Home Automation News
Homey, Home Assistant and AI in your Smart Home
I had the pleasure of catching up with smart home expert David Webster a few days ago and we talked about a bunch of interesting things. If you happen to watch the video (below) or listen to the podcast episode, my apologies for the out-of-sync audio. It sounds like I’m constantly talking over the top […]...
Smart Devices that Need 2.4Ghz Wifi
A couple of months ago, I did something pretty silly. I split up my home wifi into separate 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz networks so that I could connect a couple of smart cameras. That move was the beginning of a very stressful and frustrating couple of weeks where I had to go through all of the […]...
Why Can’t I Re-Trigger Flows in Homey?
I’ve been a bit frustrated with some Homey flows (automation) recently because I’m not able to re-trigger them before the first automation has run its course. Let me give you a couple of examples of what I mean. One flow that we have goes something like this: However, if vibration is detected anytime after triggering […]...
Smart Home Wifi Chaos Recovery
I managed to get almost everything back online and functioning again after the chaos that ensued after my last update. In fact, for several devices, they’re actually working better than before because I was forced to dive in and take a closer look at them. For instance, I didn’t even know that Sonos had their […]...
Change Wifi name, break everything?!
I recently realized that I needed to split out my home wifi network into two networks, a 2.4GHz network and a 5GHz network. The reason for that is that previously I only had one network that was 5GHz, but I came to realize that a bunch of smart home devices require 2.4GHz. This was news […]...
My vibration sensor automation didn’t work out
I recently bought an Aqara vibration sensor with the plan of affixing it to our dining room table for the purpose of setting up a flow in Homey such that if it’s nighttime and the table is bumped or tapped anywhere, the light would turn ON and stay on for 10 minutes. It didn’t really […]...
I got my first Homey flows going
I’m excited to report that I managed to get my first few flows live in Homey. I connected the Aqara T1 LED bulb to both Alexa and Homey and have a couple of flows running using that device. I also got the Aqara water leak sensor connected to Homey and am totally thrilled with it […]...
Why my Meross door sensor doesn’t work with Homey
Learn more about Automated Home here. Sorry for not sharing updates for a while. It turns out people aren’t exaggerating when they tell you having a baby is an incredibly busy and sleep-deprived time. I really need to buy some new smart home devices and start connecting them to either my Homey hub (preferably), or […]...
Sonos CEO Issues an Apology
Nearly 3 months after launching their botched app update, Patrick Spence has finally issued an apology for what happened and shared a timeline for getting the remaining issues resolved. Firstly, let me say that I know a lot of people have been negatively affected by the Sonos app update. If that’s you, I’m sorry and […]...
LG acquires a controlling stake in Athom
News is breaking that Korean LG (stock XKRX) has acquired 80% of Dutch Athom B.V. According to the Korea Times, financial details of the deal haven’t been disclosed, but LG is set to acquire 80% of Athom immediately with plans to acquire the remaining 20% over 3 years. Athom are the makers of the much-loved […]...
Samsung 8K TV with Sonos Arc and Sub (DIY Home AV Setup)
I recently bought a Samsung 8K TV, a Sonos Arc soundbar and a Sonos Sub Gen 3. It wasn’t cheap, but after slumming it on the home AV front for so long, I figured it was time to treat ourselves. I was like a kid in a candy store waiting to open all the boxes […]...
From Dumb Home to Smart Home (Day 1)
This is just a short post to show that I really am starting off my smart home journey from the beginning. No smart hub, no smart lighting, no smart security or audio, not even a television! Over the coming months and eventually years, I’m going to be adding pieces to my home and sharing my […]...
Responding to FullBore and the NEW Podcast
The forums are still broken, and everyone is frustrated (especially me). FullBore requested an update about the current situation with regard to the forums, so that’s what I dive into today. In short, I already paid for the latest version of the forum software only to discover that it’s not compatible with the current PHP […]...
Not the end, just the beginning
Hi everyone, my name’s Marty and I’m new here. I was originally planning to have the website and forums running smoothly before introducing myself, but things are taking too long and I don’t want to wait any longer. First, let me acknowledge the amazing work that Mark has done to bring the site from an […]...
Not The End…
This blog started in September 1996. 27 years on, the time has come to make a change. Almost 3 decades after I began my home automation journey, I’ve found my smart home nirvana. It was a long and winding road, and it’s been filled with great experiences, not least the many friendships made along the […]...
FlexiSpot Ergonomic Chair
Back in the summer we added the Comhar Standing Desk to the Automated Home. Now FlexiSpot have sent over their new BS11 PRO Ergonomic Chair to add to our WFH setup. Building The chair arrived in a single large box and took around 30 mins to build. All fasteners are supplied along with the Allen […]...