Search Results

Every once in awhile you come across one of those homeowner items that you just cannot imagine doing without. Well the Wonder Winder is one of those items. I was given this item as a gift more than five years ago and it has held-up and performed wonderfully. Allow me tell you how this unit can easily manage your extension cords. Over the years I used various cord retrieval and storage devices. There are certainly cheaper units out there. I have used the floor standing cord reels and the reels that have the center spin handle. The drawback that I experienced with these units is that you need to two or more hands to unreel and retrieve the cord making any task more time consuming and difficult. With the Wonder Winder, you do not have this hassle. This unit is very durable. It is simply designed and it works extremely well. Once you install the unit, you simply thread your extension cord through the top end of the unit and down through and between the pressure paddle and the rubber coated rotating wheel. Once the cord is threaded down through the friction wheel, you simply pull the cord through the device, down though the nylon holding basket. You want to stretch enough length of cord to reach your receptacle and then secure the cord to bottom of the basket with the cord anchor. The Wonder Winder is portable. It is designed to be used both indoors and outdoors. It comes with a reversible handle so it can used right or left handed. The unit holds up to 75-feet of 12/3 cord, 100-feet of 14/3 cord, or up to 150-feet of 16/3 cord. I am using 100 feet of 14/3 cord and I am able to wind the full length up neatly in about 30 seconds. What is nice is I can have my hands full with tools and just grab the end of the cord and head out to start my home project. I do not need to worry about tangling and snags. And when the project is completed I simply wind the cord back to neatly store it for the next project. Retrieving the cord is simple. You just apply light pressure as your turn the rotating crank handle. This action allows you to quickly and easily retrieve your cord and store it neatly in the nylon mesh basket suspended below the unit. No more snags or tangles! Wonder Winder makes two different models: * Model # WW-2D * Model # WW-1 Both models are sold with 2 standard mounts so that you can interchange the device between two different mounting locations. You simply undock the device from one location and quickly connect to a 2nd location. Model WW-1 comes with a fixed base mount. To secure the Wonder Winder to the base you simply push it into the base and turn to lock it into place. With the fixed base mount, the unit does not swivel. Model WW-2D comes with a swivel mount bracket with two mounting plates for easy attachment to a wall, post or other flat surface near an electrical outlet. Again, the 2 mounting plates allow the unit to quickly and easily be moved from one spot to another. I prefer and recommend the swivel mount ( Model WW-2D ) because it enables the unit to pivot allowing you to extract the cord from an angle without putting lateral pressure on the mounting base. A fixed base unit ( Model WW-1 ) would be fine for a situation where you are always pulling the cord out in a straight run from the unit. I will leave information and reviews links on both units in the video description below. You will find that both are highly rated by those who purchased them. Either unit can be purchased for around $25. I am confident that you will agree that this unit is will worth this price. With the Wonder Winder , you'll never have to waste time untangling and coiling extension cords again. Either unit comes with two twist-lock mounting plates that attach to a wall of your shop, garage, or basement, or outside of your house--anywhere you have an outlet. You can then just move the Wonder Winder from one location to another as you need it. And best yet, it's backed by a 3-year warranty. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer and you find home repair and product reviews helpful, be sure to subscribe to my site so that you won’t miss my newly released content. And more importantly, when you need to tackle those various odd jobs around the home, be sure to do them with safety in mind. https://amzn.to/3GY3Li5

Before describing how to set-up the Sengled sensor , let’s briefly review the features of this device. I’ll share with you the features which I like, as well as those which I desire to see improved. As stated previously, the Sengled door sensors are directly compatible with SmartThings. They connect out of the box without the need for a custom device handler. The sensors use the Zigbee protocol. Devices using the Zigbee protocol are very easy to install. The protocol supports a large number of nodes and it is also power efficient, which results in longer battery life. The sensor receives its power from a single CR1632 battery, and the sensor is rated for 12 to 24 months of operation, depending on the level of activity in your home. The sensors are unobtrusive, being smaller then most other contact sensors. They measure .89 inches wide by 1.93 inches high. The sensors are also economical. I purchased the two pack option at a cost of about $15 per sensor. There are a couple of improvements I would recommend. I found it difficult to access and remove the battery as compared to most other contact sensors. The sensor case is impossible to open with out the use of a pry tool. As a matter of fact, the device pamphlet recommends the use of a dime or a flat head screwdriver to open the sensor case. Additionally, the metal slot in which the battery is inserted holds the battery very snugly. You definitely need a small screw driver to push the battery out of the holder. Putting the difficulty of battery changes aside, I find this device to be a fantastic sensor for my SmartThings ecosystem. In the following video I demonstrate the simple steps to pair this sensor with the SmartThings hub. If you’d like to view and purchase Sengled products or other SmartThings compatible devices, just check out the following links. These and other smart devices can also be access via this website and my Amazon Store. Until next time, keep automating and God Bless! 🟡 Smart Devices Featured: Sengled ZigBee Door & Window Sensor 🟠 Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

Today I am going to show you how to automate your Samsung SmartThings indoor home surveillance camera. I'll show you how to setup your SmartThings camera so that you receive recorded video notifications in response to activity in your home while you’re away. The automation will enable your camera after the last person leaves your home’s geofence. An additional automation will stop camera surveillance upon the arrival of any individual family member. Shop my Amazon Store for compatible Smart Home Devices: https://www.amazon.com/shop/budssmarthome Smart Devices Used in this video: 🔵 SmartThings Indoor Security Camera 🔵 ZigBee Smart Plug Outlet Required Devices This automation requires that you have home internet. Also, you must have SmartThings version 2 or 3 hub connected to your home’s router either via ethernet cable or WiFi. And you must have a SmartThings compatible camera and a SmartThings compatible plug. I am using the Samsung Smart Cam. As for a smart plug, I am using the Hibro ZigBee Smart Plug, but you may use any plug that uses the ZigBee or Z-Wave protocol. I love the SmartThings Cam as it is equipped with fantastic hardware features, such as person detection without the requirement for a paid cloud subscription. The SmartThings Cam is a 1080p indoor security camera that offers full HD video with HDR, IR for night vision, two-way audio, person detection, and a 145-degree field of view. The camera uses two infrared LED arrays to provide up to 16 feet of black-and-white night video. It sends push alerts to each family member’s smart device when motion and sound is detected. It provides free 24-hour cloud storage backup for up to four cameras. Samsung gives you the option to purchase a subscription for a 30-day backup for up to eight cameras. The cost of the subscription plan is $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year. I find that the free 24 hour cloud storage is adequate for my needs. Product, price and review information can be accessed via my Amazon store link which can be found in the description below this video. While in my Amazon Store, just click on the “Smart Home Products” category to find and extensive list of SmartThings compatible devices. Sales generated by using my Amazon links will provide me with a small commission. These commissions help support my efforts to bring you additional smart home automation content. Let’s get into the setup… The Setup If you don’t disable the SmartThings Cam while your home is occupied, the camera will record every sound and/or motion and it will optionally send notifications to every smart device. This is not ideal; particularly if your camera is in a room that is frequently occupied. However, by plugging the camera into as smart plug, you can control when the camera is actively monitoring. Let’s get into the proper camera setup by beginning with the appropriate settings for in your SmartThings Home Monitor. Once the Home Monitor settings are made, I’ll then show you how to setup the automation that will control the camera based your arrival or departure. After you have paired the SmartThings Cam and your smart plug with your SmartThings hub, you’ll need to open your SmartThings App and configure your SmartThings Home Monitor. First, tap on the “SmartThings Home Monitor”. Next, tap on the gear icon in the upper left hand corner of your screen. Now tap on “Security” and then the phrase “Set up Armed (away) sensors”. Next tap on the phase “Use all motion sensors”. You should be careful here not to toggle the slider to the “on” position unless you intend to use all the installed motion sensors in your home. Once in the “Select Device” screen, choose “SmartThings Cam” from the list. After you have selected the “SmartThings Cam”, then tap “Done”. You should repeat the same steps under the “monitor sound” setting if you want to be notified of any sound detected by the camera. With those settings made, go back one screen to the Security screen and then tap on “Set Response”. In the “set response” screen tap on “Record Video” and then choose the “SmartThings Cam” from the list and tap done. Finally, scroll down to the bottom of the “Set Response” screen, to ensure that the “Push notification” and “Include captured image’ switches are enable. This will prompt notifications to your smart devices anytime motion or sound is detected and recorded. With the SmartThings Home Monitor configured, let’s now write two simple scenes. These scenes will turn your camera switch on when everyone departs your home, and then back off when someone returns. To set this up I added the camera switch to the list of actions in my existing “Good Bye” and my “I’m Back” scenes. Please watch the provided video to discover how to setup these scenes and the automations used to trigger the scenes.

If you read my prior article, you learned how easy it is to pair Sengled Door Sensor to the SmartThings Hub. In today’s article I am reviewing the Sengled Smart Plug. This plug works out of the box with SmartThings, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Let’s get started. Hello! My name is Bud. Welcome to Bud’s Home Automation where I publish smart home content related to the SmartThings & Alexa Apps. When presenting home automation instruction, it’s my desire to show viewers how easy it is to achieve the comfort, security and convenience which results from a properly automated smart home. I use the SmartThings/Aeotec hub with compatible smart devices in my smart home setup. I also use several Amazon Echo voice assistants. SmartThings/Aeotec hub will allow you to begin your journey to a powerful, secure and convenient smart home. As I begin my review of the Sengled smart Plug, let me make clear that I have not received any financial incentives from Sengled to review or promote their products. The Sengled device that I am reviewing today was purchased by me. Before showing how to set-up the Sengled Smart Plug, let’s briefly review the features of this device. I’ll share with you the features which I like, as well as those which I desire to see improved. The Sengled Smart Plug connects directly out of the box with SmartThings without the need for a custom device handler. The sensor uses the Zigbee protocol. Devices using the Zigbee protocol are very easy to install. The protocol supports a large number of nodes and it also power efficient. The one concern about this plug is its physical size. This device is fairly large. Because it is rather large, you limited to using one Sengled Smart Plug in a standard two plug outlet. Before I give my final thoughts on the Sengled Smart Plug, let me demonstrate how easy it is to add this plug as new device in the SmartThings App. So here are my final thoughts about the Sengled Smart Plug. When I compare the Sengled Plug to other ZigBee Plugs previously reviewed, I initially did not place the Sengled Plug at the top of the list. If you would like, watch my YouTube video titled, SmartThings Compatible Zigbee Plug Review for a more in depth review of smart plugs. In that video I give the Sonoff S31 Lite Smart Plug top honors. The Sonoff plug has an innovative design. The plug is narrow in height, so you can stack two Sonoff smart plugs in one standard wall outlet. Also the Sonoff plug has a really great price point. However, while researching Amazon reviews for the Sengled Smart Plug, I found that Sengled also makes a Zigbee smart plug that is similar in design to the Sonoff S31 Smart Plug. So not only can you place two Sengled smart plugs in a standard two plug outlet, this alternate version of the Sengled Smart plug is competitive in price when compared to the Sonoff plug. This smaller Sengled plug also has energy monitoring capability as well. Both Sengled plugs discussed today have very good product reviews. They are also verified to work flawlessly with the SmartThings App. Permit me one final note on the Sengled “power usage” feature. Contributors on the SmartThings Community forum have stated that the Sengled plug’s energy reporting doesn’t appear to be fully accurate. It is suggested that energy monitoring may be a rough calculation based on the length of time that the plug is in service. So that is a rap on the Sengled Smart Plug. I trust you found today’s article helpful. If you’d like to view or purchase these or other SmartThings compatible devices, just check out the following links: 🟡 Smart Devices Featured in this Article: 🛒- Sengled ZigBee Smart Plug (Lg ) 🛒- Sengled ZigBee Smart Plug (Sm) 🛒- Sonoff ZigBee Smart Plug Find Many More SmartThings Compatible Devices on my Amazon Store Until next time, keep automating and God Bless!

In today’s episode I will review the Sengled ZigBee LED Dimmable Smart Light Bulb. I’ll show you a practical use for this ZigBee bulb which works out of the box with SmartThings and Alexa. Let’s get cracking. The Sengled line of ZigBee smart bulbs are directly compatible with the Echo 4th Gen Plus , Echo Show 10 , Echo Studio , SmartThings, Wink, Hubitat or the Sengled Hub. The Sengled ZigBee bulbs are not compatible with Philips Hue bridge system. A quick Pro Tip here with regard to determining device compatibility, if you view the information in the device description or on the device package, you are likely to see one of two different statements. The description will either state “Hub Required” or it may state “No Hub Required”. Be careful to look for smart home devices which have descriptions that state, “Hub Required”. This usually signifies that the device is using the ZigBee or Z-Wave protocol and that a ZigBee or Z-Wave capable hub is required to join the device. Aeotec and SmartThings hubs use both of these protocols. Sengled smart light bulbs can be controlled by voice with Alexa Echo or Google Home Voice Assistants. The standard Soft White bulbs which I am working with today are dimmable led bulbs which you can control in SmartThings automations or Alexa routines. You have the flexibility to switch them on/off and you may also adjust the brightness from 1% to 100%. You can also setup a group for all of your Sengled light bulbs and easily group control them with SmartThings, Alexa, Google Home and IFTTT. The Sengled LED bulb is equivalent to a 60-watt light in brightness and can save up to 80% energy. The Sengled line of ZigBee Smart Bulbs includes a variety of options to include Soft White, Daylight, Color Changing and Vintage Edison Bulbs. The entire line of Sengled ZigBee devices are directly compatible with the SmartThings & the SmartThings/Aeotec hubs . They are easily discovered by the SmartThings app without the need for custom device handlers. As for my recommended uses, ZigBee Smart Bulbs at best used in a lamp or light fixture that is not easily controlled with a wall switch. I am using this bulb in a closet which has a light fixture that is not controlled by a wall switch. Rather than twisting the bulb in and out to turn the light on or off, I have added a Ring Contact sensor to my door so that I can us the sensor to turn of light on or off when I open and close the door. If you’d like to view and possibly purchase either the Ring Contact sensor or the Sengled Smart Bulb, just check out the provided links that accompany this video. These and many other SmartThings and Alexa compatible devices can also be access via my Bud’s Home Automation website or my Amazon Store as well. Let me now demonstrate how simple it is to add this smart bulb to your SmartThings app. To add you Sengled ZigBee Bulb, Open the SmartThings app and press the Plus Sign on top-right of the Favorites page. Then, tap on “ Devices ”. Tap on the magnifying glass to search for “ Sengled ” and tap on Sengled when it is found. Tab on “ Lighting ” and then tap on “ Sengled Smart LED ZigBee ”. Select the hub and the room for Sengled ZigBee Bulb and then tap the word “Next”. Now, after ensuring that you have power to your light fixture, screw in your Sengled smart light bulb. The bulb will flash on and off to indicate that device discovery is in progress. When the bulb is connected to your hub you will receive a Success message within your SmartThings App. The bulb will pair to the Alexa App as well. You can now rename your device and write automations to control your new Smart Bulb. So that’s a wrap on today’s episode. Be sure to check out my other videos on this site for details about additional SmartThings and Alexa compatible smart devices. These can be viewed on this site and also on my website. Until next time, keep automating and God Bless!

The noise reduction properties of the Ultra-Life Nylon Garage Door Rollers can remedy that problem. I have demonstrated the effectiveness of these roller by taking before and after decibel meter readings of my garage door before and after installation. These rollers have proven to be quiet. They are backed by a lifetime guarantee. I have documented the effectiveness of these Ultra-Life Rollers in a video wherein I provide step by step instructions for replacing your garage door rollers without removing any hardware. In this video I reveal the danger associated with removing bottom garage door roller brackets. Finally, I show you how you can easily remove and reinsert your new Ultra-Life Nylon Ball Bearing garage door rollers with the use of a single, very effective tool. This roller replacement method is very easy and takes very little time. Check out the video here . You can see product reviews and comments on the Ultra-Life MAX 2 Nylon Garage Door Rollers here . ** Website SPECIALS ** - Discount for signing up for Amazon Prime!! - Prime Student Deal | 50 Million Songs | Just $0.99 Per Month - Amazon's Most Popular Gift Ideas (Updated Daily) - Amazon's Hot New Releases (Updated Every Hour) - Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks - Audible Romance Free Trial - Access to 16,000 Woodworking Projects Limited Time Click here to access my YouTube Channel for more great household tips!

Use the links below to take souce the Fire TV Stick 4k Ultra and take advantage of Amazon's limited time Promo Offer which can save you up to 1/2 off the regular price of the Fire TV Stick 4k Ultra . Offer details are explained in the following video. For a printed details about the offer see the orange box below... Promo Video Fire TV Stick Links! Fire TV Stick 4K Fire TV Stick Gen 2 All-new Fire TV Cube ~ Use PROMO CODE ' 4KFIRETV ' at checkout ~ Offer Information from Amazon's Website NOTE: According to Amazon, this offer is for a limited time and Amazon states that they reserve the right to cancel at any time.

All capable smart homes need a brain or central hub to control the vast array of smart devices that are available on the market. The SmartThings hub, now made by Aeotec is the best smart home gateway. The SmartThings-Aeotec Hub , previously available as the Samsung SmartThings Hub v3, offers the same fantastic compatibility as the former SmartThings hub. It comes with the ability to manage the former SmartThings sensors and is also equipped with the Zigbee and Z-Wave protocols. This allows you to wirelessly connect and control a huge range of smart devices, over 5,000 devices from dozens of brands, including voice assistants, lights and switches, speakers, cameras, sensors and more. Any compatible device that you connect to the hub can be included into automations which can be intelligently managed. The Aeotec/SmartThings Hub provides you the ability to monitor and control connected devices. You can create and run automations, using the SmartThings app on the Samsung Galaxy , Android, iOS , and iPadOS. You may also control connected devices and run automations using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice user interfaces. It's the easiest system for building a smart home because it's compatible with so many smart products. Whether from Aeotec, SmartThings, or a huge range of third-party brands, Aeotec Smart Home Hub supports certified-compatible devices which use Zigbee 3.0, Z-Wave Plus, Wi-Fi, and API technologies. Aeotec Smart Home Hub is compatible with products from brands including; cameras and doorbells from Aeotec Arlo, Nest, Ring, and more audio systems from Bose, Samsung, and Sonos door locks from Kwikset, Schlage, Yale, and others lighting from Aeotec Cree, Leviton, LIFX, Philips Hue Sylvania, and others thermostats from Ecobee, Honeywell, Nest, and others. Bud's Home Automation website maintains a list of devices which are compatible with Aeotec/SmartThings Hub. It is also a source for countless Aeotec/SmartThings smart home automations.

In a previous article titled, “Use Mobile Phone as Presence Sensor in NEW SmartThings App”, video link , I provided details for setting up a virtual presence device type handler or DTH which I used to create an virtual presence switch for each family member's mobile device. The Device Type Handler which I used to create my virtual presence switches or VPS, was developed by SmartThings Community contributor by the name of Austin Pritchett. In that same video I also showed how to use the virtual presence switch in an automation that could arm or disarm the SmartThings Home Monitor based on the arrival and departure of each family member's mobile device. I’ve had several subscribers tell me that they are having problems with the reliability of these VPS or virtual presence switches. Typically I instruct my subscribers to be certain that they have the most current SmartThings App updates, as SmartThings continues to release new software versions with improved stability of reliability of many devices. I also urge them to verify that each family member’s phone is setup to give permission to SmartThings to “Get a location from the (member’s) phone”. This includes enabling permissions in the ST app as well as going into the phone’s settings and selecting the option to “Always Allow” notifications. It is also important to make sure that you have your geolocation properly set. This setting can be accessed by clicking on the House icon while in your favorites screen. Improper settings for your homes geofence can cause your phones to be detected late, or not at all. Because I too was experiencing sporadic issues with my installed VPS, I decided to search the SmartThings Community to see if there was an improved virtual presence device handler. What I found was a virtual presence device handler that was written by Ralph Torchia. I installed Ralph’s device handler about a week ago and I have found it to be better in functionality and reliability. What I mean by “better in function”, is that my phone’s presence icon now displays as either “Present “, or Not present. The former device handler icon displayed our phones as either “On” or “Off”, which was not very intuitive. As far as reliability, if have found the device handler to respond much quicker and a more accurately then the former Device Type Handler. If you have already installed virtual presence switches based on my former video then you can simply log in to your SmartThings account at https://account.smartthings.com/ and copy and paste the provided GitHub code using the links below. You then just need to change the device type handler buy going to the “My Devices” tab, and edit former virtual presence devices by changing the device Type from the former “Virtual Presence Plus” DTH to the newly installed “Virtual Presence Sensor” If you have not previously installed and setup the virtual presence device handler or virtual presence switches then I highly recommend that you watch that former video to get a better understanding of the steps needed to set things up. When you get to the section of the video where I instruct you to copy the GitHub code, you can substitute the code provided in the links below, rather then installing the code provided in that former video. Then when setting up your virtual presence switches with in the My Devices tab, you will simply select “Virtual Presence Sensor” as the device type. At this point I’ll take you though the easy steps of installing Ralph’s GitHub code and changing your existing devices to the new Device Type Handler. These steps can be viewed in the following video: 🔵 Bud's Automations Online Amazon Store

Echo Gear has an amazing Amazon Echo Show 8 stand you've been searching for! It offers a sturdy metal base with a magnetic design that makes it easy to put together and makes it fun and easy to move your Amazon Echo Show 8 around. It offers 50 degrees up and down tilt and 360 degrees of swivel motion. Movements are butter-smooth thanks to the stands " Easy-Glide Magnet Technology" . Here are the details: Certified “Made for Amazon” accessory specially designed to work with the Amazon Echo Show 8. Offering up to 50-degrees of device up-tilt and 28-degrees of down-tilt Full, 360-degree swivel capability lets you point your Amazon Echo Show 8 in any direction you’d like. Easy-Glide Magnet Technology provides butter-smooth device tilt and swiveling that stops on a dime and won’t drift or bounce. Durable cast aluminum design ensures your stand won’t fall victim to wear and tear and sturdy rubber-ring footing prevents it from slipping and sliding around. T Echogear’s product pros are available to help 7 days a week. Check Price Also Available in White for the Echo Show 8

This easy SmartThings automation will help you automate Alexa Guard so that your Echo devices are automatically placed in guard mode when all members of your household depart. Also Alexa Guard will be automatically stopped when any one family member returns home. This automation uses a Simulated Alexa Switch that is easy to setup as a device handler in the SmartThings IDE. To find instructions for setting up the Simulated Alexa Switch in the SmartThings device handler just watch my video found at the following link: https://youtu.be/3aVHQBeF5Ik Once this virtual switch is setup as a Device Handler, you must then create a new device using the Simulated Alexa Switch that can be used within the SmartThings app to trigger the switch on/off with in a SmartThings automation or scene. The status of the switch can then be viewed in the Alexa App and used in a routine to cause Alexa Guard to start or stop when your family leaves or returns home!

Today I will be reviewing five ZigBee Smart Plugs which claim to be compatible with the SmartThings App and various Amazon devices. The categories that I will address include Customer Ratings, Ease of Installation, Product Specifications, Product Features, Quality and price. The five plugs that I will be reviewing today all use the ZigBee protocol. All plugs are under $20 dollars and are available via my Amazon Store. None of these plugs are sponsored by the product manufactures. Therefore you can be assured that my review is unbiased. 🔵 Smart Plugs Featured in the Video: ▶ Jhome ▶ Securifi Peanut ▶ Sylvania Smart+ ▶ Sonoff S31 Lite ▶ Hibro 🔵 Bud's Automations Online Amazon Store