I have my entire vive setup (both base stations and link box) connected to a remote outlet I bought on Amazon.
I turn them on with a press of a button only when I use my vive. It works great! If you can, I recommend doing this so the stations and headset aren't always getting power.
If you got a remote outlet kit, you could switch it on and off remotely... However i am in the same boat as far as needing cameras at night.
The white boxes are remote control outlets. I have one remote to control the lights, shop vac, belt sander, drill press, etc. My belt sander and drill press are hand held versions, but mounted to work bench with with switch always on.
Etekcity Wireless Remote Control Outlet Light Switch... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQELHBS/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_glt_i_5NST7SFHRPWBW7VCZCA7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I have used these plugs in similar situations and they work very well. No seat between clicking on/off, have good range, and you can control multiple lamps/areas from a single remote.
Sorry, to clarify, I have a standard in-wall single gang light switch. I'd like to be able to toggle it from where it is and also remotely with a button. I don't need smart functionality so it can be some basic RF remote, kind of like these things
Etekcity Remote Control Outlet Kit Wireless Light Switch for Household Appliances, Pair Freely, Up to 100 ft. Range, FCC ETL Listed, White (Learning Code, 5Rx-2Tx) https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00DQELHBS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6u-cCbHASGPJD
They work fine from app and the Broadlink scheduler. I'd like a bit more control though.
I have smart plugs for many lamps in our house. You need to turn the lamp “on” and leave it on, while the plug does the work of turning the light on/off.
If wifi goes out, your only recourse is to wait for it to come back on, or bypass the smart plug and plug the lamp directly into the wall for that “old-fashioned” feel.
(Edit: An alternative is remote controlled outlets like these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQELHBS. Before the smart plugs, I used them to turn off lights and turn on the fan/heater without getting out of bed, showing my wife how lazy I could really be…)
(Edit 2: forgot word)
If you're comfortable with some python and working with a relay, you can pretty much roll your own with very little trouble. You can do voice control integration on your own, or work with Google assistant or Alexa. Even for 120v, you can intergrate something like this.
Everybody told you how already, but I recommend you get this instead.
The automatic shutoff didn't work correctly for me, occassionally leaving them on. Plus, I pack all my Vive stuff away after each use. I don't leave the link box connected.
Got it off amazon, it shipped quick but it does cost $50. It works great with these things: https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Wireless-Electrical-Household-Appliances/dp/B00DQELHBS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1507980672&sr=8-3&keywords=etekcity
So for $75 you can control 5 outlets, or for $100, 10 outlets.
Get some of these if you have the Chromecast plugged into an outlet and not the USB port of your TV.
We use these for the 3yr old to turn on and off lamps around the house out of her reach.
But, yes, obviously you need to stop casting before you go to sleep.
Etekcity Wireless Remote Control Electrical Outlet Switch for Household Appliances, Wireless Remote Light Switch, White (Learning Code, 5Rx-2Tx) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQELHBS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_EjG9zbCV8CNJP
Photographs and portraits professionally enhanced and framed. You may take them for granted but old people don't like looking at pictures on phones.
I blew up a black and white picture of my parents when they just married and coupled it with a more recent image of them before my father died. I also enhanced and enlarged some portraits of my father in his navy uniform, put it in a nice frame and my mother goes nuts for that stuff.
On the more practical side, my mother is physically disabled so I hooked up all her lights and her portable heater to a cheap wireless remote control system so she doesn't have to hunt around and end up stumbling in the dark.
It's also not too late to get them a tablet. My mom always scoffed at people who looked at their phones all the time and since I got her a big screen tablet with an adjustable stand to hold it, she spends hours on it.
What exactly makes up your $100 budget? Because a wireless dimmer switch is likely at least half of that.
Are you saying this bedroom has no light switch at all, and no fixtures?
If you have nothing but receptacles, and none of them are controlled by a switch, and you only have $100 in your pocket - I'd buy this: https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Wireless-Electrical-Household-Appliances/dp/B00DQELHBS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1495475955&sr=8-2
and two or three floor lamps. They won't dim, but they will provide a nice light.
Adding a switched outlet isn't practical in this case. The entryway is on the opposite side of the room from where we'd like to put the lamp.
I wish there was something like the WeMo Light Switch that was just an RF toggle for a WeMo outlet. That seems to be the best way to describe what I'm looking for. After a bunch of searching, I'm thinking something like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQELHBS/ is the closest I'm going to get. It's not smart though, but I think I'll have to give up on that. Plus, I hate the remote.
Why not use these? Way cheaper and do the same exact thing? I control all my lights thru Google Home with these.
I got a fan hooked up to one of these. Might just try that when demoing going forward. Never thought about turning it on for demos other then as a way to combat VR motion sickness. https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Wireless-Electrical-Household-Appliances/dp/B00DQELHBS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485373853&sr=8-1&keywords=etekcity+outlet
If the outlet or surge suppressor is hard to reach, how is the Handy Switch going to be any easier to reach? If something was so hard to reach and I wanted to be able to easily turn of power, I'd get something remote controlled like these
You should try the home automation subs first, but there is a fairly straight forward solution:
Etekcity Wireless Remote Control Electrical Outlet Switch for Household Appliances, White (Learning Code, 5Rx-2Tx) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQELHBS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_zW-SxbWF3CA8G
I got the 5 pack AMAZON LINK
1 - Computer
2 - TV
3 - Breakout Box
4 & 5 Lighthouses.
A bonus is when I turn the TV one on the TV comes on automatically.
This one should work however. All you need is a 433Mhz transmitter.
I've been having the reverse problem. My base stations will randomly go off while I'm playing. They don't do it if I have the sleep mode disabled. I've been considering getting some of these. Might work for your problem too.
I use those cheap eTekCity remote control outlets to shut my game room surge protectors on and off. I don't think I'm saving any electricity, but I sleep better knowing I don't have a dozen AC adapters from the 1980s plugged in, especially the ones that stay warm even when things are turned off.
Or you can buy these and turn your base stations off with the push of a button. Can comfirm they work great https://www.amazon.ca/Etekcity-Wireless-Remote-Learning-5Rx-2Tx/dp/B00DQELHBS
Edit: for the opposite problem. I havent had my harmony screw with my tracking but i cant even use the harmony with the base stations on.
Plenty of options, just search 'remote switch' on amazon.
You would just leave the existing light switch on. Then plug each lamp into one of the plugs adapters in the kit. Then you would have a switch for each or both lamp depending on which system you went with.
I like to offset the cost with the amount of things i can control with one unit. I purchased some 433mhz and 315mhz radio transmitters and receivers off amazon for like ~$3 each (tx+rx combo) and found software called RF outlet to control ... well... RF outlets. Any size SBC ($5 rpi zero) works fine, you could even merge it into an existing project if pin 17 on the GPIO's are opened up.
SBC($5 + $5 wifi dongle/ethernet) + 433 or 315mhz adapter ($6) + $30 per 5 outlets = ~ $46 without shipping.
Want another 5 outlets? +$30, total would be $76. Control a total of 10 outlets. still more competitively priced than buying wemo's or worrying about chinese backdoors.
RFoutlet software: https://github.com/timleland/rfoutlet
RF outlets: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQELHBS/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A99MZGWBBIGK9
RF tx/rx combos:
Edit: you dont have to buy both 315 and 433, only what's applicable to the RF outlet you buy. Some operate on 433 while others work on 315.
The floor lights are just three fixtures from Home Depot with a PAR20 LED spotlight bulb. They are pretty cool to the touch, so I think they're ok. I may just upgrade the lighting with dimmable smart bulbs. For the patio, I'm using a 35 watt Grow Light from Amazon. It's temporarily hung from a hurricane shutter rail. All lighting is remote controlled with these.
I had a somewhat similar situation. I ended up getting remote outlets for the lamps and keeping the remote by the light switch. Maybe you'd find that to be a suitable temporary solution, until you install new ceiling lights.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQELHBS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
(continued from Part 1)
The best position for your fans is to have one aimed at you from the front, or obliquely in front of your bike. You want to simulate as close to a headwind as possible. You want to push the heat away from your body, front to rear if possible.
If you’re using just a single fan, place it in front of you and off to the side at about the 10-11 or 1-2 o’clock positions. The goal is to direct the air to flow over as much of your skin as possible, and from these positions you can get moving air on your face, chest, arms, shoulders, and legs.
Having the fan dead-center in the front of you will only blow across your narrowest profile, but that won’t cool you down as much as if you’re blowing slightly from the side. If you have a second fan, position it behind you so it’s blowing against your back. This is the next largest area of your body not being cooled by the fan (or fans) in the front.
Multiple fans is great, but may not always be possible, given your environment and your budget. It can also make your body and your workout space too cool.
Don’t forget to close those heater vents in your workout space! It’s an often-missed point, but you don’t want to be heating the room at the same time as you’re trying to cool it down with your fan(s).
If possible, cracking a window in your workout space could also help bring in some cool air from the outside, as well as keep the air clean and circulated while you’re working out. Just don’t forget to close that window when you’re done, or you might have a freezing house by the next morning!
Some enterprising riders in the Zwfit community have invented some really creative ways to keep their environments cool, including remote-controlled outlets to turn on and off their fans, multiple fans with multiple remote controls, voice-controlled fans using their Amazon Echo IoT device, IFTTT recipes, and even automatic, terrain-controlled fans based on the environment visible in Zwift itself. Going downhill in Zwift? Fans speed up. Going up a steep hill? The fans slow down.
Warning: If you want to be creative with your fans, remember NEVER to use a dimmer switch meant for dimmable lighting fixtures for oscillating fan motors. You will overheat the motor by driving too much current through it, and could potentially start a fire of the wiring inside your walls. Don’t do it without a proper triac circuit. Here’s one to start with:
Good luck out there, and stay cool!
Buy 5 of these lamps from target for $12 each
https://www.target.com/p/tochiere-with-task-light-floor-lamp-gray-room-essentials-8482/-/A-15107597
Then buy this remote control system for $30
Etekcity ZAP 5LX Wireless Remote Control Outlet Switch for Lights, Lamps, Fans, up to 100 Feet Range, FCC & ETL Listed (Learning Code, 5Rx-2Tx), 5 pack, White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQELHBS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_H8GX00G8DX39MR6F0VXD?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Then, finally, enjoy living in the perfect ambiance for any mood.
Let me tell you about my setup. Seems like this might be what you are looking for.
​
Motivation behind this setup: There are no overhead lights in the living room. So the lights we use are regular floor lamps. The wall outlets are not connected to any wall switches. So we use the Etekcity remotes and outlets. It's nice because the remote sits centrally located in the living room on the coffee table.
Here is my setup:
- Etekcity remote controlled outlets, 5pk set, with 2 remotes: amzn link
- I wanted more remotes, so I bought more: amzn link
But you'll notice that the remotes are not paired to the outlets. Yes, the outlets have a "learn" button, but ... You have to think of it like this, the outlet learns the remote's code, not the other way around. So what if your remotes (the transmitters) have different codes? it doesn't work. So the only way to fix that is to make all the remotes transmit the same codes. So that's where you go to this review on amazon and do some soldering "It's about a 5 minute job if you're handy with a soldering iron." If you're not comfortable with soldering, this is such an easy job that you could find a friend that does solder and show them the amazon review and have them do it for you.
So now I have 4 remotes (transmitters) controlling 5 outlets. Each transmitter has 5 pairs of on/off buttons and each transmitter operates the same way.
Outlet 1: Living room light 1
Outlet 2: Living room light 2
Outlet 3: Something
Outlet 4: small reading lamp in bedroom
Outlet 5: Main light in bedroom
Transmitter 1: living room coffee table
Transmitter 2: on the wall by the door to the bedroom
Transmitter 3: My side of bed
Transmitter 4: Wife's side of bed.
(Bonus: if I'm in the bedroom in bed and forgot to turn off the living room lights, I can use the same remote to turn off the living room lights)
Then, I paired the RF transmitter/outlets with a "Hook". (This particular smart home device does not appear to be available for sale any more, but it's still working for now. An alternative appears to be the Broadlink or Sonoff sold on Amazon). The "hook" connects to the internet and converts internet (alexa/google voice) commands to RF so that my Alexa can communicate with the RF outlets/lights.
So in summary, I have a wife-approved smart home situation. The wife can use the remote or Alexa to turn on or off these 5 lights. Nothing gets messed up if a light is turned on with one method and off with another. The setup doesn't care.
This does not turn on all the lights at once, but at least all 5 buttons are centrally located on the remote
In addition to the modern smart switches, there are also wireless remote outlets. I previously used the ones made by Etekcity, available on Amazon. Basically, you plug one into a standard outlet, and then you plug a lamp into that. Then you just use a remote control (which you can mount on a wall) to turn the light on and off. You might want to see if something like that works better, for you.
​
Motivation behind this setup: There are no overhead lights in the living room. So the lights we use are regular floor lamps. The wall outlets are not connected to any wall switches. So we use the etekcity remotes and outlets. It's nice because the remote sits centrally located in the living room on the coffee table.
Here is my setup:
- Etekcity remote controlled outlets, 5pk set, with 2 remotes: amzn link
- I wanted more remotes, so I bought more: amzn link
But you'll notice that the remotes are not paired to the outlets. Yes, the outlets have a "learn" button, but ... You have to think of it like this, the outlet learns the remote's code, not the other way around. So what if your remotes (the transmitters) have different codes? it doesn't work. So the only way to fix that is to make all the remotes transmit the same codes. So that's where you go to this review on amazon and do some soldering "It's about a 5 minute job if you're handy with a soldering iron." If you're not confortable with soldering, this is such an easy job that you could find a friend that does solder and show them the amazon review and have them do it for you.
So now I have 4 remotes (transmitters) controlling 5 outlets. Each transmitter has 5 pairs of on/off buttons and each transmitter operates the same way.
Outlet 1: Living room light 1
Outlet 2: Living room light 2
Outlet 3: Something
Outlet 4: small reading lamp in bedroom
Outlet 5: Main light in bedroom
Transmitter 1: living room coffee table
Transmitter 2: on the wall by the door to the bedroom
Transmitter 3: My side of bed
Transmitter 4: Wife's side of bed.
(Bonus: if I'm in the bedroom in bed and forgot to turn off the living room lights, I can use the same remote to turn off the living room lights)
Then, I paired the RF transmitter/outlets with a "Hook". (This particular smart home device does not appear to be available for sale any more, but it's still working for now. An alternative appears to be the Broadlink or Sonoff). The "hook" connects to the internet and converts internet commands to RF so that my Alexa can communicate with the RF outlets/lights.
So in summary, I have a wife-approved smart home situation. The wife can use the remote or Alexa to turn on or off these 5 lights. Nothing gets messed up if a light is turned on with one method and off with another. The setup doesn't care.
I'm thinking wemos are wifi or you could get a wifi based switch like a tp-link - and they should work over wifi.
If you want to get really local - a raspberry pi and a 433 hat (something along these lines - https://www.instructables.com/id/Super-Simple-Raspberry-Pi-433MHz-Home-Automation/) and some of these
​
​
Sonoff Bridge $14.90
https://www.itead.cc/sonoff-rf-bridge-433.html
with 433Mhz IR plugs $29.98
So you can control up to 5 outlets/devices for about $45
CONS
Not straight forward and very range limited
Just to clarify, you can't control the cheap Etekcity plugs without a Hook hub. I have one of these and it works far better than my Philips Hue stuff. Etekcity does sell WiFi plugs that work directly with the Echo, but they're $30 for 2. If someone wants to build out a smart-home with on/off plugs, I definitely recommend the Hook hub and the cheap Etekcity plugs over the WiFi connected ones.
These RF controlled outlets are on sale for $21.48 for a 5-pack. They're p. handy to have around and you can integrate them with Raspberry Pis easily.
I hear you about the budget. I went with some zap remotes I had around the house and the sonoff RF bridge (standalone is just $10).
You should, in theory, be able to uninstall it. I noticed the google home only takes a snap of the ewelink account. Meaning you can't make updates in the app and have google see them live. You need to unlink the account then relink it for changes to take effect. This btw resets all your google room assignments etc. so each new device added means reassigning and readding all the devices.
If you uninstall you won't be able to use the timers or other feature which are run by the app itself and not google. I said "in theory" because I haven't tried it myself. I use the timers to shut things on and off. I hoping google with update to have a workaround like a device scheduler.
These guys? https://smile.amazon.com/Etekcity-Wireless-Electrical-Household-Appliances/dp/B00DQELHBS/
Or maybe I'm not quite understanding what you are asking for.
Why would you not want to use cheap Etekcity RF control plugs and then use something like hook?
I am controlling wireless sockets with my pi and a 433 MHz transmitter and it works flawlessly, so might be worth a thought
If you are looking into wiring them to the gpio pins, you have to make sure you find a dedicated relais that is able to switch the voltage and current and can be used with the pi. But please be careful when handling those. Don't just cut the cable and drill and place the wires into the relais. Use something like this to make sure you get a good contact. You are dealing with a lot of power afterall.
Sorry, English is not my first language :D
I had a same problem. I couldn't find a way to fix it. So I ended up buying wireless remote outlets like these.
I bought one of those 3 outlets with a remote at ALDI (but they sell similar ones online, see below). You can set the remote to turn on pairs or all three at a time. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQELHBS/ref=psdc_6291368011_t3_B0000ERN8H
I'd use one of these
https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Wireless-Electrical-Household-Appliances/dp/B00DQELHBS
I should have bought the 5 pack not the single. So many uses
These? https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Wireless-Electrical-Household-Appliances/dp/B00DQELHBS#
I'd not, which ones?
I like to use these to manually turn them on and off. If you have an echo or other smart home stuff there are similar voice coms for that.
I turn mine off manually w/ a Wireless Remote Control Electrical Outlet Switch, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQELHBS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Oh Wow! This just made my cheap home automation even cheaper.. This is my rig: a 2x $30 pack of 5 RF outlets and a $50 Hook that converts these outlets into smart outlets, with a $49 echo dot now i can control all my lamps and appliances in my home all under $200 with my Voice and my phone.. Loving it!
You can keep them on, but I turn them off. Bluetooth was causing me issues, so I started to use this:
https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Wireless-Electrical-Household-Appliances/dp/B00DQELHBS
Total bliss.
This might work for you.
I have a bunch of these that I use for my lighthouses, and just about everything else (lights, ambilight, guitar pedals, etc). They work nicely.
Very cool. I use something similar. https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Wireless-Electrical-Household-Appliances/dp/B00DQELHBS
Just ordered these: https://www.amazon.ca/Etekcity-Wireless-Remote-Learning-5Rx-2Tx/dp/B00DQELHBS
Ah, gotcha. Yeah if they're all spread out that doesn't really work. They do make wireless remote outlets, though. That might be an option.
I'll be using a small outlet remote to quickly turn off the Lighthouses.
Is this what you had in mind ?
Etekcity Wireless Remote Control Electrical Outlet Switch for Household Appliances (Learning Code, 5Rx-2Tx) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQELHBS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_T490wbK189C4R
Or something like this
GE 18279 Wireless Wall Switch Remote with 1 Outlet Receiver RF https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R7Q7PT4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_P590wbGR281JD
This should work for an ESP8266 or arduino as well.
There are a bunch of different Etekcity lights at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Wireless-Electrical-Household-Appliances/dp/B00DQELHBS
You're probably not going to find an IR version but here is an RF version: http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Programmable-Electrical-Household-Appliances/dp/B00DQELHBS
Edit: or, maybe there is something: http://www.amazon.com/DuaFire-Remote-Controlled-Standby-Adapter/dp/B00VT0K50K
http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-ZAP-5LX-Auto-Programmable-Function/dp/B00DQELHBS
Right now just talking to that product which seems to have been approved for that frequency. Unsure how stable the signal is for maintaining frequency