Something in my house is sucking a *lot* of power and I would like to find it and make it stop doing that. Anyone have specific recommendations for multi-circuit power-usage-tracking devices? (I have 13 240V and 18 120V circuits across three panels, suggesting I will probably need three such devices; the most populated panel has 10 120V and 2 240V.)
Other requirements: ideally #homeassistant compatible, not internet based (currently have devices on zwave and non-internet-facing wifi, adding zigbee soon for unrelated reasons), works with normal US split phase power. Assume I am a reasonably competent electrician and am comfortable putting a current transformer around a wire.
#homeautomation
Something in my house is sucking a *lot* of power and I would like to find it and make it stop doing that. Anyone have specific recommendations for multi-circuit power-usage-tracking devices? (I have 13 240V and 18 120V circuits across three panels, suggesting I will probably need three such devices; the most populated panel has 10 120V and 2 240V.)
Other requirements: ideally #homeassistant compatible, not internet based (currently have devices on zwave and non-internet-facing wifi, adding zigbee soon for unrelated reasons), works with normal US split phase power. Assume I am a reasonably competent electrician and am comfortable putting a current transformer around a wire.
#homeautomation
Had a blast representing #postmarketOS today at the Open Source Conference Tokyo Fall edition. #osc2025tk
While I was I alone at the booth, I had a good time esp with the folks from #tlug #rockylinux #homeassistant
Had a blast representing #postmarketOS today at the Open Source Conference Tokyo Fall edition. #osc2025tk
While I was I alone at the booth, I had a good time esp with the folks from #tlug #rockylinux #homeassistant
I saw a list of simple tasks within #HomeAssistant core and my obsessive nature got the better of me.
10 PR’s later and I think I’ve done all I can today. Maybe a few more tomorrow but they are trickier.
⚠️ WE'RE ENDING PRODUCTION OF THE HOME ASSISTANT YELLOW ⚠️
Rest assured, it will continue to be supported 😌 but if you've considered buying one get it before stock runs out! Learn why this decision was made, what support looks like moving forward, & a peek into the future 👇🏼
#SmartHome #HomeAssistant #HomeAutomation
https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/10/15/yellow-end-of-life/
⚠️ WE'RE ENDING PRODUCTION OF THE HOME ASSISTANT YELLOW ⚠️
Rest assured, it will continue to be supported 😌 but if you've considered buying one get it before stock runs out! Learn why this decision was made, what support looks like moving forward, & a peek into the future 👇🏼
#SmartHome #HomeAssistant #HomeAutomation
https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/10/15/yellow-end-of-life/
#Daikin has entered the chat…
https://github.com/revk/ESP32-Faikin
Daikin enshittified their aircon firmware in one fell swoop with their 2.9.0 (IIRC) update, breaking the local API – which worked perfectly well with #HomeAssistant – and forcing people to use their (shitty, natch) app instead^
their shitty app periodically forced you to apply their “optional” firmware update (even when you’ve explicitly set the “automatically upgrade firmware” toggle to the “fuck no” position) by preventing you from even using the app to control your device until you submitted to installing the upgrade (i.e. they bricked their own app until you agreed to brick (more or less) your aircon) 😡🤬
in the case of the #Faikin #ESP32 module though, it has to be installed inside the aircon head unit, which involves touching (in AU) 240V mains power – and in AU you can’t do that (legally) unless you’re a sparky 💁♀️
plus, I expect that an insurance company might decline to pay out if your house burns down as a result of a fault in your aircon & they discover you had a non-vendor-approved hardware mod installed 😤
it’s neat little bows all the way down… 😕
🐢
🐢
🐢
🎀
🎀
🎀
🎀
🎀
🎀
^ which also strongly encourages you to sign up for & use their cloud platform so you could send a packet around the world to change the temp on your aircon & if you lost internet connection, welp, sucks to be you 💁♀️
@pluralistic
The solution to a lot of this might be open hardware. A garage door opener isn't that fucking complex. It should be possible to build a prototype with a micro-controller and a couple of relays. Unless Chamberlain wants to make an argument that looking at the leads of a motor are proprietary, which would be absurd (and probably unsuccessful). Once that's done, we have the tools to create an open hardware controller on a custom PCB at a reasonable cost. Then one rips out the proprietary controller, drops in a replacement, and carries on. I seem to recall a group that was working on this with the infamous John Deere farm equipment. No right to repair? Well then, how about a right to replace?
Edit: fixed weird duplication of the text!
#Daikin has entered the chat…
https://github.com/revk/ESP32-Faikin
Daikin enshittified their aircon firmware in one fell swoop with their 2.9.0 (IIRC) update, breaking the local API – which worked perfectly well with #HomeAssistant – and forcing people to use their (shitty, natch) app instead^
their shitty app periodically forced you to apply their “optional” firmware update (even when you’ve explicitly set the “automatically upgrade firmware” toggle to the “fuck no” position) by preventing you from even using the app to control your device until you submitted to installing the upgrade (i.e. they bricked their own app until you agreed to brick (more or less) your aircon) 😡🤬
in the case of the #Faikin #ESP32 module though, it has to be installed inside the aircon head unit, which involves touching (in AU) 240V mains power – and in AU you can’t do that (legally) unless you’re a sparky 💁♀️
plus, I expect that an insurance company might decline to pay out if your house burns down as a result of a fault in your aircon & they discover you had a non-vendor-approved hardware mod installed 😤
it’s neat little bows all the way down… 😕
🐢
🐢
🐢
🎀
🎀
🎀
🎀
🎀
🎀
^ which also strongly encourages you to sign up for & use their cloud platform so you could send a packet around the world to change the temp on your aircon & if you lost internet connection, welp, sucks to be you 💁♀️
Protip to make Home Assistant automations easier: use helpers instead of overcomplicating your automations!
I have a certain class of automation I've set up a few times now: I have a thing that uses power. It's plugged into a Zigbee plug that can measure energy usage. I want to know when the thing is running!
You can use a threshold sensor to make this 100× better…
If you’re running a headless Docker box please remember to run `docker images prune -a` occasionally. This message brought to you by my Home Assistant box that just crashed due to no free disk space, caused by 40GB of ancient images on the root filesystem.
*adds better monitoring to list*
My Home Assistant Voice Preview has arrived! Prepare for all the shenanigans.
This one is for @ryanleesipes and @popey, thanks to @micahilbery for the reference
Edit; said reference: https://youtu.be/D5J7vVQNkCw
@pluralistic
I have some (Canadian) smart electric baseboard thermostats, which are very nice, but rely on their app and Internet connectivity for remote access and other features. They support Homekit, so I can control them locally with #HomeAssistant, but I simply don't understand how they'll continue to offer free server support indefinitely.
I assume they're relying on hardware sales to keep the wheel spinning, but I don't know too many people that keep buying *more* thermostats. It's also possible they've designed a server infrastructure that is so low-overhead, it's not a cost center.
Life as a prisoner of the neoliberal mind palace must *suck*: it's a world where every person who suffers under predatory business practices is a "consumer" who has "revealed a preference" for being screwed:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/10/07/water-thats-not-wet/
--
If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2025/10/08/take-it-easy/#but-take-it
1/
@pluralistic
I have some (Canadian) smart electric baseboard thermostats, which are very nice, but rely on their app and Internet connectivity for remote access and other features. They support Homekit, so I can control them locally with #HomeAssistant, but I simply don't understand how they'll continue to offer free server support indefinitely.
I assume they're relying on hardware sales to keep the wheel spinning, but I don't know too many people that keep buying *more* thermostats. It's also possible they've designed a server infrastructure that is so low-overhead, it's not a cost center.
Vacation almost over, #ev almost full and ready to go again 🤩
Powered by #homeassistant
If you’re running a headless Docker box please remember to run `docker images prune -a` occasionally. This message brought to you by my Home Assistant box that just crashed due to no free disk space, caused by 40GB of ancient images on the root filesystem.
*adds better monitoring to list*
I found it, the most infuriating forum post ever.
[note: yes I know about denvercoder and fermat]
Home Assistant 2025.10 🎃
Undo/redo + resizable sidebar in the automation editor 🤖 • Smarter dashboards with predictions 🤔 • AI image generation 🪄 • Dual wake words for voice assistants 🎙️ • Code editor toolbar 🛠️ …and a bunch more goodies!
👉 Read full release: home-assistant.io/blog/2025/10/01/release-202510/
I found it, the most infuriating forum post ever.
[note: yes I know about denvercoder and fermat]
Ever wanted to work on open source full-time? Come join me at the @openhomefoundation; we’ve got 5 new roles on @homeassistant.
👩💼 Program Manager
🐍 Python Engineers
✍️ Technical Writers
🌍 Remote. Open source, every day.
Links in replies 👇
#HomeAssistant #OpenSource #Jobs #OpenSource #Hiring #Python #TechWriters