I have been reading about and trying out various home automation projects since around 2013. I have been using Home Assistant regularly for home automation since 2020 first in an apartment I rented for trial and error. In 2021 I moved into a house and was able to fully focus on automating my home. This may not be the best or most up to date guide, but it is my guide with focus on realistic implementation and long term stability.

Philosophy

I have a few core prinicples for home automation.

• User elements such as lights and power outlets should work normally with local switches, with or without central control.
  • This means that I must always be able to turn on a room’s light using a wall switch or turn off an applicance with the outlet switch.
• Personal safety and security is more important than convenience
• Critical elements of the home must work even if the internet fails. All other elements prefers local control over cloud where possible
• Use trusted brands and open standards/open source where possible. Pay more to retain control
• Do not simply replace physical buttons with a phone app
• Users should have no learning curve to use lights and plugs and critical elements of the home
• Automation should augment and not replace
• Tech should be invisible
• This list will change

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