So you keep hearing about how Home Assistant is the ultimate smart home platform, but you still feel lost. Here are some burning questions you might need answered before you can take the next step.

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.

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.

You’ve probably seen those social media adverts for minimalist maps of your city, but did you know you can create your own? While it might seem like a lot of work, this simple Python script takes minutes to set up and is easy to use on pretty much any computer.

So you’ve decided to take your first steps towards building a smart home. The biggest hurdle ahead of you is deciding which platform you should use, and this likely depends on a few factors, like which ecosystems you’re already familiar with and comfortable using.

Raspberry Pi devices are popular among retro enthusiasts looking to emulate old computers and consoles, but this usually only goes as far as software. What you might not have considered is that the Raspberry Pi can also play a role in reviving old hardware.

I hate buying USB adapters because I vividly remember the days when they’d come free with every smartphone or USB-powered device. Though it’s not free, IKEA’s new USB-C adapter offers fast charging at the unbeatable price of $4.

The ability to swap operating systems on a whim is one of the best things about single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi. You can write a new operating system to a memory card whenever you fancy, and keep a small collection of cards handy whenever you want to change.

Apple Home is my favorite of the “big 4” proprietary smart home systems, with its focus on local control and tight integration with Apple’s devices. But it still pales in comparison to Home Assistant, a powerful open-source solution.

Most smart home sensors are designed for use inside the house, which is where their presence is most useful. But there’s no reason the data they gather and triggers they enable can’t have utility outside, too. Here are a few all-weather examples of outdoor sensors that you might have overlooked.

Contact sensors, often known as door or window sensors, use magnets to sense open or closed states. You can use this information and the changing of these states to do all sorts of neat things in your smart home.

Home Assistant is a Linux-based smart home operating system with a very low barrier to entry. In addition to being completely free, its minimum system specifications mean it works on most computers produced within the last 10 to 15 years (plus humble single-board computers).

Not all Raspberry Pi projects require a display, like home servers and DNS sinkholes. But not all projects are alike, and sometimes your choice of display can greatly influence the end result.