Yes, if I understand you correctly then it already works with that setup. So you can have the ESP32s over ethernet and it still works as long as it's on the same network as TOMMY (Home Assistant Add-on or Docker). Only thing to keep in mind is that the ESP32s need to have Wi-Fi inbuilt with antenna (either PCB or external).
... and it is possible to configure a non existing SSID which would then be created as a separate mesh network (no access point), correct?
You actually won't need to configure a SSID at all. The peer-to-peer communication is handled by the devices internally without any manual setup.
The new philips hue bulb bridge supposedly can turn them all into motion sensors. Do you think this could use what ever data they are pulling from the bulbs to do that as well?
Super cool! I'm going to try this out! The new philips hue bulb bridge supposedly can turn them all into motion sensors. Do you think this could use what ever data they are pulling from the bulbs to do that as well?
Unfortunately not. Even though the concept is the same, Philips Hue uses Zigbee as the sensing protocol which isn't compatible with the Wi-Fi sensing TOMMY uses.
... and it is possible to configure a non existing SSID which would then be created as a separate mesh network (no access point), correct?
You actually won't need to configure a SSID at all. The peer-to-peer communication is handled by the devices internally without any manual setup.
Does that mean that Tommy is not using SSID at all for it's motion detection? Where is the WiFi network then? Hidden? What about bands and channels? Overlaps? Interference?
You actually won't need to configure a SSID at all. The peer-to-peer communication is handled by the devices internally without any manual setup.
Does that mean that Tommy is not using SSID at all for it's motion detection? Where is the WiFi network then? Hidden? What about bands and channels? Overlaps? Interference?
Actually, you are right. I confused myself. You would need to have them connected to the same Wi-Fi as that determines the bands and channels they communicate on even though the communication is peer-to-peer.
How are your devices connected exactly? Using ethernet on the subnet your HA instance is on? And are you then able to also connect to a separate Wi-Fi SSID you create for those devices?
Also, are you able to join the Discord channel? Then we can create a thread and go a bit more into depth about your setup.
Does that mean that Tommy is not using SSID at all for it's motion detection? Where is the WiFi network then? Hidden? What about bands and channels? Overlaps? Interference?
Actually, you are right. I confused myself. You would need to have them connected to the same Wi-Fi as that determines the bands and channels they communicate on even though the communication is peer-to-peer. How are your devices connected exactly? Using ethernet on the subnet your HA instance is on? And are you then able to also connect to a separate Wi-Fi SSID you create for those devices? Also, are you able to joi…
Thank you for the explanation. Right now I don't have Tommy or any of it's devices configured (yet). I was just trying to determine what's possible and what's not. I do have ethernet throughout the house. Then, I have three Ubiquity AmpliFi dual-band mesh WiFi access points in an ethernet-backboned configuration. I do a lot of Sunshine/Moonlight low-latency high-def video/audio streaming, so for me, the WiFi quality/speed/jitter is of utmost importance. So much so that I removed all Zigbee and most ESP devices and replaced them with similar Z-Wave devices. The very fact that Z-Wave operates on a completely different band enabled me to have both abundance of home automation AND flawless WiFi at the same time. So, now considering what Tommy has to offer, I'm intrigued, but wouldn't want to go through the whole WiFi degradation and rescue again, hence I'm thinking through all the possibilities. The safest thing, for me, would be to have Tommy devices equipped with ethernet and WiFi, have them talk to Home Assistant via ethernet, and have them use their own WiFi SSID/channel for their motion detection. Otherwise, if that's not possible, then I could let them associate with my existing home WiFi, but then I would like to limit them to 2.4GHz band only, so I can have my 5GHz band clean and intact. Simply, that's my home network building policy: move everything that can be moved to ethernet in order to keep WiFi as clean as possible. That's because I already experienced the situation few years back that I just bought the best WiFi access point (x3) that money can buy and I still can't stream flawless 4K in real-time. Well, not anymore.
I had an idea to build a restricted zones for a phone. For example, I can't take my phone to bed, so I wanted to create a esp32 based project that beeps when the phone is too close to some areas. I made it based on BLE, but iphone masks MAC addresses, so it was impossible to track particular devices. No I realize, I could actually do it with WIFI signal straight. How I didn't think about it. Will try again today :D
Looks cool! Does it work outdoors too? And can it be battery-powered?
Yes it works outdoor too. Although experimenting with device placement is crucial for good results. I think there are different battery powered ESP32 you can buy. I have some of mine set up with small power banks.
What type of battery life do you see when running these off of a power bank?
What would you recommend/what do people do for power and access for in-wall sensors? Pulling power at least once per room (assuming you can share at least 1 node with another room) and being able to access it if you need to reflash feel like hard problems.
OR, am I completely missing the point that it's "through walls", not necessarily in-wall (though that would work). A wall-wart-sized device containing the ESP32 board could be plugging in to each room and share the node (on the opposite wall) of the next room?
Very cool project and love the HA integration as well. I'm using PiR and mmWave (Z-Wave and Zigbee) currently but obviously you either have to run power for those or deal with replacing batteries, this seems much more maintainable and unobtrusive.
Yes it works outdoor too. Although experimenting with device placement is crucial for good results. I think there are different battery powered ESP32 you can buy. I have some of mine set up with small power banks.
What type of battery life do you see when running these off of a power bank?
I'm connecting them to a 10000 mAh powerbank which lasts 2-3 days I think. But I think it's pretty specific to the board you have.