Building one house to be fully smart.
This is the running log of a house I'm building and wiring myself. Home Assistant is the brain, Google Home is what the rest of the household actually talks to, and Somfy moves every blind and shade. Every guide here comes out of a decision I had to make on site.
Written from a building site, not a spec sheet
Most smart home content online is written by people who have never pulled a cable or plugged in the device they're rating. This site is the opposite. It follows one house from empty walls to finished rooms, and the stack was picked before the plasterboard went up: Home Assistant runs the logic locally, Google Home handles voice and the everyday routines my family uses, Somfy motors drive the blinds and the external shades. Everything else has to prove it plays nicely with those three.
So the guides here answer the questions a build actually throws at you. Where do you run the Ethernet? How many neutrals do you need behind a switch box? What breaks when the internet drops at 8pm on a Sunday? Devices I test spend at least two weeks in daily use before I'll give a verdict, and every claimed integration gets checked on its own. The catalogue here is bigger than one house, so where a review is built from specifications and owner reports instead, the page says so. No manufacturer pays for a score, and none previews my copy.
Latest Posts
Fresh guides, reviews, and news — published this week.
Browse all blog posts →
Discover how smart switches can transform your home lighting experience, making it...
Learn how to charge your Roku doorbell with this simple guide. Ensure...
Discover the top 5 Google Nest features that will improve your home...
See where Somfy leads the smart home automation market, where it doesn't,...
Robot vacuums, led by iRobot's Roomba and Samsung, have transformed home cleaning...
A robot vacuum that maps house layouts lets modern cleaners build digital...
Understanding the pros and cons of robot vacuum cleaners versus traditional models...
Discover how the advanced sensors in robot vacuums allow them to easily...
The brain: Home Assistant
Everything in the house runs through it, locally, and keeps working when the internet doesn't.
HACS holds a huge catalogue of community integrations, and only a small...
Home Assistant is the most capable local smart home platform available, but...
Home Assistant gives you full local control over every smart device in...
Home Assistant 2026.3, titled A clean sweep, is a polish release: vacuum...
Smart Cameras & Security
Top‑rated cameras from Wyze, Arlo, and Blink for complete home monitoring.
Browse all products →
Aqara Camera G100 offers 2K resolution, AI person detection, 140-degree view, IP65...
Google Nest Cam Indoor (wired, 3rd gen) offers 2K HDR video, 152-degree...
Google Nest Cam Outdoor (wired, 2nd gen) records 2K HDR at 152...
Kasa KC410S delivers 2K+ resolution, 360° pan and tilt coverage, AI person...
TP-Link Tapo C100 delivers 1080p video, person and baby-cry detection, 40 ft...
Dual-lens baby camera with 2K and 1080p lenses, 360 degree pan, 140...
Eufy Video Doorbell C31 is a 2K, battery or wired doorbell with...
The Google Nest Doorbell (Wired, 3rd Gen) offers 2K HDR video, 166°...
The Kasa KD110 is a hardwired 2K video doorbell with an indoor...
Philips Hue Secure Wired Video Doorbell with Smart Chime: 2K camera, color...
Aqara G400 wired doorbell with 2K video, 165-degree head-to-toe view, PoE or...
2K video doorbell with built-in Matter hub, HomeKit Secure Video, mmWave radar...
Roborock S8 Pro Ultra: 6,000 Pa suction, sonic mop, self-washing dock. Gone...
Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum uses 360-degree vision, Hyperdymium motor suction,...
Slim 2.85-in robot vac with 2000 Pa suction, 100-min runtime and 55...
Eufy X9 (listed by Eufy as X9 Pro) pairs 5,500 Pa suction...
Premium robot vacuum-mop with Clean Base® self-emptying dock, AI obstacle avoidance and...
The Neato D10 is a D-shaped lidar robot vacuum with True HEPA...
Command with your voice
Routines and natural‑language tips for Siri, Alexa, and Google.
Want to control your Home Assistant setup away from home? This guide...
IKEA's 2026 smart home push is built on Matter over Thread. This...
Apple Home connects hundreds of HomeKit and Matter devices through a single...
Smart speakers from Amazon, Google, and Apple work differently for home control....
Articles by topic
Explore our Home Assistant integration guides for popular smart home platforms and...
Discover how to easily integrate Philips Hue with Home Assistant to create...
Learn how to integrate Shelly devices with Home Assistant for local smart...
Home Assistant installation takes about 30 minutes on a Raspberry Pi. Here's...
Unleash the power of Raspberry Pi in your smart home with advanced...
Homey Pro and Home Assistant take different approaches to smart home control....
Aqara H1 EU Smart Wall Switch WS-EUK01: single-rocker Zigbee 3.0 switch for...
The Fujitsu ARXD024GLEH is a 7.1 kW cooling, 8.0 kW heating slim...
The Fujitsu ARXK009GLGH is a 2.8 kW low static ducted indoor unit...
The Fujitsu ASEH12KMCG and AOEH12KMCG make a 3.4 kW R32 wall split...
The Gardena Smart Irrigation Control 19032-20 runs up to six 24V valves...
The Gree Versati III split is a 10 kW R32 air-to-water heat...
Philips Hue Smart Button offers easy, one-click control of your smart lights....
Sonoff ZBMINIL2 Zigbee mini switch fits in any EU wall box. No...
The Aqara Dual Relay Module T2 enables control of two circuits for...
Smart LED bulb with Thread or Zigbee, 2000-9000K white and 16M colors...
The Aqara LED Strip T1 offers vibrant colors, smart controls, and easy...
Illuminate your space with Govee LED Strip Light M1 (5m). Bright RGBICW...
Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 combines climate control, security monitoring, and Matter hub...
Aqara Radiator Thermostat W600 offers smart scheduling, extended 2-year battery life, and...
Arduino sketches are a fine way to build smart sensors if you...
HACS opens Home Assistant to community integrations, custom dashboard cards, themes, and...
Home Assistant YAML automations get hard to read past 30 lines. Once...
LC on the Avatto TRV06 display is the child lock, not a...