Tasmota: When ESPHome Isn't Enough
Tasmota vs ESPHome: broader device support, MQTT-native approach, and when legacy Sonoff/Shelly gear demands Tasmota instead
Tag: home-automation
All the articles with the tag "home-automation".
Reolink + Frigate: A Practical NVR Build
Build a DIY NVR with Reolink PoE cameras and Frigate. RTSP URLs, sub-stream tricks, storage math, doorbell support, and a complete working config.
Frigate Beyond Coral: GPU and OpenVINO
When Coral USB isn't enough: GPU and OpenVINO detector performance, config gotchas, hardware picks for home lab NVR
MQTT Broker Choices: Mosquitto vs EMQX
Mosquitto vs EMQX: lightweight vs enterprise MQTT brokers. Feature comparison, clustering, auth, resource use, and when each is overkill for your home lab.
Z-Wave vs Zigbee in 2026
Z-Wave vs Zigbee: range, mesh, cost, and which radio protocol to choose for home automation in 2026.
Matter and Thread for the Suspicious
Matter and Thread protocol overview: what actually works in home labs, what's vaporware, and why you should be skeptical of the hype in 2026.
Local Voice Assistant: Whisper + Piper + Home Assistant
Ditch Alexa and Google Home. Build a fully local voice assistant with Whisper STT, Piper TTS, and Home Assistant using the Wyoming protocol.
Homebridge vs Home Assistant Hub Showdown
Homebridge bridges devices into Apple Home. Home Assistant is the full local automation platform. Here's which one to pick, or why you'd run both.
ESPHome: DIY IoT Without Cloud
ESP32 boards + ESPHome's YAML firmware = your own cloud-free smart sensors and switches. Sensors, OTA updates, and Home Assistant integration in 30 minutes.
Zigbee2MQTT vs ZHA
Two paths to running Zigbee in Home Assistant, Zigbee2MQTT for power-user flexibility, ZHA for plug-and-play. Coordinator hardware, range, and the migration myth.
Home Assistant on Proxmox
Running Home Assistant OS as a Proxmox VM beats Docker for full Add-ons, USB passthrough, and Supervisor features. Setup, USB sticks, and zero-headache backups.
Photon vs ESPHome: ESP Firmware Compared
Particle Photon 2 vs ESPHome for ESP32 projects: cloud lock-in, OTA updates, Home Assistant integration, and which firmware wins for self-hosters long-term.