My Setup
I wanted to build a smart home that was both functional and reliable. The goal: convenience and control, without sacrificing security or performance. The second goal: learn how this all works.
Networking
A smart home starts with the network. If your network is unreliable, everything else falls apart. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got a single router or a full networking rack—you need a solid foundation.
The point of a smart home is to control devices throughout your house. That requires a network. So that’s where I began.
I got lucky—my house has Ethernet ports in nearly every room. This lets me hardwire most devices directly to the server closet, where all the heavy lifting happens.
I went all-in on Ubiquiti, a networking company with a cult following. My internet comes through a 10GB fiber link into a 10G SFP+ port on my Dream Machine Pro. From there, it’s distributed via a 48-port POE switch.
I initially tried a TP-Link Deco system. It had great coverage but lacked the management tools I wanted. Ubiquiti’s dashboard, customizability, and robust security tools made the upgrade worth it.
Networking Stack:
- Router: Dream Machine Pro
- Switch: 48-port POE, 500W
- Access Points: 3x U7 Pro
Other networks
There are several other protocols (and wireless standards) that are widely available for smart home systems.
Z-wave - created by Silicon Labs, Z-wave operates on the 908 MHz frequency in the US. It offers strong meshing — meaning that adding additional devices increases (instead of decreases) the reliability of the network.
Zigbee - Zigbee is an open standard that have been used in the enterprise automation space since 2005. It operates on the 2.4ghz spectrum, making it more susceptible to interference as WiFi also operates at this frequency. However given its long history and since it’s an open standard, it likely has the broadest set of available devices.
WiFi - Almost all smart home devices that use WiFi use the 2.4ghz band, not the newer 5ghz or 6 ghz bands. The upside here is that devices can connect directly to a router you may already have. The downside is they can be extra unreliable and create vulnerabilities in your network unless you work hard to keep them segregated.
I decided to go with Z-wave for my home, primarily because it improves with more devices, and the new Long-Range variant removed any worries I had of poor signal between my devices.
My lights, outlets, and other switches are all from Zooz, who seems to have the best prices and rock solid devices.
Lighting
I use two different devices for lighting
Zooz Zen71/Zen72 On/Off and Dimmer
The Dimmer and On/Off switches are essentially the same, drop-in replacements for existing switches.
The Double relay is a great choice to minimize cost if you have multiple switches in one box that you’d like to make smart. It sits between the switch and the load. “Reading” the switch position, or receiving commands from your phone to turn the lights on / off.
Energy Monitoring
I added an Emporia Energy Monitoring kit to my electrical panel. It’s fantastic, but a word of caution: don’t install this yourself unless you’re comfortable with electrical work. Hire an electrician if you’re unsure—this isn’t something to mess around with.
The kit works by wrapping magnetic monitors around the inputs to your circuit breaker. These monitors measure the induced current and give you real-time electricity usage for every circuit in your house.
Dumb remotes → Smart devices
I have a gas fireplace that operates with an old IR (infrared) remote. I also have blinds that use another remote (who knows what the frequency they use is).
To connect these to my smart home I used a Bond Bridge. It can “learn” and relay commands over a number of wireless frequencies commonly used by fireplaces, shades, fans, air conditioners, etc.
It “learns” by detecting the signal when you press a button on your remote, you can then tell it which button was pressed (i.e. Fireplace → turn on), then it can regurgitate that command and turn your fireplace on.
Security
My home had a Honeywell Vista system pre-installed (not giving much away since this is the most commonly installed security system in the country).
The control panels look like they’re from the 90s, and programming it is truly archaic. However, it has hardwired sensors on doors and windows, as well as motion sensors. Now wouldn’t it be nice to use all that already-installed wiring? Yes!
I added an Envisalink 4 Max. It wires into the existing Honeywell or Ademco security system as if it were another control panel. But it also has an Ethernet port, allowing it to be controlled remotely (or limited to your home network like mine).
Wiring it in lets me use the Door/Window sensors, as well as the motion sensors for more than just security. These sensors are also used to control temperature and lighting.
FYI find your siren wires if you have them and disconnect, you may set it off as you install.
Climate
The house started with Nest thermostats installed. While the Nest looks great, it seems Google is sunsetting or abandoning the product line. They’ve bricked their security system (Nest Secure), making users rip it out and replace it in April 2024. There is also plenty of product confusion, like many google products, with Nest, Google Home and other lines.
I decided to switch to Ecobee, a company specifically focused on climate and security. So far their thermostats have been more accurate and reliable than the old nests.
However, for the past 6 months they’ve limited API access. Meaning the only way to access the thermostats is via a somewhat hacky workaround via Apple HomeKit. TBD if this is a long-term recommendation.
Ecosystem
In general when getting into a smart home it’s a good idea to choose one ecosystem. The large ones are:
- Amazon
- Apple
- SmartThings
- Home Assistant
- Hubitat
Overall my decision (spoiler alert: I chose Home Assistant) came down to a few observations.
- I don’t trust Google or Amazon with my data, or that they wont sunset a product line. That leaves Apple in the big-co camp, which has the most limited set of devices. That being said, I love being able to use Siri to control my devices (more on that later)
- SmartThings seems like a good option, but less powerful than Home Assistant.
- I started my journey with Hubitat. It has a great community and a scrappy team behind it. It also supports a wide range of Z-wave, Zigbee, and WiFi devices. However the ecosystem and dashboards are just no where near as advanced as Home Assistant.
So, that leaves Home Assistant (HA).
Pros
- Super vibrant community - if you need some esoteric integration, a community member has probably built it.
- Customizability - It is highly customizable. I have yet to find something that I want to do but can’t do to rigidity in the system.
- Local - everything runs locally, no cloud involved.
Cons
- You probably need to be an engineer, or very tech savvy to make full use of it
- Requires a standalone machine to run (if you’re in this deep you probably already have this)
- Not set-and-forget, there are frequent updates which sometimes need attention
All this said, I’ve absolutely loved Home Assistant, it feels like far more than an open-source project and more like a polished product — though currently a project for engineers and nerds, not your average consumer.
I currently have 118 devices which expose 707 entities within HA (one for each input/output/state of the device.
Cameras
I’m just beginning my exploration into cameras. Currently only running a G5 Bullet from Ubiquiti. So far it’s been rock solid.
Instead of running a long cable all the way out to it I use a Innotek POE WiFi Bridge to bridge it into my WiFi network.
Other integrations
PG&E
Cars
Vacuum
Tablet