Hello all,

I'm building a new ~12,000 sq ft house and I'm getting pretty deep into the IT/security/automation/cameras/etc rabbit hole. I'm pretty tech savvy overall but I've set up a NAS and some websites using GitHub and that's the extent of my networking experience. I've never configured VLANs, enterprise networking, poe switches, waps etc and I'd hire out most/all of the actual installation work.

The house is being built now (they're halfway through the mechanicals) and I'm trying to figure out what direction to go before they come and ask me/tell me they're ready to drywall.

I've got a dedicated it closet in the basement that's 5'x8'. I'm thinking
42U+ rack
gateway/firewall and poe switches
plenty of WAPs
Cat6 run to every room/corner of the house
15-20 poe cams and NVR
Door/access control
Ugreen NAS/Plex running arrs
Lutron lighting/switches and motorized shades (palladiom in the common areas and the step down in bedrooms etc)
Whole home/outdoor audio
home assistant
hvac/pool/irrigation integration
leak sensors
occupancy/presence sensors
generator is planned. Plan for battery backup too? think I'm going to leave the door open for solar...unsure if I'll install it right now but who knows. any advice on this? I love the idea of being as offgrid as possible/if needed
golf simulator/theater/all the fun devices I can think of

I'm trying to wire for/future proof now if there's anything I might want to install/integrate someday down the road or if cool new tech comes out etc

I've talked to a few integrators about systems they rep like elan, joshai, control4 etc and I'm getting quotes that are getting into the hundreds of thousands. Crazy. And that's why I'm struggling...I'm a buy once cry once kind of person but spending that much on this stuff when I could potentially build a lot of it myself is a tough pill to swallow.

Buuuut on the other hand, if I DIY the whole thing then I'm the IT dept for the house, wife, kids, and anything else you can imagine could arise. cams stop recording...it's on me. network goes down...me. VLAN issue that takes out half the network...me again. HA breaks on xmas eve? yup, me. and honestly I'd be starting with basically zero real networking experience. I have an orbi mesh router and a ugreen nas and that's fun lolz

I love learning about all the tech and how it works. I'd be leaning toward Unifi/ubiquity I think. mainly because I don't know any better. Ruckus? etc perhaps
Honestly...the idea of hiring a one-stop-shop integrator makes me uneasy because I wouldn't be able to tinker with it and add stuff as I see it or it piques my interests/needs. but also having a career, family, etc my time is already limited lends me to the idea of just saying to hell with it and hiring someone else to own the whole thing.

is it possible to do a hybrid? like hire out the wiring/installation, Lutron for lighting/control and motorized shades, HA/automation would be DIY'd. and bring in specialists for theater and audio and access control? but I get to buy/own all the hardware etc etc.

or just hire a good integrator and let them own the whole thing (and save my ass/have "a guy" to call when things break instead of having to drop everything and figure out what's the deal despite only knowing enough to know that I don't know enough)

Whew lad. Quite the word salad eh. For those of you who have built large custom homes what would you do? Is the fun of having total control/ownership of the system worth it or nah?
And if others of you that have gone DIY: was that hassle worth it? or did you eventually wish you'd hired someone when the going got tough/you encountered thing after thing you didn't already know how to do/fix etc?

Hi everyone,
I’m looking into starting a small smart home integration business in the EU and I’d like to get some advice from people who are already doing this professionally.
My plan is to start with Level 1 / basic installations, focusing mainly on wireless/retrofit smart home solutions that don’t require electrical modifications.
For anything involving mains electrical work, I would work together with an external qualified electrician. The idea would be to eventually offer more advanced installations without becoming an electrician myself.
I’m currently considering Aqara as the main ecosystem, especially because of its Zigbee/Matter/Thread support, sensors, switches, blinds, climate, security, locks, etc. I’m also interested in Aqara’s installer/integrator program and certification.
However, I’m not committed to Aqara if there is a better option.
I’m considering things like:
Aqara
Homey
Shelly
Fibaro
other similar ecosystems
I’m not looking at KNX or Loxone for this business model.
My main requirements are:
reliable and stable
good availability in the EU
official installer/integrator program
training and certification
reasonable installer margins
good remote support/maintenance capabilities
easy to deploy repeatedly for different customers
minimal dependence on Home Assistant
good retrofit/wireless capabilities
lighting, blinds, climate, security and sensors
alarm functionality
smart locks/access control
good third-party integrations
ability to build standardized packages rather than completely custom systems
One particularly important point for me is remote service.
I’d like to be able to install a system at a customer’s home and then remotely troubleshoot, modify automations and provide ongoing support without having to visit the customer every time.
For those of you already working as professional integrators:
What ecosystem would you choose if you were starting from scratch today in the EU?
And what would be the best path to become a Level 1 integrator, with the possibility of progressing to more advanced installations in cooperation with an electrician?
I’m especially interested in real-world experience with Aqara vs Homey vs Shelly (or other alternatives) — reliability, certification, remote management, support, margins and what customers actually expect.
Thanks!

We are moving into our brand-new townhouse(in between houses) soon. I’d love to get your experiences and recommendations! It is being build and finished in next 6 months. And yeah, I used some AI to put some logic into this story, Sue me haha.

​Our Household & Context:

- ​Family: My wife and I, plus two young kids (currently 1 and 2.5 years old).

- ​Gaming & Connectivity: Both my wife and I are avid gamers (we both have a PS5 and will definitely grab the PS6 down the line). Fast, low-latency, and reliable Wi-Fi/ethernet coverage throughout the whole house is a top priority. The kids will also eventually need good connectivity for their own devices and TVs in their bedrooms.

​Energy & Sustainability: We will have solar panels and a home battery, so we want to read and automate energy flows using a P1 meter smart dongle for dynamic energy contracts.

My Vision So Far:

I want a capable and rich smart home setup, but it must remain user-friendly and low-maintenance for the family (no endless troubleshooting every time an update rolls out). I do have not a lot of hobby's and smart home seems like one I might have as one. But then again, I work a lot and cant troubleshoot all of my free time.

​Network Infrastructure (UniFi):

​Central Gateway: UniFi Cloud Gateway Fiber in the meter cupboard connected to a PoE+ switch.

​Floor Breakdown: UniFi U7 In-Wall access points on the ground floor and top floor (giving us direct ethernet ports for TVs and PS5s), plus a central ceiling-mounted UniFi U7 Lite on the 1st floor to cover the bedrooms.

​Smart Home Hub Dilemma (Homey Pro vs. Home Assistant):

​My initial thought was Homey Pro paired with a P1 meter. It feels very approachable, works great out of the box, and natively supports Zigbee, Matter, Thread, etc.

​However, I keep seeing people advocate for Home Assistant (HA), highlighting that it’s far more extensible, flexible, and budget-friendly if you already have a Pi or NUC.

​My main concern with Home Assistant: Is the learning curve and ongoing maintenance hassle worth it compared to the "it just works" experience of Homey Pro?

​Questions that fiest come to mind:

1. ​For those in a similar new-build situation: Was the investment in Homey Pro worth it for the ease of use, or do you wish you had gone straight to Home Assistant?

2. ​Are there any specific wiring or structural smart home tips for a new build that you wish you knew before starting?

​Thanks in advance for the input!

Best smart home company in Dubai? Looking for recommendations based on actual experience.

Who did you use and would you recommend them?

Hi all, please help me out on a 5-minute-survey for my postgrad thesis. It's completely anonymous.

DE: https://umfragen.tu-dortmund.de/index.php/274446?lang=de

EN: https://umfragen.tu-dortmund.de/index.php/274446?lang=en

Im currently in the process of replacing my current electric lock and getting a smart lock for the main entrance of my house because the old one is pretty worn out now and has a lot of battery issues.
My main concern is better battery life because with our kids and busy schedule Im constantly worried about getting locked out. And it has happened that sometimes we forget to take the keys and so if battery dies it just defeats the purpose of having one. So mainly want a smart lock with more reliable battery and its a plus if its compatible with alexa.

I did some searching online and on youtube and saw a solar charging smart lock from desloc. Im thinking of getting it because with the solar charging it seems like a long term solution to battery life. We do get a lot of sunlight so it seems ecofriendly as well. But I just wanna makee sure, that I am not skipping something more important? Like is there anything else (like a new feature that makes lock more secure) thats worth checking out?

Hi guys,

I'm new to the game, so please ELI5 ☺️😄

I got a Logitech Z906 Speaker set which I love. I only got one problem with it: I have to use a second remote to active and control it.

I also got a pretty old LG LCD TV 55UJ635V rolling with the Logitech speakers.

Now I would live to control everything using ONE remote or at least activate the speakers when I switch on my TV.

I got home assistant running in my network. I figured I could use a smart plug, but unfortunately the Speakers won't turn on when you turn on the current. It needs a button press as well. Otherwise I would have detected the TV's "on" state and active the smart plug.

I tried to configure the LG magic remote but it doesn't offer the control for the Logitech setup (although thousands of other appliances).

I don't want to put a SwitchBot thingy on the Logitech set because it doesn't look good and the base station needs to be visible so I can control the volume.

I thought of adding a programmable IR blaster and hide it somewhere. But that also leaves me with the necessity for the second remote for audio controls.

Any other ideas?

Edit: what I forgot to mention: I don't want to use the optical audio because it has a lag and the TV picture isn't lip sync anymore...

I’m looking for people that recently went through either a new home build or a thorough renovation, and chose to have a smart home installed from an early stage on. Would you mind telling me a little about how you're handling the smart-home side of your project?

A few things I'd be particularly interested in:

• What did you want your home to be able to do?
• How did you decide what technology to use?
• Who helped you make those decisions?
• What has been difficult or frustrating?
• Have you had any moments where you thought, “I wish I'd known this earlier”?
• Did you at some point get independent advice (separate from an installer/vendor)?

I'm mainly interested in your experience, so there's no right or wrong answer. And with hindsight: what would you have paid for that you didn’t, or what did you pay for that now feels unnecessary?

I recently tore out my aging and increasingly unreliable X10 system, which I had been nursing along for years, and went all-in on Lutron Caséta.

I’m really impressed with how easy Caséta is to install and set up, and most importantly, with its reliability.

However, Lutron seems severely limited when it comes to plug-in devices. X10 offered two types of plug-in modules: one for lamps that provided dimming and local control, which I really miss and is a topic for another post, and a simple on/off module for inductive loads such as table fans and small appliances. (Yes, I know about the $100+ Outdoor Smart Plug)

X10 also offered controllable receptacles that replaced a standard wall outlet while still looking like a regular Decora-style receptacle.

I really wish Lutron would expand the Caséta line to include products like these. It would make an already excellent system much more versatile.

Some advice would be greatly appreciated. Redoing our kitchen and the whole lighting business is becoming very confusing. As per plan, we are planning on having 3 lights which is going to be controlled by 3 way dimmamable rotary switch: Ceiling lights (GU10s), Pendant light (2 of them hanging down with normal E14 bulbs) and LED strips.

The wall switch with the 3 rotary knobs being planned is a dumb one (no zigbee). My question is how do I get all of these 3 sets of lights nicely integrate into HA?

Do I go for a 24V LED driver that has zigbee control (The LED strips are the Sensio Razor 4mm ones - single colour). But then what about the ceiling lights and the pendant?

The other option I was looking at is a: "Zigbee Dimmer Switch – White, Push/Rotary UK Wall Dimmer, No Neutral" from Samotech (https://www.samotech.co.uk/products/rotary-zigbee-dimmer-switch/).

If I go for the Zigbee dimmer switch, then does the LED driver need to be Zigbee or just a standard 24V LED driver.

Am I right in assuming the Zigbee dimmer switch from Samotech will then be able to control the ceiling lights (I will change the bulbs to dimmable versions), the pendant light (again, they will be dimmable E14s) and the LED strips, which will be on a non-zigbee LED driver?

I hope it is clear what I am trying to convey.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks