Ever wished your house could tell the difference between a rogue tumbleweed and your actual grandma? Well, fret no more, fellow automators! The world of Zigbee sensors offers two distinct heroes: motion sensors and human presence sensors. But what's the difference, you ask? Buckle up, because we're about to dive into a hilarious showdown that'll […]
About Us
Shop Smart Homes is a home automation enthusiast publication. We write from the perspective of an end user looking for the best value and least hassle. We started our smart home journey using some basic wifi sensors and quickly grew tired of having to manage multiple apps. Our second stop with automation was utilizing Samsung SmartThings and adding and integrating both zwave and zigbee devices. Now with a new construction home we are currently transitioning from SmartThings to a Home Assistant based smart home while still running SmartThings alongside to have for testing and review purposes.
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Ditch the Clapper: Top 5 Zigbee Motion Sensors for a Smarter Home with Home Assistant
Remember the Clapper? That lonely device promising futuristic ease of use that ended up gathering dust under the couch? Well, dust off your dreams of automated lighting because Zigbee motion sensors with Home Assistant are here to make your smart home a reality (without the cheesy sound effects). Zigbee motion sensors are like tiny ninjas […]
Getting Home Assistant Matter Ready
You can now prepare for matter's future release and power all of your zigbee devices in one helpful stick. Supported by the home assistant team the future of smart home integration is here. You can now be matter ready
Best Home Assistant Automations
Whether you're just getting started with home assistant or a regular user you may need some ideas on how to simplify your life by adding automations or blueprints to your home assistant routines. We tracked down some of the most creative and useful routines that you can add to your home assistant. We'll list the […]
Does Matter Matter?
The matter smart home protocol was released this month, November 2022. What does this mean for your home automation? Will your current hub work? Are all of your devices obsolete? We'll run you through what matter is and why it will improve your existing smart home going forward and simplify your life. What is Matter […]
Top Uses For Door and Window Sensors in Home Assistant
Of all the sensors you can integrate into your smart home ecosystem a door sensor or window sensor can have the most uses. You can utilize the door sensor beyond the basics of letting you know if a door has been opened to really take your home automations to another level. In this article we'll […]
Get Started With Home Assistant on Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi single board computer is the tinkerers best choice for getting started with DIY home automation without vendor lock in. The raspberry pi is widely available and has tons of community support compared to some other single board computers. We'll show you how to get started with home assistant on raspberry pi. Required […]
The Best Home Assistant Hub
The Best Home Assistant Hub Smart home power users, tinkerers or security conscious people choose home assistant as the control center for their smart home. We'll go through all the options and help you find the best home assistant hub to get you started in your smart home. Keep reading to find the best stand […]
The Best Door Sensor For Home Assistant
The Best Door Sensor For Home Assistant
Getting Started With Smart Homes
Get started with smart homes. Pick your protocol and plan your purchases for home automations that just work.
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