SensorNode - The Easy Way to Add Sensors to Home Assistant
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ธ.ค. 2024
- This video gives a brief overview of SensorNode - my latest project. SensorNode is a device that makes it very easy to add simple, common sensors to Home Assistant home automation software. I talk about the main features of SensorNode, and preview the Kickstarter that will be launching soon to make SensorNode available to others who are interested.
For more info on SensorNode, check out the website: www.tnbtechnol...
You can preview the Kickstarter Pre-Launch page here: www.kickstarte...
For more info on Home Assistant, click here: www.home-assis...
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Should include POE. That’s the way to go
POE is not a bad option, but of course it requires a wired connection nearby. Not nearly as flexible. But something to think about! Thanks.
@@tnbtech262 honestly speaking, if you are going toward one device which fit all porpoise, this has a targeting costumer in the HA environment who want to simplify its purchases and maintenance of the automation system, which are the advanced users. A lot of people don't like to get too advanced, because of the overwhelming learning curve which never end due to unreliability of devices and HA constantly evolving. The advanced users of home automations are normally also advanced in networking infrastructure employing reliable networks systems, mostly wired and POE, because they CAN'T loose the network if they loose power. The next level of upgrade will be the capability to DON'T loose your sensors if you loose your power. That's why the way to go is POE.
I would gladly use one of your "box" in each of my home automated environment (rooms or areas), as long as can be powered by POE and gives me dedicated access to/for BLE, Zigbee, Wifi, Presence detection, Sensors capability so I won't bother in looking for different ways to connect different arrangements according to different environments; gives me flexibility in managing stuff by area as it would work like a mini hub (...but more flexible) and I only have to remember and maintain a single type of equipment and firmware.
@@tnbtech262 honestly speaking this type of "one fit for all" shall be a tool for both random users and professional users if you want success in the product. random users would choose it so that they don't need to bother about selection, but professional users will choose it for repeatability and scalability. Flexibility is the key in this sort of choices. I give you one example... if you look at a product for zigbee to MQTT called SLZB-06 it gives an astonishing amount of scalability and flexibility which is a no brainer for the consumer (despite you are going to use few of them). For example two ways to power it up is a simple way to reach all needs: one from the mains ranging 110/240 VAC and one from POE++ protocol which can tap 48 VDC and you can step it down on the PCB to use it for powering up various elements. Double power protection and redundancy can also be achieved. If we like to discuss advanced users, you shall consider the willing of scalability and simplify maintenance by having a device in each environment (area or room) where things connect as a minihub with limited wires lengths. Normally advanced HA users also employ advance networking infrastructures having reliable wired connections to provide POE almost everywhere because they CAN'T loose network when main power is lost. The next need for this advanced users is to ALSO ALLOW them not to loose their sensors, monitoring, DIY automations when the main power is lost and the only way is to provide a POE minihub in each environment so they are not dependent from secondary UPS scattered all over the place to sustain reliability of all different automations branches (presence/alarms/temperature/power monitoring... you name it) during that time when the power is lost. I personally won't mind to have one of your "box" in each of my automation environment (area or room according of where I can reach with the sensors wiring) as long as I can power it up through POE, provide me all type of connectivity I may need in that area BLE/IR/RF/WiFi/Zigbee, gives me the possibility to connect at least one type of each sensors family presence detection, temperature, humidity, doors contacts, water, vibration (etc...) with the possibility of add-on if necessary, like expansions for AI voice assistant, music assistant, speaker and microphone, LED strips controllers... the possibility are unlimited and driven by imagination only. Multiple dry-contacts availability which could be used at all available power voltages as mentioned above (110/220/48 and downward). Despite "one fit all" is most unlikely to exist, I think you have a good idea, but need to be refined to reach the most use cases scenarios where it become a "must have" product (like the SLZB-06) instead of another peace of junk which are now flooding the market
@@tnbtech262 @andreamessina6439 The barrel plug can also be PoE powered using an adapter. What voltage does it take in and what barrel plug does it use?
Barrel plug is a std 5.5/2.5 center positive type. You need to input a DC voltage between 7.5-24 volts. Thanks.
Doesn't esphome also serve a very similar purpose?
Yes similar but not the same. My design is way simpler (and thus less full-featured). I feel my design is easier to setup, configure, and use. You can also re-configure it on the fly without loading new software. It’s just a different approach. I’ve got them all over my house, doing different things, yet all running the same code. The stack is super-simple and therefore easier to maintain. Thanks.
From this brief video, it seems like your board is extremely versatile in the kinds of sensors it can handle, but each board can only connect to two or three sensors at once. Is that correct?
For a lot of those sensors, the dry contact switches, did you look into Konnected? Their board is designed to replace the central panel of a wired alarm system, and can handle many such sensors on one board. They have a basic unit, a pro unit (POE), and expansion units for more sensors. It’s pretty nice!
I was looking for something that was simple and cheap for home use. I really couldn’t find anything - but honestly I was intrigued about the possibility of making one board that I could use for the most common sensors people might want. That’s why I decided to design SensorNode. You are correct it can only be configured to provide 2 external and the 2 I2C sensors at once. But I like that I can use the same board and software image all over my house in many different ways. My motion sensors, contact sensors, and temp sensors are all SensorNodes. No integrations with Home Assistant, very simple, and very reliable! Thanks for the comment.
@@tnbtech262 That makes sense. Konnected is designed for the use case where you already have wired alarm sensors (doors, windows, motion, etc.), and all of the sensor wires terminate in a central location. In that use case, Konnected is clearly better. One board handles everything, so you only have one config, etc.
But if you're installing the sensors new, in a built home, SensorNode seems like it makes that wiring job far easier. You can distribute the units around the house, instead of running long wiring runs. In that situation, a half-dozen or even a dozen SensorNodes are going to be cheaper than running the wiring to a central location. The labor alone for long wire runs is 80+% of the cost!
Not sure I see the benefit of _not_ integrating with Home Assistant. I don't know what I'd use my sensors for, if not for use there. But it sounds like you _can_ integrate with HA, it's just not a requirement for a basic install.
I wasn't trying to say SensorNode does not integrate with HA, merely that it does without installing any new software into you Home Assistant installation. I'm only using the built-in HTTP Sensor interface which comes with every HA installation by default. To me, less 'plug-ins' installed into HA makes it more robust. Less to maintain. Less to brake. Like a toaster :)
Why not ESP Home?
ESPHome is not a complete solution. It is only the software portion. If you are asking me why I didn’t use ESPHome for the software, the answer is complicated. But to sum up, I wanted a single design and software image that could be reconfigured on the fly without loading custom code from a Home Assistant integration. ESPHome is great and offers many devices, but it requires an integration with Home Assistant to configure. It’s also very complicated which to me means more likely to need maintenance. My goal for SensorNode is to have one simple device I can use over and over without any changes to the code. They really are merely different approaches. Thanks for the comment.
will you make a poe version of it ?
Not sure. But maybe if there is enough interest. Thanks.
Cool Invention ! So it uses HA API ?
Yes it uses the very simple Home Assistant HTTP Sensor API. You can see for yourself here: www.home-assistant.io/integrations/http/
Is the software open source and available through GitHub?
Yes I plan to put the software up in a public GitHub repository after the Kickstarter.