Which smart home system for a small flat: Aqara, Ikea, Tapo? LAN, sensors, roller shutters

A simple smart home for your flat

I am trying to get a simple smart home up and running in a flat. Small flat, 2 rooms. Smart home more out of curiosity than typical need.

I care about:
- measuring temperature and humidity in the rooms
- setting off lights/sockets (including simulating presence in the house)
- some kind of "alarm", i.e. a reed switch and a movement detector
- flooding detectors with some kind of water shut-off solution (I found something like the Aqara Valve Controller T1)
- fire detector
- maybe a roller shutter control

And that's pretty much it for starters.

Connection of the control unit preferably LAN. It would be nice (but optional) if it had power backup and an alternative source of internet access (backup in the form of GSM).


What should such a system be made of? So that it has reasonably workable, provides some support etc?
I have been interested in To-Link Tapo - but this is a heavily closed system though.
Something from Ikea? Aquara?

I for one am happy with Aquara with Zigbee communication.
On the other hand, if you get into Zigbee and you put the control panel on, for example, open source home assistant software, it basically doesn't matter the brand, the important thing is that it supports Zigbee.
I think Zigbee sensor communication is the best solution at the moment. I replace the batteries once every two years.

Basically everything you listed is Zigbee based.

@gulson
I just think I will go with Zigbee + Matter. So that the gateway, however, already supports Matter as well.

I tentatively have my eye on
Sonoff iHost
Aquara hub m3
Ikea Dirigiera


I want the gateway to work normally offline, so that no cloud is needed for processing.


Do you have any other suggestions?

If I have one of the above gateways, can I use Zigbee sensors from other companies?
E.g. I have an Aquara gateway and sensors from both Aquara and Ikea?

I think a good solution to start with. Other brand zigbee sensors will connect to the zigbee gateway, but it is a question of whether they will be supported in the application.

here maybe someone can comment who is using an application from a particular company

That's why I don't like restrictions and put a home assisant with zigbee under usb.

@p.kaczmarek2 have you perhaps checked some closed solutions, will other brands connect?

rather we always try to insulate ourselves from the manufacturer's cloud

I would also like to ask, what is the range of such gates? In the sense of being able to see, for example, a flood sensor 15m away + a concrete ceiling?

Unfortunately not, but some zigbee devices like light bulbs that are plugged in are often extenders of zigbee communication.

A matter of locating them in the right place e.g. a mezzanine floor.

IMHO building IB and SSWiN on the same control panel (system) is a big mistake.

Thanks. What would you suggest?

@Zvirek Then how do you solve it?

Because I'm thinking of throwing this in at my parents place too.
The control panel would stand where the router etc is, while the sensors would be in the house. Up to 15 metres from the gate on the ground floor (cellular concrete partition walls (ytong), and on the first floor (solid, poured, reinforced concrete ceiling).

The priority at the parents' house would be flood detectors + a device to turn off the usual valve. Only later as an addition fire alarms, temperature/humidity detectors, roller shutter control.
How should this be solved?

SSWiN with fire - Satel - if you have the time and desire, a simple system you can handle yourself.
And for IB - Supla - cheap, easy and surprisingly great functionality.

In the case of Zigbee, the principle is that mains-powered devices are satellites extending the range. You have to assume that devices from different systems are not compatible with each other (there are exceptions). I have an Aqara and a Sonoff. I have had the first system for a long time and bought the Sonoff recently out of curiosity. Home Assistant I don't recommend because it doesn't meet the "simple Smart Home" condition. I also have Supla, but it's not Zigbee.

Rather, I advise against assuming blindly that different brands of Zigbee devices will be compatible with each other. On the contrary, expect compatibility only if the manufacturer makes it clear, otherwise, assume they are not compatible. Well, unless you can easily return it to the shop if it doesn't work for you.

I haven't tested many products for this, as I normally pair everything with HA and otherwise make sure it's from the family when ordering, but I know that for example I couldn't pair hardware from Tuya to Aqara. I tested it with this panel: Practical test of the Aqara Panel Hub S1 Plus, which is the home control centre - tiles, cams, Zigbee

On the other hand, practically everything I've had with Zigbee pairs easily with Home Assistant - but then you don't have automatic access from outside your LAN, you just have to look for a solution for that separately.

roman106 wrote:

In the case of Zigbee, the principle is that mains-powered devices are satellites extending the range. It should be assumed that devices of different systems are not compatible with each other (there are exceptions).

And how would Zigbee connect to matter? Matter is supposedly compatible between different manufacturers?

roman106 wrote:

I have an Aqara and a Sonoff. I have had the first system for a long time and bought the Sonoff recently out of curiosity.

And what are your impressions? Which is better?

Sanoff doesn't seem to have this water valve controller on offer



Aqara doesn't roll up sometimes? On their website a lot of system components are unavailable for purchase.

rafmik wrote:

And how would Zigbee connect to matter? Matter is supposedly compatible between different manufacturers?

I don't have any Matter device from another manufacturer, but the Aqara and Sonoff gateways support this protocol.

"And what are your impressions? Which is better?" - at first the Sonoff had worse range, but there is a Zigbee channel option in the options and I changed to the recommended one (strong signal). Now it doesn't lose buttons located somewhere further away. Aqara had a better design for their products, but now Sonoff's new line looks nice too. Aqara's motion sensor works great, and I will only have one from Sonoff since Santa. Sonoff has slightly cheaper products.

The valve I don't use, but Sonoff has one too. Aqara doesn't roll, I had that impression a few years ago too, but they just rarely release new products. I buy on Ali and there is a choice there. It's important to choose the European version, because for the Chinese market it will work, but with a Chinese server (slower response).

I did some reading and overall the choice was left at 2 options:

1. Simple, budget - Tp-Link Tapo
Within this a T200 hub, 1-2 cameras with motion recognition, 2-3 flood detectors, a reed switch, 2 temperature detectors, one motion detector and background to boot (no fire detector or water valve within this system unfortunately).

2. Own HA - put this on a Dell Wyse 5070 with J4105 and 8GB Ram with proxmox. Plus some sort of antenna/gateway what would you guys recommend to make it as versatile as possible? Zigbee, Matter?


In both cases a small under-desk UPS and a backup connection to the net (MIkrtoik router + LTE modem plugged into USB).

Possibly start with Tapo, and then add HA - I guess it can be combined somehow?


BTW
Can such a Dell with proxmox pull some other containers simultaneously with HA? E.g. PiHole/AdGuatd Home, some simple NAS?

Home Assistant - it won't be easy. It takes a lot of work, but the possibilities are endless. Add ConBee and you have support for Zigbee devices from a wide range of manufacturers; the internet says Tapo too.

>>21785052

How about a ready-made Home Assistant Green style?
https://www.home-assistant.io/green/

And a ZBT-2 to go with it?

It's not just about installing the system, but configuring it, adding devices, operating this combo. If you have the time to sit on it, why not? I've been approached a couple of times and there's something there working with visible devices, but I've said thanks. I prefer closed but simpler systems.

p.kaczmarek2 wrote:

On the other hand, practically everything I had with Zigbee pairs easily with Home Assistant - but then you don't have automatic access from outside your LAN, you just have to look for a solution for that separately.

So I take it this is about configuring DDNS? E.g. with the free clouflare service?

Added after 3 [minutes]:

roman106 wrote:

This is not about just installing the system, but configuring it, adding devices, operating this combo. If you have the time to sit on it, why not? I've been approached a few times and there's something there working with visible devices, but I've said thanks. I prefer closed but simpler systems.

That scared me a bit....