I spent two years building my dream smart home

[@RocketBoom1966]

Alan, your production has gone to another level. Great job.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I hired a real life film maker to help me with this one, and I definitely can tell that the quality is higher!

[@mazeppa8818]

After 90+ videos, you've finally decided to make an introduction video! 😄 Thanks for generously sharing your knowledge and insights over the past couple of years, especially videos on what went wrong! Curious to know what CCTV cameras you went with in the end for your new home.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Better late than never eh? 😉 I use Unifi security cameras and the Unifi Dream Machine to record the footage locally in my house.

[@davidjohnson2782]

Great channel introduction video!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thank you! It's what I was aiming for 💙

[@davidjohnson2782]

@@HomeAutomationGuyNailed it!

[@fuzzbreezie81]

I can see a lot of effort went into this, and I appreciate it. I have been watching since the very first set of videos. It is really refreshing to see the growth. Please keep at it because you are on to something.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

@@fuzzbreezie81 Thank you so much!

[@dumpsterdiner]

This should play anytime someone goes to your channel. Very smartly done and well put together. Best video production you've had, although I like the normal format for the informational videos ( no change needed there), just this format really suits the introductory video.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thank you! I've added it to the top of my channel for new visitors, and I'm hoping it works as you described. No change coming to the format of my other videos. I actually paid a real life talented film creator to help me make this one and I definitely can't afford to do it with every video!

[@TheLocalStuff]

Thank you so much for your efforts and honestly this video was an amazing recap of all the videos you have published and worked hard on over the past few years. I could recall almost every video that described in-depth how you automated and reached the state you wanted. Thank you again for your efforts and please keep it up!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Oh wow. Thank you so much for the support! It's people like you that keep me making videos. 🙏

[@ControversialOG]

I am buying a house in a few months and this is exactly what I was explaining to my friends as to what I would do with my home, plus some video surveillance and security

[@DankoStojanovic]

Nailed it in first 8 seconds! That is why I love your channel. You don't just add another light strip or the latest overpriced gadget. Good automation works without obstruction or friction with the user.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thank you 😊 I've tried to bring that into every automation I've designed

[@nufgorf]

Oh man, exactly how I feel. I have no voice assistant and use HA app on my phone only when its more convenient than actually going to the switch (eg spa lighting I forgot to turn off before bed ) My objective was to make things simpler and safer ( sensor lights to avoid tripping over the dog, sensor lights that come on at 10% brightness if its night time to not melt your eyes on a bathroom trip, heating & cooling that come on how I want them ) Every room in my house, yard and shed are part of my smart-home - yet people who visit don't even notice.

[@bentubeblu]

I've been following you for years and you have been very helpful in my smart home journey. Can't wait to see where you go from here! Keep up the great work!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thank you so much for the kind words and for being part of the community! 🙏

[@simsim9437]

Your videos are great help to me for building up my house, we just brought a house and now studying your videos for building up our smart home. Thank you very much for your sharing 👍🏻

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I'm so glad you've found them useful 🙏

[@soundman127]

Excellent video explaining the ethics of the channel and what can be achieved. I've followed all of the new setup videos and it's been inspiring. I've always wanted something similar and since I've been pulled into Home Assistant it's starting to take shape. Keep up the great work!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thank you so much! It's been quite a journey. All the best with your smart home journey!

[@Gerrit-Max]

I'm just getting started to go down this rabbit hole even though I don't understand everything and probably mess up a lot I'll keep going down this road. Thanks for the massive inspiration that you give me and others.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

You're most welcome! Thanks for the wonderful comment, it really keeps me going

[@leekelly5499]

Great video Alan, different from your normal style and i like it. I've used a lot of your tips in my home assistant journey, so I'm very grateful for your help. Thank you!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thank you for the kind words! I really appreciate it and I'm glad it's been helpful ☺️

[@Upperton]

Nice one, just enough info and video to lure people in for more detail whilst making it interesting. Been following along for a while now and have learnt loads. Keep up the good work 👍🏻

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I'm happy to hear that the videos have been valuable! Thanks so much for the comment ❤️

[@deonh9303]

Awesome video hitting the nail on the head - love the interview style and very well done 👍🏼

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thank you so much!

[@zacharygibson3823]

Smart home, smart guy! Thank you for the videos man!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thanks! 😊🙏

[@stevesanderson2764]

"An app on your phone is an inconvenant switch" thats brutal.... I love my dashboard 😞 ok ok you have convinced me, ordered some presence sensors and starting to up my game. Cracking overview, keep them coming.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I love my dashboard too! It's great for doing ad-hoc stuff, but it's not "automation". Good luck with the sensors. It's a fun learning journey and once you start you won't go back. 🤫😉

[@ScottAlexander68]

Thanks for the tour. Got some ideas of my own now!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

A more in depth tour will be coming soon. Subscribe to get notified when it's released 💙

[@mvanimpe]

Thanks for all your video! You helped me out a lot! Keep doing what you are doing!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thank you so much! 🙏

[@ftadema]

So happy there is more to come!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

My bank balance isn't happy about it 🤣

[@arunantharmarajah6489]

Love your content. Great to see UK focussed content on this stuff, moving house next year and have a long list of things I want to do thanks to your content! Please keep going!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

It's wonderful comments like this that keep me going. Thanks for the support and make sure you're subscribed to the channel for future updates!

[@shaybyrne-ca]

My wife catches me staring all the time and says the exact same thing..😂...what are you obsessing about now, what's not working as expected.. hilarious! Great video!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

It's a common trait amongst us nerds

[@technithusiast]

Bring you’re hilarious. Your dry humor approach is my kinda thing bro.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I appreciate it dude. Thanks for teaching me so many things via your channel as well!

[@JoshsSmartHome]

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@josephiyere4491]

I am on this same belief a home is not smart until things happens automatically. Thanks for the clip

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

You're welcome!

[@nabaroy5356]

Appreciate what you have given to this community thank you

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thanks for the kind words 🙏 I appreciate it

[@nabaroy5356]

@HomeAutomationGuy I hv been following you from the beginning.

[@fabianwu1602]

At first I thought you were filmed by a professional film crew for an interview. Just an awesome trailer and great display for all you achieved so far!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thanks so much! And I *was* filmed by a professional film crew, it cost me a fortune 😬🤣

[@fabianwu1602]

@ Oh okay but I would say money well spend, it looks gorgeous! I am not sure if I missed this one, but a video about the general infrastructure of your network (including your access points) would be interesting.

[@michaelsleen]

This is a great introductory video, nice work!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thank you!

[@HomeIsWhereTheSmartIs]

Within seconds of this video starting I thought “Damn! This is exactly the video I’ve been working on!”

[@HomeIsWhereTheSmartIs]

…but way better production!

[@vinceagorn]

I have really enjoyed watching this series, alongside all the other enthuses in the smart home space. I do like how down to earth; yet indept your videos are in providing knowledge and entertainment. Thank you for all your hardwork and looking forward to more great content. God Bless you :-)

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thank you so much for your comment. It's this kind of thing that keeps me going 😊

[@drbyte2009]

I love your channel! Learned a lot from your video's. Thnx!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I'm so happy to hear that! I appreciate it!

[@wwolfram33]

Thanks for sharing and creating the videos!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thanks for watching them!

[@TH3xR34P3R]

This is what I love about HA and Home Automation.. getting things to do things with little to no interaction for the QOL aspect regarless if its something that takes 5min or 5days to implement heh.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Yep! It's really powerful and rewarding!

[@fillwe4600]

Great introduction!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thanks!

[@nonamemcgee4842]

This was expertly done!

[@jeroenjaja4359]

Great video. you entered a new level.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Appreciate that! Thank you

[@RipsawFox]

I really enjoyed the interview style tour of your home! Your videos are always top quality. I've implemented reactive mobile dashboards and BLE presence detection in my home from your videos. I have yet to try Bermuda though. I'd love to automate more, but having a dog and a cat wandering about does make some of the movement based stuff pretty difficulty.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thank you! My dog really enjoys the lights turning on for him. But to be fair, he's never lived in a house without it...

[@simonsayshomeassistant]

Great video Alan!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thanks 😊

[@crushkitty]

Great video, I like the style of this, its a great balance between the tutorial videos... the production felt next level....I related so much when you described how you come up with automations, my wife always laugh at me... but as soon as we go somewhere else she misses the automations....anyway rnd comment but just wanted to say i really enjoyed the video !

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

The production was next level because I hired an actual filmmaker to make it for me 🤣😬

[@iTomAnks]

Would you reconsider implementing Valetudo for your robot vacuum at some point? I know you mentioned in a previous video that it looked like it was too much hassle to implement, but I recently implemented it on my Dreame D10S Plus and it was a nice little project (even though I thought it was daunting at first!), plus it completely removes the cloud aspect from the vacuum.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

There are just so many screws to undo! I would LOVE to have Valetudo on there but I am so scared of breaking it

[@iTomAnks]

@@HomeAutomationGuy Ah that's a very good point for your model! That's a shame but completely understandable. The Dreame just required a panel to be pried open, which I don't think voided the warranty at all.

[@Retteketet]

Wow, thanks for sharing 👍🏻

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thanks for watching!

[@rae_charles50]

Makes me want to start my home automation journey lol

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

It's a big and potentially expensive rabbit hole 🤣

[@Noone.fromnowhere]

Great job! You are real geek. How did you put the cable to screens in the middle of the wall and other devices? Did you make renovation in the house after installing of smart house fixtures?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

There were light switches on each side of the bed when we moved in, controlling ugly wall mounted bedside lamps. When we did the rennovations I had the electrician remove the lamps and we re-used the light switch holes for the smart panels.

[@Noone.fromnowhere]

@HomeAutomationGuy so, you did a lot of one by one solutions for each step. That looks like nerd behaviour) I like the result you've got. Well done!

[@Noone.fromnowhere]

​@@HomeAutomationGuyMay I also ask how do you get the control under robot vacuum cleaner? If you have dedicated video, just give a link or it's name. Many thanks.

[@TakWorks216]

Enjoyed the tour, I’d be interested know what lights you are using for your stairs? Those looked really sleek, great job!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

They came built into the house, they're small LEDs that are recessed into the wall and controlled by my usual wall switch (Which is an Aqara H1 Zigbee switch that I've plugged into the automations)

[@bangertech]

awesome video style and of course automations! i know how many hours went in both ;-)

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thank you!

[@menchetta5914]

Great video. Where can I find Light switch presence Sensor(not motion Sensor) or Presence Sensor with battery?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I have not seen any battery options for mmWave sensors. I think it's because they have such big power requirements.

[@obinna12]

Aqara FP300 which will be released soon

[@JBR.1974]

Intersted to know what blinds youre using and have intergated into Home Assistant....was originally thinking zemismart but getting them in the UK was nevr that easy and then blind sellers were so annoying at giving out very little info about the blind tube internal sizes

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Mine are Zemismart. I bought them directly off their website and they delivered them to the UK. The sizes were a bit of a pain, check out my Blind video where you can see me hacking at mine with a Leatherman to make it fit 🤣

[@JBR.1974]

@@HomeAutomationGuy I have a 3d printer so printing spacers woudnt be a major issue but checking your video out now...thanks

[@whoisender]

Well done dude 👏🏼

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thanks Pal ❤️ Wait until you see my upcoming gym automations! (And honestly, I always think about you when I'm in there lifting heavy things)

[@whoisender]

@HomeAutomationGuy looking forward to it bro. Love the channel champ 👊🏻

[@richchapman5011]

Tbh that was a bl**dy well done video. Been watching the channel for an age now and every one has been so informative and fun. I think you need to move home again to make more content 😂. Keep up with being such a great content creator

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thank you so much! Definitely can't afford to move though 🤣

[@ChrisHofoen]

Hi, great video. you say no cloud servers but are you using any API’s to call cloud services to run the house or is it all truly local / zigbee etc? Inspiring, thanks!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I use a lot of cloud services, but I try and not be reliant on them for the core functionality of my house. I use a lot of APIs to get weather information, solar forecasts, electricity prices, etc and I have a few "Cloud connected" smart devices that were unavoidable, like my Air Conditioning system. I just really don't want to need an internet connection to turn on my lights, or open my blinds etc.

[@bockwurstmensch]

Dude, thats mega sick! I want this too!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

It's quite a rabbit hole to fall into 🤣

[@Oktane85]

Great footage! Whats the device to control HomeAssistant in the kitchen. It does look like google nest but it isn't? Realy like the lighting in the house!

[@Oktane85]

Google Pixel Tablet .. there u go :)

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

It's the Google Pixel Tablet. Very over priced for what it is, but I love the magnetic speaker dock. It runs Android, so I have it display Home Assistant dashboards on it using Fully Kiosk Browser. Make sure you're subscribed as I'll be doing a video on it soon 😉

[@Oktane85]

@@HomeAutomationGuy looking forwarding. That's what I was thinking, a lot of money for a dashboard device. Shelly seems to be an alternative but actually looking for something inbetweend :) but the stand is really stylish

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

@@Oktane85 In another room I use a cheap Android tablet and a 3D printed stand, and it works just as well!

[@TheVato666]

Does the location works well with iphone? Mine keeps failing

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I'm not sure, I've only got Android phones. Others have said it works though

[@howardrees385]

What tablet do you use for your dashboard. About 1:30 min into the video.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Google Pixel tablet running Fully Kiosk Browser, showing Home Assistant dashboards

[@PrincePawn]

I honestly wish I was subscribed sooner. We purchased a house last year and I too said "now I can drill holes in the wall!".. This channel needs more subs, deserves more subs. Oh, and this is a UK based home automation channel without any childish loud unrelated cut scenes (if you like that kinda content I get it, not my cup of tea)

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I'm glad you found it useful! Thanks for subscribing and for your kind words! 🙏

[@mauriceatkinson9520]

i live in London and would love to use your electrician as I have said before the ones that know about smart homes are non-existant. Any chance you could pass on the details?

[@danielwolman]

Love the content, so much so I'm taking major influence to my dashboards to be similar to yours. One question, if using your person yaml for person how do i get the chip to open up the person map so I can see where people are on an actual map?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

That is a big and complex undertaking using the ha-floorplan card. I've not made a video about it because it's so dang difficult!

[@TechMedDurra]

Amazing❤

[@cottawalla]

Here's an idea for a future video if you haven't covered it already. Selling a smart home and how to pass on all the information needed to run and maintain it to the new owner, assuming they're not technically minded and there's no library of videos the detail it all.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately actually! I never thought to make a video about it though, thanks for the suggestion 🙏

[@TheMoonSeesMe]

@@HomeAutomationGuy Or what about the position that I'm currently in - about to rent my smart house out for the long term. So many things to think, privacy, will they use it how I do, and. It's an interesting topic that hopefully too many others don't go through.

[@Piccyman1]

Was the book any good?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Nope. Absolute rubbish. Full of tips from the late 90s

[@draco_storm_1]

Great intro Almondo. Can you do a video on automated bathroom lighting? I how you keep them on for showering and while you are "replying to comments".

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thanks! There's a video on my channel about motion activated lights where I tackle a lot of these subjects.

[@draco_storm_1]

@HomeAutomationGuy got it, thanks

[@siyabongazulu2915]

Hi Alan, I hope you are well. Amazing automation system I have to give it to you. I am a south african government employee in the engineering space. I am passionate about home automation and smart city design and I am also in the process of registering my business. I hold a BTech in electronic engineering and it would be my honor to receive any kind of advice from you. I am looking to start small from installing smart switches for Wi-Fi capable homes especially in the townships and semi-surbub areas. Thank you.

[@calebplumleeoutdoors]

It's cool, but i think there are too many edge cases where I don't want things to happen just because I enter/exit a room, etc... don't you have to fiddle with your phone whenever you sit down on the couch and don't want the lights to change?... or ever put your foot down off your bed and don't want all your lights on?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

I probably fiddle with the lights via my phone once every three days, and even then it's because I'm doing something different to usual - such as keeping the lights bright because I've got the TV on and friends over. If I find myself overriding a scene or automation too many times, then I adjust my automations accordingly to handle that edge case. It's part of the fun of having a smart home! But I have never once put my foot down off my bed and not wanted the lights to come on. In the early days the blanket did trigger the lights in the middle of the night as it flapped about, but I solved that by adjusting the motion sensor positions until it never happened anymore.

[@aimfromt-rusbot4339]

The first 10 sec is the 100% true words!!!

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thanks! It's the ethos I've used to plan the whole house!

[@EntropiaOrganizada]

"In a world where automations are a constant headache...One man is on a mission to automate it all. He was just a regular man, drowning in a sea of tedious, repetitive tasks. But then, he discovered the power of automation. Now, he's taking his obsession to the next level: He will automate everything. EVERYTHING! "The Automator" - Coming soon to a screen near you" 🎦

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

🤣🤣

[@mrxmry3264]

generally i like what i see, except for one thing: the window at 1:44. i HATE that type of window because you simply can't get them airtight, and in winter a lot of heat goes straight out the window - literally. if that was my house, i'd get those windows replaced ASAP.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Thankfully these are double glazed modern sash windows with insulation strips around them. So they're much better than the usual sash windows we used to have, but still leak air. Unfortunately due to archaic London conservation laws I'm not legally allowed to replace them with a different style as it will upset the king or something 🙄

[@MegaGadgetsFinds]

Great job I Got some ideas

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Glad to hear it!

[@jonl4p]

Did your partner ever say thats enough automations now or say she didnt want more devices appearing. How did you get her onboard with your automation journey?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

She regularly gives me feature requests and feedback about how to make the house smarter. She's very happy with how it's turned out and knows it makes me happy to tinker.

[@DanielKirsch]

I'm so looking forward to when you get kids and tame that chaos. ^^

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

It's gonna be a wild ride! I'm pretty sure you can automate parenthood... Right?

[@ItsMeThinkering]

Great video, but i missed your washer automation 😉

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

There's a whole video for that on my channel!

[@ItsMeThinkering]

@ Yes i know.

[@ItsMeThinkering]

You share a lot of good content 👍

[@Conservator.]

Thanks for pointing out to me that I’ve installed just inconvenient swiches! 😉 I don’t even disagree. 😁

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Hahaha. Those inconvenient switches are a gateway drug to proper home automation. Enjoy!

[@Conservator.]

@@HomeAutomationGuy Exactly! 👍

[@simoneggersdorfer5305]

So the touchpanels aren't "just another inconvenient switch"?

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

They are, very valid point! But I use them for ad-hoc changes to the "defaults" and for doing things that are out of the norm - such as adjusting a lighting scene or changing the volume of the smart speakers.

[@powerofwisdom2336]

Nice...

[@syedsarwarhussain7316]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@theo3000]

Forgot the X-10.

[@shongomoo]

You forgot to tell us how annoyed your partner gets the 1% of times the automation fails to run. ;) Or maybe that's just mine.

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

She gives me feature requests and ideas on how to improve them!

[@pilotbum]

CORRECTION: You also notice it when it is NOT working. 🤣

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

Very true! 😂

[@CarAudioInc]

haven't we all

[@Chris-zu4es]

wow envy

[@JorgeMarquezIO]

Did you buy the book just for the 4 second joke take? XD

[@HomeAutomationGuy]

It was given to me as a Christmas present 🤣