Ideally I would like to have a doorbell, thermostat, and some sort of security system with a couple cameras. I’m split between Google and Apple. I am an Apple user and plan on getting the new Apple TV 4K. I guess I just want to know if the extra cost of the Apple setup is worth it.

Hi, currently doing some research to make my home smarter.

I got 4 switches like this and 2 with triple gang, was looking for what would be the most reliable smart switch for this, walls are concrete and wife wont aprove to change them, so cant change them into single switches

Also for the rest of single switches was planning on lutron but not sure how it will work with concrete walls and if its compatible with whatever I find for the other switches

Thanks all

Hi, I’m looking to replace some of our existing Smart bulbs with brighter ones.

I’m looking for an E27 bulb that works with Alexa, can do colours and shades of white (warm/daylight), is dimmable on voice command (again through Alexa)and most importantly, can go significantly brighter than 810 lumens when white, which is the brightness of our current bulbs. Ideally, I don’t want to pay more than about £15 per bulb; our current ones were quite a bit less than that.

I have looked at the Phillips Hue options a few times over the years, but cannot justify the outlay on them.

There’s a brand on Amazon, Lepro, which I haven’t come across before but appears to tick all the boxes.
Does anyone know anything about them? Are there other brands I should be looking at?

Thank you

I'm a firmware/FPGA engineer working on a smart speaker/hub that runs a large open MoE model (Qwen-Flash class, not a 3B) entirely on the device, ≤30 W, no cloud, no subscription, Matter/Thread/Zigbee built in, works with HA. Simulations on real model routing show ~25-40 tokens/s by streaming experts from flash instead of needing 80 GB of RAM. Before building hardware I want to know what actually matters to you:

• Is a small local model (e.g. qwen3 4-8B on a mini PC) already good enough for your voice control?
• What would make you pay for a dedicated box instead of DIY?

• What price feels fair? 5-min survey link.

  Waitlist/info Link here

Has anyone made something for this? I plan on using my unifi access system. Its a normal garage door but its manual without an electric opener.

I'm thinking about something like this on the frame itself but not sure what to put on the garage door part as its just a hinge. Or if there's any better option. Obviously it'll be much easier to have the electric part not on the door.

https://a.co/d/0hwXw7Na

I am looking to upgrade my home with some rgb bulbs. I need them to have good brightness, color saturation and good reliability. I’ve been thinking about Tp link tipo L535E.

Our house is already prewired, with wiring covered through the builder. We received a $60K proposal that includes:

Six TVs totaling
Control4 controller and two wall touchscreens.
Whole-house audio matrix, amplifier, and ten pairs of ceiling speakers.
Networking equipment for internet/Wi-Fi.
Surveillance camera equipment.
Equipment rack, power management, and accessories.
Installation, programming, and setup.

Labor alone is $18K.

Is this reasonable? I’m not sure we need all this crap.

I haven't looked too deeply into the latest status of smart lights.

I've built out many wifi lights and switches and they're stable enough. I also tried the initial rollout for the nanoleaf matter lightbulbs and they were total dogshit.

If I were to attempt to transition over to matter bulbs and switches, what brands are actually good?

Also I don't know how to tag this. I currently have a GHome set up but I might also change to either Home Assistant or HomeKit.

I was frustrated by the limited LLM options for HA. ha-llm-agent is a side project I’ve been using at home. Just feed it an API key and it can:

• write automations and dashboards
• control stuff
• answer history questions
• dig through traces and logs when something breaks
• pretty much anything else you do

It shows a diff before changing anything, and there’s undo.

Works with Claude, OpenAI, Gemini or Ollama, using your own key. Installs through HACS.

https://github.com/nuedynamics/ha-llm-agent

Bug reports welcome, PRs welcome, forks welcome.

I've used it to

• Set up my Philips hue to have a spooky halloween breathing mode
• make a dashboard to control my lights
• fix it so my house isn't so cold in the morning (I had a summer AC automation set up and it didn't carry over to winter well)

I've been using cheap strip LEDs as a tenant all my life, like Meross or Govee and connecting them with Smart plugs to connect them to the Wi-FI and add it to Apple Home. The issue is that you feel it's cheap, Wi-Fi is unreliable, sometimes the HomePod says the strip lights are unresponsive.

Now moving into a new bought flat, I'm looking for a more stable solution. I've heard of Lutron as an example but they dont have support or shops in Belgium. My architect is asking to provide dumb lights, each around 4w/m connected to a 150w driver and to just add a smart plug, but I'm thinking there must be a better way. Eve Home doesn't seem to have an all-in-one solution for such lengths as 28 meters x2 (in the living room pic below).

Has anyone found a stable LAN only, or easy installation, energy efficient LEDs, RGB+W, that use Threads or Matter, ideally connecting directly to the Apple Home app?

They will be turned on using a wall outlet if all else fails. And best case scenario, only talking to Siri via the HomePod and Home app for Scenes.

Thanks!

RGB strip lights: 28m, 27m, + 10m
W strip lights: 2.5m, 1.8m, 8m, 4.5m, 10m, 3.5 meters
Total around 100m each with their wall socket, adapter and installation.

I’m setting up a lil gaming corner in the spare room and the window thing is driving me nuts. room gets absolutely blasted with sun in the afternoon. at night i play mostly story-driven single player and need it basically pitch black or i can’t get into it, but on weekends i’m just playing casual stuff and sitting in a dark cave at 2pm feels kinda depressing ngl

so it’s regular blackout roller shades vs dual-layer zebra blinds. i rent so motorized no-drill is a must, and i’d really like to control it from my phone or set a schedule since my desk is right next to the window and i don’t wanna get up mid game. been looking at Bringnox and SmartWings but idk, i haven’t really compared them properly yet. my monitor sits across from the window too so side light leaking in and washing out the screen is probably my biggest worry. dual-layer is a good bit pricier and i’m not sure it’s worth it just for a bit of daylight sometimes

how are you guys handling this? any regrets?

I am mostly a Home Assistant user, but HomeKit would be acceptable. I am looking for an energy monitoring setup.

I have looked at the Shelly Pro 3EM V2, but I think I'll run into a problem with the electrician since these are not UL listed.

I am also looking at the Emporia Vue 3 Home Energy Monitor. There's a couple of big benefits to this. First, it's cheaper. It also monitors way more circuits than the Shelly. But it is not local-first and it, in fact, seems to require a cloud connection. I don't see a native integration, so I assume it has to come in via HACS?

In speaking with my electrician, a device MUST be UL listed for him to touch it, so I feel like they Shelly is a non-starter. Is Emporia the way to go here? Something else?

Anyone else frustrated with 'smart' TVs that are always super slow, riddled with adware and locked down and hard to repair? Because I sure as heck am, hoping there is a manufacturer of dumb TVs that just has inputs and some QoL features like audio return, and HDR. If not, anyone want to go in on making a new company? I have 20 bucks in my bank right now I can throw at it /sarcasm

But seriously I can't be the only one who has this thought before. Also using the Home Assistant flair because it's the only true thing that keeps data private. Please remove if not Smart Home related.

For context, I just moved in to a new apartment and this thermostat is something that’s been bothering me
for the past few days. I’d love to be able to control it remotely or set up automations for it. Is there a way to smartify this existing one with a small switch or should I change it entirely?

I’m looking for an option that can connect to homekit. Thanks in advance!

Hi!

I'm planning to automate my curtains using two Zigbee curtain motors, one for each side of a center-opening curtain, integrated with Home Assistant.

I'm considering the Zemismart ZM85EL-2Z or a similar model.

I have two main questions:

1. Manual operation: Can I still open and close the curtains by physically pulling them, without using App/HA or the motors?
2. Position tracking: If I manually move the curtains, will the motors lose track of their positions (open/closed percentage)? Would I need to recalibrate them, or can they automatically detect the new position?

Ideally, I'd like to have both manual and automated operation without affecting position tracking.

Thanks!

Hey everyone!
I’m looking for a reliable smart electric heater for my bedroom, with a budget of around €50–€100 range.

My main requirements are:

- Remote control via Wi-Fi: I want to be able to turn it on/off from anywhere using my phone.

- Scheduling: I’d like to set specific times for it to automatically turn on and off, so my bedroom is warm when I get home.

- Temperature control: Ideally, I’d like to set a target temperature and have the heater maintain it automatically.

- Quiet operation: Since it’s for a bedroom, low noise would be a big plus.

- Reliability and safety: A decent app, stable connectivity and good safety features.

I’ve been looking at the Xiaomi Smart Graphene Heater (€72.90) and the Xiaomi Mi Smart Space Heater S (€112), but I’m open to other suggestions, including Dreo or other brands available in Europe.

I’m not necessarily looking for the most powerful heater, just something reliable, efficient and genuinely smart.

Does anyone have experience with these models? What would you recommend?

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone!

I’m Carmen, a journalist for EenVandaag, a current affairs TV show on NPO 1 in the Netherlands.

I’m currently working on a report about smart homes, internet-connected devices, and how they impact our daily lives (and privacy/security). For this item, I’m looking to visit someone in the Netherlands who has a fully or partially automated smart home to ask a few questions on camera and see how it works in practice.

Do you have a smart home setup or do you know someone who does and would you be open to participate? Send me a direct message or leave a comment below!

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone..

I’d like to have sheer and blackout curtains on my bedroom window and control each layer separately instead of having both open or close together.

Would I need to buy 2 separate tracks and motors, or is there another option I’m missing?

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone!

One frustrating situation with smart locks is discovering that the battery is running low at the worst possible time. Imagine arriving home with your hands full of groceries, only to find your fingerprint lock has stopped responding. For Airbnb hosts and remote property managers, it can be even more stressful when a guest is waiting outside and someone has to travel to the property to deal with the problem.

I’m an entrepreneur behind LockPower Infinity, a solar charging accessory designed for compatible fingerprint door locks. It features an IP64-rated design, a built-in 1500mAh rechargeable battery, and a retractable USB-C cable.

The idea is to use available sunlight to help maintain the power supply and reduce the hassle of frequent battery maintenance. For rental properties, this could mean one less thing to worry about, particularly when the entrance receives enough daylight. It’s not a guaranteed solution to every lockout, though — actual performance depends on sunlight, installation, and lock compatibility.

I’m interested in honest feedback from people who use smart locks, especially Airbnb hosts and property managers.

Have you ever dealt with a smart lock running out of power at an inconvenient time? Would a solar charging accessory like this be useful, or would you still prefer spare batteries or a portable power bank?

I’d love to hear what concerns you most — charging performance, compatibility, weather resistance, or ease of installation.

I have a few smart home devices, and while they definitely make some things easier, I’ve noticed that adding more devices can sometimes make life feel more complicated. Once I automate certain tasks, the regular and predictable routines I used to have turn into occasional problems that are harder to anticipate.

I use tado to control my heating, and it’s definitely convenient. Things like vacuuming, mopping, turning lights on and off, and adjusting the AC can all be automated too. But those devices still need attention, whether that’s charging, maintenance, or getting the settings right. They probably save time overall, but there’s still stuff to keep on top of.

After using smart home technology long term, do you think it truly reduces housework, or does it just replace old chores with new ones?

Hey all,

first time poster here.

I would like to maximize the wife approval factor of 'our' roborock saros 10R vacuum cleaner (my daughter insisted to call her 'Rosalina', after the Mario Galaxy princess). I love the HA Integration.

Currently, Rosalina cleans our open kitchen, dining room and living room each night. As we are all light sleepers, Rosalina is not allowed in the rest of our house at night (most of the doors are closed at night anyhow). We have not found a convinient time slot in the day time, that works for us (different home office schedules with many meetings).

My wife is not anti tech per se, but she likes her stuff as it is (i.e. she still uses a Huawei phone with native Google apps). Smarthome apps on her device of any kind are a no go. I am also trying to declutter my phone and make things less phone-y.

Long story short. I want to build an automation.

I was thinking about 'call Rosalina' buttons in every mayor room, that we can push at our convinience to add this room to a cleaning queue. Rosalina should start a preset program for the first room of the queue and work her way through all rooms. It is ok, if she pauses/regroups at her station between rooms.

Has anyone build something similar to this? Is there a native queue functionality? How would you go about something like this?

Please refrain from 'just ask Claude' comments, as I would love to just do it the old fashioned way (ask a bunch of people on the internet and build something myself).

Thank you for your time and input.

I have an old Carrier ducted air conditioner, European line, roughly 2005-2008. The indoor unit is on the roof (most likely 40DMC/40DMQ series, can't get up there to read the plate) and I have zero physical access to it. The only thing I can reach is the wall controller and the three wires behind it.

The controller: Carrier Room Controller, part number C024509H01, made by Panasonic for Carrier. Buttons for MODE, FAN, up/down, small segment LCD, built-in temperature sensor. No IR receiver on the system at all.

The wiring: three wires marked **P**, **G**, **C**. My multimeter shows about 27 V in DC mode and 35 V in AC mode between P and G, so I'm fairly sure it's 24 VAC control power and the controller rectifies it on board. C is a single-wire serial bus to the indoor unit.

What I've found so far:

- The protocol is proprietary and undocumented. Nothing on GitHub, ESPHome, or Home Assistant forums for this generation. Carrier's own spare-parts store sells a "redesigned" version (C024509H01-R) with a note that it was rebuilt from very limited info, so even Carrier seems to have lost the docs.

- Toshiba/Carrier AB bus and US Carrier Infinity (ABCD) components exist, but this is a different product line and almost certainly a different protocol.

- The indoor unit control board has a conventional 24 V terminal strip (R, C, Y, O, W2) according to the installation manual, which would be the easy way in, but I can't reach it.

Options I'm weighing:

1. Keep the OEM board, bolt an ESP32 next to it. Transistors across the four tactile switches for commands, and a resistor divider off the C line to passively sniff the bus for state (mode, setpoint, room temp). No need to transmit, no need to crack the checksum. Power the ESP32 from P/G through a bridge rectifier and a 60 V input buck.

2. Full protocol reverse engineering. Logic analyzer on the bus, figure out baud/frame/CRC, emulate the controller completely. Cleanest result, longest path.

3. Fake the thermostat sensor. Replace the onboard NTC with a digital pot driven by the ESP32 so the OEM controller thinks the room is hotter or colder than it is. Gives setpoint control with zero bus work, but no mode/fan control.

I'm leaning toward 1 + 3 combined, with 2 as a stretch goal once I have bus captures.

Questions:

- Has anyone dealt with this specific controller family or a sibling (Carrier 40KMC/40KMQ cassettes used the same CRC)? Any idea what the bus speed or framing looks like?

- Is there a known approach for passive bus sniffing on a 24 V single-wire HVAC serial line without an opto? Thinking a 47k/6.8k divider plus a 5V1 zener into the ESP32 pin.

- Anyone who has done the "fake NTC with a digital pot" trick on an HVAC controller: did the OEM firmware notice or complain?

- Any reason not to run the ESP32 directly from the controller's 24 VAC supply? I'm worried about current headroom since the OEM board only draws around 20 mA.

Photos: the controller front, and the open board with the P/G/C header, the Panasonic SBL3065E MCU, the 4 MHz resonator and the bus interface transistors in the right corner.

Any pointers appreciated, including "this is a dead end, do X instead".

This is V1, using a TP-Link Tapo camera recessed into the ceiling with privacy mode integrated into Home Assistant. Away mode activates privacy and Home mode hides them

It's not nearly as fancy as the linear actuator setup, but it does the job!

Working on V2, which will be designed to fit inside a standard recessed light trim ring for a much cleaner, more finished look. Recesses it further in

Here's a quick video of it in action: Youtube video link with Home Assistant