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Home Automation for the Goodest Boi: a Dog Door Opener!

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My dog, Marley, is, like most dogs, the goodest boi. But he also has a lot of anxiety, mostly when I am not home. I panic every time I come home and Marley is not there to eagerly and enthusiastically (and loudly) greet me at the door because I know that he has locked himself inside some room in the apartment.

How does he do this?!

Marley can easily close doors. He also can open them, if it’s a latch-type handle and he can push the door open (he also has figured out how to open outdoor gates — ridiculously smart and motivated doggo). But, Marley does not have thumbs (surprise!), which means that he can’t pull open doors! So when he fully closes a door by pushing it with his nose or his front paw(s) and it latches, he cannot open it again.

He knows that the secret to opening the door is the handle (I know this because I’ve 1) seen him try and 2) his scratch marks are centered around the door handle), but without a way to pull open the door he’s completely stuck and in even more of a panic. He’s destroyed more than one door (not fun).

Finally, I decided to help out my poor, anxious, and brilliant dog by building him a dog-friendly switch to activate an automatic door. This project solves two things:

1) It reduces my dog’s anxiety and potential danger if he locks himself in a room and panics and does not have water, and

2) It also reduces the likelihood that my dog will destroy a door.. which is expensive.

But I rent! I can’t go drilling massive holes in the wall or replace the door handle and whatnot. What to do?! Put on my design thinking cap and create a project that I can easily take down when I move, leaving little to no trace of my dog-friendly home automation modification.

That was the motivation and story behind my most recent project build: A Dog Door Opener! The tutorial is a step-by-step guide for how I made a dog-friendly automatic door. 

Bonus: I used the micro:bit, which is a great tool to learn how to code and how to work with hardware, yay! I also incorporated a robotics kit for kids made by BinaryBots, which was super useful because it had a strong motor compatible with the micro:bit and many of the mechanical parts and pieces I needed to make this project. It also helped keep the cost down, since strong motors and mechanical parts can get expensive, quick.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the project! I also would lovelovelove to see if you build this, and if so, what you make! Feel free to share here or tag me on social media: @jenfoxbot or @foxbotindustries!

Happy making, friends! Let’s go forth and make our homes and buildings more pet- and people-friendly!

This content was originally published here.

IoT

Google Nest Hub Max Smart Home Assistant (Chalk, Refurbished, Plain Box) – EXPANSYS Japan

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IoT

Which Smart Home Heating Should You Choose?

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Not all smart heating control systems are suited for every lifestyle and home, with some more and less beneficial than others. SMART stands for ‘Self-Monitoring Analysis & Reporting Technology’, and differs from standard heating controls by allowing you to control every aspect of your heating schedule from either a phone or tablet. Although room thermostats and timers allow you to control each room instead of your whole home, as long as you have internet access, smart home heating devices let you control your heating from your phone, no matter where you are in the world.

Today, we’re running through 7 of the best smart heating thermostats and systems, comparing features, benefits and what type of home they’re most suitable for.

– 7 day, & 5/2 day scheduling with a pre-configured schedule included
– Choice of up to 4 time periods a day
– Minimum On-Time & Cycle Rate settings ensuring compatibility with many boilers
– Table stand for ease of positioning
– Alert messages to assist fault-finding with a fail-safe mode
– Wireless technology makes upgrading easier and the installation time shorter with less wiring involved

Best for:

– Homes that require high levels of automatic control that provide significant energy efficiency for a wide range of boilers and systems.

– Single Heating Zone Control
– 7 Day, 5/2 Day, or 24 Hour Control
– Programmable Room Thermostat
– Easily Programmed With The Associated App

Best for:

– Homes that are just starting to take the first steps into using smart home heating
– Homes that need a single heating zone control
– Homes that have either combination or standard boiler systems

– Touch-screen interface simplifies scheduling, changing and overriding temperature
– Location-based programming (geo-fencing) adds an automated layer of control, adjusting the customer’s home heating based on their location
– Scheduling features include 7 and 5/2 day bespoke scheduling with up to 6 time periods a day
– Simple flip-up wiring bar for easy access and an easy-to-install boiler or zone valve interface
– Direct wall mounting or wall-box mounting
– Optimisation features include optimum start and stop & delayed start boiler control. Allows the thermostat and boiler to work more efficiently together

Best for:

– Homes with any boiler and almost every heating system
– Homes with 230V on/off OpenTherm appliances (gas boilers, combi boilers and heat pumps)

– Ability to control water temperature and heating
– Self-learning functions to make every experience a unique one, helping it to understand your home’s needs
– Using a smart weather compensation feature and weather data, the vSMART can tell your boiler how hard it has to work to get your home to your required temperature
– You can connect multiple vSMART controllers to one app

Best for:

– Homes with Valliant ecoTEC system/open vented boilers
– Households that want to be able to control water temperature from anywhere too

– A 7-day full programmer that gives great flexibility offering up to three on/off switchings per day
– LoT display, providing text feedback that gives help and programming hints
– Automatic Summer/Winter 1 hour time change
– Choice of 3 different built-in programmes
– ‘Holiday’ button

Best for:

– Homes with heating and stored hot water in complete systems
– Homes with older gravity circulation stored hot water systems, where there’s no interlocking control valve
– Households with different heating needs from day-to-day

– One channel thermostat system with two radiator thermostats to start zoning your system
– Smart heating & hot water control
– Quick & simple to install using an industry-standard backplate
– Easy Zoning with the addition of extra Wiser Radiator Thermostats

Best for:

– Homes with combination boilers
– Households that want to start a zoned system to control individual zones within the home

– Automatic time and temperature control of domestic heating premises
– Optimum Start, Optimum Stop and Delayed Start
– No installer links or switches on the back of the unit means no adjustment is required for combi boilers and most central heating systems
– Scheduled maintenance alert
– Automatic Summer/Winter time change
– Up to four independent time & temperature settings
– Auto, manual, holiday, override and off (frost) modes

Best for:

– Domestic premises
– Most central heating systems and combi boilers

For more smart home heating controls, check out our full range today at MonsterPlumb. If you’re not interested in smart technology when it comes to controlling the heating and water temperature in your home, take a look at our selection of heating controls and valves.

This content was originally published here.

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IoT

Purina to Take Guesswork Out of Pet Nutrition With IoT ‘smart Bowl’ – Smart City

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“Our Purina Chekr smart bowl is managed by our Purina intelligence engine built on and powered by AWS IoT services. “This system allows pet owners … To Read More, Please Visit Source

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