Smart Home

Smart Home tech has gone from niche to mainstream in a hurry, and now it's tough to have a home without some sort of internet-connected device. You'll find everything you need to know about Smart Home tech right here.

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The Ring Stick Up Cam set up
Ring's new encryption should keep the company out of your security footage

TAKE limits Ring's access after years of privacy worries.

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Everything Presence Pro mmWave and PIR sensor.
6 weird Home Assistant sensors that make any home feel futuristic

Stop living in the past.

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An iPhone showing a Home Assistant dashboard for using screen time earned by completing chores.
I built a chore-tracking dashboard for my kids that pays out in screen time, not allowance

Clean time wins you screen time.

An Android phone with the Google Assistant window visible at the bottom of the screen saying Hi how can I help.
5 things you should do before Google Assistant disappears in September

Once it's gone, it's gone.

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IKEA Bilresa packaging.
I've used IKEA's new smart home devices for 8 months—here's the 5 I would buy again

They're good because they're good, not because they're cheap

A smart plug underneath a laptop that's been repurposed as a home server.
5 unconventional smart plug setups that solve real homelab problems

My home server doesn't have an IPMI, but it does have a $10 smart plug.

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An Amazon Echo Dot speaker in a kitchen.
Don't toss out your old Echo Dot just yet, the open source community found a way to reuse it

Old tech, new life.

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ESP32-CAM module with breadboard and motion sensor.
3 ESP32-powered camera projects to make this weekend (Aug 21 - 23)

From smart home to hobbies.

A soil sensor embedded in the soil of a potted plant.
3 Home Assistant projects to put smart home tech in unusual places this weekend (Aug 21-23)

Smart home devices where you least expect them.

An ESP32 plugged into a power cable lying between a coffee machine and an espresso maker on a kitchen countertop.
Give these 4 forgotten USB devices a second life in Home Assistant

Your junk drawer may not be junk after all.

Back of the ESP32 2432S028 Cheap Yellow Display board showing the Guition label ESP32 module SD card slot and USB ports.
Why a Cheap Yellow Display should be your next ESP32 purchase

The future’s cheap and yellow.

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Amazon Fire TV Stick HD (2026)
Fire TV devices now get Alexa+ for free, no Amazon Prime required

Your streaming stick and TV just became a better value.

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Comcast Xfinity Storm Wifi 2-1
Comcast will turn your Xfinity router into a home motion detector (in exchange for some privacy)

Your modem's Wi-Fi can be used as a security tool.

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An IKEA air quality monitor on a Bambu Lab P2S 3D printer.
5 smart home gadgets you can replace with an ESP32 and a 3D printer

A smarter way to build your smart home.

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Sonos Era 300 in white sitting on a shelf next to a record player.
Sonos brought back the phone controls your speaker has been missing for years

You can control your music from your iPhone without launching the app.

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Pokemon-style pixel home layout by u/katschung on Reddit.
This Home Assistant fan built a Pokémon-style dashboard that mirrors their home in real-time

Home Assistant, I choose you.

An iPhone open the to Ring Plan page of the Ring app
4 smart home devices that work better without a subscription

You get what you don't pay for.

A Kindle 4 lying on the base of a  bedside lamp on a bedside cabinet.
I connected my Kindle to my bedroom light, and now I can’t go back

Less reed switch, more read switch.

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SceneGlow running on Android TV.
3 ways to make an ESP32-powered Ambilight for your TV or monitor this weekend (Aug 14 - 16)

Roll your own responsive ambient lighting.

IKEA Parasoll contact sensors.
3 Home Assistant projects to do new things with old tech this weekend (Aug 14-16)

Who says you need to use devices as intended?

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