Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by kokhoong0624

[WTS] Apple Smart Keyboard Folio

kokhoong0624 — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 21:46:13 +0800

Item(s): (SEALED AND NEW) Apple Smart Keyboard Folio for iPad Pro 12.9 inch (3rd, 4th and 5th gen)

Package includes: (SEALED AND NEW) Apple Smart Keyboard Folio for iPad Pro 12.9 inch (3rd, 4th and 5th gen)

Price: RM549 (!!!NOTICE!!!: Sellers are required to display the exact selling prices of their products. Failure to do so will result in the deletion of the topic)

Warranty: haven’t activated

Dealing method: COD

Location:PUCHONG

Contact method/details:PM
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Item(s) conditions:new

Picture:

Reason for sale: bought wrong size

[WTS] MacBook Pro 16-inch 32GB RAM, RP5500M

kokhoong0624 — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 03:45:00 +0800

Item(s):MacBook Pro 16-inch 32GB RAM, Radeon Pro 5500M with AppleCare+
Original Price : RM 15999 (AppleCare+ that includes accidental damage)

Package includes:
Hardware (Upgraded Ram and Graphics)

* 2.3GHz 8-core 9th-generation Intel Core i9 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.8GHz
* 32GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
* AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 8GB of GDDR6 memory
* 1TB SSD storage
* 16-inch Retina display with True Tone
* Four Thunderbolt 3 ports
* Touch Bar and Touch ID
* Backlit Magic Keyboard - US English
* Accessory Kit

AppleCare+ warranty Until December 17, 2022.
Includes protection for two incidents of accidental damage (water damage, drop) per year.
Bought AppleCare+, cost RM1800 for the warranty itself compared to Malaysia AppleCare RM1319 that does not cover accidental damage.

Price:RM9,999 (!!!NOTICE!!!: Sellers are required to display the exact selling prices of their products. Failure to do so will result in the deletion of the topic)

Warranty: Until December 17, 2022

Dealing method: COD in Puchong/Subang

Location:Puchong/Subang

Contact method/details: PM
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Item(s) conditions:Excellent Condition.

Picture:

Reason for sale: Rarely use after bought iPad

[WTS] KEF M400 Hi-Fi Headphones

kokhoong0624 — Thu, 27 May 2021 22:44:56 +0800

Item(s): Kef M400 Hi-Fi Headphones

Package includes: Kef M400 Hi-Fi Headphones

Price: RM399 (!!!NOTICE!!!: Sellers are required to display the exact selling prices of their products. Failure to do so will result in the deletion of the topic)

Warranty:

Dealing method: COD/ Lalamove or Grabexpress if Klang Valley/ Postage if other cities

Location: Setiawalk

Contact method/details: PM
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Item(s) conditions: New and Sealed

Picture:

Reason for sale: got it as a gift. Already had my own pair of headphones

[WTS] Apple Airtag 4 pack

kokhoong0624 — Wed, 19 May 2021 15:33:19 +0800

Item(s):Apple Airtag 4 Pack

Package includes: 4x Apple Airtag

Price: RM505

Warranty: 1 year by Apple malaysia

Dealing method: COD or Postage

Location: Puchong

Contact method/details: PM
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Item(s) conditions:NEW

Picture:

Reason for sale: EXTRA

[SOLD] Sapphire RX5700XT

kokhoong0624 — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 12:13:52 +0800

Item(s): Sapphire RX5700XT

Package includes:

Price: SOLD (!!!NOTICE!!!: Sellers are required to display the exact selling prices of their products. Failure to do so will result in the deletion of the topic)

Warranty: Comes with FULL BOX SET

Dealing method: COD

Location:Puchong/Subang

Contact method/details: PM
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Item(s) conditions: 9.9/10

Picture:

Reason for sale: Never play games. Plan to get an iPad Pro instead

UNIFIED SMART HOME - GOOGLE HOME AND APPLE HOMEKIT

kokhoong0624 — Mon, 04 May 2020 07:59:46 +0800

Partially crossposted from Apple Bytes

Had learnt many lessons and made many mistakes on the process of renovation in the past one year and had been lurking around this forum for many renovation tips.
I want to share a connected home ecosystem where different brands of smart accessories work together in one single app - and you don’t have to have a“brand loyalty”, just choose whatever brand that works best for you and the devices will work with other brands in your house.

Apple Homekit, Google Home and Home Assistant (for advanced users) work with all the devices that I share here.

The current state that I had completed is just plain Apple Homekit - planning to add Google Home (accessories can connect to both ecosystem simultaneously) and Home Assistant (when I have the time to tinker). I have a Google Home on the way and can’t wait to try it.

A connected home comprises of many elements but I believe that switches, lighting, blinds, fans, curtains, door locks and TV make up the most of the accessories.

Before I start I just want to show what is possible with a connected that does not rely on one single brand with different brands working together with the automations in Homekit:
 Very Reliable and Responsive App Control:
https://youtu.be/e3vPL5OqyT4
[YOUTUBE]e3vPL5OqyT4[/YOUTUBE]

Control autogate (Terncy Switch Module) with Apple Home app, can use Siri and control outside from wifi network. TV and other home lightings (Philips Hue Lightstrip) change color indicating gate has been opened (Terncy Door Sensor). Change back to original state after check TV is on or not (LG OLED B9) (white/off) when gate is closed.
https://youtu.be/UQV2US6nkb4
[YOUTUBE]UQV2US6nkb4[/YOUTUBE]

Open gate automatically by tapping phone on NFC (Terncy Switch Module) + Indoor Philips Hue to change colour.
https://youtu.be/QadOyAiXZSU
[YOUTUBE]QadOyAiXZSU[/YOUTUBE]

Turn on the TV (LG OLED B9) and have the lights dimmed (Philips Hue downlight + Gledopto) and the backlight on (Philips Hue Lightstrip)
[YOUTUBE]a65SGUXsfCk[/YOUTUBE]

How about a bedside switch… with an NFC sticker (Terncy Wall Switch).
https://youtu.be/AqI6ExqStIs
[YOUTUBE]AqI6ExqStIs[/YOUTUBE]

And VERY reliable wireless lighting/fans app control .. even on mobile data (Terncy Wall Switch, Philips Hue Lighting)
https://youtu.be/-XUoP8-vIyw
[YOUTUBE]-XUoP8-vIyw[/YOUTUBE]

Choosing between a smart switch or smart lighting? Why not both… Reprogrammed the buttons to control lightings, but different scenes - warm light, cool light, relax (dimmed) (Terncy Wall Switch, Philips Hue Lighting)
https://youtu.be/WG3HS974Xdw
[YOUTUBE]ua7foIMdugI[/YOUTUBE]

Apple Siri + Wall Switches - turn on everything upstairs
[YOUTUBE]WG3HS974Xdw[/YOUTUBE]

For a reliable and responsive connected home, depending on your size and budget for me personally these 4 are the most important criteria:
1. Reliable network throughout the house (preferably strong 5ghz wifi signal for full coverage of the house). I’m currently using Ubiquiti Network (UDM as my router with 2 Unifi AC to cover a 4000sqft double storey house) It’s best to have ethernet cable all over your house because wired signals are always the best, but if you are upgrading a house that has no ethernet, consider a mesh network with a backhaul frequency (“triband”) I’m not an expert in networking so you can learn more from the sifu at the networking forums. One router is never enough for a large home no matter how strong they advertise their signals are and wifi repeater sucks.
2. Neutral wires in all your switches. Neutral switches are more responsive, works better, safer and have longer life compared to it’s non neutral siblings - live wire. If you are renovating, please consider adding a neutral wire in all your switches as smart switches play a major role in a connected home.
3. Hub to bring all your different brands together!! - for apple there is Apple HomePod and Apple TV (or an old iPad which I don’t recommend because the network might cut off anytime). Google Home (will install and update my experience later)
4. Supports Google Home AND Apple Homekit with local network control (No passthrough the vendors servers)

Choosing a connected accessory:
For switches and ceiling lightings where you will have a huge number and need them to work reliably, I would recommend you NOT to get wifi or bluetooth ones.
If you are not using an enterprise grade router and have 50 wifi switches lighting connected to your router, it will jam your network and you certainly don’t want them taking your network traffic. Also, imagine the nightmare when you change your wifi name or your wifi password when you have to repair everyone of them. Oh, and most of them are connected on 2.4Ghz so if your live in a dense area then there will be a lot of interference (Not responding from time to time)

Bluetooth is just not made for smart home with its short range, unless you rent a small place la then it’s ok. Expect devices like these to flop - short range and slow. - Elgato Eve, some Xiaomi bulbs

Then get what?
Get smart accessories with a hub! I think currently, the best standard for a connected home is Zigbee 3.0. It’s good cause.. it uses a mesh network, means like your light bulb ah or your natural switch - they act as signal repeater for longer coverage - also they are very reliable and doesn’t hog your wifi network. And then when you change your wifi password or when you move, just bring them and repair the hub and you are good to go. I know there’s a general hatred towards hubs because they feel like a scam to suck more money from you and some people prefer wifi because they have not many devices and I think it’s perfectly ok to go full wifi if you have a small place and don’t plan to expand in the future.

For everything else like table lamp, washing machine, TV , air purifier where you don’t have a huge number or don’t need to use them at high frequency - get the wifi one is okay la. If need repair or what at least no need climb ceiling or pull out the wires behind the switch.

What I finally bought (all of them support apple HomeKit AND google home):
Switches: 35+ Neutral Switches from Terncy aka XIaoyan , 2x Terncy Switch Module (like the Sonoff ones) - Zigbee
Bulbs: 23x Philips Hue Downlight and 6xLight strips (I got them like.. 50% off in a sale) - Zigbee + Gledopto light strip controller- Zigbee, Yeelight Table Lamp (excellent little piece), Yeelight Table Lamp with Wireless charger - both yeelights are wifi
Other stuffs: LG B9 (GREAT TV. EXCELLENT), LG washer dryer, Xiaomi Roborock S6, Xiaomi Air Purifier - all wifi .
Oh and this - Yale YMI70 Smart door lock - bluetooth

Review
Switches
I think switches are the most integral part of a connected home la. Like to on anything you usually use switch mah. I was looking for wall switches that support Homekit since last May and four companies were shortlisted… because they have hubs + support Homekit and Google Home
Lutron, Aqara by Xiaomi, Lifesmart and Terncy.
I know there are like broad link and Sonoff but because they use wifi I did not consider to use them at all, but I read excellent reviews on Sonoff flashed with a Homekit firmware that would be a kickstart to test Apple Home.

Lutron: best and most established brand in the US. Only US switches available, relative in US using this, and online reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Get this… if you have the budget and can source it? Zigbee!
https://www.casetawireless.com

Lifesmart: This is a terrible brand la. They advertised they have HomeKit but it’s actually beta then if I’m not mistaken they got sued by Apple then what happen is they promised their users that their Hub will support Homekit in a future software update… and guess what, they just got certified recently and you have to buy a new hub. Also their old wall switches with no neutral looks REALLY good has a serious design flaw and my friend bought one that broke down in a couple months. Now they release a non neutral version… with battery. YMMV. Oh and they use 433Mhz as the network protocol instead of Zigbee… which is exactly like the signal in the remote control for autogate or the Broadlink RF device… So if someone neighbour play a prank and put a signal jammer.. then all their devices would not work anymore. I don’t recommend this brand at all.
https://lifesmart.com.my

Aqara: Excellent choice if you are staying in a tiny house like a studio or don’t plan to expand in the future because they are cheap and affordable. Seriously considering between this and Terncy for a while but a couple flaws made me chose Terncy instead. The Hub is connected to the switches via Zigbee, BUT the Hub is connected to your router via 2.4Ghz Wifi. 2.4Ghz wifi is not very reliable in my area because there’s a lot of interference and reliability matters a lot to me, hence I didn’t choose this. Another reason is at the time when I am about to purchase, their customer support told me the wall switches does not act as signal repeaters and I have to buy a couple hubs in my house….. which is unacceptable to me. At that time last year I have to get from Taobao… and Xiaomi Aqara is REGION LOCKED. From what I understand is getting from Taobao and getting from Malaysia will require you to have two different setups in two different servers. ….. That’s kinda terrible.
https://www.lazada.com.my/shop/aqara-official-store

Terncy: This is the choice I made and I don’t ragret a single bit. The switches and modules are connected via Zigbee 3.0, they act as repeater (only the neutral ones) and the hub is connected to the router via ethernet (YAY). I found this while visiting an Apple Store in China and bought one hub and switch to test. I bought from an unofficial seller in taboo and they sent me a hub with a switch that had an older firmware. I had some bumps here and there while setting up but the customer service agent promptly resolve my issue with an update. The range, reliability and responsiveness is excellent. Oh. And also PRIVACY. I know like google Xiaomi apple and china companies all collect data, but I trust Apple more than any China company to protect my data. They support sign in with apple and will rollout a feature to stop all network calling home in a future update. I am looking forward and will update here.

I was very new to all of these at that time… but one worked excellent doesn’t mean 30 would work excellent too. But I want to cut cost on shipping so I just took a bet and ordered 30 of them… And it worked. It worked so good I was so shocked because they exceeded my expectations. They respond INSTANTANEOUSLY and VERY reliable for the past seven months I had them installed. I was thrilled because I always had the impression that ugly products work the most reliably (look at Lutron switches) but they look good and they work very well. The matte finish on the switches are great and look very classy - I ragret sticking labels on them because I tried removing them now but they left permanent marks from the stickers. Talking bout the hardware, I had never once try to turn on/off something and it did not respond. NEVER. At least in the past seven months.. Touchwood. It’s so reliable I wired my autogate switch to a switch module (not the wall switch) and never brought my key out… since I moved in. Granted, you also have to have a strong and reliable wifi network for everything to be that responsive.

The switches come with four buttons with a tactile click no matter you get 1gang to 4gang. (Oh and Aqara didn’t have 3-4 gang switches at that time, which pushed me over to Terncy.) If you get anything other than a 4 gang switch, the extra buttons work as programmable buttons. Say goodbye to hardwired 2-way switches because now every switch with a programmable can be … used to control any other switches/Philips hue lights/Yeelight/TV/Fans in the house. It’s like a multiway switch. I had a programmed button near the main door where it will turn off everything in the house before I leave home. Another one to turn off everything downstairs at the stairs. Extra buttons in the bedroom switches to turn on the hallway lights.

Obviously simple automations like routines and scenes work very well. The pillar lamps will turn on after sunset and turn off after sunrise. There’s also like timer features because I always forgot to turn off the bathroom lights. Turn on bathroom lights - wait 20 minutes - turn off one light to serve as warning- then wait 5 minutes to turn off the other one. (Conserve water by not taking bath more than 20 minutes).
Everything works as expected, reliably and responsive - which I feel is a core and most important criteria for a connected home. I think it really matters that when I press the button in the app, it will respond instantaneously and reliably like I expect it to be… the best technology is the one that is transparent to its user. If I press a button and it only works 70% of the time, I will lose my confidence and just resort to use the hardware switches instead. They really knocked the hardware out of the ballpark and I would give the hardware a score of 5/5.

The Terncy app is not polished and there are little bugs here and there like signing me out from the app occasionally. I would not recommend anyone to use it as a daily driver at its current state (it is a shame because the hardware is so damn good and the software can’t keep up). Please use Apple Homekit or Google Home or even Amazon Alexa. The company announced that they are going to release an update this year with a design overhaul and I’m looking forward for it. However, the app supports many complex automations and allow the switches to be permanent switches… (will elaborate in the lighting section)

All things considered, I’m very glad I made the choice of going with Terncy. Those that have access to Lutron can consider getting them if you have the budget (they have more variety and even support AC fans control), I believe they would work equally as reliably as Terncy. I would not consider Xiaomi Aqara to use as wall switches at all at their current price point because the Terncy ones are much more better and responsive (compared to my friend’s house) unless you are already invested in the Mi ecosystem. Although Terncy is a Chinese company, they support Sign in with Apple, no region lock, local network control and I can’t wait to update to a new firmware that would allow me to stop them calling home - I had DPI on in my Ubiquiti router that would check all outgoing network traffic. Xiaomi recently had circulating news about violating user’s privacy and sharing data even on incognito mode and I think that’s sort of expected… so yeah.

Terncy Official Store in Shopee
https://shopee.com.my/terncy.my

Lighting
For Zigbee Lighting, I think the options available are kinda limited. Philips Hue and Ikea Tradfri are the more reputable brands. I heard good things about ikea Tradfri, but I had not been able to source them so I could not give my comments.
Philips Hue is the best. They offer the most options : look up amazon if you cannot get local and their only flaw to me is overpriced (because they are the only option in the market) . They respond immediately, have a vast selection of devices and work very reliably in the past six months. The only sad part is one of the hue downlight I bought stopped working after 5 months ( I think this is an isolated incident).
If you have the budget to go Philips Hue, you wouldn’t ragret. Anyway, if you don’t have the budget, you can consider getting a Philips Hue hub and use Gledopto light strips + bulbs instead. They are extremely affordable and because they are Zigbee, they work very reliably. They can be added directly into the Hue app, works with Zigbee, but unfortunately not with Homekit. I had two of these strip lights that I used for my ceiling in the dining and living area and I think they are great and reliable in the past few months. You can add them to Apple Homekit if you use Homebridge.

https://www.lazada.com.my/shop/philips-ligh...-store-malaysia
https://gledopto.aliexpress.com/store/3685003

Smart Switch or Smart Lighting?
Smart switches are definitely cheaper and works with any kind of lighting or accessories (fans etc).
Smart lighting allows adjustment of temperature/color/hue but they cost significantly more and they require constant power on (if they lose power they can’t be controlled via the apps and automations will stop working) and you have to leave your wall switch permanently on. This is extremely inconvenient for people who are not competent with technology.

I recommend using smart switches for areas where you won’t spend too much of your time like hallways etc.
But if you have the budget to go full smart lighting, go for it.
There is a problem among the community to choose an ultimatum between smart lighting and smart switch (because like I mentioned just now, smart lighting stop responding when the power is cut and smart switches defeat the purpose of smart lighting).
 Of course if you are using Hue, you can buy the Hue remote or Hue Tap to attach it to your wall. However, those options usually require batteries and wiring your Hue lights permanently to the power source would make maintenance hard. But I was very excited when I find out that Terncy supports permanent Power on. - so you can have both smart lighting and smart switches.
Let say you connect a Yeelight Ceiling Lamp to to the Terncy Wall Switch, you can opt for a setting to change the button on the switch to allow power on permanent and the button will immediately become a programmable buttons. Then you can do cool things like set this button to set the daylight scene, double tap for warm light ETC.
You can even make the button to turn on the TV and dim the lights for you… with one press. And they don’t require battery replacements (unlike the Hue dimmer switch). And when you decide that you want to change to a normal bulb, you can flip the button to turn off permanent power on in the software and it will work like other smart switches again.
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT FEATURE with NO COMPROMISES and from my reading, I think this Is the ONLY connected switch that works that well with smart lighting. I still can’t comprehend how they did not advertise this feature and the setting is hidden deep in the switch settings.

Oh and Yeah about Yeelight lamps. These are appealing to me because I can add to the Apple Home app without using the Xiaomi app. They are quite affordable and I recommend anyone who wants to try Apple Homekit to try them out.

Fans
The only smart fans I know that supports both Google Home and Apple Homekit are Hunter fans but they were too expensive…. So I would be glad if someone can share their inputs on any smart ceiling fans.

TV
I’m currently using the LG B9 OLED and Homekit support is great! I can change the TV HDMI input, control the TV content and adjust volume with the built in remote in iOS. Also when I turn on the TV it immediately dims the Philips Hue lights and when I off the TV it will restore to its previous brightness. (If you have smart curtains, you can make them to turn off the curtains too). Also, I am able to press a switch on the wall to turn on the TV, the fan and dim the lights in one go (Netflix and chill scene). All things said, the LG TV colours are excellent and I bought it from Harvey Norman and don’t regret a single bit.

Miscellaneous : Sensors and wireless switch
I am currently using the Terncy Door Contact Sensors and the Terncy Wireless Switch with motion sensor.
I think they are excellent and for the price it’s a bargain. I wrapped the Terncy Door Sensor with cling foil and stuck on the autogate to detect its state. All bedrooms are equipped with these sensors so when you enter the room, the small Yeelights will on automatically (at specific times) - benefit of CROSS BRAND support. They work very reliably as expected and the automations never failed.

The first Terncy Wireless Switch I received has a defective sensor but they promptly resolve it for me… by sending a new one. I was allowed to keep the defective one as a wireless switch and holy smokes it work so well as a wireless switch for anything. Turn on the TV, open the autogate… Well.
The wireless switch also have two motion sensors that detect the direction of motion and I think its really helpful to put in hallways.. When you pass by it turn on the lights and when you leave it will turn off the light. The only flaw I can think of is this is not a true occupancy sensor (let say two people walk pass and one person left first - it will still turn off the lights), however I think it works rather well for its purpose now until a true occupancy sensor comes along.

Terncy has limited number of accessories compared to Aqara. I am looking forward to install Aqara water leak sensor or the vibration one in the future. I had read mixed comments in the smart home thread on reliability and connectivity, that’s why I haven’t hop into the bandwagon yet.

Wrapping up
 My conclusion is I believe that it is better if you don’t stick yourself to one "smart home" ecosystem or put all your eggs in one basket(like Xiaomi (non Aqara) or other proprietary smart home company I (IMT) in Malaysia) for connected home accessories and rather use a unified system like Apple Homekit, Google Home or if you are a coder - Home Assistant so you will have flexibility and can upgrade one by one in the future.
Most of my automations are configured in Homekit - they work cross brand, so if I want to switch out Hue for Yeelight, I can do it one by one without having to throw the whole system away. And if I don't want to use Terncy door sensor, I can switch out to Aqara one by one without having to throw the whole system out. And different accessories work harmoniously together with one another, so you can buy something from another brand that is cheaper or more reliable.
The reason I didn’t implement google home last year is because unlike apple HomeKit, google doesn’t allow local control yet, means when you tap something, it has to go to google server -> to Philips hue server -> come back to your house. This control is slower and much less efficient compared to Homekit which just use your local network and work fine without internet.
Google Home released an SDK this year to allow local control. Will test it out and update you guys if anyone is still interested.
https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/04/07/go...e-tp-link-more/

Apple Homekit Discussion Thread

kokhoong0624 — Sat, 18 Apr 2020 04:30:32 +0800

Hello everyone, there is no thread to talk about Apple Homekit so I started one.
I almost completed my Apple Homekit connected home that I wanted to do since a while (pending parents approval haha).
This is the post to thank you people who shared their previous experience here as a reference for me.
My house is about 4000sqft and for the Homekit Accessories I have about 30 Terncy Wall switches in the house, 25+ Philips Hue Lightings...and multiple Terncy Door Sensors, 3 Yeelight bedside lamps, 4 Apple HomePods, 1 LG B9 OLED TV.

For HomeKit to work, you need a spare iPad to leave at home, a HomePod or a Apple TV as the brain of your smart home. If you don’t have a Home Hub, app controls will still work, but automations would not work.
If you are renovating, please get a neutral line for all your wall switches.

For me, the most important criteria for RELIABILITY in a connected Home are
1. Solid 5Ghz wifi connection throughout the House - my house is currently using Ubiquiti Network
2. Zigbee 3.0 connection for connected devices - my house is 4000sqft, Zigbee3.0 allows each accessory to act as a repeater for the signals of the your Accessory, it is a more robust system designed for a connected Home.

A lot people would prefer something “wifi” and not a hub because of additional cost and wifi just sound simpler and easier.
However, I would not recommend “Smart" switches / multiple devices that connect to wifi because it would just congest your home network and... imagine you change your wifi password and you have to reset 30 devices..
Also the smart light bulbs or switches that connect via wifi is usually on the 2.4Ghz network, which is prone to interference.
I have an LG washing machine and 2 Xiaomi Air purifier connected to Wifi currently and for their purpose to send me notifications, I think it’s adequate.

For my connected smart home, smart switches is the most integral part because using I’m not rich enough to use smart lighting everywhere… I was looking for wall switches that support Homekit in May last year and there are initially four companies - Lutron, Aqara by Xiaomi, Lifesmart, and Terncy.
Lutron: This is the best and most established brand in the US. Only US switches available. Wanted to get this but ... out of my dad's budget.

Lifesmart: This brand had gave me bad impression because they falsely promised their user that their Hub will be Homekit Compatible "soon", but then after Homekit is approved and then they force their users to buy the new hub. Also my friend bought the old Wall Switches with Live wire from them and it looks REALLY good, but it spoilt after 3 months. And then they release a new one and ask my friend to buy It. (Friend in China). Your mileage might vary.

Aqara: Wanted to get this because of how cheap and affordable it is. The Xiaomi Devices are connected via Zigbee 3.0 too. However, it has one serious flaw that stopped me from considering this. The Xiaomi Aqara Hub is connected to your network via 2.4Ghz wifi and the 2.4Ghz wifi in my area is practically unusable because of how congested it is. Also, most of the Zigbee accessories does not support range extending… If you are living in a small place/rent with no interference and want to get start into the Homekit ecosystem , Aqara is a steal, but don't expect it to work reliably in a large or congested area. Xiaomi Aqara is REGION LOCKED. Getting from Taobao and getting from Malaysia will require you to get two different servers. Also, DONT get the Aqara N100 door lock. Check the long term reviews online before purchasing….
Xiaomi make good products like the Yeelight Bedside lamp (cheap, affordable, Homekit enabled) would TOTALLY RECOMMEND THIS if you want to test how the Apple Home app works.

Terncy: This is the one I got finally. Terncy Hub can immediately connect via an ethernet cable and was verified with Homekit. All the accessories are connected via Zigbee 3.0 and wall switches can act as signal repeater. (Only the neutral version) I saw this from the Apple Store in China and I bought one hub and one switch to test. The set up was initially bumpy because I bought it from an unofficial seller that sent me a hub with an older version but the customer service is excellent and resolved my issue promptly with an update. I bought one and asked my contractor to set up the box and test…. Just to test its range and reliability. It worked quite well.
[attachmentid=10470747]

I then…. Ordered 30 of them and pray that it works. It worked…. Because if it doesn’t and I spent 5k for this, my dad would kill me. Works GREAT, responds INSTANTANEOUSLY and VERY reliable for the past six months. Two of the switches are wired to my Autogate, where I can use phone/AppleWatch… to control. No more bringing remote control out of the house. And never failed me once. Automations like the one you see above are possible. Also, the door contact sensors are so damn reliable…… I have so many good things to talk about them. Range and control is great with the Apple Home app(you can see the video above.) -also partially depending on your wifi.
[attachmentid=10470749]
With the wall switches and Homekit… I made the outside lamps to turn on automatically at sunset and off at sunrise. You can have smart two way or three way.. or many way switches. I have a switch near the main door that will turn off everything at home .. with a click of a button. And another one near the stairs to turn off everything downstairs/upstairs depending on the keypresses. Also I programmed one of my room switches to turn on the stair lights… and the hallway light (2 way switches can be achieved wirelessly and reprogrammed in the Home App). Or have the switches do different things at different time… like morning when you click this button, it turn on the fan only.. after sunset, it will turn on the fan and the lights.

However, they also offer a Terncy app and the Terncy app is not polished and I would not recommend using it as your daily driver until they push an update - If you want to use with an android device, using the app is the only option, unless you get google home/Alexa - Terncy supports them too. You can connect a device to both google home and apple HomeKit. That’s the only complain I have for this product. The customer service told me that an update is scheduled in this year end…. And I’m crossing my fingers for a design overhaul.

Lighting
Philips Hue is the way to go. It’s the only way to go if reliability and speed is important to you.
It is expensive, but it is so damn reliable. It’s the best. Nothing else even comes close because everyone else is using Wifi or Bluetooth.
I recommend only use Smart Lightings at area where you use most…. Like Living room and Dining room For other cases, use smart switch to cut down the cost.
If you want a bedside lamp that is connected via wifi, go ahead and get a Yeelight Bedside lamp because that is a reasonable choice. Or you are renting an apartment and just want a simple Homekit downlight, you can get from yeelight and it will work reasonably well.
Hue…. Works wirelessly via Zigbee 3.0 and also responds INSTANTANEOUSLY.
You can see in one of my automation… when the Tv is on… the backlight (Hue light strip) turns on and the Hue downlight (dims to 10% brightness), when the Tv is off… then it turns off the backlight and increase the brightness of the downlight again (100%)… the best part.. the automation will only turn on the lights when it is after sunset.

The conclusion I can make is… if you can afford it, go for Philips Hue. You won’t regret it. They have a wide range of lighting solution - you can always get from amazon if not available in Malaysia.
The app is well done and polished too….
The only downside of Hue… is the price.
The ones I got is ceiling downlight, Philips Hue E27 bulbs and also Hue Lightstrip.

Also if you want to choose Smart lighting for ceiling lights…. Consider getting the Terncy Wall Switch because if you have smart lighting, you need a constant power supply so you can control them with your phone. Using the wall switch, you can turn on the relay function and enable constant power supply for your smart lights… How I use in my bedroom is the first button would give a warm light scene, the second button would give a cool daylight scene and double pressing would give a relax scene with dimmed lights.

The LG B9 OLED TV is also excellent! It supports both Homekit/Airplay and I can use my iPhone as a remote control for the TV to adjust volume etc. They are on discount on Senheng if anyone interested....

This is my conclusion for Homekit. I had a Yale YMI70 for my digital door lock - for access into and out the home without key, but that one is not Homekit enabled. But I just bought a Homekit-endabled one from Terncy... as they had gave me very good impression in the past few months. Looking forward to update my review here.

Looking to get Homekit-Secure-Video cameras soon!

Urgent Help: House got broke in need window grills

kokhoong0624 — Sat, 01 Feb 2020 00:04:00 +0800

My house got broke in this Monday and I need urgent make and installation of windows grills, if possible by next week or next next in Puchong area to make everyone feel safe again. The alarm system will be installed on Monday. Can I get any good recommendations and contact from people who has installed? Thanks in advance for any replies and help...

[WTS] iPhone X 256GB SPACE GREY

kokhoong0624 — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 00:38:32 +0800

Item(s): iPhone X

Package includes: iPhone X 256GB SPACE GREY

Price: RM2450 (!!!NOTICE!!!: Sellers are required to display the exact selling prices of their products. Failure to do so will result in the deletion of the topic)

Dealing method:COD

Location: Sunway / Puchong / Seremban

Contact method/details: 0129159270
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Item(s) conditions: US model but after warranty change to Malaysia Unit (can prove with model number) - always in a case and screen protector.

Picture:[attachmentid=10343185][attachmentid=10343186][attachmentid=10343187][attachmentid=10343188]

Reason for sale:Upgrade

WTS APPLE PENCIL FIRST GEN

kokhoong0624 — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 17:35:50 +0800

Item(s): APPLE PENCIL FIRST GENERATION

Package includes: FULL BOX WITH SLEEVE AND RECEIPT IF REQUIRED. SLEEVE WORTH RM55

Price: SOLD (!!!NOTICE!!!: Sellers are required to display the exact selling prices of their products. Failure to do so will result in the deletion of the topic)

Dealing method: COD OR POSTAGE

Location:PUCHONG, SUNWAY OR SEREMBAN

Contact method/details:SOLD
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Item(s) conditions:10/10 - always in a sleeve

Picture:

[b]Reason for sale:[upgraded to iPad Pro 11/b]

WTB Dell G7 1050Ti

kokhoong0624 — Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:38:05 +0800

PM me the best and lowest price! Thanks!

iPhone 6s 64GB Silver

kokhoong0624 — Wed, 23 May 2018 02:32:51 +0800

Item(s): iPhone 6s 64GB

Package includes:

Price: RM 1000 Nego (!!!NOTICE!!!: Sellers are required to display the exact selling prices of their products. Failure to do so will result in the deletion of the topic)

Warranty: NO WARRANTY

Dealing method: COD PUCHONG/SUBANG/SEREMBAN

Contact method/details: PM or 0129159270
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Item(s) conditions:9/10. Always in a case. No cosmetic dents. Just replaced the battery.

Reason for sale: Upgrade

Engineering Intern in Sunway/Puchong/Subang

kokhoong0624 — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 01:18:41 +0800

I am currently a Second Year Mechanical Engineering Student in Monash, would like to look for an internship for 3 months from Dec - Feb. Are there any companies that are looking for interns?

I am willing to learn and looking for experiences.

SOLVED. Javascript caching.

kokhoong0624 — Sat, 14 May 2016 17:22:39 +0800

SOLVED. Thanks!

WTB Lego Tumbler Unopened 76023

kokhoong0624 — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 09:52:51 +0800

As Title
PM Best Price
COD in KL, Puchong

WTB HP M277dw

kokhoong0624 — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 10:53:29 +0800

Please offer best price! Thanks!

WTS Samsung S5 (Perfect condition)

kokhoong0624 — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 11:51:54 +0800

Item(s): Samsung Galaxy S5 Black

Package includes: Includes original box and charger, with tempered glass screen protector and Spigen Casing

Price: RM900 nego

Warranty: No warranty

Dealing method: COD

Location of seller: Puchong, Sunway

Contact method/details: Whatsapp 0129159270 /PM

Age of item: 13 months

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Item(s) conditions: 9.5/10

Reason for sale: Secondary phone, planning to upgrade

iPhone 6S uneven screen display

kokhoong0624 — Sun, 18 Oct 2015 18:47:33 +0800

I have a phone that is darker at the top left of the screen. Please download this picture and rotate horizontally and vertically to check if your display is even..[attachmentid=5143070][attachmentid=5143070]

International Listing Sites

kokhoong0624 — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 17:42:43 +0800

Anyone know if there are websites like iProperty or PropertyGuru that allows us to publish our properties to the international markets?
Or to invest and buy properties of other countries?

Thanks!

COMPUTER SCIENCE/ENGINEERING HELP!

kokhoong0624 — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 01:48:47 +0800

I have an assignment as the picture below but I have no idea where should I start at all...

Can someone take some time to help me out with this D:

[attachmentid=5001148]

Thanks for taking your time to read this! Have a nice day!