Home Assistant is arguably the best choice for anyone looking to start a smart home, but this is especially true for power users. If you want unhindered freedom to decide how your smart home functions and you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty, there’s no better choice.

The January weekends are already flying by. If you have a few hours to spare, here are some Home Assistant projects you could try, from creating your own weather display to making your smart home easier for guests to use.

Sometimes, you can create an automation in Home Assistant, and it will work perfectly the first time. Sadly, this isn't always the case. If your automation isn't working as expected, you may be able to find the problem faster using traces.

Home Assistant is free, open-source smart home software that allows you to connect and control a huge number of smart home devices, regardless of their brand or ecosystem. It's a technological marvel, but my favorite thing about Home Assistant has nothing to do with the tech at all.

The greatest TV show of all time is a subject that's hotly debated. Several shows are regularly cited as being the best, but you're all wrong. The greatest TV show of all time is actually something else.

It's easy to look back on the past with rose-colored glasses and remember everything as being better than it actually was. It's hard to deny, however, that a lot of apps and services are getting demonstrably worse. The Home Assistant smart home software is thankfully a clear exception to this rule.

For a long time, I thought I was losing my mind. Sometimes, when I open the Duolingo app, the number of Quest Points is lower than I remember having the day before. I was convinced I must be imagining things, but it turns out that this is happening to other people, too.

When I first started using Zigbee devices in my home, I wasn't impressed. The devices would regularly drop off the network, causing automations to fail. The solution was a $5 accessory that made all the difference.

Many smart home devices serve a clear purpose. If you want to measure humidity, for example, a humidity sensor fits the bill perfectly. There are some devices, however, that are so strange that it can be a challenge trying to figure out how to use them.

Creating automations in Home Assistant can be a long and time-consuming process. You don't have to reinvent the wheel, however. There are some useful blueprints that you can use to create complex automations in next to no time.

I was very late to the party with Notion. I tried the all-in-one workspace app a couple of years ago and didn't really get the hype. I recently tried it again, and now that I know just how much you can do by combining Notion with the automation software n8n, I kind of wish I'd left it alone. It's awesome—and that's the problem.

A smart home might feel out of reach if you're renting. However, there are several smart home upgrades that you can make that don't involve changing fixtures, drilling holes, or messing with wiring. You may find that there's a lot you can do without violating the terms of your rental agreement, and you can easily take everything with you if you move.

January is already flying by, and if your good intentions are still intact, you may be itching to continue improving your smart home. If you have some free time this weekend, here are three Home Assistant projects you might want to try.