Swapping Etekcity RF outlets to Tuya Wi-Fi switch outlets
My Broadcom RM Pro Hub finally died this week. The hub was in service for about 2 or 3 years and was used exclusively to control my Etekcity…
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Smart Home
Easily Upgrade your Outdoor Lighting with LED Solar Spot lights!
I’ve realized that not everything has to be ‘smart’ to offer value to the house. In fact, I usually love Smart Features when they are really exemplify energy…
How to add Smart Landscaping lights to your Yard with Home Assistant
This week, I got a special package from Teckin! They were nice enough to send me an SS31 Outdoor Smart Outlet to try out. In fact, they sent…
Simplifying your Hue configuration with Home Assistant
I think this post and video are kind of like maintenance posts for Home Assistant. The Phillips Hue component and integration have been around since the very beginning…
Upgrading Home Assistant and Fixing icon_template warning errors
Amazon Prime Day is over and now it is time to upgrade everything. We will be upgrading our chair and then Home Assistant! It’s been at least a…
How to upgrade Docker Cockpit on Ubuntu 18.04
I run Docker for all of my Smart Home related servers. My docker-compose file is on my GitHub repository and that is primarily how I start and stop…
How to use Template conditions in Home Assistant
It is finally Summer! School is over and the kids are home for a couple of months. My Smart Home was previously adjusted using Home Assistant to the…
Home Assistant Breaking Change: All Light Groups
I have been running Home Assistant from the very beginning and the very first light group I used was the auto generated group.all_lights. This was an auto-generated light…
Elevate your home security with these essential additions to Alexa Guard
I was pretty excited when they announced Amazon Guard way back in September 2018. I’m doubly excited now that it has finally been rolled out to the masses…