Hi All,
The conversation between my wife and I last night landed on "What would I do if you weren't around (home automation wise)?" When a light doesn't turn on or turns off unexpectedly we have a well established complaints procedure - she complains, I fix, repeat, repeat. We're both of an age where we "expect" to be around for quite some time yet but you never know what is around the corner - COVID-19 proving this. I lost a very good friend recently to motor neurones disease, he was only 41. If I was to suddenly disappear everything would be fine for a while until maybe my Mac Mini plays up or a z-wave module goes faulty. Now we're going to have a problem - the z-wave modules are nicely hidden in walls, ceilings, attic space, fuse board etc. How could I expect someone to troubleshoot if I haven't left a treasure map for anyone to follow?
While nearly all my lights will operate from a physical switch there are some that don't so if Indigo was to be unavailable then there would be a small but manageable amount of disruption. I will probably focus on those few modules that are installed in the fuse board and hardwire a switch nearby. Next to heating, it is fully controlled via Indigo and the backup is the Heatmiser App - on initial assessment last night I found out that my wife never re-installed the App after a recent phone upgrade, this is most likely the biggest crisis point.
So how do others plan for a crisis? Do you have a "How to manual"? Is there more than 1 HA freak in your house to cover? Interested in thoughts and information of your crisis management plans, maybe it's as simple as email Matt & Jay and they'll sort you out
Happy Easter - just to end on a positive note.