Shelly and Home Assistant with the link below:

https://hometechhacker.com/mastering-shelly-products-with-home-assistant-a-comprehensive-guide/