Yes, you can build a smart pet feeder for under $25. It uses an ESP32, a continuous rotation servo, and a 3D-printed auger, driven by ESPHome and Home Assistant . You get scheduled meals, set portion sizes, a “feed now” button on your phone, and a full feeding log. Commercial feeders like PetSafe ($100 to $150) and PETLIBRO ($65 to $160) charge a premium for the same features. This guide covers the hardware, wiring, firmware, and safety steps that make the build reliable.

Yes, you can watch and control your 3D printer from anywhere. Just connect OctoPrint or Moonraker to Home Assistant . Both print servers expose APIs that Home Assistant can poll for live data: print progress, temperatures, camera feeds, and error states. From there you can build dashboards, fire phone alerts when a print ends, spot failures with AI camera checks, and cut power to a runaway printer through a smart plug. Setup takes about an hour once your print server runs on a Raspberry Pi. The result: a 3D printer that acts like any other smart device.