Everything about smarthome: Home Assistant, ESPHome, Zigbee, automations and smart devices tested in practice.
Smarthome
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Measure water level in cisterns and tanks with Home Assistant, ESPHome and TL-136 pressure sensor
How do you measure the fill level of a cistern or tank with little effort and good accuracy? I have a solution with ESPHome and a TL-136 pressure sensor. Including ESP32-C3 configuration, calibration and FAQ.
The 5 Biggest Home Assistant Myths – and What's Really Behind Them
Home Assistant has to contend with plenty of misconceptions. I debunk the 5 most persistent myths – from “only for tech nerds” and “cloud-dependent” to update anxiety. With facts on power consumption, backup strategies, security, and what happens when the smart home maintainer is no longer around.
Tesla in Home Assistant: Owner API vs. Fleet API
How to get your Tesla into Home Assistant – which API to use, what it costs and what you can automate.
TL-136 pressure sensor – how it works & how to use it
Hydrostatic pressure sensor with 4-20-mA current loop: how the TL-136 works and how to pick the right measuring range.
The Dilemma: Home Assistant Automations, Node-RED or PyScript?
There are many ways to bring logic into the smart home. But which is the right one? A comparison between native Home Assistant automations, the visual Node-RED, and the programmatic solution via PyScript – and why the “YAML hell” has lost its horror today.
The Dilemma: Home Assistant Automations, Node-RED, or PyScript?
There are many ways to bring logic into your smart home. But which one is right for you? A comparison between native Home Assistant automations, the visual Node-RED, and the programmatic solution via PyScript — and why the “YAML hell” has lost its terror today.
Home Assistant Labels: Organize Your Smart Home Cleverly and Automate Better
Use Home Assistant labels and areas strategically to organize your smart home flexibly and create smart automations easily.
Is Homeway.io a cheaper alternative to Nabu Casa when it comes to Home Assistant?
Homeway.io is a new provider that promises simple remote access to Home Assistant, including integration with Alexa and Google, and it’s even free. What do we make of it?
What is Home Assistant and what can you do with it?
What is Home Assistant and what can you do with it? Does Home Assistant help save energy and how much does it cost?
5 must-have integrations for Home Assistant
Home Assistant is only really powerful thanks to its many integrations, but which ones should you start with? I’ll introduce you to 5 of my favourite Home Assistant integrations.
Can you save energy with a smart home?
Can a smart home really help save energy and if so, how? We’ve had a very comprehensive smart home for 5 years and I’ll show you what’s really smart.
Home Assistant and Amazon Alexa without Nabu Casa: faster and more reliable
With Home Assistant and Amazon Alexa, you can also control many things using voice commands. However, the current difficulties with Nabu Casa’s offer have shown me that this also means a loss of speed.
Home Assistant Quickie: NFC tags as switches
NFC tags are very easy to use with Home Assistant and offer a whole host of possible applications. I’ll show you one of them.
My experiences from 2 years of Home Assistant use - plus 10 tips and tricks
I have been using Home Assistant for exactly 2 years now. I would therefore like to share with you some experiences and 10 tips for getting started and using it.
Quooker - The boiling water tap in a practical test
Instant boiling water straight from the tap? We tested the Quooker!
Quooker: Power consumption is lower than you think!
We have been using the Quooker boiling water tap every day for 1 1/2 years. However, many people are concerned about the power consumption of this practical kitchen tap. I have measured it for you.
Start with Home Assistant - which platform to choose?
Home Assistant is probably the most comprehensive and fastest-developing smart home platform. But how do you get started with it and which platform should you choose for Home Assistant?
That's why Home Assistant is the best smart home software!
I have tested all the smarthome software solutions worth mentioning. Starting with OpenHAB, FHEM, Domoticz and IO Broker, until I got stuck with Symcon. Now I’m using Home Assistant.
The 5 best sensors for Home Assistant
Sensors are what make a smart home really intelligent. Here are 5 inexpensive sensors that you can use to record temperature, humidity and other values.
This is what my Home Assistant installation looks like
In this article, you can find out what my Home Assistant installation looks like and which systems I have in use.
Our Sungrow PV system with SH10RT, SBR160 storage system and wallbox
In this post I will share our experiences with the Sungrow components as users, show the technical details of our Sungrow PV system and highlight some very interesting features, including e-car charging and the emergency power function with black start.
DIY irrigation control with Home Assistant and ESPHome
This is how my control system for 24 volt irrigation valves based on ESPHome works.
Home Assistant: What is the difference between integrations, add-ons, HACS, HA Core and HAOS?
What do add-ons, HACS, integrations, HA Core and HA OS do? What are the differences? A brief explanation.
The 10 most common Home Assistant mistakes that you should definitely avoid
Before using Home Assistant, there are a few basic things you should consider and think about. I have written down 10 of them.
Which hardware should I choose for Home Assistant?
Which platform is suitable for whom and which application and what are my recommendations for the perfect home assistant hardware?
Choosing a Home Assistant Server: 3 Configurations with Pros and Cons
When it comes to choosing hardware for a Home Assistant server, there are several approaches. I’ve summarized 3 different configurations with their pros and cons.
Experiences with the AL-KO Robolinho 1300 W robotic mower after 170 mowing hours
Since the end of February 2024, the AL-KO Robolinho 1300 W robotic mower has been mowing our property. Time for an interim assessment with our experiences.
AL-KO Robolinho 1300 W robotic mower - first test run successful
I’ve done the first test with the AL-KO Robolinho 1300 W robotic mower and am impressed by the features and function. Here are some experiences from the first test.
Tronity releases integration for Home Assistant
Tronity, the platform for monitoring electric cars, has released an official integration for Home Assistant.
Our new PV system: Sungrow SH10RT hybrid inverter, SBR096 battery storage and wallbox installed
On March 15, 2023, our Sungrow SH10RT hybrid inverter, the storage system and the Sungrow wallbox were installed.
10 tips: The best accessories for Home Assistant
Home Assistant is incredibly flexible and expandable. I’ll introduce you to hardware that you should definitely take a look at.
Home Assistant Quickie: Backup to Google Drive
Backup is also essential for the smart home. Even more important is having a backup in an independent location. With the Home Assistant Google Drive Backup, this is quick, easy and secure.
Home Assistant and ZigBee – ZHA, DeConz or ZigBee2MQTT?
To integrate ZigBee devices like Philips Hue, IKEA Tradfri, Lidl Silvercrest, or Aqara sensors into Home Assistant, there are 3 systems to choose from. I’ll share my experiences with them.
Measuring room temperature - the right way!
Knowing the room temperature is the basis for saving on heating costs. But how do you measure it correctly? I have some tips - also for Home Assistant.
Home Assistant Quickie: Monitoring website status
If you run a website like a blog or an online shop, you want to know whether it’s reachable. With Home Assistant, that’s quick and easy.
How I save 34% on gas - also thanks to Home Assistant and what the EnSimiMaV is
Gas prices are skyrocketing and with them the search for savings opportunities or alternatives. However, you have a big lever on your own heating system that is hardly used.
Home Assistant Quickie: Displaying values as percentages
A percentage display is often much more intuitive than a raw measurement value. I’ll show you how to output such values.
OpenMower - robotic mower with GPS/RTK based on Yardforce mowers
The OpenMower project turns a “dumb” Yardforce robotic mower into a GPS/RTK mower that works without a perimeter wire.
Nabu Casa increases prices for Home Assistant Cloud
Nabu Casa, the company behind Home Assistant, has increased the prices for the cloud subscription. However, this price adjustment comes at an inopportune time.
Measuring power consumption with the Shelly 3EM and Home Assistant
Electricity prices are exploding. With the Shelly 3EM you can measure the entire power consumption of an apartment or house and optimize your usage.
LCN-VISU coupler with OpenHAB connects to Alexa and Philips Hue
LCN Issendorff has listened to the wishes of many LCN users with the new LCN-VISU bus coupler and thus enables a simple connection to Alexa voice control and Philips Hue devices. But there’s even more.
My new ESPHome multi-sensor with display for Home Assistant
With the ESPHome platform, you can implement extensive projects based on affordable ESP8266 and ESP32 controllers in a short time. In this post, I’ll show you one of my more extensive ESPHome projects.
Home Assistant: Cleanly integrating entities into Amazon Alexa
One of the best features of a smart home hub is voice control via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. For this to work as desired and with your own names for the various lights, blinds, etc., these should be clearly defined in Home Assistant. Here’s how it works.
Using affordable Xiaomi Mijia BLE sensors with Home Assistant
Xiaomi not only offers quite affordable ZigBee sensors, but also Bluetooth BLE models that are even cheaper. With ESPHome, they can be used easily and conveniently in Home Assistant.
Creating automations with multiple switching times in Home Assistant
Automations are the core of good smart home control. Using the example of a simple garden irrigation system, I’ll show you how to combine multiple switching times and conditions.
Integrating NAS and network drives with Home Assistant
Home Assistant can play music and videos and work as a coordinator for many devices such as Amazon Echo, AV receivers, etc. But how do you get the media collection from a NAS or network drive into Home Assistant? Here’s a guide.
AI-powered surveillance cameras with Home Assistant, Frigate and Google Coral
With Frigate, surveillance camera software has moved into Home Assistant that can intelligently evaluate image content.
LCN Issendorff - concept and basics of building automation
In this post, I’d like to introduce you to the basics and concepts of LCN Issendorff building automation.
CO2 traffic light with ESPHome and Home Assistant
To minimize the risk of infection with corona viruses indoors, regular ventilation is recommended. The CO2 content of the room air is a good indicator for this. I’ve built a solution based on ESPHome.
Monitoring websites and web servers with Node-Red
Website monitoring doesn’t have to be left to an external service, but can simply be done with Node-Red - including convenient notification.
Freeing Xiaomi Roborock vacuum robots from the cloud
The Roborock vacuum robots from Xiaomi are fabulous products, if only it weren’t for the forced connection to the Chinese cloud. With the alternative firmware Valetudo RE, the vacuum works without the cloud and also gets interesting new functions.
How to cut and remove blackberries safely
How to cut and remove blackberries safely and easily without special thorn-proof gloves.