GreatAlbatross

Has anybody on here had an experiment with the supermarket tags?

My understanding is that you get a bunch of the tags, somehow get a base-station/transceiver working with them, and push data as images.

I'd love to hear from anyone who's had a go. I quite fancy having some little displays around the house with useful info for the room.

Mine have always been a bit functional, and I'm curious what more creative people have achieved.

Anyone fancy showing off what they've put together? Feel free to blank out personal information, obviously.

And on another note, I'm now moderating this sub. Hi!
Let me know if there is anything you'd like to see added to the sidebar, I'm aiming to update it over the next few days.

I'm looking for one that can:

• Run without any internet access (including during setup).
• Can be controlled over LAN via HomeAssistant.
• Mop.

5GHz wifi support and multiple floor capability would be a big bonus, but not a deal-breaker.

Basically, I'd like to get one, and see how I get on with it.
I'm happy to get something old/budget, to help me work out what I want in a "forever" vacuum.

Happy to buy second hand, and happy to flash/jtag/hack, so long as the procedures are reliable.

I fully expect this to go exactly as well as everyone expects...

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/7783032

When I started at Ars in the summer of 2022, the next generation of smart home standards was on the way. Matter, an interoperable device setup and management system, and Thread, a radio network that would provide secure, far-reaching connectivity optimized for tiny batteries. Together, they would offer a home that, while well-connected, could also work entirely inside a home network and switch between controlling ecosystems with ease. I knew this tech wouldn't show up immediately, but I thought it was a good time to start looking to the future, to leave behind the old standards and coalesce into something new.

Instead, Matter and Thread are a big mess, and I am now writing to tell you that I was wrong, or at least ignorant, to have ignored the good things that already existed: Zigbee and Z-Wave. I've put in my time with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and various brittle combinations of the two. They're useful for data-rich devices and for things that can stay plugged in. Zigbee and Z-Wave have been around, but they always seemed fidgety, obscure, and vaguely European at a glance. But here, in the year 2024, I am now an admirer of both, and I think they still have a place in our homes.

This is due to an incompatibility with Python 3.12. It looks like movement is being made to issue an update, and is hopefully not too horrible a fix.

I wish I'd spotted this, as I use hass for data collection, so any rollback after 30 mins or so isn't really feasible :|

Following a few days with all the windows closed (thanks cold weather), I've started looking into devices I could integrate for (mainly) Co2 monitoring.

I thought other people might benefit from the information I've gathered, since it's not much more effort beyond me just doing the research.

I haven't purchased quite yet, and may add an update when I do.
Prices are in GBP.

Option 1: Random-name amazon/alibaba jobbies.

• Price: £20-40
• Connectivity to hass: WiFi or Zigbee.
• Sensors: Co2, VOC, Temperature, Humidity, PM2.5 (allegedly...)
• Pros: Very cheap.
• Cons: Data returned is effectively useless, when it gets returned at all.
• These sensors generally don't have a proper Co2 sensor, and instead estimate it from a VOC reading.

I nearly bought one of these a few times, fortunately there is now more data about them.
Once I have my proper solution, I may buy one just to chart how off they are!
As a main device, I would not buy any of these.

Option 2: Awair Element

• Price: £160 new, £70-110 second hand
• Connectivity to HASS: Local API or network API over WiFi.
• Sensors: Co2, VOC, Temperature, RH, PM2.5
• Pros: Decent sensors, integrates with HASS via a local API. AQI read-out on the device itself.
• Cons: Users report wifi issues, which the manufacturer isn't acknowledging.
  This can mean periods where the data is not reported.
  Firmware is closed source, specifications of sensors are not stated (but have been found unofficially)

These are not a bad solution, so long as you are happy dealing with a WiFi device and an API back-end that is closed source.
There is a slightly insane history to the Awair .
When they first released, they could contribute to a system called PlanetWatch, which paid tokens in exchange for readings.
These tokens (somehow) had value, so people started...Yep, they started buying multiples, and mining with them.
This has now ceased, afaik, so there is good second hand supply.
I'm hesitating a little, just because of the reports of wifi issues, which coupled with a potentially problematic wifi connectivity, could leave me with a brick one day.

Option 3: AirGradient (Open Air and One)

• Price including shipping: £120 for the Open Air, £135 for the One
• Connectivity to HASS: ESPHome via WiFi/BT.
• Sensors: Co2, VOC, Temperature, RH, PM2.5
• Pros: Open Source, maintainable, specifications and accuracy clearly stated.
• Cons: A little pricey, availability in Europe not known.

I like this one, and honestly, I could see myself buying it.
I rather like the OLED display on the ONE, too.
They also offer a more basic build-your-own without VOC detection for about £60

Option 4: Roll-your-own, with an ESP32 and an SCD30

• Price: £70 for the SCD30, £10 for the esp.
• Sensors: Co2 and RH
• Connectivity to HASS: ESPHome via Wifi/BT (or whatever you want)
• Pros: Open source, maintainable, specifications and accuracy clearly stated. Most accurate.
• Cons: A little work required, only tests Co2 and RH.

I would definitely consider this, however, it's not that much more for the more featured AirGradient. A cheaper option would be using a SensAir S8, at around £40, which is still as accurate as the AirGradient.

Option 5: Air-q

• Price: £280 for Light, £390 for Basic, £540 for Pro

• Sensors:

• Light: Co2, VOC, Temperature, Noise, RH, AH.

• Basic: As Light, plus CO, KPa, PM1/2.5/10.

• Pro: As Basic, plus O2, O3, SO2, N02

• Connectivity to HASS: Native integration over WiFi, local network.

• Pros: Very comprehensive sensor array. Specifications and accuracy clearly stated. Simple Good/bad LED readout on the device.

• Cons: Oof, that's expensive. Closed source.

If I had unlimited money, I'd probably get one of these, because it's pretty damned comprehensive.
And I definitely respect them for making a turn-key "it does everything out of the box" solution, and completely understand that's why it's expensive.

I thought I'd pop this up. It's mostly common sense, but it took me a while to reach a rather basic conclusion:

When a device is updating lots, you want a larger, cheaper battery.
When it's updating less often, you can get away with a smaller device.

Previously, all the zigbee sensors I bought were coin cell. Nice and small, comes with the battery, works straight away.

The first was a magnetic window sensor. Tiny device, and 2 years later, still running on the battery it came with. It only transmits when there is a state change, efficient, good plan.

Next up, a fleet of Sonoff ZB02 temperature sensors.
Tiny things, easy to hide around. They update every few minutes. After a year or so, the batteries started to go. 2032 cells aren't exactly cheap, so I bought the budget brand, paying about 50p/cell.
However, the replacement cells last about 6 months.
Better quality cells cost about £1, and last a year.

This isn't ideal, as they're a bit of a pain to prise open, and not exactly cheap. Since I'd seen people online discussing modifications to add AA/AAA support, I thought I'd compare the capacity.

A 2032 generally has between 100 and 400MAh, depending on the brand.
An AAA has around 1000MAh.
And two are required to reach the 3v of a coin cell. Depending on the quality of the button cell being replaced, that's 3-10x the capacity. Price wise, it's the same for me, £1 for two decent AAAs.

So based on that, I switched things up. Tuya sell sensors that run on AAAs.
And so far, the new temperature sensors are lasting much better.
They're a little larger, granted, but it's a good trade off.

Of course, I didn't reflect about what I'd learned, and bought some new window sensors that take AAAs. It was only after setting them up, that I realised they're big, and that the batteries will last until the heat death of the universe. Oh well.