Netatmo - stylish core for smart home
At first glance, Netatmo is just a stylish weather station that measures temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide levels and noise. But in fact, the gadget has enormous potential, and around it you can build your smart home without wires, soldering and programming.
')
Netatmo consists of two blocks: one for the house and one for the street. Blocks differ only in height and internal filling. Also in the kit you can find a set of batteries, a lanyard for connecting the station to a computer, a power supply with several adapters. And, which is absolutely surprising, there is a velcro in the kit and even a dowel for fixing the outdoor module.
The main Netatmo module can be powered by four finger-type batteries, or it can be simply from the network. The street module eats only batteries.
First of all, we have to perform a few simple steps to set up a weather station:
And here we get a home weather station. Thanks to the external module through the application in the phone or through the browser, you can always find out the weather outside and the forecast for the coming days. Not very cool, right? After all, to obtain this information, we need the Internet, in which weather forecasts are enough. But the internal module will allow you to control the situation at home in real time, which will not be too useful if nothing can be done about these changes when you are not at home.
Therefore, it is time to gradually move to the most interesting. Let's start with the sensors, and finish the smart home!
A very important feature of the Netatmo home unit is that it can measure carbon dioxide levels. The station itself will send notifications that prompt you to air the room. This function was especially appreciated by my friend, a freelancer, who spends his entire working day at home.
Immediately share another interesting observation. I can often oversleep for 10 hours at the weekend, but still wake up tired. And according to Netatmo logs, it turns out that just an hour after I went to bed, the level of carbon dioxide was three times higher than normal. And in this stuffiness it was very difficult for the body to recover. Now I remember to open the window for the night.
Measuring carbon dioxide is especially important in a nursery. Another function that will make Netatmo a real nanny is the noise sensor, with which you can send yourself notifications when the noise exceeds a manually set or default threshold. This will let you know when the child wakes up, when he breaks his favorite vase, and when he watches movies on Ren TV, instead of going to bed.
Now it's time to talk about the more serious features of Netatmo, because this is not just a multifunctional “digital thermometer” for 7.5 thousand rubles. In order to use the weather station functionality for one hundred percent, you need to recall the actively developing service IFTTT (IFT), which is supported by this gadget.
For those who are not in the know IFTTT stands for "if this than that", that is, "if this condition is met, then do so." And thanks to this service, our station can really partially manage the smart home.
A complete list of ready-made IFTTT scripts can be found here.
Suppose we want to save data on the change in carbon dioxide content in Google Docs. To do this, we find the necessary script on the above site, click "Use Recipe", log in to Google Docs and Netatmo and give the service and gadget the right to interact. Then we indicate the excess of what level of carbon dioxide we want to register.
It should be said that there is one significant limitation. Of course, we can start a Twitter or FB account and force Netatmo to post bulletins on the weather at home and on the street, we can save statistics on Google docks and interact with a bunch of applications. But this is still not a smart home, but a talking home, or a socially active home =)
Before you delve deeper into the study of a smart home, I want to make an intermediate conclusion. Out of the box, Netatmo is a very stylish weather station with a set of important features. And it is time to compare it with other devices on the market.
It should be noted that Netatmo on their background is distinguished by the lack of a display, but it is distinguished by the presence of a connection to the wi-fi network, logging, the web client and the presence of applications for iOS and Android. As for the sensors used, as a rule, there is a standard set everywhere: CO2, humidity, temperature, noise. And, of course, IFTTT, but the appearance put Netatmo apart.
A truly smart home will be only if you have the same smart gadgets as Netatmo.
These are light bulbs that work in tandem with a transmitter connected to a home wi-fi network. They also work great with IFTTT and can be turned on, off, change the color of the lighting. All this can be done manually via a browser or using an application for iOS and Android, and you can come up with something more interesting.
Netatmo on the IFTTT website has a number of standard “recipes” for the interaction of two devices.
Roughly speaking, this is an outlet that can be controlled via Wif-fi, and accordingly through IFTTT. Belkin also makes air humidifiers and motion sensor units that can also work in tandem with Netatmo. But sockets give us the greatest scope for imagination and functionality.
Now, with the help of IFTTT and a set of smart gadgets, sensors built into Netatmo will help not only to know the temperature, but also to influence it. At home, you no longer need to receive messages from your weather station, but you can receive all the information on changing the semitones in the lighting. That is, our smart home is becoming more intelligent and less intrusive.
The Internet of Things is still evolving, so building a truly smart home that will suit a particular person can’t do without Arduino, Raspberry Pi or something like that. If the need to work with mockups and software code doesn’t scare, then I’ll tell you a little about how very simple to make Arduino an important organ of a smart home, managed through IFTTT.
Restrict yourself only smart gadgets that need to buy to introduce additional functionality of a smart home can not afford it. In addition, one thing - just turn on the fan when the temperature rises at home, and quite another - to adjust the fan operation depending on the temperature. All this can be done with basic knowledge in electronics.
To do this, we need the Arduino + Ethernet shield in order to manage the functionality of the board through the Internet. And in order for Netatmo to manage Arduinka through IFTTT, we will need the Lithouse service.
On the website of the service there is an instruction on how to teach Arduino and IFTTT to communicate. When this step is left behind, endless possibilities open up before us. Using information from Netatmo, you can control any appliances, its modes of operation, and any devices that can be controlled from Arduino or another similar board.
In this way, we are able to implement a control board, which through IFTTT will collect data from all household sensors, and again, through IFTTT, without unnecessary wires, will be able to control household appliances. In this concept, Netatmo becomes a stylish set of basic sensors (Temperature, humidity, noise level, carbon dioxide content), which can control a number of devices directly, but the functionality of which will be complemented by an Arduino card and connected new devices.
In this review, I tried to describe all possible uses of Netatmo to show that this is not just a weather station, but something more, and that is why it is worthy of attention. Stylish design, the ability to log, web interface, applications for a tablet or smartphone, IFTTT - this is all that distinguishes it from all competitors.
Netatmo will be able to tell when it’s time to air the room, it can become a smart baby monitor in the nursery, and maybe just tell you what happens to the weather at home and outside during your absence.
With the presence of other smart gadgets, Netatmo will be able to control home lighting, send you non-intrusive notifications with light and control household appliances to monitor home weather conditions.
Personally, I think that this is a great gadget for those who care about home comfort and the appearance of the surrounding things. Netatmo proudly decorated the corner of my desk.
P.S. You can purchase a Netatmo weather station here , at the Madrobots store, which is already well-known in the media community , and sent me this gadget for review.
')
First look at Netatmo
Netatmo consists of two blocks: one for the house and one for the street. Blocks differ only in height and internal filling. Also in the kit you can find a set of batteries, a lanyard for connecting the station to a computer, a power supply with several adapters. And, which is absolutely surprising, there is a velcro in the kit and even a dowel for fixing the outdoor module.
The main Netatmo module can be powered by four finger-type batteries, or it can be simply from the network. The street module eats only batteries.
First of all, we have to perform a few simple steps to set up a weather station:
- We go and register on the official website
- We download the program for the computer. It is necessary for the first and only connection of the station to the computer. In the program, we simply select the home wi-fi network and enter the password so that Netatmo could constantly upload all the data from her sensors to the network.
- We install an application on a smartphone or tablet in which all data about the weather, CO2 level and noise level are clearly displayed.
And here we get a home weather station. Thanks to the external module through the application in the phone or through the browser, you can always find out the weather outside and the forecast for the coming days. Not very cool, right? After all, to obtain this information, we need the Internet, in which weather forecasts are enough. But the internal module will allow you to control the situation at home in real time, which will not be too useful if nothing can be done about these changes when you are not at home.
Therefore, it is time to gradually move to the most interesting. Let's start with the sensors, and finish the smart home!
A very important feature of the Netatmo home unit is that it can measure carbon dioxide levels. The station itself will send notifications that prompt you to air the room. This function was especially appreciated by my friend, a freelancer, who spends his entire working day at home.
Immediately share another interesting observation. I can often oversleep for 10 hours at the weekend, but still wake up tired. And according to Netatmo logs, it turns out that just an hour after I went to bed, the level of carbon dioxide was three times higher than normal. And in this stuffiness it was very difficult for the body to recover. Now I remember to open the window for the night.
Measuring carbon dioxide is especially important in a nursery. Another function that will make Netatmo a real nanny is the noise sensor, with which you can send yourself notifications when the noise exceeds a manually set or default threshold. This will let you know when the child wakes up, when he breaks his favorite vase, and when he watches movies on Ren TV, instead of going to bed.
The first approach of the smart home
Now it's time to talk about the more serious features of Netatmo, because this is not just a multifunctional “digital thermometer” for 7.5 thousand rubles. In order to use the weather station functionality for one hundred percent, you need to recall the actively developing service IFTTT (IFT), which is supported by this gadget.
For those who are not in the know IFTTT stands for "if this than that", that is, "if this condition is met, then do so." And thanks to this service, our station can really partially manage the smart home.
A complete list of ready-made IFTTT scripts can be found here.
Suppose we want to save data on the change in carbon dioxide content in Google Docs. To do this, we find the necessary script on the above site, click "Use Recipe", log in to Google Docs and Netatmo and give the service and gadget the right to interact. Then we indicate the excess of what level of carbon dioxide we want to register.
It should be said that there is one significant limitation. Of course, we can start a Twitter or FB account and force Netatmo to post bulletins on the weather at home and on the street, we can save statistics on Google docks and interact with a bunch of applications. But this is still not a smart home, but a talking home, or a socially active home =)
The first conclusion.
Before you delve deeper into the study of a smart home, I want to make an intermediate conclusion. Out of the box, Netatmo is a very stylish weather station with a set of important features. And it is time to compare it with other devices on the market.
It should be noted that Netatmo on their background is distinguished by the lack of a display, but it is distinguished by the presence of a connection to the wi-fi network, logging, the web client and the presence of applications for iOS and Android. As for the sensors used, as a rule, there is a standard set everywhere: CO2, humidity, temperature, noise. And, of course, IFTTT, but the appearance put Netatmo apart.
Even closer to smart home
A truly smart home will be only if you have the same smart gadgets as Netatmo.
1. Phillips Hue Bulbs
These are light bulbs that work in tandem with a transmitter connected to a home wi-fi network. They also work great with IFTTT and can be turned on, off, change the color of the lighting. All this can be done manually via a browser or using an application for iOS and Android, and you can come up with something more interesting.
Netatmo on the IFTTT website has a number of standard “recipes” for the interaction of two devices.
2. Belkin WeMo switch
Roughly speaking, this is an outlet that can be controlled via Wif-fi, and accordingly through IFTTT. Belkin also makes air humidifiers and motion sensor units that can also work in tandem with Netatmo. But sockets give us the greatest scope for imagination and functionality.
Second conclusion
Now, with the help of IFTTT and a set of smart gadgets, sensors built into Netatmo will help not only to know the temperature, but also to influence it. At home, you no longer need to receive messages from your weather station, but you can receive all the information on changing the semitones in the lighting. That is, our smart home is becoming more intelligent and less intrusive.
Really smart home
The Internet of Things is still evolving, so building a truly smart home that will suit a particular person can’t do without Arduino, Raspberry Pi or something like that. If the need to work with mockups and software code doesn’t scare, then I’ll tell you a little about how very simple to make Arduino an important organ of a smart home, managed through IFTTT.
Restrict yourself only smart gadgets that need to buy to introduce additional functionality of a smart home can not afford it. In addition, one thing - just turn on the fan when the temperature rises at home, and quite another - to adjust the fan operation depending on the temperature. All this can be done with basic knowledge in electronics.
To do this, we need the Arduino + Ethernet shield in order to manage the functionality of the board through the Internet. And in order for Netatmo to manage Arduinka through IFTTT, we will need the Lithouse service.
On the website of the service there is an instruction on how to teach Arduino and IFTTT to communicate. When this step is left behind, endless possibilities open up before us. Using information from Netatmo, you can control any appliances, its modes of operation, and any devices that can be controlled from Arduino or another similar board.
Third conclusion
In this way, we are able to implement a control board, which through IFTTT will collect data from all household sensors, and again, through IFTTT, without unnecessary wires, will be able to control household appliances. In this concept, Netatmo becomes a stylish set of basic sensors (Temperature, humidity, noise level, carbon dioxide content), which can control a number of devices directly, but the functionality of which will be complemented by an Arduino card and connected new devices.
Disadvantages of netatmo
- Not the largest number of gadgets that support IFTTT (although there are more and more of them every month)
- The complexity of setting up all the work scenarios. That is, you have to think it over carefully and spend a few hours or days trying to set up all the scripts and debug them.
- I would buy only the home module separately. This would reduce the purchase price, which would almost not lose in functionality. After all, the external module shows the weather on the street, which I can find out via the Internet. It is much more important for me to know the data about my house with the ability to influence it.
Strengths
- Stylish design
- The ability to keep logs on all measured parameters
- Ability to send notifications in a user-friendly way
- The presence of a web interface and applications for iOS and Android
- Ability to work with IFTTT
- Small dimensions
- Convenient mounting external module
Last conclusion
In this review, I tried to describe all possible uses of Netatmo to show that this is not just a weather station, but something more, and that is why it is worthy of attention. Stylish design, the ability to log, web interface, applications for a tablet or smartphone, IFTTT - this is all that distinguishes it from all competitors.
Netatmo will be able to tell when it’s time to air the room, it can become a smart baby monitor in the nursery, and maybe just tell you what happens to the weather at home and outside during your absence.
With the presence of other smart gadgets, Netatmo will be able to control home lighting, send you non-intrusive notifications with light and control household appliances to monitor home weather conditions.
Personally, I think that this is a great gadget for those who care about home comfort and the appearance of the surrounding things. Netatmo proudly decorated the corner of my desk.
P.S. You can purchase a Netatmo weather station here , at the Madrobots store, which is already well-known in the media community , and sent me this gadget for review.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/224663/
All Articles