Just today I noticed how Android Oreo (8.1) on my Nexus 6P can actually see my Bluetooth headset's remaining battery capacity. I didn't even know that my headset could send out this information! Windows never presented this information to me, and neither did my tablet which runs Nougat 7.0. Apparently there's multiple implementations of that battery level reporting too.. so lack of support in Microsoft's driver makes sense. Especially given that the Bluetooth standard already counts several thousands of pages. Compare that to Wi-Fi which is far more complex (with - some of - its 7 OSI layers, 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies, MIMO etc) which counts only 400-ish pages. I'm surprised that Google actually supports this Bluetooth battery reporting at all.. implementing all the standards must've been quite the chore.

TL; DR: Bluetooth is an overengineered piece of shit, and is in dire need of refactoring.

I noticed this on P, but some of the devices aren't accurate. It still says my speaker is at 100% and it's been on for like 6 hours now

(I've never used 8. Went straight from 7.0 to P/9.0)

@Stuxnet A Pixel device I presume? I've read that the Nexus devices won't be officially supported in terms of Android builds anymore. Pretty sure that whenever it reaches stable and source code gets revealed, it'll be possible to backport to Nexus 5X and 6P, but for now we'll have to wait :')

As for accuracy, yeah I've noticed a similar thing. On my headset it only reported 100%, 70% and 20%. No idea about how accurate it was, but I've been using this headset for several hours on this charge already now. Its usual lifespan is about 6-8 hours so it could very well be an accurate depiction here.

After disassembling my previous headset (and destroying the bloody thing because I didn't realize how it had screws within the fucking ear cushions) I also found that these things usually only have very small lithium cells in them. The old headset had only some 260mAh in its battery pack iirc. Meanwhile speakers often have larger battery packs.. the speakers of course also consume a lot more current, but the extra available space generally makes that speakers can last longer.

Android Oreo is designed with smart homes and smart hardware in mind, massive improvements to Bluetooth functionality, it's really cool!

Android P is improving it a little bit but I've noticed it can be pretty choppy at the moment

@Condor Indeed a Pixel XL.

My Moto broke and I was fed up with not having a flagship device. So I got a refurb PXL for the exact same price as my Moto that I got last summer. ($250)

The speaker'd battery is pretty good. I use it almost all the time, occasionally charging it during the day. Usually just charge it at night though.

@lxmcf that's pretty cool.

I'm probably going to get a bunch of smart home stuff in a few months. My new apartment looks a little shitty, but some cool lights and speakers will make it better.

Always wanted a man cave, so I'll just turn my whole damn apartment into one lol

@Stuxnet ah, I recall now - I think we've talked about it earlier. $250 is a pretty good deal! But now this Nexus which I've bought for €120 can most certainly compete with that level of profitable deal I think :P

As for the battery issue in that phone.. I'm actually not very sure about it anymore. I charged it some 12 hours ago, used it to navigate, listen to music over Bluetooth etc and it still has 27% of charge in it. That said, at this point I've reflashed the stock OS, installed the latest TWRP, Magisk and uninstalled some of the system apps in a systemless manner. I think that that has done a great deal in improving battery life. Not to mention that all of it is in a systemless manner.. the device still passes SafetyNet! :D
Unlocked bootloader makes it uncertified in Google Play though.. guess I'll have to work around that later, especially since it also spawns this annoying message during boot. At least it doesn't cause boot to pause for 5 seconds unlike the abomination of security feature that Medion implemented in their crappy tablet!!!

As for charging stuff at night, I can only encourage that - plenty of time for things to charge at a safe low current during that time. All it takes is remembering to plug stuff in :)

@Stuxnet my google home is literally what holds my life together at this point haha

@Stuxnet also for smart home, consider using the esp8266 :D

@lxmcf I'm looking at using a fuckton of LEDs so the ability to control them by voice will be awesome.

I also use voice to control Spotify all the damn time, so that'll be convenient too.

Other than that, some simple plugs to cut shit on and off will be all I really need.

I don't think I'm allowed to play around and install some smart light switches without voiding some shit with my contract lol.

But it'll be a start. I'm looking at trying to find ways to make NFC useful since I just bought a lot of NFC stickers.

I already use it for my alarm clock. Maybe have some for common tasks. Read something about a person making something that would cut his computer on when he got home. That'd be cool except I use a laptop and it'll be in my bag when I get home lol.

@Condor I'm opening a tab in my browser now so I'll remember to check it out soon. Thanks!

@Stuxnet If you're looking at a lot of LED's that may be deployed in a power configuration, do take a look at DC power LED's.. I've made a huge mistake on that earlier, by buying 2000 white LED's for power lighting. Recently I've found that there's 100W power LED's for a mere €1 on AliExpress, making my effort of making a similarly powered LED matrix out of common LED's incredibly wasteful. Just slap a heatsink on one of those power LED's, give them a proper voltage & current and you're golden :)

Voiding warranties on switches doesn't matter, it isn't allowed by regulations but as long as you don't fuck up during placement and replace the stock switch back when you leave, nobody will bat an eye. I'm planning to do a similar edit on my own switches too, probably involving triacs to allow for dimming and remote control.

NFC stickers would be really cool. If your device supports it, by all means go for it! Otherwise I'd recommend going with BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) or Wi-Fi in case of the esp8266 (by e.g. running a webserver on it with some sort of API). Be sure to put some form of authentication in place because the Bluetooth/WiFi transceivers may reach neighbors.

Get sonoff basics and reflash them using some general mqtt firmware
I use openhab to pull all the shit together and it might be the best you can get from the retrofitting perspective

@Condor I meant voiding my renter's contract. My luck I'd some how manage to fuck up and get evicted lmao.

I say fuck ton, but I mainly mean like 4-6 of bulbs like this: https://bit.ly/2mHNLtV

and a few LED strips (found a 6.5 ft/2M strip for $5).

But I'll keep your suggestions in mind. Thanks man!

@Stuxnet Ooh, just some Edison bulbs? Eh, just flip the breaker for that room and replace it already. That much is part of your contract as allowed modifications. The danger stuff only covers stuff like modifying stuff that actually provides the whole mains infrastructure such as fuse box, breakers and switches. The switches is what I'm planning to change, and which since I don't have a certificate as a "certified electrician" I am legally not allowed to. The bulbs like the one you've linked I've had to place myself. As long as you keep the light switch off or flip the breaker, no sweat! And for just changing bulbs, you should be covered. If uncertain you may ask your landlord but I guess you'll be fine.

For the LED strips the same goes.. as long as it comes with some sort of power supply or some way to plug it into USB sockets or jam some AA batteries in it, no problem. The mains electricity goes only as far as the law makes it go - which involves critical infrastructure such as the fuse box. However, as long as you rent the apartment everything within is yours. At least that's the argument that I gave to my landlord. So while she doesn't approve it, I can change everything in my apartment for as long as I live here and change it back to the original configuration when I leave. Do keep in mind however that mains electricity - especially in the EU where it's 230V RMS but also in the US where it's 120V RMS - can kill. Anything above 50V should be regarded as potentially lethal. So be sure to turn off the power and wear safety gloves before working on it.

Probably I could ask @xewl to come to my place for a beer and "replace it in my stead" aka sit in a chair with a pint in hand to watch (and perhaps aid) me replacing it and hopefully legally cover me somehow :P

Eh, if I don't fuck up (of which the chances are pretty low, it's just 3 wires) I highly doubt that anyone would bat an eye :)

@Condor Wait, how would this legally cover you? lmao

I see... me having a damn Electrician degree. With a pint that fastly fades away, and I'm not allowed to sign off my own work mostly...

Let's just drink beer and let the lepricons deal with it lol

@xewl certificates? :P
Btw do come for a beer sometime :D

@Condor [Part 1] Sorry completely forgot to address your last comment about charging/phone battery.

At this point, it's habitual to plug my phone in at night, and since I'm usually using the speaker as soon as I wake up, I charge it at night. During school, I charged it while I was in class because I almost always went back to my apartment in between classes.

For the light bulbs linked, I'm actually contemplating putting them in tall lamps on the two sides of my bed & couch (so 4 total) just to add a mood setting piece.

Im planning on putting a small LED strip behind my TV and another going around my counter/table, similar to the one pictured. I've not actually moved in yet, so I'm not entirely sure about the outlet situation, but it's the kitchen, so there's bound to be one nearby. If not, I'll find a decent battery pack and mount it as well.

@xewl as for the edit, sounds good to me :) the lepricons can deal with it. Question though, do they actually approve mods from an uncertified person (such as yours truly) and are they competent? o.O

Just asking because just keeping stuff a public secret and changing stuff back when I leave may be easier...

@Condor [Part 2] I don't play around with electricity. If I need some wiring done, I've got a retired relative that's a ceetafied and experienced electrician, so I'll gladly help him if he'll help me.

I'm more or less just having it cast a solid color shade on the underside of the counter for decorative purpose. I would like to make something like this at one point though.

https://youtu.be/lU1GVVU9gLU

@Condor [Part 3] I'm an idiot and forgot to add the picture I referenced in part 1. My bad lol

I want to put LEDs under it to shade it. My goal is for a dark room with colored lights while kicking back and watching TV

@Condor They do, as long as it's documented correctly (plans) and following the general rules.

Wouldn't do that if the building ain't yours though.

But, alas I read... changing just some switches shouldn't be any problem.... but SHOULD be a cost for your landlord.

@Stuxnet ++ for being an idiot. jk

I can totally see how this would work out with a(n indented) led-strip.

@Stuxnet aha, I see. For the bias lighting behind the TV you can just confirm that edit without second thought.. adds some premium feel to it. I did a similar edit to my desk because I often turn off the light in my bedroom while I work on my PC.

For the light bulbs and particularly the sockets, it depends on where the inlets are placed on the ceiling.. in Dutch they're called "suikers" but I'm not sure what it is in English.. it's those little wires with clips hanging onto them. That's where you'd plug your lamp socket thingie into. For the bulbs you've linked, you need Edison sockets. There's some others like GU10 which I went with for my own apartment. It depends on preference mostly.

That said, those inlets are crucial to the positioning of your lighting. Deviating from that is hard, and repositioning it will require sufficient spacing on the power line leading to it, the ability to patch up the ceiling with chape (again I don't know what it's called in English :') but it's kinda like plaster) and permission from your landlord. Usually the inlets are near the center of the room so that's nice.

For customizations you may want to look into custom extrusions. Depending on how much you're allowed to customize and how much you'd deem worth it given the amount of time you're expected to stay, you'll want to make your considerations about whether it's worth it. But this is where you stumble upon the limitations of rented apartments...

Edit: corrected GU16 into GU10. I guess that this shows just how much of an initial issue this choice is. After I moved in here I changed from halogen to LED once after a week or so, but after that never looked at it for a year now.

@Condor Edison sockets are the standard here in the US (and I believe North America for the most part), so that's not a huge issue. It's more or less plug a lamp into an electrical outlet and control it.

@xewl I hope it'll kind of turn out like it did on my desk. If not, I'll just find somewhere else for the strip. (Desk below)

@xewl Seems reasonable. I wouldn't want to go through the trouble of getting something certified, especially given that it would be certified for my landlord (which doesn't know jack shit about electronics) and won't be permanent - I only intend to stay here for 5 years at most. Perhaps I'll go with an uncertified edit that hopefully - probably - won't burn down my house :)

If you use Linux and gnome the info is displayed as well