East Cobb IT – Software And Hardware Support
We come to you. No Fix no Fee. Serving the Marietta, Alpharetta, Roswell, Johns Creek, Woodstock area. Give us a call to find out how we can help at 404 547 5074
By far the most useful feature is being able to control your Home Assistant devices from a touch screen located somewhere convienient such as the Kitchen or Bedroom. We have had most success with the Lenovo Tab M10 Plus and Fully Kiosk Browser
https://www.fully-kiosk.com/
cd ~
sudo apt-get install -y git git-core cmake libusb-1.0-0-devsudo apt updatesudo apt install -y build-essential
git clone git://git.osmocom.org/rtl-sdr.git
cd rtl-sdr/ && mkdir build && cd build/
cmake ../ -DINSTALL_UDEV_RULES=ON
sudo make
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig
cd ~
sudo cp ./rtl-sdr/rtl-sdr.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/
# create file
no-rtl.conf
sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/no-rtl.conf
# add these three
lines
blacklist
dvb_usb_rtl28xxublacklist rtl2832blacklist rtl2830
sudo reboot
lsusb
rtl_test -t
sudo apt-get install -y libtool libusb-1.0.0-dev librtlsdr-dev rtl-sdr doxygen
git clone https://github.com/merbanan/rtl_433.git
cd rtl_433/
mkdir build
cd build
cmake ../
make
sudo make install
rtl_433 -f 344975000 -R 70
https://www.rtl-sdr.com/
These are commonly installed by ADT Home security Systems and are for the most part great. They have a long battery life, a reasonable range, work on RF technology. If your subscription has run out or you wish to repurpose, how do you interface these great little sensors with Home Assistant ? Read on..
https://github.com/merbanan/rtl_433
def rtl_433_probe():
"""Run a rtl_433 UDP listener."""
global exitFlag
global doorVolume
time.sleep(4) # put this here incase any code could crash the pi
jq.setVolume(doorVolume)
try:
# Create listener for incoming json string packets.
sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM, socket.IPPROTO_UDP)
sock.bind((UDP_IP, UDP_PORT))
## Connect to MQTT
mqttc = mqtt.Client()
mqttc.on_connect = mqtt_connect
mqttc.on_disconnect = mqtt_disconnect
mqttc.on_message=on_message #attach function to callback
mqttc.on_connect_fail=connect_fail_callback
mqttc.username_pw_set(MQTT_USERNAME, password=MQTT_PASSWORD)
LogEvent("connecting to " + MQTT_HOST)
mqttc.connect(MQTT_HOST, MQTT_PORT, 60)
mqttc.loop_start()
except Exception as e:
LogEvent("main loop exception %s" % (e))
time.sleep(5)
exit(1)
## Receive UDP datagrams, extract json, and publish.
while not exitFlag:
line, addr = sock.recvfrom(1024)
try:
line = parse_syslog(line)
data = json.loads(line)
publish_sensor_to_mqtt(mqttc, data, line)
except ValueError:
LogEvent("issue with json")
pass
def run():
"""Run main or daemon."""
# with daemon.DaemonContext(files_preserve=[sock]):
# detach_process=True
# uid
# gid
# working_directory
rtl_433_probe()
if __name__ == "__main__":
run()
pi@doorrf:/etc/supervisor/conf.d $ cat doorrf.conf
[program:doorrf]
command=python /home/pi/doorrf.py
user=pi
autostart=yes
autorestart=yes
startretries=100
pi@doorrf:/etc/supervisor/conf.d $ cat rtl_433.conf
[program:rtl_433]
command=/home/pi/rtl_433/build/src/rtl_433 -f 344975000 -R 70 -F syslog:127.0.0.1:1433
user=pi
autostart=yes
autorestart=yes
startretries=100
pi@doorrf:/etc/supervisor/conf.d $ cat squeeze.conf
[program:squeezebox]
command=/usr/bin/squeezelite-armv6hf -o sysdefault:CARD=sndrpihifiberry -s 10.0.0.36 -n doorrf
user=pi
autostart=yes
autorestart=yes
startretries=100
sudo apt-get install -y supervisor
Supervisor Commands
sudo service supervisor start
sudo
service supervisor status
sudo
service supervisor stop
sudo
service supervisor restart
Allows as it’s name suggests proxying of data from BLE devices over WIFI to Home assistant. Need a compatable ESP32 device with bluetooth ( some models are WIFI only)
A variety of useful helper scripts for quickly setting up services in an LXC can be found here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RguRQUXWLCY
If you are using a CC2530 or CC2531; it is a common issue for this adapter to crash (due to its outdated hardware). Reflashing the firmware should fix the problem. If it happens often consider flashing the source routing firmware or upgrade to a more powerful adapter.
wget https://github.com/Koenkk/Z-Stack-firmware/raw/master/coordinator/Z-Stack_Home_1.2/bin/source_routing/CC2531_SOURCE_ROUTING_20211116.zip
so login to pi
Check if WiringPi is installed (should be) by runninggpio -vif you don’t see the version in the outputsudo apt install wiringpi
Navigate to the folder
cd flash_cc2531
and see if the USB device is wired correctly running:
./cc_chipid
You should see ID = b524. if any other outcome is given, check your wires.
md flash
cd flash
wget https://github.com/Koenkk/Z-Stack-firmware/raw/master/coordinator/Z-Stack_3.0.x/bin/CC2531_20190425.zipor use the alternative above....unzip filecd ..Clear the flash with./cc_eraseUpload new firmware using./cc_write /home/pi/flash_cc2531/flash/CC2531ZNP-Prod.hexthis will take about 3 min.
So Whats the deal ? East Cobb, Marietta, Georgia ? Surely not ….. So the general recommendation of the EPA is to take action if your levels of radon gas in your home exceed 4 pCi/L at any point. Read up here https://www.epa.gov/radon/epa-map-radon-zones. Radon levels can fluctate based on a number of environmental factors such as airflow through the house and weather conditions.
https://extension.uga.edu/programs-services/radon-testing/georgia-radon-map.html
No scare tactics here, This post is really to discuss integration of Radon sensors into your Home Assistant (HA) setup. If your house is really air tight you might have a cause for concern in East Cobb. If you have never had your home tested it’s probably prudent to do so, at least once.
Testing by a “pro”, if your going to pay money you expect at least:
Are certified and completed an industry recognized course showing they are capable of understanding and being compentent to carry out such tests.
Have a working, recently calibrated Radon detector with documentation they can provide you, showing when it was calibrated and by whom.
Are able to perform Radon mitigation in the event that high levels of Radon Gas are observed in the testing phase, will deduct the cost of the Radon Gas Test from the mitigation expense and provide you with an estimate of the cost of mitigation PRIOR to any testing.
Monitoring needs to be setup in your crawlspace or basement and run for a min of three days, no less.
Radoneye is a product from a company that also produces equipment for pros, does not require calibration and can be purchased for the price of a professional radon test.
The easiest way to integrate with home assistant is using ESPHome and build a bluetooth proxy.
Using HACS, add the Home Assistant integration rd200v2 after which you can add the ecosense radon sensors by going to Settings – Devices & Services
https://github.com/jdeath/rd200v2
As always, we provide setup, configuration and support for this type of equipment.
Here is a pretty detailed review of a couple of units
Sensor attributes available in Home Assistant from the Radon sensor
Radon readings from the radoneye sensor in a home in Cobb County GA over 3days
Sure, multiroom sound systems are a great addition to your home. The ability to play the same music or podcast in every room is a great feature. Take a look at the big names, ebay and thrift stores are littered with the ghosts of unsupported first gen systems from the big players. They are expensive investments and often fall foul of being abandoned by the manufacturer after they are no longer able to make any money on them.
Enter Logitech Media Server and options for playing the streams in software or hardware (squeezebox) Its been around forever, has a ton of open source community support. Logitech have discontinued there cloud based service, however this can still be used to stream local music, tunein, bandcamp and more.
Once you have downloaded and installed LMS from the link above, confirm the necessary ports have been allowed through your server firewall if required.
TCP 3483 squeezebox stream
TCP 9000 Server web interface
TCP 9090 CLI e.g Squeezer
Open a web browser window and enter the address of your LMS e.g http://10.0.0.2:9000
(If using windows you can find this in the information tab of LMS)
You should see a page similar to the following in your browser:
Player: This is the output device that will actually play the audio. It is a drop down list and if nothing is present, you dont have any audio players connected and won’t be able to play anything.
Volume: The volume level of the currently selected player.
Transport: The Play, Pause, Next Track, Prev Track, Loop, Etc… Transport controls of the currently selected player
Source: The source audio that you wish to play, can be local MP3, Internet radio or other souces depending on plugins installed
Settings: (bottom right) Allows you to add and remove plugins, scan for local music and various other house keeping tasks.
You will need a player to output the audio stream from the Logitech Music Server. I have listed a few we have had direct experience with, there are many others.
A dedicated squeezebox player from somewhere like ebay or facebook marketplace, search for squeezebox
Squeezelite-X available from the microsoft store.
PiCorePlayer for the raspberry pi , Tested with Pi Zero and Model 3 , both work fine.
Squeezelite-esp32 for the esp32. We build these players and have a few for sale.
SB Player by angry goat for Android and chromebooks in the playstore (small one time fee)
You will need some way of controlling the playback, volume and audio source of a player. This can be achived in a multiple of ways. A couple are mentioned here.
via LMS webpage on port 9000 (in our example that would be http://10.0.0.2:9000)
Android google play search for app named squeezer.
This section contains notes for installing LMS on proxmox, may be outdated or incorrect
Create a new LXC container on Proxmox, left all as defaults apart from unsetting the ‘unprivileged container’ checkbox.
Get things up to date
apt update apt upgrade
Install required dependencies
apt install perl libssl-dev
Download the package
Downloaded latest stable Squeezebox server image from https://lms-community.github.io/lms-server-repository/
or
wget http://downloads.slimdevices.com/LogitechMediaServer_v8.5.0/logitechmediaserver_8.5.0_amd64.deb
Install the package
dpkg -i logitechmediaserver_8.5.0_amd64.deb
(at this point ran into error as I’d missed the perl installation, so installed perl and ran apt --fix-broken install as prompted, the installation was then complete)
make sure to ceate directory for playlists and make writeable for example
mkdir /var/lib/squeezeboxserver/playlists
cd /var/lib/squeezeboxserver/playlists
chown squeezeboxserver playlists
chgrp nogroup playlists
update settings in logitech media server
#--------------------------------------------------------------------
# Start playing playlist named classical on squeezebox with
# IP address 10.0.0.39
#--------------------------------------------------------------------
- id: 'TurnOnRadioStation1'
alias: TurnOnRadioStation_1
trigger:
- platform: event
event_type: "MY_CUSTOM_EVENT"
condition: []
action:
- service: rest_command.lms_command
data:
p0: "playlist"
p1: "play"
p2: "classical"
player: "10.0.0.39"Using a delay is ok for a quick and dirty method to time how long a light switch should stay on when triggered by a motion sensor. It does not take into account retriggers or flexible enough to incorporate multiple sensors or trigger methods. Here is an example of a more flexible implementation.
#
#--------------------------------------------------------------------
# Turn on front door light if motion detected on external
# sensor and not already on
#--------------------------------------------------------------------
#
- id: 'TurnOnLaundryLightsIfMotion'
alias: TurnOn_LaundryLightsIfMotion
trigger:
- entity_id: binary_sensor.motionlaundry_occupancy
platform: state
to: 'on'
condition:
- condition: state
entity_id: switch.lightlaundry
state: 'off'
action:
- entity_id: switch.lightlaundry
service: switch.turn_on
- delay:
hours: 0
minutes: 5
seconds: 0
milliseconds: 0
- entity_id: switch.lightlaundry
service: switch.turn_off
mode: single
# #-------------------------------------------------------------------- # Turn On laundry Lights if Motion #-------------------------------------------------------------------- # - id: 'TurnOnLaundryLightsIfMotion' alias: TurnOn_LaundryLightsIfMotion trigger: - platform: state entity_id: binary_sensor.motionlaundry_occupancy to: 'on' condition: - condition: state entity_id: switch.lightlaundry state: 'off' action: - service: switch.turn_on data: entity_id: switch.lightlaundry - service: automation.turn_on entity_id: automation.TurnOff_LaundryLightsIfMotion # #--------------------------------------------------------------------- # Turn off laundry Lights if Motion #--------------------------------------------------------------------- # - id: 'TurnOffLaundryLightsIfMotion' alias: TurnOff_LaundryLightsIfMotion trigger: - platform: state entity_id: binary_sensor.motionlaundry_occupancy to: 'off' for: minutes: 5 condition: - condition: state entity_id: switch.lightlaundry state: 'on' action: - service: switch.turn_off data: entity_id: switch.lightlaundry - service: automation.turn_off entity_id: automation.TurnOff_LaundryLightsIfMotion
If using zigbee2mqtt with these sonoff dongles note when ordering there are 2 versions. Version P based on CC2652. Version E based on EFR32MG21. The E version seems to work, flashing is slightly different if you are changing from coordinator to router or vice versa. It is listed as experimental on zigbee2mqtt site .
For the time being it seems that purchasing and using the P version is a better choice. We are testing the E version and will publish any specific info here.