The smarthome journey

  • Blog
  • New Guide V2
  • My smart home devices
  • My smart home software
  • Impressum
  • Datenschutzerklärung

HomeAssistant

Software

Displaying Home Assistant data on your MagicMirror

A MagicMirror is the perfect display to show your smart home condition. Here is how to display data from Home Assistant using the MagicMirror system for smart mirrors. What is a MagicMirror? A so called magic mirror is a very futuristic and cool looking piece of furniture. It is basically Read more…

By Oliver, 1 year08.12.2023 ago
Automation

Relaxed automation – a simple DIY bed / chair / presence sensor

Sit down = lights on? I built a very simple DIY presence sensor for your bed or chair that is used to trigger automations in Home Assistant. It is a cheap and simple build that opens up a lot of options for your smart home. The sensor – FSR In Read more…

By Oliver, 2 years03.12.2023 ago
HomeAssistant

How to upgrade? raspberrypi4-homeassistant is stuck at version 2023.7.0

If you are using the raspberrypi4-homeassistant Docker images you might have noticed that no newer versions are added anymore. Here is why that is happening and how you can easily still upgrade to the latest version. Docker image sources for Home Assistant There are a couple of different ways to Read more…

By Oliver, 2 years21.09.2023 ago
Basics

Home Assistant basics II – what the heck are automations, blueprints, scenes and scripts?

Home Assistant is an awesome system but when you get started the terminology can be confusing. Here is a quick explanation what automations, blueprints, scenes and scripts are in Home Assistant. Home Assistant basics – terminology around automations In part I of this series I described the Home Assistant terminology Read more…

By Oliver, 2 years04.02.2023 ago
Basics

Home Assistant basics – what the heck are devices, entities, integrations and services?

Home Assistant is maybe the best open smart home controller out there but if you are new to it some of the terms can be a bit confusing. As a first step towards Home Assistant basics, here is what devices, entities, integrations, services and helpers are. Home Assistant basics – Read more…

By Oliver, 2 years29.01.2023 ago
Automation

Powerful automated reminders via Home Assistant and how to clear notifications

Everybody forgets things. With Home Assistant you can use the power of your smart home to stop that. I build a well working reminder system via Home Assistant for different tasks. Its fully features with a text reminder, virtual or physical button to confirm it and a log. Here is Read more…

By Oliver, 2 years14.01.2023 ago
smart heating

The hottest smart home device? Automated heating with the Aqara smart thermostat & Home Assistant

I automated my lights, my doorbell, my vacuum and more. Next are the thermostats. A smart thermostat can be very convenient and even save money. Here is how I used the Aqara smart thermostat with ZHA and Home Assistant. The hardware – Aqara E1 smart thermostat There are currently a Read more…

By Oliver, 2 years01.01.2023 ago
smart light

A small Zigbee smart plug with power measurement – is the best smart plug for ZHA from Aqara?

Smart plugs allow you to measure power usage and turn pretty much every electricity powered device smart(er). Which is the best one? The Aqara smart plug makes a pretty good case for joining your Home Assistant and ZHA DIY smart home with its small and sleek design and the included Read more…

By Oliver, 2 years09.12.2022 ago
HomeAssistant

Using the Google Pixel watch with Home Assistant – should you buy it as a smart home device?

A smart watch is great for controlling your smart home as you have it with you all the time. I recently bought the Google Pixel watch and gave it a try with the Home Assistant app – is it a great addition for your smart home or just a nice Read more…

By Oliver, 3 years04.12.2022 ago
Automation

Its magic! Controlling a Magic Mirror with a motion sensor from Home Assistant to save energy

A magic mirror is a stunning piece of furniture and tech but running it constantly draws a lot of power. I am switching mine on and off based on a motion sensor using Home Assistant. Here is how to do that. The Magic Mirror I have described how I built Read more…

By Oliver, 3 years07.11.2022 ago

Posts pagination

1 2 … 5 Next
Search
About this blog

This is my personal slice of the Internet, a place to show my projects and share ideas about all things smarthome, IoT and design

Looking to upgrade your smart home? Get my new & updated V2 Grafana guide here!
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • E-Mail
Hestia | Developed by ThemeIsle