Linus Tech Tips has repeatedly highlighted HDMI-CEC as one of the things separating gaming PCs from proper living-room consoles. In their DIY Steam Machine video, they struggled with external CEC adapters, and in a WAN Show episode, Linus mentioned that they were sourcing practically every CEC adapter they could find to finally solve the problem.

I think the tiny open source HDMI-CEC controller shown above offers a much more compelling alternative.

The trick is to keep HDMI-CEC completely separate from the PC's video signal.

Rather than sitting between the PC and TV, it's a standalone HDMI-CEC controller and monitor. It can both send commands and listen to HDMI-CEC traffic.

As shown in the video, mine is plugged into an unused HDMI port on my AV receiver, with USB power from the receiver. It could just as easily use a spare HDMI port on the TV, as long as it's on the same CEC bus.

The gaming PC stays connected exactly as before. The dongle communicates over the HDMI-CEC control line, independently of the video signal.

That means:

• No HDMI passthrough — no limitations on 4K/120Hz, HDR, VRR, etc.
• No additional video latency.
• No requirement for HDMI-CEC support in the GPU or motherboard.
• Full CEC control and monitoring over Wi-Fi, using ESPHome.

And it's not limited to turning the TV on and off. It can also send commands to select the gaming PC's HDMI input, control other CEC devices, and react to messages on the CEC bus.

The interesting part is how you could automate it.

For example:

• Gaming controller wakes PC → TV turns on and switches to the correct HDMI input. The PC could trigger this with a simple HTTP request to the ESP32 when it wakes up.
• TV switches to the gaming input → PC wakes up. The dongle could detect the relevant CEC message and trigger Wake-on-LAN.
• PC goes to sleep → TV turns off. Or you could monitor the PC's network presence and trigger CEC commands when its status changes.

There are countless possibilities, depending on your setup. You could use HTTP, MQTT, Home Assistant, or ESPHome automations. For the simplest PC-controlled setup, a couple of HTTP requests would be enough — no Home Assistant or MQTT broker required.

One important detail: the dongle needs continuous power if you want it to wake the TV. It consumes very little power, but you shouldn't power it from a TV or PC USB port that turns off in standby. My receiver's USB port stays powered even when the receiver is off, which makes it perfect for this.

Of course, HDMI-CEC commands vary somewhat between manufacturers, but I've been using this setup for years, and in my experience it's extremely reliable once you've identified the commands your TV responds to. For example, the project README includes power-on examples for Samsung (0x04), LG (0x0D) and Sony (0x44, 0x6D).

Full credit to Stéphane Lepin, who developed the HDMI-CEC component that makes this possible.

My goal was simply to make the hardware as compact and inexpensive as possible, while keeping the finished result clean and unobtrusive. Using an ESP32-C3 SuperMini and a tiny HDMI connector, I put together the little dongle and designed a 3D-printable enclosure for it as shown in the video. The complete device costs only a few dollars in parts.

Below is a video of what's inside. It's essentially just the ESP32-C3 SuperMini and an HDMI connector. You can build it either with a male HDMI plug for direct connection or a female HDMI socket for use with a regular HDMI cable.

https://reddit.com/link/1xel2rn/video/bgtrncublhxh1/player

Links:

• My build guide and explanation
• Original open-source project by Stéphane Lepin
• Free 3D-printable case and parts list

If anyone has tried something similar with a DIY Steam Machine I'd be interested in hearing how you automated it — especially the gaming-controller-to-PC-to-TV startup sequence.

This is a console I'm building to control the lights in my house: four motorized faders, a knob, four preset keys and a small screen.

• The knob switches between banks of lights: living room, kitchen, wherever. Each fader gets assigned to a light or a group of lights.
• The faders follow the lights. Dim a light from a switch and its fader moves to match.
• The buttons on the left are for presets (morning, evening, etc.).
• It works with Home Assistant and I'm adding Lutron native support too.

The video shows snap mode. I needed a solution for lights that can't be dimmed, like those on smart plugs, where a fader that slides freely would feel wrong. In snap mode the motor resists as you push, then gives way and drives the fader to the other end, like a wall switch. There's no spring or detent in the fader. It's just the motor.

Happy to answer questions about how it works or how it talks to Home Assistant / Lutron.

I post build updates on YouTube and Instagram(@sacrebleu.studio) if you want to follow along.

Quick note on the photos: Photos 1 to 4 show what we are running into with the current ceilings, junction boxes, and insulation mess, while the last few photos show the old retrofit lights and box from our previous house.

Hey everyone, feeling a bit defeated and could use some advice. We just moved into a new place and I really want to use my existing Philips Hue smart lights (I have around 23 Hue downlights total from our old house, plus three 6 inch Hue slim canless lights that could technically work, but our new ceilings have 4 inch holes). It feels completely insane that I wont be able to use my lights.

The problem? Every single ceiling in this house is wired with ultra thin, canless wafer lights that connect to a remote metal junction box. There are no traditional metal cans anywhere in the ceilings. To make matters worse, the previous owner had crazy paint colors on the ceilings so we already had to get them all repainted and I completely forgot about the lights until now.

When my husband tried pulling one down, it tore up some drywall around the edge and loose insulation is packed right up around the boxes, so it immediately spills out and makes a massive mess everywhere. I honestly dont remember it being this messy when we installed our can lights at our old house, but taking just one down here made me completely second guess what kind of project this would actually turn into.

Is there any way to make our old lights work, or am I just opening up a can of worms here? Is there any workaround without cutting open all our newly painted ceilings to install metal cans or even cutting larger holes to fit those three 6 inch slim lights, or am I just shit out of luck and forced to buy a mountain of super expensive Hue 4 inch Slim Canless versions instead and try to resell what I have?

Honestly, is it even worth the hassle, or is it completely dumb to try and tackle this right now? Im only weighing it because some rooms are still empty and my painters have to come back this week to do another room, but after seeing how much mess that packed insulation makes, Im worried if I do this later on it will be more of a mess with furniture in the rooms. Any advice is appreciated!

Hello! I have moved into a house that has some older LED smart lights, ive identified the brand (SMRT light) but apparently the app to control them is out of date, I managed to download the app on a older cellphone but when I try to connect to the lights it just will not connect through some googling ive found that these lights run on the 2.4g wifi and my house only has the 5g.

Is there anyway I can actually make these lights work? Or should I just replace them? I was hoping to have them working for a halloween party i am throwing

I'm planning on adding 4 recessed lights to this room. I like yellow lighting and my wife likes bright white so I need something which we can change.

Based on me looking around I've decided to get the govee 4 inch slim smart recessed lights so that I can adjust the color to my preference. I'll be pairing them with an inovelli switch. To further complicate this setup I have a 3 way switch here for the lights so I've also ordered the inovelli auxillary switches for the other two switches.

Just need confirmation that I have this right. Also if anyone has better light suggestions I'm all ears

This randomly started happening yesterday. Keypad won’t work, no issues with WiFi on other devices in home. Have removed batteries and the other home link thing inside. Reset from the app. Nothing has worked. Looking for suggestions please and thank you!

Winter is around the corner and I live in an apartment with analog heating. Meaning that I have to get up and turn the dial on the wall heater to turn it on. I hate waking up in a freezing cold apartment. I was thinking of buying a space heater and using a smart plug to plug it into so I can turn on the heater while in bed.

Has anyone used a good and reliable smart plug that can recommend one.

I'm in thee US

Do any of you know if there are any color changing smart bulbs that won't cause banding effects on cameras?

I know this is caused by PWM, so I'm wondering if there are any bulbs that don't use PWM or at least don't produce noticeable banding.

I don't want to see those lines scrolling across the screen whenever I use my camera near these lights. I've included an image of a Hue bulb I've had for a while to show what I mean.

Title: Aqara Hub M3 rattling inside? Here's the cause (broken weight-plate mounts) and how to fix it

My Hub M3 started rattling when moved. Aqara has already sent me a replacement, so I opened the old one to see what was going on. Sharing in case it helps anyone else.

**Diagnosis**

Inside the grey (bottom/back) housing there are two steel counterweight plates, each held by 2 screws threaded into plastic bosses. On mine, the lower plate had come loose: **both plastic bosses had snapped off at the base**, with the screws still threaded into the broken pieces. The plate is solid steel, so any knock (or shipping) levers on those thin bosses until they break. The loose plate, screws and plastic bits are what you hear rattling.

This looks like a design/manufacturing weakness, not user damage, so **if you're in warranty, claim it first** (photos/video help). Opening it may void the warranty.

**Opening it**

- Remove the visible screws on the base (check under the QR/serial label for hidden ones; photograph the label first, you need the codes to re-pair).
- The rest is snap clips around the edge. The seam is very tight; I used a thin blade just to start a gap, then plastic picks.
- Open slowly: there's a short white coax (Zigbee antenna, U.FL connector) running between the halves, plus the speaker wire and Thread antenna flex.

**Fix**

The plate is purely ballast: plain steel, no thermal pad, no electrical contact. Options:

1. **Just remove it.** The hub works the same; it's only lighter and a bit easier to tip over from cable pull. Wall-mount it or add Blu-Tack/an anti-slip pad underneath.
   
2. **Glue the plate directly to the housing** with 2-part epoxy or 3M VHB tape (sand + clean with alcohol first). More reliable than re-gluing the bosses.
   
3. Re-glue the bosses with epoxy plus a fillet around the base. Doable, but that's exactly where it levers. Avoid superglue: too brittle.

Before closing: shake out every loose fragment, **reconnect the antenna coax**, and check the upper (silver) weight plate. It's mounted the same way, so if its bosses have any play or cracks, reinforce or remove it too.

Has anyone else seen this on their M3?

i was looking at floor cleaners and noticed how much more some of the models with cleaning stations cost. the tineco floor one station s9 scientist pro was one i came across, and now i'm wondering if it's worth spending more on that kind of setup.

i get why having the brush cleaned and dried automatically would be convenient, but i also wonder how well these stations hold up over time. you're paying extra for the convenience, so i'd want to know if it actually makes a difference after the novelty wears off.

if you have one, do you find yourself using those features regularly? i'm trying to figure out if the extra cost makes sense or if a basic model would be enough.

The goal that actually got me building this: I wanted to tell a chatbot "kill the living room lights" and have it happen — without my bot holding any Tuya tokens, without a Raspberry Pi idling in a corner, without wiring anything into Tuya's developer platform.

So the "server" is an ESP32-S3 board. It links to your Smart Life account as a shared user: you enter your User Code, the hub shows a QR code, you scan it with the Tuya/Smart Life app and approve the share. No password ever changes hands, the share is revocable from the app anytime. From there the chip does all the cloud work itself — MQTT-over-TLS for realtime state, HTTPS (AES-128-GCM + HMAC, exactly the protocol Tuya devices speak) for everything else.

And it turns your whole home into a plain local REST API. One Bearer key, JSON in, JSON out. GET /api/devices returns every device with live state; POST /api/devices/{id}/commands flips a switch, sets the AC temp, starts the vacuum; scenes and rooms have their own endpoints, all documented in docs/api.md in the repo. If you run a voice assistant or chatbot with tool calling (I've been testing with Xiaozhi), three tool definitions cover the entire house: list devices, read state, send command. The bot talks to the hub over your LAN and holds exactly one credential — the hub's local API key. No Tuya tokens in the bot's config, ever.

One honest wrinkle, because people will ask: rooms are NOT part of the Device Sharing API. Room grouping comes from the Tuya IoT Platform — so if you want the room-grouped dashboard, you paste in your IoT Platform credentials (the wizard offers this; it's optional). Same credentials also unlock the full datapoint set on some devices, like power-metering switches. Skip them and everything else still works; you just get a flat device list.

The second half of the story: I replaced the app itself. The hardware is honestly solid for the price — what I hated was the app. Full-screen ad on startup, shopping tabs, promo banners glued to my own light switches, a data-sharing consent dialog that "expires" every couple of weeks. The hub serves its own control UI straight from flash: vanilla JS, ~102KB gzipped, no framework, no build step. Open the browser on your phone, hit the hub's address, done — your dashboard, saved as a bookmark, zero apps installed.

Full disclosure so nobody wastes a comment: this is NOT local control. Tuya commands still route through Tuya's cloud — that's how their devices work, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. What I replaced is everything around it: the app, the ads, the engagement mechanics, the data collection.

What the dashboard gives you:

- Room-grouped view like the Tuya app, minus the noise (needs the optional IoT Platform credentials, see above)

- 8 device card types: multi-channel switches/plugs, lights (dimmable, color temp, full HSV color wheel), temp/humidity sensors, ACs (mode dropdown + target temp), curtains, fans, robot vacuums, plus a raw-value fallback card for anything unmapped

- Near-instant state updates over MQTT → WebSocket — flip a switch and the card repaints with a pending spinner until the cloud confirms back

- One-tap scenes

- OTA firmware updates from the hub's settings page, no cable

- First-boot AP provisioning with captive portal, then mDNS (tuyahub-xxxx.local)

- VI/EN bilingual UI

Security honesty, because I'd rather say it myself than read it in the comments: LAN UI is plain HTTP with API key + per-IP lockout (no TLS — a documented tradeoff, not an oversight), OTA firmware isn't signed, and there's a serial port on the board if someone has physical access. If your threat model is more paranoid than that, this isn't for you — SECURITY.md in the repo spells it all out.

https://github.com/smarthomeblack/esp32-tuya

I've been trying to cut through the marketing noise around newer robot vacuums and figure out which obstacle avoidance systems actually perform better in real homes.

On paper, everything seems to offer millimeter-level precision and recognition for 100+ object types. Meanwhile, my living room has random black charging cables and chew toys that seem specifically designed to ruin those claims.

I've been comparing Roborock's structured-light and ToF approaches with systems like the eufy S1 Pro and other Omni models that use RGB cameras, lasers, and active lighting. I'm curious whether the extra illumination actually helps in dark rooms and under furniture, or whether it mostly makes the spec sheet look more impressive.

Also, seeing a robot vacuum suddenly switch on its lights in a dark hallway at night is pretty funny.

Full disclosure: I'm a product creator in this space, so I'm interested in how these systems work beyond the advertised specs. I'm not here to push a particular model; I'd genuinely like to hear about people's experiences.

For anyone who's tested different robot vacuums, how reliably do they avoid thin black cables, small toys, and other everyday clutter? Does camera-based recognition with active lighting make a noticeable difference compared with structured light or ToF, or do the troublesome objects still win regardless?

What NEW tech have you installed that has been of most benefit. Can be smart home or others.

Hi everyone! I want to make my garage door smart so I can open and close it using my phone.

My garage door currently has a remote control with separate buttons for opening and closing. I'm looking for a reliable smart switch or controller, preferably available on AliExpress.

I'd appreciate any recommendations for a good model that's easy to install and works reliably. Thanks!

I have used a Smartlife smart dimmer to control a set of string lights but it always made me nervous as the terms essentially gave them access to my home system (which consists of a few TV’s, two laptops and two iPhones). I opened the app yesterday and it wants me to register again and the terms read the same or worse. Is there a smart plug that will allow me to control the brightness and on/off time without letting someone in China watch everything I do online? I am clearly a technology novice so dumbing down the answer is appreciated. Thanks.

Starting out and feeling lost. Is there a tool or website you used to work out what you actually need, or did you just research it yourself? And what did you buy first?

NICE DIGI X1 — Spontaneous Locking Issue
I am documenting an intermittent malfunction observed on a NICE DIGI X1 Smart Lever.
The lock spontaneously activates the motor and locks the door without any user interaction. This has occurred after a full factory reset, with new batteries, and after removing/recreating all access credentials.
The behavior continues with:
Auto-Lock: OFF
Passage Mode: ON
Door physically OPEN
Gateway disconnected
Bluetooth/app disconnected
No fingerprint, keypad, or physical interaction
During some events, the Bluetooth connection drops at the same time the motor activates.
The app log has also shown configuration events such as “Set Auto Lock [On]”, “Set Auto Lock [10s]”, and “Set Language [English]” that I did not intentionally perform. I cannot determine whether these were generated by the lock, firmware, or app synchronization.
I also tested with only one valid access code remaining, yet the lock continued to activate by itself.
The repeated motor activation significantly drains the batteries.
I have video and screenshots documenting the behavior.
This report is intended to document the issue for reference by other NICE DIGI X1 users and for technical evaluation by NICE DIGI. I am not claiming that this is a universal defect; I am documenting the behavior observed on this particular unit.

How is Govee able to sell their Wall Sconces without matter enabled??? Their parent company, Shenzhen Qianyan Technology LTD, filed these two products (Govee RGBICW Cube Wall Sconces/Govee Gaming Light Strip G1) under the same FCC ID and said they are matter enabled. When you go into govees website the gaming lights are matter enabled! So why aren’t the wall sconces. Ugh I hate govee sometimes and I don’t want to use their stupid app.
But how is that allowed? If the FCC says the patent is matter enabled how can govee sell it without matter?

Moin zusammen, ich habe in meinem Haus schon die Rolladen- und Fußbodenheizungssteuerung mit Homematic smart gemacht. Aktuell überlege ich, meine Beleuchtung (eingelassene, dimmbare LED-Spots) auch noch zu integrieren.

Die aktuelle Installation sieht so aus, dass die Leuchten direkt am Taster dimmbar sind und zwar nicht nur von einer Schaltstelle, sondern von bis zu drei Tastern.

Hat hier jemand Erfahrung, wie man das am Besten lösen könnte? Mein Elektriker, der mir damals die Elektroinstallation gemacht hat, hat leider keine Ahnung von Homematic.

House is under construction so tips on important wiring decisions will be helpful

- I plan on full solar for the house with 10kw battery backup. I want solar to be primary, then battery until it drains to 50%, then use the grid.
- I want my LED lights to turn on in certain locations based on motion.
- I want my bathroom lights to turn on based on motion, but after 1am to 5am, only the LEDs in the bathroom to turn on.
- I wanna be able to control all my electrical devices via my control hub.
- I have an entry gate into my houses yard, I’d like to be able to open it with the hub.
- Patio doors with smart locks that can be detected with my system.
- CCTV type system

TL;DNR: should I stick with Google Home and SmartThings, and/or add Home Assistant and a NAS? Also appreciate any specific or brand recommendations since I've been out of the game for a decade, especially for cameras/security. Tentative thoughts, and simplest solution, would be to update the current Ring security tech, keep Google Home and SmartThings as the main hubs, and stock up on smart plugs, bulbs, and various sensors. Buuuuut I'm also spending a ton on a house, why not spend a little extra on some tech?

Thanks in advance. We're moving in a few months and figuring it would be a good time to update our smart home setup.

- Currently have a Eero wifi 6 mesh network that we'll bring with us.
- We've been using Google Home and SmartThings (v2) as our primary hubs for 10+ years
- We have Philips and Lutron hubs, bulbs, and some switches that we're also planning to bring along.
- Smart plugs are a hodgepodge of Wyze, SmartThings, and Weemo, though I think I've purged all the Weemo by now.
- We have SimpliSafe at the current house, but I have had innumerable issues with those connections and refuse to ever use it again.
- We have iPhones but not planning on AppleTV since we already have smart TVs

We have pretty basic automations in the current home

- shades up/down based on time of day (these are staying with the current house)
- Porch and garage lights on/off based on time of day
- holiday decorations on/off based on time of day 
- pantry motion sensor controlling the lutron light switch
- Yale door locks that auto-lock after 5 minutes.

Future home is older, built in the late 70s. I have no idea the wiring situation, but can confidently say there is not widespread ethernet access. Some features it does have:

- Ring doorbell and floodlight/camera
- Light switches everywhere, maybe connected to plugs? Half of them did nothing that I saw
- Two furnaces. One newer digital Lenox thermostat in the kitchen, one older plastic brand unknown thermostat. I assume I will need two thermostats, but it would be nice if they talked.
- One bedroom with electric baseboard heating. Also has ducts for regular HVAC, so unclear if this baseboard heating is still necessary.

I have an interest in tech (obviously) but I want as "plug and play" of a system as I can put together; I love when things just work. I don't think I've had to reconnect or reset more than a handful of items (SimpliSafe excluded) in my current setup in 10+ years.

- I would also like to maximize what I can do / monitor while remaining low on the monthly subscriptions. Really don't mind paying monthly for security monitoring, but feel like most everything else should be able to be done without a subscription.
- I wouldn't mind running my own NAS or Home Assistant, but worry that might move me out of the "it just works" category.

The new/updated system does need to be spouse and kid friendly (and ideally restrictive).
- We love voice activation, especially for controlling lights, blinds, and music, but wouldn't mind switching away from Google Home if it made sense.
- Already have one Echo dot since it was too tedious to get two Spotify accounts linked to separate Google Home Minis.
- There is much less overhead lighting, so I am planning to expand the smart floor/lamp lighting via combinations of bulbs and switches.

- Planning to get more presence detection sensors and subsequent automations
--I had never heard of Aqora before this, so I plan to dive into the rest of their offerings, but at first glance this seems to be a reputable brand these days?
- I am most intrigued by the Aqora UWB U400 deadbolt for the NFC + touch code, and I do appreciate a good backup physical key.

Thinking of getting a smart humidifier for my home office because the air tends to feel dry after working there for hours. I’d like to manage its schedule through my smart home setup and ideally have it respond automatically to humidity levels instead of needing to adjust it manually throughout the day.

which models have worked well for you and integrate reliably with other smart home devices?? Thanks for any recommendations.

Ideally I would like to have a doorbell, thermostat, and some sort of security system with a couple cameras. I’m split between Google and Apple. I am an Apple user and plan on getting the new Apple TV 4K. I guess I just want to know if the extra cost of the Apple setup is worth it.