Hi Jimmy, I use Home Assistant as well. I get up early for work which in Winter is before sunrise and I have an aquarium in my room. When I turn the light on this wakes the fish and I did not want to influence their circadian rhythms by then switching off the light and leaving, so my automation is as follows. - If it is a work day, gradually fade the lights up and start to indicate by colour going whiter closer to my departure time. - Leave the lights on, this is enough to side illuminate my aquarium and the fish start their day, - 45 minutes after Sunrise, the curtain will open to allow natural light in. - 60 minutes after Sunrise, the internal lighting will go out.
Literally bought my Philips hue bulbs last week and now I’m going down this automation rabbit hole. Can’t wait to start putting more things up in my new house!!
I love your sense of humor and subscribed for that alone :) When I started automating my home, I did one thing right and one thing wrong. First, I used the "sigh" method of automation. What made my husband or son (or me) sigh? I remember my first one was my husband (who had bad knees) would sigh in frustration when he sat down, got all comfortable, had a cat in his lap, and realized he forgot to turn on the fan. So, I created an automation that when he sat down in his chair, the fan would turn on. My son would feel terrible when he would do the trash at night but then forget to close the garage door. So, I created an automation that would close the garage door after a certain time. These automations worked great and were invisible to the family. They didn't have to remember a certain phrase with Alexa. They didn't have to change their routine in any way to accommodate the house. Just live your life and the house worked for you. The thing I did wrong was not getting buy in from my family. In my defense, it never occurred to me that they wouldn't love home automation. When my son heard the garage door close, he didn't think, "Ah, the house is taking care of me". What he heard was, "I forgot the garage door! AGAIN!" So now, when I hear a sigh of frustration, I ask my son what he thinks. Does he want an automation? If so, how would he like it to work? Since doing that, he's even approached me with automation ideas!
This is what Home Assistant is for! Gluing all of these standards together. Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread/WiFi for Matter, WiFi, Bluetooth, the cloud, basically regardless of device manufacturer. Well worth getting it set up. I use Aqara devices with a Zigbee USB stick on my Home Assistant server with zero issues. The automation capabilities are unparalleled in even professional installations!
I hate the idea of needing to run a "computer" 24/7 to keep this stuff running. And HA sounds super user unfriendly - as a software engineer myself I'm sure I could figure it out, but I'm at a point in my life where I expect better and just want point and click to work. Command line, scripting, config files and community made drivers as the only way to make things interoperate between ecosystems or do complex automations with local control is such an absurdly ass backwards way of doing things, I'm amazed that with all the buzz around Smarthome nearly a decade ago we haven't made pretty much any progress yet.
@@emissarygw2264 i was in the same boat as you around 3 years ago but gave ha another shot a few weeks ago and man, its not even close to being that bad. ha is running on a raspberry pi without issues. thats really low power consumption. other smarthome platforms also have a "computer" running 24/7, just not in your home. the installation is trivial and most things really are plug and play today. you can use scripting etc if you want and if you have something nieche thats not yet compatible but there are so many things that just work. i have phillips hue lights, aqara temp sensors, shelly relais and smoke detectors and octoprint to control my 3d printer. it just works without doing anything. all you have to do is buy a zigbee usb stick and you are good. the hue lights for example just have to be in pairing mode and they show up in ha. one click and they are added. its really that simple right now. no more cloud bullshit for everything and over 9000 accounts.
@@emissarygw2264 There are Home Assistant variants for running on lower-wattage Raspberry pi, or running on a NAS, or other "always on" computer. I tell myself I'm saving more power than I am "wasting". It may be a lie, but it helps me sleep better. :) Complexity-wise, it runs on linux, and I''d say it's about as usable as Windows was in the 95/98 days, but not as easy as Win11, MacOS, iOS or Android, is yet.... and heck , we're 40+ years into home computing, and we still have Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, all slightly incompatible and needing tweaking, button finding, to perfectly interoperate. :D
I reckon the real value in smart home automation is making optimal use of passive heat gain and loss to maintain a comfortable temperature with minimal energy use. Automated blinds or even air vents networked with brightness and temperature sensors and perhaps weather forecasting could go a long way.
2:05 I control the TV and the lights with the IR-blaster in my phone. It takes a little getting used to but the ability to make buttons you use often larger slightly reduces the initial convenience problems. Of course you won't get that feeling that buttons give you (both sensing what button your finger is on and feedback).
Found this video while looking for ideas for other Smart Home automations. Glad to see my own trip down the rabbit hole is similar to others. Started with some Arlo smart cameras and a Nest Thermostat. Then added a Gen 1 Google Assistant speaker. Then was off to the races as they say. Now just about every outlet, light switch and fan in my home is smart. Once you start it's really hard to stop. Recently added Home Assistant as when my GF moved in I needed to also support Apple/HomeKit. Had that same issue and needed to force compatibility as you say. HomeBridge is great for that too. When we eventually sell this home it will be hard to leave so much of this hardware behind. But looking forward to Matter and hopefully my next Smart Home will be easier and deployed smarter. Also really like what you did with the blinds may look into adding something similar.
I am in this ship. I am comfortable with the automations. I helped a neighbor get his up, and I realized that we have a lot of work to do to help the public understand.
The most frustrating thing about smart homes is the vast difference in connectivity standards and interfaces for controlling your devices in ways that are both convenient and compatible with existing home designs.
@@rossdamerell I wouldn't count on that happening anytime soon, Matter has been a promise for over 4 years, and only now we're starting to see brands embracing Matter, yet I'm skeptical that "everything" will be moving to Matter because that would mean companies would have to give up their corporate greed by letting everything be intercompatible and not keep you under one brand. I think we should still build a Smart Home taking into account the main ecossystem that you want to be in (for example Tuya and / or Alexa). If Matter becomes established later on it won't make your previous stuff obsolete, but it will add to it, so yeah hopefully it becomes easier in the future, until then just avoid the mistake of going to multiple brands that do not belong in the same ecossystem and you should be fine.
Very timely for my smart home project. I already installed smart switches, outlets, light bulbs, door locks, cctv cameras, & got my smart cooker, google speaker. I wanted to control my TV & other stuffs. But now stuck on installing many apps and now searching for an app that can control everything. This vid of yours is a great help. Imma try this tomorrow. Thanks for this!
I actually did the fan in the bathroom if humidity goes over 60%, and turns off when it’s below 55%. The switch for the fan also has an automation that when you manually turn on the fan it runs for 15 mins and then turns off, but no before checking the humidity otherwise it stays on if over 60%. This was with Aqara temp/humidity sensor that I also did a conformal coating on the circuit board to last, and a HomeKit WiFi switch like the one from Meross. The automation was with native HomeKit.
I don't have too many smart devices, but I decided to use home assistant right out of the gate with them. Something amazing that I configured with it was a smart IR blaster. All of my non IoT devices (fans, projectors, etc) are controlled exactly like smart devices, with variables to track their states and such. Happily skipped out on paying for some smart alternatives on those devices that I wanted to automate.
@@Thejakegee I use a broadlink RF/IR blaster and receiver. Due to the nature of the tech, you'd need one unit per room since the IR waves can't really blast past walls.
i have a few of these as well. The only caveat is that you have no feedback on current device state. If you use a remote you are looking for real-world confirmation in the room, but sight-unseen, you don't know if it landed on the right final state.
4:16 a fourth option is to install something behind the existing switch, just in case you don't like the size of all the smart switches on offer (I'm guessing that size is a US standard, it's like 3 times the size of our switches here in NZ).
I watched this video several months ago, and fast forward to today we moved into a house that really need automated window shades that were in a very high inconvenient location. I quickly remembered your video because of how much i enjoyed it and searched through my YT history and finally found this video again! We just bought the Aqara motor. Thanks for your tips!
Awesome video, I would recommend that you do videos for beginners on single subjects, so that we could begin our journey with a step-by-step. I can see the makings of 10 videos in the one you just did. Many thanks for this, you’re a natural storyteller.
Correct me if im wrong but matter is a standard that should guarantee compatability with basically everything, that is home kit and google home. Software is being implenented in already sold items by updates. It's quite important so if you can please confirm this and correct that at 6:30
This is how it currently stands (early 2024,) : A bulb from vendor X will be something like "Matter compatible (when using the gateway from vendor X)" - Over Matter (from Alexa, Google, Home assistant, etc): Turn the bulb off and on - Through Vendor X's app, or hub (or both): Change colors, set timers, upgrade software, turn the bulb off and on For simple devices that only have a few Matter-supported features, things can be controlled by Matter. More complex devices, or device kinds that matter doesn't support yet (cameras), it's still up to different hubs, different controllers.
Great video, thank you! I'm starting out small, just bedroom and bathroom speakers, and adding lights next. I have a ceiling fan, and that will be something to look at, unless just leave it on all day.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 💡 Start with identifying the problems you want to solve in each room before buying devices 01:13 🛠️ Focus on automating one room at a time instead of the whole house 02:50 🔌 Consider smart bulbs, plugs or switches for lighting control based on your needs 03:49 ⬆️ Smart switches may not work if you rent, smart plugs offer flexibility 06:09 🤝 Zigbee, Z-Wave and Matter are protocols for devices communicating through a hub 07:34 📱 Pick devices compatible across platforms to avoid multiple apps 08:46 🏠 Google, Apple and Amazon have main smart home ecosystems to link devices 10:38 🧙♂️ Home Assistant consolidates devices and enables complex automations 13:16 💡 Research carefully, focus on compatibility and take it one room at a time Made with HARPA AI
In response to the bathroom fan, I found the DewStop switch to be very handy. You can calibrate the sensitivity for the season and it automatically times out if you are going number 2.
Great video!! My home isn’t fully smart, but I have a bunch of devises and routines set up. All my outdoor lights turn on at dusk, and off at 11pm. My pantry and coat closet (that are shut when not accessed), turn on and off when door is open or closed with door sensors. My master closet and laundry room I tend to keep the doors open so they have motion sensors. I have a Hue button that I press when I’m heading upstairs for bed…it turns off all my downstairs lights, turns off the tv, locks my front door, turns on my stair lights at 30%, and turns on my bedroom nightstand lamps, love it 😍 I also have smart water detectors under sinks/washing maching/dishwasher. I haven’t switched to smart smoke detectors yet but I have Alexa set up to alert my phone if there’s a siren detected. I have a camera on my dogs kennel in case there is accessive motion so I can check on him. I have a smart cat feeder that I only use if I’m running late and can’t feed my cats on time. And, I love having a smart garage door so I can see if I accidentally left it open…or let someone in (even tho I could also use my smart lock on the front door). :)
Thanks for this video. I fully dove into the home automation whole when I remodeled my entire house. I must of done hours of research before purchasing anything. I started my journey home Smart Things but quickly moved to Home Assistant after running into walls. I decided to purchase Zooz smart light switches to replace all the switches in my house and also Zooz scene controllers for the bedrooms. The scene controllers are great because I can use them for status. For example I have it set if there is a door unlocked in the house, the bug button led will be red. I can just press the button on any of the 8 scene controllers to lock the doors.
the intro is spot on happening to me lmao, i bought a fan because i was hot and before i know it i'm buying a new lamp because i really want a smart light bulb in it, then i find out i could get a really cheap temp sensor, then i'm thinking i'll connect it all to google home so i need a hub.. god damnit what a time to be alive
Thanks for the video. Good idea with doing a room at a time. I've definitely jumped down the HA wormhole / rabbit-hole and I'm loving it! Setting up my Home Office to go into UA-cam filming mode is my next step. I had a raspberry Pi laying around and an ikea Zigbee hub. I'm going to buy a Zigbee / Z-wave / whatever is the best and cheapest! I'm thinking building some WLEDs + ESP32's for the bedroom, Kitchen and Living room will be straight after I setup the office.
Hi Jimmy, great video. I am new to the block with home assistant. Now I have started to set it up in my home, but I am thinking, if I can also use home assistant also in my apartment at the lake. In my current home I bought a Home Assistant green hardware. Do I have to buy a second one for the other address or is there a short pass without new hardware to use home assistant in both homes. could not find a video explaining this and hope for an answer here
I see that home assistant brings them all together in Apple home, but can you say “hey siri” or “hey Alexa” or “hey google” to any device and it will control the devices? My whole problem is getting google and Alexa to voice command the same devices, without setting it up x2 in each
Is there music in this video? I took of my headphones multiple times to hear if there was a phone ringing or something. Really Nice Video! I just got a smart bulb because I wanted to use the wake up routine, and I thought that was all I needed. But I now realized that I also need a bridge if I don't want to use the bluetooth on my phone all the time. Can you turn on and off the lights when your not at home if you have a bridge?
Since I bought my house I knew I wanted it to be a smart home, i started by putting meross switches for the blinds, a ring dorbell for the entrance, a meross smart dimmer for the leds on the stairway, next i want to put ac on 4 rooms and want to make them smart too, also want to put automatic curtains but the thing that i don’t like is that they need batteries to operate, also want to put a smart garage door controller also from meross. Basically what you need (if you don’t want to use home assistant) is that everything needs to be compatible with everything, i chose mostoy meross bc it’s compatible with alexa and homekit and work pretty good
Ok, so apparently you may be my other son…I’ve been “working” trying to perfect my “smart home” for years…started with Google, then Amazon, finally Apple and maybe adding in Hubitat or Home Assistant…..I finally realize it’s a measure twice cut once kinda thing….and it isn’t a sprint it’s a marathon so better to get it right than fast. Thanks for all you do…keep it up👍🏻
Thanks for this video, I found it really complete and helpful to understand the world of smart home devices since I am starting my software engineering journey in two weeks and I am looking forward to dedicate my time in learning while having fun with useful things as well, like domotics, assistants and smart devices... this video really helped me to have an overview about this world, thanks a lot !
I started down this same rabbit hole about 8 years ago, making all of the same mistakes you so elequently described. I tried Zwave and more. I was pretty successful, but then devices started failing, the software would change, the hubs would get better, etc. Along with the slow response times, it just seemed that it was constantly sub par even when it was working at its best. (I assume some of the DIY tech has improved since then) Then I discovered Loxone. Best thing that has ever happened to me. In researching this Austrian smart home company I found that they had conquered every downside. Zero latency, high security, works when internet is down, elegant, bombproof and the list goes on. As you have discovered, they realized that a TRUE smarthome simply reacts to your presence. Enter a room and the lights, music, heat, blinds etc go to an "occupied room" setting based on the current avail light, temp, humidity, time of day etc..... Leave the room and everythign reverts to a predetermined "unoccupied" state. You dont touch anything. A smart home is NOT the ability to use complicated touchpads and cell phones for basic tasks. Screen interfaces should be reserved for fine tuning or special tweaks, or "Away From Home" access. Loxone works w both wired components for new construction and wireless components for remodel. I went crazy and now have lighting, music, garage doors, shades, sprinkler system, water features, ALL operating flawlessly for 4 years now. And its ONE APP TO RULE THEM ALL!! I could go on, but bottom line is check them out. The downsides are its a pro solution & not cheap, (but IMO is better than & costs less than Control 4 & other pro solutions) , which obviously doesn't work for all of your audience. One time my wife asked me if Loxone could perform a certain task, I said No. Then I called them them & it was easy. BLEW ME AWAY! I hope this is helpful for anyone who has come to the realization that they are ready to move past DIY and interested in truly amazing. Some day it will all get standardized, but till then I feel like I hit the smarthome lottery.
fully supporting solutions. I'm just leaving HA because this is good for tinkerers but not for serious home automation system. Constant breaking changes, lack of stability and complete lack of transparency not to mention responsibility and security.
Now imagine you get everything that Austrian company with its proprietary technology and this Single-Point-Of-Failure called Miniserver provides, but as global standard from 400 vendors with over 7000 devices to chose from. You can chose from 50 odd servers including all Open Source ones. Home Assistant has even announced a partnership with the KNX foundation. I would never install something proprietary like Loxone, given that my house electrics have a lifespan of 30-50 years. What if they go bankrupt? What if they get acquired and then shelved over time? What if they do a 50$/month subscription for things to still work? Nah. KNX gives you all the Loxone benefits based on an open industry standard, backed by the likes of ABB, Siemens & Schneider Electric. That is way more sustainable.
This video is spot on for what I’m trying to do at my home. Right now I am all in with Kasa TP Link and i’m very pleased with them but that may change. I use these because I’m a caregiver for my wife she has Parkinson’s and it’s so much easier to say hey Google or Alexa to turn on devices. It does not mean that you or me are lazy we just want things to be convenient for us. Thanks for the video.
When I am reading at 11:00 the last thing I want to do is get up to turn off the lights… hence our smart lights now. I haven’t touched my ceiling light in months- I use the smart lamps… Being able to control the brightness and color is well worth the extra cost. LEDs have a reasonable lifespan.
I don't need an automatic fan....mine in the bedroom runs 24-7-365 days a year! I am moving into a new home and trying to get set up. I am using everything compatible with Ring and Alexia. What is your opinion on the best TV that I can use Alexia through??
Great video. I learnt a lot from this single installation. Could you please recommend or do a video on smart locks that can be controlled with an app? I need one desperately but am only seeing more keyless and fingerprint ones on the market with brand names I don’t know and worrisome reviews that the apps either don’t work or get discontinued on App stores etc. i just need to be able to open and close the doors with the app without needing a security panel that operates the automation of the door. Thanks.
There's an amazing little thingy called "Homey" dont know how big it is outside Europe an might be hard to get, but... Its like home assistant but you do everything in a very simple no code gui, worked with everything I tested so far, Ikea, Philips Hue, Aqura... and so on and without any gateways. I use Homey in my home to make that that has to work very easy. In my RV that is my playground I use Home Assistant :)
I love this video! Very clear and answered all my questions regarding advanced home automation. I’ll definitely try Home Assistant coming from a background of programming Crestron and Control4 systems
Thank you very much. You have given us a lot to think about. You mentioned and showed us the Home Assist device, can you provide a link for us please? We are based in the UK and use Google Assist. Pls keep posting
Great video .. question I have my a/c little heater and lights hooked to my google home . I recently had to get a different cable carrier.. I managed to switch my google home . But my lights. heat. Won't work it's a "!" MARK by them .. do I have to take them off and do it all over again ? Thanks
Any other good ideas to save water, electricity or increase productivity like cooking/baking remotely instead? The automation for switching on and off the aircon/ fan to maintain a temperature range is good.
I have a bunch of smart power outlets that let me start really seeing how much power was getting used (and automate on and off) for things I wasn't even thinking about before. Air purifiers, phone chargers, computers/screens/radios I thought we "off" (but were waking up or eating power), etc. With my home office "off" (but not really), I was using the equivalent of three LED lightbulbs at full power. Now I keep that office *really* off when I am not using it.
I'm curious, if I have a matter device added to Home Assistant, will it also be visible and controllable in google home if I scan the QR code? in other words can I view and control a matter device from both HA and Google Nest/Home interchangeably?
So I have really been debating buying. Samsung Fold 5 and ditching my iPhone. But I have been an apple fan boy for years and have a complete smart home set up around HomeKit. Could I use home assistant to control these devices (including Apple TV) from an android phone?
For devices turning on/off/ wrong state is something I noticed with TUYA/local TUYA. Currently migrating to Zigbee. so I won't have those issues anymore. I am gonna use the motion sensor Idea for a IR heating panel [need a sensor that is powered by USB to properly do it]
Love your video. Nicely explained the practical use case with negative and positive thoughts. Apart of other details, I would be interested the TV you are using. I pretty much like it and interested to purchase, can you please share a link from where I can buy it.
Great video! I'll send it to my friend who is starting his smart home journey. Also, what audio gear/setup do you use? I like your audio quality and I'm starting my channel soon, so the info would really help me out :).
hahahha Alexa always has something to make you laugh, I think it's top tier tech for home. That and my vionentus wallet with airtag slot made my daily life more stylish
Help! I want to start setting up a smart home for my parents as it can greatly help make their lives easier and i enjoy tinkering with these things. I just want to start out with lights, fans and such and have no issues with that. But i need to ensure that 1) i dont want to use a hub if i can get away with it 2) whatever app i use is compatible and able to have multiple users in control 3) minimally invasive, easy to use. They simply want to turn everything on/off with their phones, control whatever i set up like the sprinklers and such in the future. Any suggestions?
For me it started with seeing that Evedal Lamp in the Ikea showroom. I ended up going on a wait list to get the showroom model as they're discontinued. Really like it and now I have a lot automated with Home assistant haha
I have a question that I cannot find the answer for. I have tried my best to make a smart home based off Google. I have 2 living rooms, the main one and then one in the basement. When I call google to turn on the living room lights, it either turns on both or one over the other. How can I make it understand what room I'm in to turn the lights on that I'm calling? Do I just need to call it basement living room lights? Thanks for any advice!
Best advice. Keep it as simple as possible and make sure it’s practical otherwise, smart home will start to feel like a part time job. I changed my Wi-Fi password recently and it took over an hour to re-sync everything. Not something I wanted to do right after work.
Hubitat sounds easier than home assistant. Have smarthings but thinking of consolidating. The third party solutions like homey for apple end up being pretty expensive on top of apple.
Thank you, I loved all the tips including starting with one room at a time. I recently moved into a house with roller Bali blinds. They have a remote to close and open them. But I would love to get them into Apple HomeKit for automations. I haven’t found a good solution except for the Bali gateway from Home Depot for over $200. The blinds use z-wave for the remote, is there a way to use Hubitat or something to get them into HomeKit to automatically close at sunset?
"Significant other to wake up" - made me smile. Great video finally properly explaining how it works. The humor injected into the video makes it more enjoyable to watch and easier to understand.
Good to know its not just me, I got a nice Home Assistant going on but it is a absolute mess to find quality products that are affordable and work with HA, also being run locally instead of the cloud.
The rabbit hole gets deep when you start using containers, vms, ESPs, Arduinos and other microcontrollers and such. Eventually those with cameras start to feel inadequate so then you pour your time into nvr setups but then you also need to store your data properly if you DIY and then you need a proper nas to start consolidating some of these tools. The house basically becomes a prototype and it’s gets exhausting sometimes lol. It never stops.
My smart home evolved organically. Started with the wife wanting to not carry a key when out walking, so i bought a coded lock. Somewhat by design, but also somewhat by accident, the one I got was Z-wave. From there, it just filled itself in over time such that now, most every light and most of the major services in the home are smart.
Does anyone know if there are light bulbs or timer systems that you can set an “away” schedule to when you’re away on vacation for example, that would simulate people still being in the home by switching lights or devices like a tv on and off at different times BUT not always at the same times so that it doesn’t look programmed?
I appreciate you Jimmy I am a young entrepreneur In the very beginning states of starting my LLC for home Security I’m 11 minutes into this video On my way to deliver pizza Still grateful for my job now of course But with knowledge and your preparation you’re helping me get to a better place. HOME ASSISTANT BLEW MY MIND onto the next 20 minutes of your brilliant and well organized video thank you!
Very cool set up. The only thing I disagree with is advising people to cheap out on light switches and getting ones without a hub. The Lutron switches are very reliable and super fast.
Feels like the best video on the topic I watched! I‘m not new to the smart home world any longer but not having made big changes to my system and having moved to a bigger place recently, I feel like I‘m starting over somehow 😂
That’s me! I’m starting the home automation in my apt. I bought bulbs first then ring doorbell and now the WiFi door lock. I will be buying more smart lightbulbs this weekend. It doesn’t stop 😮
I'm new to home assistant. I have Google nest cameras, doorbell, thermostat around the house with a Google subscription. I've tried using home assistant on a raspberry pi so that I can't stop paying Google each month for a subscription. So far all I've managed is to get HA setup with the nest products just the way that Google home app does. So my question is, what are the steps to get HA setup with the kit that I have so that I can save the videos locally and save money.
I'm going to spend 2025 connecting agentic ai (like claude's computer use) to the internet of things. This information has been incredibly valuable to me. Thank you, you've got a new subscriber.
Honestly, home assistant should be your main ecosystem and control surface in a setup like this. If you have it, you should use local controls as much as possible so your house isn't dependent on a working internet connection.
did my guy actually mute when he said alexa so my alexa wouldnt bother me? its the little things that makes a great creator
He forgot to mute when he says "... may have also picked up random Alexas or ..." at 9:18-9:21
Hi Jimmy, I use Home Assistant as well. I get up early for work which in Winter is before sunrise and I have an aquarium in my room. When I turn the light on this wakes the fish and I did not want to influence their circadian rhythms by then switching off the light and leaving, so my automation is as follows.
- If it is a work day, gradually fade the lights up and start to indicate by colour going whiter closer to my departure time.
- Leave the lights on, this is enough to side illuminate my aquarium and the fish start their day,
- 45 minutes after Sunrise, the curtain will open to allow natural light in.
- 60 minutes after Sunrise, the internal lighting will go out.
Energy bill > ‘circadian’ imaginary rhythm of a bunch of fish
@@19Jose91 Thats why after the sun has come up I open the curtains and shut down the lights. Sunlight is free.
@@19Jose91 energy bill is probably unnoticeable with Led bulbs. Not really such thing if energy wasting
Literally bought my Philips hue bulbs last week and now I’m going down this automation rabbit hole. Can’t wait to start putting more things up in my new house!!
I love your sense of humor and subscribed for that alone :)
When I started automating my home, I did one thing right and one thing wrong. First, I used the "sigh" method of automation. What made my husband or son (or me) sigh? I remember my first one was my husband (who had bad knees) would sigh in frustration when he sat down, got all comfortable, had a cat in his lap, and realized he forgot to turn on the fan. So, I created an automation that when he sat down in his chair, the fan would turn on. My son would feel terrible when he would do the trash at night but then forget to close the garage door. So, I created an automation that would close the garage door after a certain time. These automations worked great and were invisible to the family. They didn't have to remember a certain phrase with Alexa. They didn't have to change their routine in any way to accommodate the house. Just live your life and the house worked for you.
The thing I did wrong was not getting buy in from my family. In my defense, it never occurred to me that they wouldn't love home automation. When my son heard the garage door close, he didn't think, "Ah, the house is taking care of me". What he heard was, "I forgot the garage door! AGAIN!"
So now, when I hear a sigh of frustration, I ask my son what he thinks. Does he want an automation? If so, how would he like it to work? Since doing that, he's even approached me with automation ideas!
This is what Home Assistant is for! Gluing all of these standards together. Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread/WiFi for Matter, WiFi, Bluetooth, the cloud, basically regardless of device manufacturer. Well worth getting it set up. I use Aqara devices with a Zigbee USB stick on my Home Assistant server with zero issues. The automation capabilities are unparalleled in even professional installations!
I hate the idea of needing to run a "computer" 24/7 to keep this stuff running. And HA sounds super user unfriendly - as a software engineer myself I'm sure I could figure it out, but I'm at a point in my life where I expect better and just want point and click to work. Command line, scripting, config files and community made drivers as the only way to make things interoperate between ecosystems or do complex automations with local control is such an absurdly ass backwards way of doing things, I'm amazed that with all the buzz around Smarthome nearly a decade ago we haven't made pretty much any progress yet.
@@emissarygw2264 i was in the same boat as you around 3 years ago but gave ha another shot a few weeks ago and man, its not even close to being that bad. ha is running on a raspberry pi without issues. thats really low power consumption. other smarthome platforms also have a "computer" running 24/7, just not in your home. the installation is trivial and most things really are plug and play today. you can use scripting etc if you want and if you have something nieche thats not yet compatible but there are so many things that just work. i have phillips hue lights, aqara temp sensors, shelly relais and smoke detectors and octoprint to control my 3d printer. it just works without doing anything. all you have to do is buy a zigbee usb stick and you are good. the hue lights for example just have to be in pairing mode and they show up in ha. one click and they are added. its really that simple right now. no more cloud bullshit for everything and over 9000 accounts.
@@emissarygw2264isn't a router a computer running 24/7?
@@MrDragonorp a fraction of the wattage though
@@emissarygw2264 There are Home Assistant variants for running on lower-wattage Raspberry pi, or running on a NAS, or other "always on" computer. I tell myself I'm saving more power than I am "wasting". It may be a lie, but it helps me sleep better. :)
Complexity-wise, it runs on linux, and I''d say it's about as usable as Windows was in the 95/98 days, but not as easy as Win11, MacOS, iOS or Android, is yet.... and heck , we're 40+ years into home computing, and we still have Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, all slightly incompatible and needing tweaking, button finding, to perfectly interoperate. :D
Definitely feel like this man spent many hours in his room messing with lights and tinkering. Absolutely love it.
"But we're here to spend 100s of hours now to save a minute or two in the future." 😅
This fellow perfectly encapsulated the entire home automation journey in a sentence
I loved this quote too
Investing
In total it saves A LOT more time
@@agentsmith007 I believe you, but I couldn’t figure out the software. Too confusing for this noob
I reckon the real value in smart home automation is making optimal use of passive heat gain and loss to maintain a comfortable temperature with minimal energy use. Automated blinds or even air vents networked with brightness and temperature sensors and perhaps weather forecasting could go a long way.
I think being able to open my blinds so the sun wakes me up will be a big win for me... although I don't have that just yet...
Fortunately, manual still works for these things lol. There are, after all, considerations aside from the mere functionality that we here seek.
2:05 I control the TV and the lights with the IR-blaster in my phone. It takes a little getting used to but the ability to make buttons you use often larger slightly reduces the initial convenience problems. Of course you won't get that feeling that buttons give you (both sensing what button your finger is on and feedback).
Found this video while looking for ideas for other Smart Home automations. Glad to see my own trip down the rabbit hole is similar to others. Started with some Arlo smart cameras and a Nest Thermostat. Then added a Gen 1 Google Assistant speaker. Then was off to the races as they say. Now just about every outlet, light switch and fan in my home is smart. Once you start it's really hard to stop. Recently added Home Assistant as when my GF moved in I needed to also support Apple/HomeKit. Had that same issue and needed to force compatibility as you say. HomeBridge is great for that too. When we eventually sell this home it will be hard to leave so much of this hardware behind. But looking forward to Matter and hopefully my next Smart Home will be easier and deployed smarter. Also really like what you did with the blinds may look into adding something similar.
I am in this ship. I am comfortable with the automations. I helped a neighbor get his up, and I realized that we have a lot of work to do to help the public understand.
The most frustrating thing about smart homes is the vast difference in connectivity standards and interfaces for controlling your devices in ways that are both convenient and compatible with existing home designs.
With everything seemingly moving to Matter this should be remedied soon.
Use control 4 or savant
@@rossdamerell I wouldn't count on that happening anytime soon, Matter has been a promise for over 4 years, and only now we're starting to see brands embracing Matter, yet I'm skeptical that "everything" will be moving to Matter because that would mean companies would have to give up their corporate greed by letting everything be intercompatible and not keep you under one brand.
I think we should still build a Smart Home taking into account the main ecossystem that you want to be in (for example Tuya and / or Alexa).
If Matter becomes established later on it won't make your previous stuff obsolete, but it will add to it, so yeah hopefully it becomes easier in the future, until then just avoid the mistake of going to multiple brands that do not belong in the same ecossystem and you should be fine.
Home assistant app ? Anyone have experience with this iftt app
😅
Very timely for my smart home project. I already installed smart switches, outlets, light bulbs, door locks, cctv cameras, & got my smart cooker, google speaker. I wanted to control my TV & other stuffs. But now stuck on installing many apps and now searching for an app that can control everything. This vid of yours is a great help. Imma try this tomorrow. Thanks for this!
I started with Homey Pro as my main smart ecosystem. Incredible experience. Recommend to both techies and non-techies
Give Lutron Caseta a try when it comes down to you controlling lights. Great user interface and integrates well.
I actually did the fan in the bathroom if humidity goes over 60%, and turns off when it’s below 55%. The switch for the fan also has an automation that when you manually turn on the fan it runs for 15 mins and then turns off, but no before checking the humidity otherwise it stays on if over 60%. This was with Aqara temp/humidity sensor that I also did a conformal coating on the circuit board to last, and a HomeKit WiFi switch like the one from Meross. The automation was with native HomeKit.
I don't have too many smart devices, but I decided to use home assistant right out of the gate with them. Something amazing that I configured with it was a smart IR blaster. All of my non IoT devices (fans, projectors, etc) are controlled exactly like smart devices, with variables to track their states and such. Happily skipped out on paying for some smart alternatives on those devices that I wanted to automate.
Which unit did you use? Do you have good success with fans in multiple rooms?
@@Thejakegee I use a broadlink RF/IR blaster and receiver. Due to the nature of the tech, you'd need one unit per room since the IR waves can't really blast past walls.
i have a few of these as well. The only caveat is that you have no feedback on current device state. If you use a remote you are looking for real-world confirmation in the room, but sight-unseen, you don't know if it landed on the right final state.
@@BrunchCrawlerwell bruv you can do this without home assistant too
Well naive decision - Hype will pass and in the long run you will see "adventages" of HA:)))
4:16 a fourth option is to install something behind the existing switch, just in case you don't like the size of all the smart switches on offer (I'm guessing that size is a US standard, it's like 3 times the size of our switches here in NZ).
I watched this video several months ago, and fast forward to today we moved into a house that really need automated window shades that were in a very high inconvenient location. I quickly remembered your video because of how much i enjoyed it and searched through my YT history and finally found this video again! We just bought the Aqara motor. Thanks for your tips!
Awesome video, I would recommend that you do videos for beginners on single subjects, so that we could begin our journey with a step-by-step. I can see the makings of 10 videos in the one you just did. Many thanks for this, you’re a natural storyteller.
Correct me if im wrong but matter is a standard that should guarantee compatability with basically everything, that is home kit and google home. Software is being implenented in already sold items by updates. It's quite important so if you can please confirm this and correct that at 6:30
This is how it currently stands (early 2024,) :
A bulb from vendor X will be something like "Matter compatible (when using the gateway from vendor X)"
- Over Matter (from Alexa, Google, Home assistant, etc): Turn the bulb off and on
- Through Vendor X's app, or hub (or both): Change colors, set timers, upgrade software, turn the bulb off and on
For simple devices that only have a few Matter-supported features, things can be controlled by Matter.
More complex devices, or device kinds that matter doesn't support yet (cameras), it's still up to different hubs, different controllers.
Great video, thank you! I'm starting out small, just bedroom and bathroom speakers, and adding lights next. I have a ceiling fan, and that will be something to look at, unless just leave it on all day.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:00 💡 Start with identifying the problems you want to solve in each room before buying devices
01:13 🛠️ Focus on automating one room at a time instead of the whole house
02:50 🔌 Consider smart bulbs, plugs or switches for lighting control based on your needs
03:49 ⬆️ Smart switches may not work if you rent, smart plugs offer flexibility
06:09 🤝 Zigbee, Z-Wave and Matter are protocols for devices communicating through a hub
07:34 📱 Pick devices compatible across platforms to avoid multiple apps
08:46 🏠 Google, Apple and Amazon have main smart home ecosystems to link devices
10:38 🧙♂️ Home Assistant consolidates devices and enables complex automations
13:16 💡 Research carefully, focus on compatibility and take it one room at a time
Made with HARPA AI
Have you looked into homebridge for device compatibility? It’s meant specifically for integrating non-HomeKit devices to HomeKit.
In response to the bathroom fan, I found the DewStop switch to be very handy. You can calibrate the sensitivity for the season and it automatically times out if you are going number 2.
Great video!! My home isn’t fully smart, but I have a bunch of devises and routines set up.
All my outdoor lights turn on at dusk, and off at 11pm. My pantry and coat closet (that are shut when not accessed), turn on and off when door is open or closed with door sensors. My master closet and laundry room I tend to keep the doors open so they have motion sensors. I have a Hue button that I press when I’m heading upstairs for bed…it turns off all my downstairs lights, turns off the tv, locks my front door, turns on my stair lights at 30%, and turns on my bedroom nightstand lamps, love it 😍
I also have smart water detectors under sinks/washing maching/dishwasher. I haven’t switched to smart smoke detectors yet but I have Alexa set up to alert my phone if there’s a siren detected. I have a camera on my dogs kennel in case there is accessive motion so I can check on him. I have a smart cat feeder that I only use if I’m running late and can’t feed my cats on time. And, I love having a smart garage door so I can see if I accidentally left it open…or let someone in (even tho I could also use my smart lock on the front door). :)
Thanks for this video. I fully dove into the home automation whole when I remodeled my entire house. I must of done hours of research before purchasing anything. I started my journey home Smart Things but quickly moved to Home Assistant after running into walls. I decided to purchase Zooz smart light switches to replace all the switches in my house and also Zooz scene controllers for the bedrooms. The scene controllers are great because I can use them for status. For example I have it set if there is a door unlocked in the house, the bug button led will be red. I can just press the button on any of the 8 scene controllers to lock the doors.
Where did you get the hexagonal wall lamp? can you share the link? looks great! and great video too!
the intro is spot on happening to me lmao, i bought a fan because i was hot and before i know it i'm buying a new lamp because i really want a smart light bulb in it, then i find out i could get a really cheap temp sensor, then i'm thinking i'll connect it all to google home so i need a hub.. god damnit what a time to be alive
Thanks for the video. Good idea with doing a room at a time. I've definitely jumped down the HA wormhole / rabbit-hole and I'm loving it! Setting up my Home Office to go into UA-cam filming mode is my next step. I had a raspberry Pi laying around and an ikea Zigbee hub. I'm going to buy a Zigbee / Z-wave / whatever is the best and cheapest! I'm thinking building some WLEDs + ESP32's for the bedroom, Kitchen and Living room will be straight after I setup the office.
Hi Jimmy, great video. I am new to the block with home assistant. Now I have started to set it up in my home, but I am thinking, if I can also use home assistant also in my apartment at the lake. In my current home I bought a Home Assistant green hardware. Do I have to buy a second one for the other address or is there a short pass without new hardware to use home assistant in both homes. could not find a video explaining this and hope for an answer here
I see that home assistant brings them all together in Apple home, but can you say “hey siri” or “hey Alexa” or “hey google” to any device and it will control the devices? My whole problem is getting google and Alexa to voice command the same devices, without setting it up x2 in each
Is there music in this video? I took of my headphones multiple times to hear if there was a phone ringing or something.
Really Nice Video!
I just got a smart bulb because I wanted to use the wake up routine, and I thought that was all I needed. But I now realized that I also need a bridge if I don't want to use the bluetooth on my phone all the time.
Can you turn on and off the lights when your not at home if you have a bridge?
Since I bought my house I knew I wanted it to be a smart home, i started by putting meross switches for the blinds, a ring dorbell for the entrance, a meross smart dimmer for the leds on the stairway, next i want to put ac on 4 rooms and want to make them smart too, also want to put automatic curtains but the thing that i don’t like is that they need batteries to operate, also want to put a smart garage door controller also from meross. Basically what you need (if you don’t want to use home assistant) is that everything needs to be compatible with everything, i chose mostoy meross bc it’s compatible with alexa and homekit and work pretty good
Ok, so apparently you may be my other son…I’ve been “working” trying to perfect my “smart home” for years…started with Google, then Amazon, finally Apple and maybe adding in Hubitat or Home Assistant…..I finally realize it’s a measure twice cut once kinda thing….and it isn’t a sprint it’s a marathon so better to get it right than fast. Thanks for all you do…keep it up👍🏻
Thanks for this video, I found it really complete and helpful to understand the world of smart home devices since I am starting my software engineering journey in two weeks and I am looking forward to dedicate my time in learning while having fun with useful things as well, like domotics, assistants and smart devices... this video really helped me to have an overview about this world, thanks a lot !
I started down this same rabbit hole about 8 years ago, making all of the same mistakes you so elequently described. I tried Zwave and more. I was pretty successful, but then devices started failing, the software would change, the hubs would get better, etc. Along with the slow response times, it just seemed that it was constantly sub par even when it was working at its best. (I assume some of the DIY tech has improved since then) Then I discovered Loxone. Best thing that has ever happened to me. In researching this Austrian smart home company I found that they had conquered every downside. Zero latency, high security, works when internet is down, elegant, bombproof and the list goes on. As you have discovered, they realized that a TRUE smarthome simply reacts to your presence. Enter a room and the lights, music, heat, blinds etc go to an "occupied room" setting based on the current avail light, temp, humidity, time of day etc..... Leave the room and everythign reverts to a predetermined "unoccupied" state. You dont touch anything. A smart home is NOT the ability to use complicated touchpads and cell phones for basic tasks. Screen interfaces should be reserved for fine tuning or special tweaks, or "Away From Home" access. Loxone works w both wired components for new construction and wireless components for remodel. I went crazy and now have lighting, music, garage doors, shades, sprinkler system, water features, ALL operating flawlessly for 4 years now. And its ONE APP TO RULE THEM ALL!! I could go on, but bottom line is check them out. The downsides are its a pro solution & not cheap, (but IMO is better than & costs less than Control 4 & other pro solutions) , which obviously doesn't work for all of your audience. One time my wife asked me if Loxone could perform a certain task, I said No. Then I called them them & it was easy. BLEW ME AWAY! I hope this is helpful for anyone who has come to the realization that they are ready to move past DIY and interested in truly amazing. Some day it will all get standardized, but till then I feel like I hit the smarthome lottery.
fully supporting solutions. I'm just leaving HA because this is good for tinkerers but not for serious home automation system. Constant breaking changes, lack of stability and complete lack of transparency not to mention responsibility and security.
Now imagine you get everything that Austrian company with its proprietary technology and this Single-Point-Of-Failure called Miniserver provides, but as global standard from 400 vendors with over 7000 devices to chose from.
You can chose from 50 odd servers including all Open Source ones. Home Assistant has even announced a partnership with the KNX foundation.
I would never install something proprietary like Loxone, given that my house electrics have a lifespan of 30-50 years.
What if they go bankrupt? What if they get acquired and then shelved over time? What if they do a 50$/month subscription for things to still work?
Nah. KNX gives you all the Loxone benefits based on an open industry standard, backed by the likes of ABB, Siemens & Schneider Electric.
That is way more sustainable.
Awesome video, appreciate the honest look. Slowly getting started myself. Apparently I need to Home Assistant and need to spend some time tinkering.
This video is spot on for what I’m trying to do at my home. Right now I am all in with Kasa TP Link and i’m very pleased with them but that may change. I use these because I’m a caregiver for my wife she has Parkinson’s and it’s so much easier to say hey Google or Alexa to turn on devices. It does not mean that you or me are lazy we just want things to be convenient for us. Thanks for the video.
When I am reading at 11:00 the last thing I want to do is get up to turn off the lights… hence our smart lights now. I haven’t touched my ceiling light in months- I use the smart lamps…
Being able to control the brightness and color is well worth the extra cost. LEDs have a reasonable lifespan.
I don't need an automatic fan....mine in the bedroom runs 24-7-365 days a year! I am moving into a new home and trying to get set up. I am using everything compatible with Ring and Alexia. What is your opinion on the best TV that I can use Alexia through??
You have a real knack for explaining things clearly. Keep it up!
Great video. I learnt a lot from this single installation. Could you please recommend or do a video on smart locks that can be controlled with an app? I need one desperately but am only seeing more keyless and fingerprint ones on the market with brand names I don’t know and worrisome reviews that the apps either don’t work or get discontinued on App stores etc. i just need to be able to open and close the doors with the app without needing a security panel that operates the automation of the door. Thanks.
It’s very important to surge protect everything you can and install spike protection at the panel. Those hubs are costly to replace.
4:40 were you able to use these with your North American Aqara hub with other North American Aqara devices paired to it?
There's an amazing little thingy called "Homey" dont know how big it is outside Europe an might be hard to get, but... Its like home assistant but you do everything in a very simple no code gui, worked with everything I tested so far, Ikea, Philips Hue, Aqura... and so on and without any gateways.
I use Homey in my home to make that that has to work very easy. In my RV that is my playground I use Home Assistant :)
Many thanks for recomendation. Im running away from HA.
Do you recommend the Homey or Homey Pro?
What do you do or how do you deal with your smart home when the power goes out in your whole home? How many of them can you still manually use?
Where did you get that lamp in your bedroom
The video I’ve been waiting for.
One of us. One of us.
I love this video! Very clear and answered all my questions regarding advanced home automation. I’ll definitely try Home Assistant coming from a background of programming Crestron and Control4 systems
Thank you very much. You have given us a lot to think about. You mentioned and showed us the Home Assist device, can you provide a link for us please? We are based in the UK and use Google Assist.
Pls keep posting
Great video .. question I have my a/c little heater and lights hooked to my google home . I recently had to get a different cable carrier.. I managed to switch my google home . But my lights. heat. Won't work it's a "!" MARK by them .. do I have to take them off and do it all over again ? Thanks
Where did you get that lamp?
Any other good ideas to save water, electricity or increase productivity like cooking/baking remotely instead?
The automation for switching on and off the aircon/ fan to maintain a temperature range is good.
I have a bunch of smart power outlets that let me start really seeing how much power was getting used (and automate on and off) for things I wasn't even thinking about before. Air purifiers, phone chargers, computers/screens/radios I thought we "off" (but were waking up or eating power), etc.
With my home office "off" (but not really), I was using the equivalent of three LED lightbulbs at full power. Now I keep that office *really* off when I am not using it.
I'm curious, if I have a matter device added to Home Assistant, will it also be visible and controllable in google home if I scan the QR code? in other words can I view and control a matter device from both HA and Google Nest/Home interchangeably?
What's the weather like in Round Rock TX? Also, I love your nails in the scene with the outlet adapter....
What model lamp is at 1:42?
So I have really been debating buying. Samsung Fold 5 and ditching my iPhone. But I have been an apple fan boy for years and have a complete smart home set up around HomeKit. Could I use home assistant to control these devices (including Apple TV) from an android phone?
For devices turning on/off/ wrong state is something I noticed with TUYA/local TUYA.
Currently migrating to Zigbee. so I won't have those issues anymore.
I am gonna use the motion sensor Idea for a IR heating panel [need a sensor that is powered by USB to properly do it]
Love your video. Nicely explained the practical use case with negative and positive thoughts.
Apart of other details, I would be interested the TV you are using. I pretty much like it and interested to purchase, can you please share a link from where I can buy it.
Great video! I'll send it to my friend who is starting his smart home journey. Also, what audio gear/setup do you use? I like your audio quality and I'm starting my channel soon, so the info would really help me out :).
Is there a video about the tv you used in your main bedroom? Love that look
Hey Jimmy. Great video! Any chance you can share where you bought that corner lamp you have in your bedroom? Thanks!
Wondering the same.
hahahha Alexa always has something to make you laugh, I think it's top tier tech for home. That and my vionentus wallet with airtag slot made my daily life more stylish
Dude! do you recommend that? I have always wanted to give my dad one with RFID security
@@Stevenbrownx11 Yes man and the details are totally impressive. It's like a 007 movie where Bond always has something hidden in elegant clothes.
@@Samluckyman124 lol I love the classic 007 movies, thanks bro! I'm going to check
Heyyy me too, it's easily one of the best things I could have given to my dad.
@@dwalsh35 The best thing is that it goes unnoticed and looks very very good
Help! I want to start setting up a smart home for my parents as it can greatly help make their lives easier and i enjoy tinkering with these things. I just want to start out with lights, fans and such and have no issues with that. But i need to ensure that 1) i dont want to use a hub if i can get away with it 2) whatever app i use is compatible and able to have multiple users in control 3) minimally invasive, easy to use. They simply want to turn everything on/off with their phones, control whatever i set up like the sprinklers and such in the future. Any suggestions?
For me it started with seeing that Evedal Lamp in the Ikea showroom. I ended up going on a wait list to get the showroom model as they're discontinued. Really like it and now I have a lot automated with Home assistant haha
I have a question that I cannot find the answer for. I have tried my best to make a smart home based off Google. I have 2 living rooms, the main one and then one in the basement. When I call google to turn on the living room lights, it either turns on both or one over the other. How can I make it understand what room I'm in to turn the lights on that I'm calling? Do I just need to call it basement living room lights? Thanks for any advice!
Best advice. Keep it as simple as possible and make sure it’s practical otherwise, smart home will start to feel like a part time job. I changed my Wi-Fi password recently and it took over an hour to re-sync everything. Not something I wanted to do right after work.
Hubitat sounds easier than home assistant. Have smarthings but thinking of consolidating. The third party solutions like homey for apple end up being pretty expensive on top of apple.
just start planning around home assistant instead of any proprietary systems?
Thank you, I loved all the tips including starting with one room at a time. I recently moved into a house with roller Bali blinds. They have a remote to close and open them. But I would love to get them into Apple HomeKit for automations. I haven’t found a good solution except for the Bali gateway from Home Depot for over $200. The blinds use z-wave for the remote, is there a way to use Hubitat or something to get them into HomeKit to automatically close at sunset?
Yes! Hubitat now has a home kit integration.
"Significant other to wake up" - made me smile. Great video finally properly explaining how it works. The humor injected into the video makes it more enjoyable to watch and easier to understand.
Good to know its not just me, I got a nice Home Assistant going on but it is a absolute mess to find quality products that are affordable and work with HA, also being run locally instead of the cloud.
I do not like to connect to wifi directly. Are there any HUB or bridge that support these switches?
Very nice video! I am going to build a smarthome. What do you think about Homey Pro? Z-wave, Zigbee, Matter al together in one solution.
Does Home Assistant compatible with Matter..or if Im using Home Assistant I won't need Matter?
The rabbit hole gets deep when you start using containers, vms, ESPs, Arduinos and other microcontrollers and such. Eventually those with cameras start to feel inadequate so then you pour your time into nvr setups but then you also need to store your data properly if you DIY and then you need a proper nas to start consolidating some of these tools. The house basically becomes a prototype and it’s gets exhausting sometimes lol. It never stops.
As hobbies go, still cheaper than owning a boat. :)
My smart home evolved organically. Started with the wife wanting to not carry a key when out walking, so i bought a coded lock. Somewhat by design, but also somewhat by accident, the one I got was Z-wave. From there, it just filled itself in over time such that now, most every light and most of the major services in the home are smart.
Does anyone know if there are light bulbs or timer systems that you can set an “away” schedule to when you’re away on vacation for example, that would simulate people still being in the home by switching lights or devices like a tv on and off at different times BUT not always at the same times so that it doesn’t look programmed?
What is that lamp at 2:14? Who makes it? Cool lamp. Great video!
I appreciate you Jimmy
I am a young entrepreneur
In the very beginning states of starting my LLC for home Security
I’m 11 minutes into this video
On my way to deliver pizza
Still grateful for my job now of course
But with knowledge and your preparation you’re helping me get to a better place.
HOME ASSISTANT BLEW MY MIND
onto the next 20 minutes of your brilliant and well organized video thank you!
Very cool set up. The only thing I disagree with is advising people to cheap out on light switches and getting ones without a hub. The Lutron switches are very reliable and super fast.
Very good video. I recommend home assistant as well. Just don't use a raspberry. Use some kind of mini pc.
Feels like the best video on the topic I watched! I‘m not new to the smart home world any longer but not having made big changes to my system and having moved to a bigger place recently, I feel like I‘m starting over somehow 😂
Dude I am literally trying to make my home fully smart and Alexa functional this is great advice thank you
9:16 Your WiFi is not local 😱😱 ??
What do you do, use neighbors or public or how else you could have remote WiFi in your home so it is not local ?
I love this video! Saving it to my future smart house playlist
5:00 I had then draw string blinds. Unfortunately the cogs didnt match up with our cord so it kept slipping and wouldnt bloody work... waste of money
I love how he said it starts with the light bulb, cuz that's exactly how I got here. 😂 do I stop and turn this off now? Forget it ever existed?
That’s me! I’m starting the home automation in my apt. I bought bulbs first then ring doorbell and now the WiFi door lock. I will be buying more smart lightbulbs this weekend. It doesn’t stop 😮
Great video. Did you choose to run over zigbee or stick to WiFi
I'm new to home assistant. I have Google nest cameras, doorbell, thermostat around the house with a Google subscription. I've tried using home assistant on a raspberry pi so that I can't stop paying Google each month for a subscription. So far all I've managed is to get HA setup with the nest products just the way that Google home app does.
So my question is, what are the steps to get HA setup with the kit that I have so that I can save the videos locally and save money.
Could you tell me the tv's brand which you show in the video please?
Looks like a Samsung Frame TV
@@AbhishekNair22 Thanks!
I'm going to spend 2025 connecting agentic ai (like claude's computer use) to the internet of things. This information has been incredibly valuable to me. Thank you, you've got a new subscriber.
😀the vent fan was one the reason I got into home automations.
You are missing one more app to your list, the Watt for Smart Devices (for your tapo and Kasa devices)
Nothing is better than open source solutions. Home assistant was my savior too.
Hi, what is the frame looking TV?
would smart light bulbs work in an old fixture?
Jimmy, what’s your take on Mi home and their smart products?
Honestly, home assistant should be your main ecosystem and control surface in a setup like this. If you have it, you should use local controls as much as possible so your house isn't dependent on a working internet connection.