Lux Nerd Corner

Back, briefly, to Nerd's Corner and the Lux Sensor:

Entirely unbeknownst to me, Hay moved the sensor on Friday while fiddling about with her hairdryer on the windowsill, resulting in the reading becoming over sensitised. Then there's the fact the cat regularly sits on the windowsill and taps everythiing with her paw.

As you can see from the chart above, it was reading over 700 Lux at 11am, when the trigger point I'd set was 320. I remonstrated with both Hay and Kitty. Nevertheless, the programme worked, with the trigger not happening until the allotted time, despite the Lux reading having been much higher than 320 prior to the trigger time. 

I have placed the sensor in a black box on the windowsill, with one open side facing the window. I will now have to recalibrate it - the fact the next few days will be overcast will aid this, in that I can set the level at which not to trigger the ASHP. Yesterday it didn't go above 205 Lux.

Also, I set up a quick test of programming a light to come on at a specific time and then cutting Wi-Fi and data to the phone. The programme still took effect at the allotted time, showing that the programme doesn't rely on the phone being connected to a network. 

I then conducted another test, but disconnecting everything, including the domestic internet connection, and the programme didn't run, proving that the programme sits in Tuya's cloud which, when you consider that triggers can be set according to the local weather, is entirely logical, as the Smart Device would have to access data on the weather from the internet.

Given the different types of programming, the capability of Smart Devices and the fact I couldn't get a straight answer from Tuya, I asked ChatGPT for an answer:

"The programming for domestic smart devices can be distributed across multiple locations, depending on the specific architecture of the system. In some cases, the programming may reside primarily on the smart device itself. For example, a simple smart light bulb might contain all the necessary programming to respond to user commands, adjust brightness and colour, and interact with other smart devices in the home.

"In other cases, the programming may be split between the smart device and a mobile app that provides a user interface and controls for the device. The app may contain some programming logic for the device, but it may also communicate with the device to send commands, receive status updates, and access data or settings.

"Finally, in some cases, the programming may be largely cloud-based, with the smart device serving mainly as a communication interface. In this scenario, the device may contain a small amount of code to manage basic functionality, but the majority of the programming resides in the cloud and is accessed by the device through an internet connection.

"Overall, the specific architecture of a smart device system will depend on a variety of factors, including the type and complexity of the device, the desired functionality, and the preferences of the app developer and end-user."

So, clear as mud and non-conclusive. At least I've settled the question for turning on a light, but not necessarily for anything else; the Lux / ASHP application, for example, depends on the Lux Sensor talking, through some communications media, with the ASHP Smart Switch, which could be locally through Wi-Fi, via the App or through the Cloud.

HOWEVER: I changed my phone yesterday to a Samsung Galaxy Flip 4, hoping all my apps, settings and data would transfer automatically using the Samsung Smart Switch app (the name of which just adds to the confusion) - but it didn't take all my apps or data. Spent some 4 hours reintegrating my phone into my life and then had to re-link all the Smart Devices. That took only a few minutes, so not an issue, but all the programmes - or scenes, as they're called in Tuya parlance - had to be rewritten.

As it happens, I came across some other programme features I'd missed on my first foray into programming the ASHP switch and managed to set the trigger point more easily, and more logically.

Yesterday's totally smooth, daylight curve on an overcast day peaked around midday at 205 Lux, which gives ample room up to the max on 1,000 for a sunny day.