Smart Home

Real-world smart home builds with Home Assistant, sensors, and integrations that survive past the honeymoon period.

Old Android phones as MQTT sensors, cameras, and dashboards

Old Android phones as MQTT sensors, cameras, and dashboards

Turn old Android phones into motion-detecting security cameras, MQTT room sensors, and wall-mounted Home Assistant dashboards using free apps.

ESP32 mailbox sensor: reed switch, VL53L0X, $15, months battery

ESP32 mailbox sensor: reed switch, VL53L0X, $15, months battery

Build a mailbox sensor with ESP32 and ESPHome that pushes notifications via Home Assistant. Costs under $15 and runs for months on battery.

Local Z-Wave alarm: $250 setup, no monthly fee

Local Z-Wave alarm: $250 setup, no monthly fee

Build a cloud-free Z-Wave home alarm with door sensors, motion detectors, and a siren in Home Assistant. Keeps working with the internet down.

Veepeak vs OBDLink: BLE OBD-II for Home Assistant

Veepeak vs OBDLink: BLE OBD-II for Home Assistant

Stream vehicle diagnostics and live fuel economy to Home Assistant via a Bluetooth OBD-II adapter. GPS tracking and geo-fenced automations, no cloud.

Thread border routers for Matter smart home: 2 min, 1500+ devices

Thread border routers for Matter smart home: 2 min, 1500+ devices

Set up Thread border routers to bridge Matter devices to your network. Choose between HomePod Mini, Nest Hub, or Raspberry Pi, then configure setup.

Run Home Assistant in a Proxmox VM for maximum flexibility

Run Home Assistant in a Proxmox VM for maximum flexibility

Run Home Assistant OS in Proxmox in under 30 minutes with USB passthrough for Zigbee and Z-Wave, automatic snapshots, and resource tuning.