CBI ASA

[Tradie]

Just launched, and yes they are available at your local wholesaler.

Price, not bad, selling price to the public, around R270.

CBI astute devices are one of the CBI products I do promote and install. I have only had one failure so far, which I dropped off at the wholesaler last week and waiting for the report back from CBI. IT might be out of warranty, so lets wait and see.

Yesterday I collected my first ASA unit to try out.

Out the box, no just a cardboard cover, which has a QR code on the inside with setup instructions etc. 240 VAC 50 or 60 hz and rated to 16 amps, will it carry the load as well as the other astute devices, only time will tell.

First impression, build quality, I am impressed, the plastic feels solid.

The location of the on/off switch, perfect, the button is perfect, easy to switch and hold to setup.

The reason I give this unit a 10/10 for design, the sockets, a 15 amp standard, 2 pin and even a 5 amp plug tops fits and feels solid. Well done to the design people.

I removed the packaging, plugged the adaptor into a socket outlet, opened the Tuya app, by the time I sat down at my desk, there was a notification to say a new device was ready to add, pressed add and bingo it ready.

Would I spend R 280.00 on this device ? The fact that you can insert 2 pin, 5 amp or a standard plug top, makes it worth the price and you dont need and electrician, its a win.

Now I just need to se eif it hooks up with home asssitant.

[Tradie]

Opened home assistant this morning to figure out how to link the device, bingo, 8 devices loaded and ready to go, now add device required, I did reboot HA last night, that could explain the 2 additional devices.

I have the asa connected to the security system, because I want to monitor the power, energy and how stable the voltage is, the app will display this information, but only totals, this is what make HA worth installing, you see trends.

One day when I figure out how to screen shot and paste, I will share images.

[Tradie]

Just remember to enable the sensors, or voice assistant under settings, if you wan to track the power, current and voltage or use Alex or other commands.

What makes the ASA such a handy device?

I want a power trend for my alarm, CCTV, TV and all the other equipment linked to a specific socket outlet, so that I can sized the inverter and battery.

I also want to know how much power my fridge draws when idling and when the compressor kicks in, and I want to record a trend of the total usage per day.

Simple I just unplug it form the current location, it is already linked to my network and phone, so if I wan to check the power of my toaster for example, I dont have to get a sparkie to disconnect the astute device, nor do I have to use adaptors for my 2 pin or 5 amp plug tops.

For the price, I a cant think of another devices that offers this kind of flexibility, data and history (you need home assistant or the like).

Now that I am starting to understand the whole home automation concept, I need to see if home assistant is the best most affordable solution.

I have looked into commercial home automation, but the systems that I looked into started at R7-10 K for a very basic setup and that was very basic lighting control, which jumped into the R30+ K price range as you expand.

Home assistant has improved over the years and will continue to improve, some might say they dont want subscriptions to view the system online, but they do want the local setup.

As I go down this rabbit hole and expand my own system I will keep updating.

If you have a better solution or automation system, that is local and free, please share.

As I mentioned you can still switch on and off light on apps on the phone, but you will have to use the devices app if you are away from network, or pay the subscription.

[Tradie]

Home Assistant in South Africa, like elsewhere, is free and open-source software. You don't need a subscription for basic functionality. However, if you want to access your Home Assistant instance remotely (from outside your local network) via the cloud, you'll need a Nabu Casa subscription. Nabu Casa offers secure and encrypted remote access and other features like cloud backups.

Here's a breakdown:
Home Assistant (Core):
The core software is free and open-source. You can run it on various devices like a Raspberry Pi or a dedicated device like Home Assistant Green.
Nabu Casa Subscription:
This optional subscription service provides:
Remote Access: Access your Home Assistant instance from anywhere using a secure and encrypted connection.
Cloud Backup: Automatically back up your Home Assistant setup to the cloud.
Alexa and Google Assistant Integration: Allows you to control your smart home devices using voice assistants.
Cost:
The Nabu Casa subscription is priced at $6.50 USD per month or $65 USD annually, according to Nabu Casa. This price is exclusive of any local VAT or sales tax.
Alternatives for Remote Access:
You can also set up remote access using port forwarding on your router, which is a free option.
In summary: You can use Home Assistant for free to automate your smart home locally. If you want remote access and cloud-based features, you'll need to subscribe to Nabu Casa, which is a paid service.