How to Make a Smart Home Test Bench
Sometimes we DIY smart home people install smart devices and they don’t work. At first, we scratch our heads wondering what went wrong. Did I install it wrong? Is there a loose …
smart switch
5 Local Control Alternatives to Popular Smart Home Products
Local control smart home products have many advantages over cloud control. Three important advantages are: You can keep controlling them even when your Internet service is down or you have some other …
Smart Home Dimming with The Shelly Dimmer 2
Background on my use case I’ve been a fan of TP-Link (Kasa) smart home products for a while. They are inexpensive, allow local control, and work well. A couple of things happened …
Shelly Plug US: Is it the Best Smart Plug?
Smart plugs are an essential part of any smart home build. In my book, The Smart Home Manual, I include smart plugs as part of the basics for those wanting to get …
Equipping Your Smarthome For COVID-19 Coronavirus
All over the world people are dealing with the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic. As of the time of the writing of this article, COVID-19 has already infected more than 13 times the number …
Creating a Smart Fireplace Switch With A Shelly Relay
“Ok Google, turn on my fireplace” sounds both exciting and scary. Creating a smart fireplace switch is something I have been interested in for a long time. I hesitated due to perceived …
Brilliant Home Control: Light Switch of the Future
When it comes to smart homes, the only thing more difficult than building one is making them easy to control. Many DIY smarthomes are littered with features that only the person who …