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[1270.36 --> 1274.52] So I want to just go for Wi-Fi if I can and start replacing my Z-Wave devices with Wi-Fi
[1274.52 --> 1275.00] devices.
[1275.00 --> 1280.50] And the number one device, the number one device that I have on Z-Wave is my Aotech
[1280.50 --> 1287.48] seven in one or six in one sensor, which is still chef's kiss the best sensor out there.
[1287.48 --> 1290.30] But I want to replace Z-Wave devices with Wi-Fi devices.
[1290.30 --> 1295.04] And the Shelly H&T sensor, humidity and temperature sensor, seem like the way to go.
[1295.14 --> 1296.36] E-ink display seems great.
[1296.36 --> 1301.20] It has USB-C for power so you can supply always on power.
[1301.30 --> 1302.18] You don't have to use battery.
[1302.98 --> 1308.56] As probably a lot of you know, traditionally, that means that if you can give USB power to
[1308.56 --> 1311.58] one of these IoT devices, they will send continuous data.
[1311.84 --> 1317.02] And if they're on battery, they have maybe they'll wake up when a certain threshold is
[1317.02 --> 1317.34] reached.
[1318.08 --> 1323.16] Maybe they wake up when a certain time threshold has been reached.
[1323.26 --> 1323.38] Right.
[1323.42 --> 1326.00] There's different different things that can cause them to wake up.
[1326.00 --> 1327.84] But they don't continuously report.
[1328.46 --> 1332.64] And so for me, like I have temperature sensors in my battery bay that I need to monitor in
[1332.64 --> 1333.42] real time right away.
[1333.50 --> 1336.36] I can't wait an hour to get a temperature update.
[1336.44 --> 1337.38] I need to know right now.
[1338.54 --> 1342.62] So anything that can be powered continuously is a win for me.
[1342.74 --> 1345.92] And the Shelly H&T sensor absolutely can.
[1347.42 --> 1350.86] However, I have to let you know some bad news.
[1350.86 --> 1359.90] Even when you have it plugged in over USB, sleep is still required because the CPU heat
[1359.90 --> 1362.04] throws off the temperature readings.
[1362.32 --> 1367.66] And so the hardware has to go in sleep mode to try to get the temperature setting or reading,
[1367.66 --> 1369.36] I should say, as accurate as possible.
[1369.42 --> 1371.06] That is a real shame.
[1371.50 --> 1373.48] And do we know how long this sleep has to be?
[1373.48 --> 1378.48] It's enough that it disconnects completely from Home Assistant and becomes a dead sensor.
[1379.44 --> 1380.52] And it's a display.
[1380.84 --> 1381.58] That's just no good.
[1381.88 --> 1382.06] Yeah.
[1382.48 --> 1388.74] If you don't want continuous data and you're okay using MQTT to kind of send it when it
[1388.74 --> 1393.96] is alive, so that way Home Assistant doesn't freak out every time it disappears, it'll work.
[1394.40 --> 1399.32] Now, I can't help with the e-ink side of this thing, but I mean, that looks beautiful.
[1399.48 --> 1401.16] But first of all, $40?
[1401.98 --> 1405.76] That's expensive for something that has this kind of a flaw in it.
[1406.94 --> 1413.50] And when I look at it, I look at this and I think, well, you know, just use an ESP8266
[1413.50 --> 1416.70] and a $5 sensor from China.
[1416.70 --> 1421.48] I've been using one in my basement and one in my attic for the last three, four years.
[1421.84 --> 1423.26] A generous listener even sent me one.
[1423.36 --> 1424.28] You are absolutely right.
[1424.88 --> 1426.28] And that is what I should do.
[1426.38 --> 1426.98] I know that.
[1427.16 --> 1430.46] But I don't know what it is, Alex.
[1430.56 --> 1433.52] Like, I just, I can't accept it that that has to be the answer.
[1433.76 --> 1438.76] For this to ever get any kind of mainstream acceptance, it can't be I have to go build
[1438.76 --> 1441.28] a device and then connect it over MQTT.
[1441.28 --> 1446.50] Like, that just can't be the answer because that's such a self-selecting set of people that
[1446.50 --> 1448.26] can ever actually accomplish that.
[1448.50 --> 1453.52] And it's just when I hit those walls, I go, I could do this, but I wouldn't even expect
[1453.52 --> 1455.60] 80% of the audience to do that.
[1455.74 --> 1458.26] And they are listening to a self-hosting podcast.
[1458.62 --> 1459.76] No, you're totally right.
[1459.98 --> 1466.88] And it's, even when designing the 3D printed enclosures for these ESP devices, there are
[1466.88 --> 1472.34] considerations given to the heat that even the little, you know, ESP board generates.
[1473.04 --> 1477.72] I am very surprised that Shelley haven't been able to work around this with this device.
[1477.86 --> 1479.66] I mean, it's very disappointing.
[1480.74 --> 1483.90] I think what you're really suggesting is drilling a few holes in the case, aren't you?
[1483.90 --> 1491.56] You know, the way the AOTech sensor gets around this is it's a completely different reading
[1491.56 --> 1492.06] mechanism.
[1492.42 --> 1497.70] It has a bulb on the front of the sensor and it projects some sort of sensor reading
[1497.70 --> 1498.36] outwardly.
[1498.54 --> 1504.18] So it measures out in front of the sensor and not at the sensor level like that.
[1504.18 --> 1509.14] The Shelley is taking air into the housing and then measuring that, right?
[1509.14 --> 1515.48] Where the AOTechs are doing some sort of like infrared projection and then measuring it some
[1515.48 --> 1517.24] amount of feet outside of the sensor.
[1517.74 --> 1524.92] And so for me, because the AOTechs can be plugged in over USB and report continuously, that to
[1524.92 --> 1525.60] me is a pro.
[1526.14 --> 1532.02] And I have to be honest with you, the old man in me is not really comfortable putting, I
[1532.02 --> 1534.70] mean, conservatively 70 IoT devices on Wi-Fi.
[1534.70 --> 1536.86] That just doesn't seem like it's going to scale.
[1536.86 --> 1541.36] Where something like Z-Wave or even Zigbee, but I'm more familiar with Z-Wave.
[1541.74 --> 1547.38] Z-Wave, every device you add to the network becomes a transmitter and a rebroadcaster.
[1547.58 --> 1549.14] And it builds a mesh network.
[1549.26 --> 1550.62] It makes the network even stronger.
[1551.42 --> 1556.94] And so, and plus, like, I like having all of my, like, sensor devices and switches.
[1556.94 --> 1563.52] I like having them off Wi-Fi because then I can reboot my DHCP server or my Wi-Fi, you know,
[1563.52 --> 1567.52] APs or whatever, and all of my sensors and switches keep working.
[1567.90 --> 1571.64] So I'm not actually sure Wi-Fi is the way to go for this stuff, even though that's kind
[1571.64 --> 1573.00] of why I started looking into it.
[1573.04 --> 1577.94] The more I use it, I don't think I, for my stuff, I don't know if I want Wi-Fi.
[1578.46 --> 1584.76] Finding a balance, like anything, you know, certain spots in your RV will be better served
[1584.76 --> 1590.76] by devices which are Wi-Fi based and others will be better served by Zigbee.
[1591.14 --> 1597.48] And we had some real-time feedback in the Discord from Fuzzy Mistborn about the Akara Zigbee
[1597.48 --> 1598.34] temperature sensor.
[1598.62 --> 1600.46] Now, I've been using a couple of these myself, actually.
[1600.94 --> 1604.10] I've got one in my fridge and one in my freezer.
[1604.36 --> 1609.38] And the one in the freezer runs out of battery because the battery gets too cold almost all
[1609.38 --> 1609.78] the time.
[1610.08 --> 1616.60] So I know that my freezer is fine because the battery is zonked out, the voltage is too
[1616.60 --> 1616.78] low.
[1616.84 --> 1620.38] So as soon as that sensor comes back online, then I know that it's warmed up.
[1620.58 --> 1621.12] Oh my goodness.
[1623.48 --> 1627.94] But the fridge one works well at, you know, that sort of 5 Celsius sort of temperature,
[1627.94 --> 1628.96] it works just fine.
[1629.56 --> 1631.26] At minus 18 Celsius?
[1632.28 --> 1633.50] I mean, that's tough.