I have a secret to confess. While most people invest in home automation to save money and make their homes more convenient, I do it mainly because it’s fun. Maybe that makes me irresponsible and immature. I don’t mind. I have discovered that it is the simple things that make home automation fun. Not only that, but I also appreciate those simple things.
For the record, I have built my own home automation system from scratch. Here’s what I use:
- An old laptop (15 years old) that acts as my smart home hub
- An open-source automation platform known as Home Assistant
- Switches, plugs, and other devices from a variety of manufacturers
I could have just as easily invested in a fully integrated home automation system from a company like Vivint Home Security. And for anyone lacking technical expertise, a professionally installed system from Vivint or one of its competitors is probably a wise choice. But I am a tinkerer and a tech geek. I love the challenge of building and maintaining my own system from scratch.
Programming My Lights
Getting back to the idea of simple things, one of the first things I did with my system is connect my living room lights to smart plugs and switches. Then I programmed them to automatically turn on at the same time as my alarm wakes me up. They are scheduled to automatically turn off 90 minutes later.
This was a simple task. But guess what? The results are invaluable to me. When I leave the master bedroom first thing in the morning, it’s still dark. But because we live in a single-story home, I have plenty of light to walk down the hallway without turning on bedroom lights that would wake my wife. Best of all, I don’t have to fumble for a light switch in the dark. The lights are automatically on when I wake up.
Coming Home to a Dark House
The next thing I did was eliminate the practice of coming home to a dark house. My wife and I go out a lot in the evenings. We come home after dark. So, I installed smart switches to control the porch and dining room lights.
One evening per week we have a set schedule. We know exactly when we will arrive home. I have programmed those two lights to turn on automatically. As for any other nights we might be out, all I have to do is pull out my cell phone as we are driving into the neighborhood and speak a simple command. Both the patio and dining room lights respond by turning on.
Automated Christmas Lights
As I write this post, Christmas is just a few weeks away. This is the first year I have connected my Christmas lights to the home automation system. It’s another simple task but one I’m glad I accomplished. Both interior and exterior lights now go on every evening at the same time. They automatically shut off just before we head to bed.
Obviously, there is a lot more one can do with a home automation system than simply control lighting. I chose to talk about lighting in this post because it’s one of the simplest aspects of home automation. Remember, I love the simple things.
My Christmas lights don’t need to be automated. But I had fun automating them. Likewise for my other lighting setups. The fact is that I enjoy home automation as a hobby because it’s fun for me. I get the added benefits of greater efficiency and financial savings as well.