Aqara U200 Thread/Matter/Homekey Smart Lock Impressions
Thanks to kickstarter a few weeks ago I got my Aqara U200 Matter over Thread smart lock with Apple Homekey support. I've been waiting a long time for a smart lock to support the full feature set that I wanted. The primary features I wanted were Matter over Thread (not Wi-Fi or Bluetooth), Apple Homekey, fingerprint scanner, and no hub required. So many smart locks these days rely on Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth, require the use of a hub, or don't support...
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Home Assistant: The Ultimate Light Automation Blueprints
One of the most common automations that people use probably use Home Assistant for is lighting. Several months ago I stumbled on an amazing collection of Home Assistant blueprints by community member Blacky (Craig Black). They do more with light automation than I ever thought possible. The best part is that his blueprints are free (but do support him with a donation), and entirely configured via a nice GUI. No YAML or Node Red is needed! At first you might think lighting...
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6 GHz Wi-Fi: Are Your Devices ready for Standard Power?
The 6 GHz Wi-Fi spectrum is complicated, and introduces the new concept of Lower Power Indoor (LPI) and Standard Power (SP) transmit modes for access points (APs). These are two different maximum power transmit modes for APs. SP is required outdoors, and can also be used indoors as well. SP mode requires the use of Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC). AFC's go live date was spring 2024. The Ruckus R770 is one of the first APs to gain AFC (and thus SP)...
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Demystifying Ruckus Home Wi-Fi: Getting Started Guide
Welcome to a comprehensive guide on Ruckus Wi-Fi, a true enterprise-grade Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) product line. This post delves into the intricacies of setting up a robust home Wi-Fi system, with a focus on the high performance APs which Ruckus is known for. Though Ruckus might not be the first name that springs to mind when you think of home Wi-Fi, their reputation in the enterprise space is well known, consistently delivering top-tier performance at the largest venues in...
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Mastering Home Wi-Fi: A Guide to Predictive RF Planning
Wi-Fi access Point placement and the number of APs you use is critical to having a good Wi-Fi experience in your home. Too few APs as well as too many APs can result in less than ideal Wi-Fi. However, many homeowners have no idea how to scientifically determine AP quantity and placement. They just buy one or more APs, throw it in the middle of the house, and hope for the best. Hope is not the right answer when it...
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Part 2: Ruckus Unleashed Best Practices Guide
This is Part 2 of 2 of the Ruckus Unleashed home Wi-Fi Best Practices Guide. In Part 1 we configured a number of settings including system time, country code, email alerting, radio configuration, and more. Part 2 will focus on SSID architecture and setting up a number of Wi-Fi networks (WLANs) for various use cases, such as homeowner IoT and guest networks. We will be deploying 3 or 4 WLANs, depending on your requirements. Let's dig in! Related Posts Part 1: Ruckus...
Read morePart 1: Ruckus Unleashed Best Practices Guide
Welcome to the unofficial Ruckus Unleashed Best Practices Guide for enterprise-grade home Wi-Fi. This post will guide you through the configuration of the free Ruckus Unleashed controller for a residential setting. Residential deployments can present unique challenges to maximizing Wi-Fi performance and stability. This guide provides detailed guidance on a variety of settings and presents sample Wi-Fi LAN configurations to help get you started. Ruckus Unleashed is a high-performance local Wi-Fi controller which runs within your Ruckus access points. No external...
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Part 2: Ruckus One Home Wi-Fi Best Practices Guide
This is Part 2 of 2 of the Ruckus One at Home Wi-Fi Best Practices Guide. In Part 1 we configured a number of settings at the Venue level, including channel plan, radio settings, channel bandwidth, and more. Part 2 will focus on SSID architecture and setting up a number of Wi-Fi networks (WLANs) for various use cases, such as homeowner IoT and guest networks. We will be deploying 3 or 4 WLANs, depending on your requirements. Let's dig in! Related Posts...
Read morePart 1: Ruckus One Home Wi-Fi Best Practices Guide
Welcome to the unofficial Ruckus One Best Practices Guide for enterprise-grade home Wi-Fi. This post will guide you through the configuration of the Ruckus One cloud controller for Ruckus Wi-Fi access points in a residential setting. Residential deployments can present unique challenges to maximizing Wi-Fi performance and stability. This guide provides detailed guidance on a variety of settings, including those for Wi-Fi 7, to get the most out of Ruckus Wi-Fi APs in your home. What is Ruckus One? In contrast...
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Smartwings Thread/Matter Blinds Review
Back in October of 2023 I purchased a number of Smartwings Thread and Matter enabled shades. This post is a long term review of the six shades I've had in two different rooms. I have three roller style blackout shades in my bedroom, and three zebra style in my office. I've had all six paired to both Apple Home and Home Assistant, via Matter's multi-admin feature. This post is my detailed review of the Smartwings shades, the installation, long term thoughts, and...
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