Posts in DIY

4 Great Ways to Setup Offline Home Automation

Posted on 9th Aug 2020 23:30:55 in DIY, General, Smart

Home automation is really awesome. Who doesn't want things to happen automatically around the house? One of the common questions about home automation is if it can be used offline. The answer is a resounding, yes! There are a lot of ways to do this, and they vary significantly in cost and difficulty, so I encourage you to really dig into each option to decide which is right for you.

Offline Home Automation No WiFi

How to Easily Make a Smart Kettle

Posted on 5th Aug 2020 23:38:23 in DIY, Home Assistant, IoT, Smart, Tutorial

A lot of people have kettles and wouldn't it be nice if it started boiling water for your morning tea automatically? While there exist many commercial kettles that offer integrated technology, they are often expensive and require replacing your existing device. Lucky for us there is an easy way to convert a regular kettle into a smart one using a cheap smart plug. Learn how to make a smart kettle out of a regular one using a smart plug!

How to make a smart kettle

What are the Best Platforms for DIY IoT and Smart Devices?

Posted on 24th Jul 2020 21:48:51 in DIY, IoT, Smart

If you like to do things your self, it's possible you've thought of creating a smart or Internet of Things (IoT) device that responds to your specific needs. While there exist many commercial options that have come down in cost significantly in the last few years, there are cases where none of these will work well enough for what you need. Sometimes you might also just want to have some fun and build the solution your self, after all, that's what DIY is all about. Find out what IoT platforms are available and which one is best.

ESP8266 with an Arduino clone

Getting Started with DIY Smart Home Tech for Cheap

Posted on 22nd Jul 2020 18:14:32 in DIY, Home Assistant, IoT, Smart

Smart homes are becoming more and more popular and with the "Internet of Things" (IoT) quickly gaining traction you might be wondering how you can get a piece of this futuristic pie. One of the common problems when starting a smart home is that there are so many different options that it can be overwhelming to know which one you should choose. Today we're going to cover an excellent choice when it comes to DIY smart home technology - one that is free, open to many completely different vendors, and easy to let your imagination run wild with. Learn how to use Home Assistant to get started on your smart home adventure...

Raspberry Pi which can be the brain of your home for cheap

How To Use Meross Smart Devices As Cheap Offline IoT

Posted on 20th Jul 2020 03:47:32 in DIY, Home Assistant, IoT, Smart, Tutorial

When it comes to smart devices, Meross has been my choice for multiple projects due to their excellent construction and very competitive prices. The biggest problem with these devices, as with many other readily available smart devices is that any commands you send will go over the internet, to some remote server, only to come back to your local network. Find out how I got these readily available devices to work without any internet connection using Home Assistant...

A Meross Lamp