The Seven FREE Wonders that make the Modern Smart Home

[@DanielBeckitt]

I'll confess ... I did click because of the thumbnail, but I stayed for the educational content. Looking forward to future videos from you!

[@michaelrobinson9643]

It's tacky when women in the automotive, tech or other "male" sectors use sexualisation to try and get traffic. No worse than the clickbait titles and misleading junk thumbnails though in that the net effect is devaluing of the enormous body of unique content by making it unidentifiable. I genuinely wish Alphabet would rewind to the days where YT did not encourage the utter nonsense pursued now to get clicks. Since near everyone does it, I actually think those that don't are the standouts ironically. Imagine if the 20 videos in a smart home series were thumbnailed, named and presented in line with the content body... you could search and find them. "10 things you didn't know you need to not know you don't know in order to know" is just not helpful and "You're doing it wrong!" just straight up deserves an upper-cut.

[@gr8dvd]

I’ll confess… my interest piqued by the combo of thumbnail and channel name. Kudos to the marketing twist (a DIYer is hands-on) 😀

[@enosunim]

And what was on the thumbnail? You had me to reload page and look at it. I see what you mean now.

[@MissChanandler_Bong]

My dad always said he read those magazines for the articles :)

[@mrcobbynot]

Lmao cleavage clicks. Bait the boys and feed them some actual good information. Woman know men first think with their little head. This lady has a brain

[@bloodgain]

I honestly expected to be disappointed by the video and assumed the title was clickbait, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. There was really good content here, if only a high-level intro. I knew about HA, but I wasn't aware the open source home automation field had matured this much. And your delivery and video quality were great! I'm subscribed! I'm excited to see what projects you have to share. I'm a professional software engineer, but my home automation knowledge is very shallow. The lack of real control/customization and high cost of entry has kept me at the basic level of a few lights, thermostats, and Google Assistant.

[@handsonkatie]

Great to have you onboard, Blood gain! 😊

[@chandrabeere8806]

I'm on the same boat as this viewer and am so excited to see your other videos that can take me in-depth into setting up the smart home using these "7 wonders". I'm subscribed as well! :)

[@SgtMow]

Watching this video made me realise just how clever everything you've done in the previous videos and shorts is. You're an actual genius, that's why the smart tag wouldnt make you smarterer!

[@amadeuszjakobczak7196]

I will repeat watching this video again and again every time when my zigbee sensor will loose a signal, when door sensor will not report, when my automation will not run for unknown reasons even if NFC tag was scanned properly, when I will have a problem with ESP after update or WLED stop responding. It will help me to regain a faith and passion to Smart Home :)

[@igorfurlan1333]

Wow. You gave me hope to continue using internet. Finally someone who can share real information without any bla bla bla. Thank you a million for that. I loved every piece of information you shared. You are awesome!

[@handsonkatie]

Thank you! What a lovely comment! 🥰

[@aribowell]

while I already knew each component, I like how you put that together. I investigated all of them some month/years ago and I see, they evolved in between. Your video inspired me to rethink the whole system. I also appreciated your way to handle some things, like the RFIDs in the pictures or the usage of WLED. Thanks!

[@MindForgedManacle]

You are well-spoken and very informed on what matters in this space. In fact, you seem like you've had media training 😂 You'd make a good spokesperson for Home Assistant, haha Automations are my favorite part of it all. I've got my towel warmer automated so I always have a warm towel to use when I step out of the shower.

[@handsonkatie]

😂😂😂😂 that's hilarious, I've got no idea what I'm doing and recorded my first video a few months ago - you should see the carnage that goes on behind the scenes as I forget to mic, mess up lights - but very kind of you to say, I am trying my best. In cryptographic terms, I'm approaching it as a brute force algorithm.... 😂😂

[@oysteinoren]

Well presented and a refreshing take on strategic components for home automation. Thank you 😊

[@Fanatic17]

As a software engineer that hasn’t already dabbled in home automation but I intend to in a few months I can say that the advice you gave are very valuable, although I knew of most of the pieces I hadn’t already found a video that put them together in such a clear way. Looking forward for more inspiration for my future smart home automation

[@handsonkatie]

Thank you, glad it helped you!

[@JamesMossR33]

You have some awesome ideas, and I know I spend way too much time trying to think of how to make things smart (actually, automated rather than smart). My build with the biggest WAF has been adding under-bed LEDS with Zigbee motion sensors. After that I think it's the postbox - a contact sensor on the flap that turns part of the media wall red and makes Alexa announce "You have mail", and another sensor on the box' door that resets the lights when we collect the mail. Next I think will be sensors on the bins, but it might push the limits of Zigbee's range. Keep these amazing videos coming!

[@handsonkatie]

Great ideas! Love these, I might pinch some!! 🤣🤣

[@iainhay2823]

My under bed leds work of 2 FSRs on each side of the bed. Using homeassistant to detect who has got out and when can turn on dim red lights during the night, open blinds and cancel alarms on the morning and so much more. it’s also linked to presence detection so if one of us is away via watch or phone the automations know this and behave appropriately. All with a cheap esp32 and a bit of node red

[@KatorNia]

I was doing a preliminary research on mini PCs for upgrading my self-hosting stuff, & I ended up here somehow. I didn't learn anything I didn't know already, but I'm glad I found your channel. I like the fact that you're promoting FOSS, as well as your energy & delivery (& the lack of annoying music 😛). Keep it up & good luck with your channel! *_+subbed_*

[@handsonkatie]

Thank you, that's a lovely comment - great to have you onboard as a fellow enthusiast!

[@timhoward1888]

I really feel I learnt a lot about home assistant and at the same time my pulse quickened 😊 (and it wasn’t because of home assistant). Thank you for a great video.

[@handsonkatie]

Thanks Tim! Glad you enjoyed the video! 😊

[@timhoward1888]

@@handsonkatie I've heard it mentioned many times on other videos ("HOME ASSISTANT. HOME ASSISSSSSSTANT") but never given it much thought. That genuinely was a great explanation.

[@handsonkatie]

Great to hear I've corrupted another person to the wonders of Home Assistant! :)

[@mdforbes500]

As a cloud architect professionally, I do love this systems engineering approach to organization and home life.

[@handsonkatie]

Well I've got another video coming this week on the same.... 😉 Let's nerd out the home!

[@chrisdixon5241]

Great video! I hope you won't mind my highlighting a couple of small points that jumped out at me :) 1. Zigbee 2 MQTT is not necessarily required, there is also ZHA the native Zigbee to Home Assistance plugin that appears to be the preferred integration method assuming that everything is supported 2. Z-Wave, whilst a little more expensive, has the benefit of requiring certifiation (ensuring better compatibility) and operating on a different frequency - 2.4GHz is used by Zigbee, Bluetooth and Wifi Otherwise I think you did a great job of outlining the benefits and I fully agree that a 3D printer will pay for itself many times over once you commit to it!

[@handsonkatie]

Great points Chris and yes you're totally right, I did cut out a whole section on the ZHA vs Z2M debate - I was trying to keep the video super simple for folks before they see all the dizzying options/choices! ZHA seems to be the preferred, but Z2M remains just better/more reliable by most accounts - I've actually got both running on mine just out of interest and they're both pretty good, but can see Z2M slightly ahead still IMHO. Z-Wave - yes you're right and I use this too in places, it was a tough call - 8 wonders wouldn't have fit.... ;) Thanks for your thoughtful comment though, really useful for others to see so they're aware!

[@chrisdixon5241]

@@handsonkatiei totally understand trying to fit the "7 Wonders" idea, so no complaints there :) Actually I see a lot of videos in the HA space about using Zigbee, I'd be interested in seeing your experience on using Z-Wave if you have some thoughts to share in a future vid

[@handsonkatie]

@@chrisdixon5241 definitely - there's probably a comparison of all these standards (ie zwave, ZigBee, tasmota, etc) and the approaches (zha, z2m etc) that might be helpful! Added to the list - just finished my new CNC, so I'm back to building my custom walnut PC case for the next few weeks! 😂😂😂

[@chrisdixon5241]

@@handsonkatie just working my way over your backlog... The PC build with a walnut case is exciting. I was considering using 3D printing for a future PC case build. Looking forward to seeing more of you!

[@MindForgedManacle]

One ongoing issue with Z-Wave, however, has been the 700 and 800 series controllers having issues with going offline. The apparently better security of Z-Wave is nice, but if the network keeps going down and showing in HA as "Jammed" it's hard to recommend. The 500 series controllers seem free of this issue, but for all I know they may be less secure now sine they're older.

[@micgent]

Ive been dabbling in home assistant for a couple of years just as an energy monitor, now im comfortable with it im at the point of expanding into home automation, this overview helped reinforce what ive learned and highlighted that I had not thought about RFID integrations. Im glad you mentioned 3d printers as they are truly great. I would have also made a shout out to Raspberry Pi. Very Inspiring Content.

[@impopet]

This is some video. Informative, fresh, cheeky and loaded with double entendre. Excellent! Thanks for the quality and effort

[@handsonkatie]

Thanks @impopet for the lovely comment! - as you can tell, I've never really created videos, so I'm trying my best, so glad you enjoyed it!!

[@247SH]

Thank you for such a brilliant video! I am just getting into home automation. I put this off for quite a while due to complexity of the perceived learning curve and my daytime job. The delivery of this video has opened my mind to creating ideas I could not have envisaged without this content. I hope you do many more 🎉

[@handsonkatie]

Well thank you for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment!! Do drop me an email if you're struggling with anything and I can introduce you to my discord channel where there's loads of lovely folk who can help you!!

[@247SH]

Many thanks. I am struggling with automations e.g., how to link a motion detector to trigger a switch or light.

[@TrevAlexander]

Oh my god. You are without doubt the smartest person, I have seen and heard explain this. I actually have nearly all of these wonders and have myself been working towards this myself. Someone who gets it does not baffled people with jargon they put complex stuff simple.. and you do that so well.. You use practical real examples to explain the why behind everything. You have really learnt more than just about technology. Love your brain :) x

[@handsonkatie]

Thank you Trev! Glad you find them helpful, I certainly try my best to keep things simple!

[@TrevAlexander]

@@handsonkatie doing a sterling job. Keep going. X

[@cyclemadkiwi]

I would love to see a separate video on how to setup the RF tags and integrations to HA. That's a cool idea what you have done with the paintings!

[@handsonkatie]

There's actually a quick tutorial I did here: handsonkatie.com/rfid-smart-paintings/ But will look to cover in future videos too!

[@michaelrobinson9643]

Local control is king. "Back to base" is such a PITA with any of the voice controllers. I've spoken with folks who are using a pi to run local voice control for their Echo Dot devices but I didn't understand the process they used. With Thread and Matter maybe it's not so vital now? With local control I think also security could be better too - being able to block specific ports and hopefully communities identify which components are packing back-doors and implicitly designed as data miners.

[@michaelrobinson9643]

I learned a lot with respect to opening avenues for my home to communicate with me... nicely constructed video thank you. 3D printing is so powerful. It's changed how I perceive problems, design solutions and a path to learn many new skills.

[@handsonkatie]

Thanks Michael - great to hear it was helpful! If you like 3d printing, then wait until you see what's coming up.... ;)

[@inoid724]

Oh wow, it's so inspiring to see a woman with such amazing technical skills! This is a great summary.

[@at3sparky]

The painting RFID trick is brilliant. my only gripe with this is that sure, the 3D printer is fantastic and pays for itself, but the filament replacement becomes a staple thing on your monthly shopping list as you constantly find new things to print. No one ever mentions the requirement of constantly replacing filament rolls! My new PS1 is the best thing I've purchased in a long time.

[@handsonkatie]

Heheheh! Yes you're right, although for me the savings have be unbelievable compared to all those expensive solutions and spare parts you used to buy - eg I lost two of my camera lens cap recently and looked online for replacement - £5 each was the cheapest version (and that wasn't even the official Sony ones). Looked on Printables - free version, 20p to print both - that's saved me the cost of a whole kg of filament in one go! But you're right, they are awesome devices!

[@shinydoc]

Love your videos Katie 😍 As a Chartered Engineer, I tick off nearly all of those boxes in my home too✅ Just 'spent' an hour this afternoon diagnosing why my cheap ESP32-C3 Super Mini/BME280 kept dropping off my Ubiquiti network 😡 Turns out I just needed to change the wi-fi output power in the device Yaml file on ESP home - sometimes, it's the challenges that keep up interested! Also, just upgraded my very overused Ender 3 for a Bambu Lab X1C in their recent Mega Sale

[@handsonkatie]

Great to hear you enjoy! Love solving these little annoying bugs!!! Oh and and Ender 3 to a X1C is going to be some leap!!! Great choice!

[@shinydoc]

@@handsonkatie Yes, really looking forward to the huge print time saving & auto bed levelling 😂 (I never got around to installing the ABL mod on the Ender!) Take care.

[@martinusher1]

A friend who's interested in HA pointed this out to me -- its an excellent, well presented video. My problem, though, is that I'm an engineer, I've been building the industrial version of this type of system for literally decades and while its fun to connect everything to everything else, program PLCs and so on it doesn't really make things 'smart'. Smart to me is a combination of serious technology and a Vermeer painting -- no visible interfaces, stuff just happens. The Amazon Echo is actually a big step in the right direction but being corporate/cloudy its got all the drawbacks associated with this. So I'll investigate this further....lots to do....

[@adfjasjhf]

I'm surprised you didn't mention mmWave sensors. They are also cheap and your home will be transformed to a different level if setup correctly :)

[@handsonkatie]

Ooh good point - although maybe these are subcategories of sensors for ESP32/ESPHome - maybe it's a follow up video of the top X sensors for your smart home/ESP32.... they are awesome though, you're quite right....!

[@uSlackr]

She showed an mmWave presence sensor. Ep1

[@bohrapradeep]

Great ideas and specially the way you broke down the whole problem of smart home into components. I will say its a component driven approach. Just an add on - The way I approach the smart home starts with defining Why smart home ? Whats the reason of doing it - Money saving , time saving, improving quality of life ? Once you identify this - find what components you already have in the cost you can afford. Once the inventory of component is ready with there functional and technical specs, you know your players. The next step come is protocol. Matter Zigbee whatever standard is popular and widely adopted and technical future proof as in future when you will add more devices into your smart home ecosystem a standard will help for ease of integration. And last point is Use case - the use case are motivated with the core reason of doing this project. So these 4 steps will take you to your dream home which is smart, affordable , future proof , pragmatic and useful. Wish every dreamer a great success in their journey.

[@handsonkatie]

Great points and entirely agree, I touch on this lightly in other videos, but I could do a whole video on the 'purpose' of home automation in its own right! Might be one I look at in future! 😄

[@bohrapradeep]

@@handsonkatie Waiting for that video then. Great work.

[@TEverlith]

Great content! Thank you! There is one thing missing from HA... well maybe not missing and maybe not home assistant itself, but the home assistant community has a lack of great presenters to make HA content overall, don't get me wrong there are many men, but there are hardly any women. Please keep the content coming. I'm an older noob hobbyist that's been hooked on HA for the last couple of years and follow most if not all the HA YT channels and I have to compliment you on your delivery. Please keep the HA content coming as it seems like the development of HA is accelerating with the great additions they've made to the HA team.

[@handsonkatie]

Thank you! 🥰 It's great to hear you found it useful and I'll do my best to keep them coming! Do let me know if there's any particular topics you'd like to see covered! ☺️

[@MadBison]

Need to add Node Red to this. I think it's a lot more powerful than the built in HA automation, and the automations are a lot easier to manage, after the initial learning curve. Otherwise, this is easily the best high level overview of home automation I have seen on the internet.

[@handsonkatie]

Yes, that was one I toyed with including - there's quite a shortlist of extra ones!! I love node red and whilst the HA automation UI is improving, there's something about a visual approach that is really helpful!

[@pavelperina7629]

Honestly I like that you can finish your project, although some are complete overkill, for me learning process is more interesting that final product, but I tried something like battery powered arduino temperature logger, not very successful camera trap from Raspberry 3B, powerbank and IR camera which was repurposed two years later into chilli growth timelapse, i bought Shelly Plug S just to monitor power consumption of fridge, pc, gas heater, ... then I bought refurbished minipc to host blog, git repositories and so on.

[@chrisblunt7627]

You bring a different perspective to smart home ideas which is fresh, rather than the boring nerdy tech focus. NFC tags behind pictures for different music - genius. I would love to see how you've configured that in HA, and what your audio setup is.

[@handsonkatie]

Thanks Chris 😊 - little tutorial here covers the RFID tags! handsonkatie.com/rfid-smart-paintings/ Audio set up is a couple of Sonos speakers, but obviously pretty much anything would work!

[@ThEWiZ76]

Expanding Home Assistant with Node Red opens up even more possibilities! It has full integration and is natively supported. Ideal for more complex actions based on clicks, sensors or other inputs that would not be possible with the regular automation. Good video with great tips! As an advanced Home Assistant user I am glad I already have al the "wonders" in place, but good that someone is pointing them out to the community. Thanks! 😄

[@handsonkatie]

Oh you're so right, I love node red, but I was trying to keep to seven and cover as much ground as possible!! Thanks, it means a lot coming from an expert like you - you might not have discovered loads, but you can at least have the warm glow of contentment that you're a smart home guru.... 😊😊😂

[@Dane-ish]

I’ve been using HA native automations for a few years, and haven’t looked at Node Red yet. What sort of automations has Node Red made possible?

[@handsonkatie]

​@@Dane-ishfor me it's less that it allows anything hugely more, rather it's a nice way of dealing with more complex automations. That said, native HA automations have come a long way in the last few years - that's actually why I left it off, if you were going to start with seven, then HA manages this element fine itself, but as you get more advanced, it's worth a play at some point!

[@Dane-ish]

@@handsonkatie nice, will have to check it out!

[@ThEWiZ76]

@@Dane-ish For example you can create custom buttons with actions that are not part of the standard HA. I have a Zigbee switch that will power on my computer with WoL when pressed. I am planning to use it for coordination between the airconditioner, air quality sensor, heating, internal and external temperature sensor and window openers to have a good temperature and air quality in my house at the least amount of costs. With the native automation that is a real pain in the youknowwhat, but with Node Red it is as simple as creating a flow, do some settings and connect the dots. It has a more natural feel to it and way more visual to see what it is actually doing.

[@RichardNobel]

*T I M E S T A M P S* Wonder # 1 [01:26] Home Assistant Wonder # 2 [03:12] ESP32 Microcontroller Wonder # 3 [04:50] ESPHome _to manage your microcontrollers_ Wonder # 4 [05:54] Zigbee2MQTT _for wireless communication messages_ Wonder # 5 [08:14] RFID tags Wonder # 6 [11:25] WLED _(ESP8266/ESP32 webserver to control addressable RGB LEDs)_ Wonder # 7 [12:42] 3D printer ^_^ Wonder-ful [10:24] 😆 Katie being cheeky ;-p

[@WCF06]

Wonder # 8 [9:24] Thumbnail 😉

[@LeoBirch]

@@WCF06 Isn't it interesting, while this video is about 'living smarter' ( 10:24 🤭) with automations through technology, that a somewhat *sexy/alluring* _(as, admittedly, I also find Katie an attractive lady 😍- combining beauty, brains, humor and skills)_ 😅 presentation of such projects will, in the moment, sort of reduce the intelligence of us men.. 🤤 .. _..(and, to be inclusive, other people not identifying as male but who are attracted to women)._ . Which might not directly speed up the realization of our own versions these projects, hah. 🤣 Jokes aside though... that thumbnail was indeed chosen deliberately. #SheKnowsWhatShesDoing

[@sabret00the]

MVP!

[@nodoboho]

@@LeoBirch As a woman-attracted-to-women, I concur, but it wasn't just the thumbnail that she's using to attract and addle our brains...there's the choice of a top needlessly falling off her bare shoulder and the obvious no-bra nips. I'm actually kind of annoyed about that. There are smart, engaging women on YT who are quite popular without resorting to that....

[@garagedoorsplusgoldcoast]

Your passion for what you do shines through!

[@Dylan_Lanckman]

do more of this! been a long time smarthome enthusiast and the space really needs your approach of preaching the lifestyle of opensource smarthomes.

[@handsonkatie]

Thanks Dylan, I'll try - agree totally, gotta love the OSS movement in general!

[@NGC1433]

No preaching will mask what a wretched unbearable mess the HA is.

[@Pugwash.]

For the 3D printer, it's always worth adding klipper, if only to announce the completion of a job on smart speakers or monitor it on home assistant.

[@handsonkatie]

Spot on! I use octoprint also for some of my older printers too!

[@Sierra-Whisky]

Thank you for this video! Especially your use of NFC tags is causing some neurological sparkings 😄 you made me look at some of my home automation "issues" with an entirely new perspective. After having a 30 second (ish) thought, I got this new idea: As I'm already having loads of ESP32s around the house, I want to an NFC reader module to some of them. And as I'm also (always) carrying an NFC enabled smartwatch, I could probably (hopefully) trigger an event by putting my watch on those readers. That would eliminate the need to open my phone and it would even eliminate the need to carry my phone with me at all. Obviously I haven't started investigating whether this is even possible and what's needed to make this work, but my first impression is that this should be technically feasible. What's your first thought of this scenario?

[@handsonkatie]

Exactly right - I use it for the same purpose, so yes it'll definitely work and free you from your phone. You can also get cheap RFID readers that would let you tap cards to it - I'll do a video on this in future to show how I do this around the house

[@brentwinters3737]

Absolutely brilliant! I'm familiar at least by name with most of these wonders but you present them in such a well thought out and organized way. I love how ethusiastic, intelligent, and authentic you are. This made me watch many of your previous videos. I can see the rapid evolution and hope you continue upon this path of simplifying complex topics and bringing wonderful history and insights to solve modern day problems. I also love dragons, and engineering, and history, and home automation. Keep that up! I have a bachelor's in computer science, but now that I'm over 50, I prefer to learn how to automate and improve my home through more insightful, less boring, and more entertaining formats. Continue what you're doing! I have subscribed and look forward to more videos on new topics and drilling down on things you touched upon only briefly. I loved the organization video you did and own a 3d printer but I wish I didn't have to spend so much time trying to setup and print things. I'd rather buy interoperable solutions as the time and cost to print them most often exceeds their value in my opinion. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing more videos on those concepts to sell me on there value, but ways to make it happen easier and faster are much appreciated.

[@handsonkatie]

Thank you, what a lovely comment! I'll certainly try my best! What 3d printer have you got? They really have transformed in the last 18 months or so from 'tinkering' machines to domestic devices that you can click to print - so it could be worth a look at some of the latest devices (they've also plummeted in price also!)

[@Dane-ish]

Thank you for sharing the open source message. I think you have a unique ability to reach new audiences and grow the movement. You’re doing great work.

[@handsonkatie]

Thank you, I appreciate that - I'm trying my best!!! 😊

[@adieognira9709]

I actually liked the content. it is simple and able to convey what having a SmartHome means for busy individuals. It may not be for all audience but this is great for the general audience. Cheers!

[@thetatag]

Great presentation! I would add a suggestion for ESPresence. It detects device BLE beacons on ESP32 to perform actions based on room occupancy just by detecting the distance to your phone and, with multiple sensors, triangulating your phone's position or just determining which sensor you're closest to.

[@handsonkatie]

Great suggestion - it was on the list too (which ended up being about 20 things, so would have been too long a video!!!) I'll cover this off at some point in a follow up!!

[@mt-qc2qh]

I'm not a fan of HA, being a programmer. I've programmed my own home brew equivalent, but I'm quickly becoming a Katie fan. I like her presentation and enthusiasm.

[@scollyb]

Good video, I may have missed it but i would have mentioned you need a zigbee gateway but they are cheap My most unique sensor uses a distance sensor which uses both distance and direction of motion to know I'm walking into my bedroom rather than past it. My most useful automation, turning on the lights dimly when I go out of my room at night

[@handsonkatie]

Yes good point, I may have cut that out in trying to keep it short and sweet! But yes, a cheap zigbee dongle is needed for the Z2M part! Great idea on the directional sensor - what approach have you taken to achieve that? Zone mmwave or two point detection?

[@scollyb]

@handsonkatie2440 neither I did it before mmwave sensors were common I used a laser time of flight sensor, about £6

[@handsonkatie]

Ah gotcha - very sensible solution - yes, much easier with mmwave - am playing with a six zone mmwave sensor at the moment which lets you do some really cool stuff....!

[@scollyb]

@handsonkatie2440 For this particular purpose I still prefer my sensor. Both because I can control to the mm the zone, it's really fast and really reliable.

[@handsonkatie]

Oh totally agree - and cost wise I think this a no-brainer approach! Occam's razor in engineering design.... :)

[@lenp00]

Brilliant video, thank you for sharing! I'm already using a number of the 'wonders' you recommend however I'm new to the use of RFIDs and notice there are a few different designations, for example Ntag213, 215 and 216. Which is best suited to home automation applications? Perhaps you could do a video outlining the pros and cons of each?

[@handsonkatie]

Glad it was useful - the short answer is the higher number has higher storage capacity and that's it. I've never needed more than the 215 (which are handy as used for other things like amiibos). 216s might be used for something you need a decent amount of data stored on the tag - an example might be business cards with name, address, phone, email etc. Other than that, they're identical AFAIK - so don't worry too much.

[@dano4700]

Just found your channel and am working my way through your videos. Have just installed HA and didn't even consider Esphome. I'm looking for a spare esp32 to give it a try tonight. Thanks so much for the inspiration. Would love a video on RFID and mobile phone. Cheers. 👍🇦🇺

[@handsonkatie]

Hmm, there seems to be quite a few requests for this - I'll add it to the list for future! ☺️

[@marcm.]

Excellent video, I've downloaded it and kept it in one of my playlists for future reference. Specifically to convince family members))) this is the type of content that I've been looking for for some time. Interestingly enough you've done a much better job than one of my favorite KZbinrs whose name is similar to a certain operating system, in so much as you've actually given a round package of things to use. I hope to see some good explainers on the usage of each and examples of each. Thank you so much for this

[@heiaheiaheiahei]

I was almost skipped this video becasue of the thumbnail.......so glad that I didn't. Really need to see what have I missed from her other videos.

[@DeWilsKanal]

As an avid HA user, none of this was news to me. Yet, I appreciate the simplicity in which you've explained this. Also, this made me want a 3D printer even more

[@handsonkatie]

Great to hear (means I'm not missing anything!!) ....and yes.... you do... new video coming this week which'll only make you want one more.... and maybe give you the perfect excuse..... 🙈

[@RKrishnaRaj74]

Excellent content. I have following Home Assistant tutorials for the last couple of years and easily this is one of the best. Can you provide more DIY videos on ESP32 chips

[@handsonkatie]

Thank you, that's very kind of you! Of course, I'll add to the list - I was thinking of one to tour through all the various sensors you can set up. I'll look to do a deeper guide in future!

[@PaulSinnema]

My home automation started in 2012. I choose the Loxone System from an Austrian company and am still using that. I recently decided to start using Home Assistant. Home Assistant can communicate with my Loxone System using a Python extension on HA. With this switch I can now use Matter, Zigbee, Z-Wave, etc. which I did not buy until now because Loxone does not support them. A whole range of new products are now becoming available to me. I would love to see a video on your 3D printing projects. I’m still not convinced I should buy one.

[@handsonkatie]

Oh you're an early adopter then! 🤣 Great example - HA is brill at backwards compatibility examples like this - there's always some clever bod out there who's worked out a python script, integration or HACs addon to solve your problem! Definitely plan to do more videos on the 3d printing, so watch out for them!!

[@adrianopoier1344]

4:53 that config syntax caught me, always great to setup something specific without reflashing the MCU

[@handsonkatie]

Exactly right! ☺️

[@markbooth3066]

ESPhome takes care of compiling that YAML configuration into ESP32 code and flashing it over the air whenever you change anything. The only hassle is the flashing your first configuration onto a new ESP32 device, as you usually have to do that via USB. After that first flash though, it's as simple as clicking on the "Update" button. ESPhome now even supports Raspberry Pi Pico W. Which is a lovely device to work with.

[@adrianopoier1344]

@@markbooth3066 sure, 'flashing' was not a good term on my phrase. But I mean, I haven't seen anything even close to that simple to set up a sensor all the way to the internet. I'm definitely taking note for some of my own implementations. The Pi Pico is something still on my list to learn, those state machines are the thing in there right? But I'm still going deeper in the STM32 and Cube IDE, good stuff!

[@markbooth3066]

I think flashing is the right term to use here, you're rewriting the firmware either way. My only issue with ESPhome is that I'm now up to about 80 lines worth of boilerplate for every device, for setting up wifi, static IP, fallback and diagnostic entities. Over all, the yaml configuration language is incredibly flexible, but the apparent simplicity can be deceptive, depending on how deep down the rabbit hole you go. ESPhome support for Pi Pico is still relatively new, and as far as I know, it doesn't allow you to do anything you can't do with an ESP32 or older ESP8266, but it's useful to have another form factor to play with.

[@gashead2]

Would love a RFID video, I bought some but can’t seem to set anything up. If you could show how to program them it would be awesome

[@handsonkatie]

I can certainly do that! I've got a video on setting up ESP sensors next week, so probably a bit after that I could cover RFID's quickly!

[@cavinrauch]

Bang on with the 3d printer recommendation! What a great way to round off all the points

[@sierpus]

I’m using Home assistant for years, and yes, all you said is true. But it’s not free (it costs a lot of time) and it’s not easy (although fun!)

[@handsonkatie]

Yes, fair points - although I guess two balancing points would be that it certainly has saved me time fighting 20-30 poorly designed hubs and apps of all the bespoke devices and it's certainly become much more reliable and easy to use over the last few years - but your point is fair, there's obviously a learning curve involved as with anything new!

[@sierpus]

@@handsonkatie for sure! I have probably 100+ devices connected to HA, including esp32. I’m fine with soldering, I did smart bed (including woodworking) in the last months. This is a lot of fun! But esp32 is something o wouldn’t recommend at start :) I would go with reliable and LOCAL ecosystem like aqara (ideally zigbee, which must be local) and then play with esp32. It’s very flexible but also requires knowledge

[@ug333]

Great stack (home automation stack, to be clear)!! Mostly already on board with everything you mentioned, but a couple nuggets that were new to me and sound great. Excellent production quality. Wonderful speaking voice. Solid information. And an automation philosophy that i align with Consider me subscribed.

[@PaulWrightsonLeeds]

Informative, interesting and enthusiastic - well presented - I intend to try quite a few of these out. Thank you as I didn’t know almost any of it.

[@MarcelRiegler]

Great video. Do you have any tips/minimum requirements for a 3D printer? What do you use?

[@handsonkatie]

I've got several! 😙 I've have a Prusa Mk3s, 3 x Bambu P1s and a heavily modded CR10 Max - I'd recommend right now the Bambu A1 as a great starter printer for price to performance. If you want an enclosure, then the Bambu P1s is great too! I'm thinking of doing a video on this in the future as it comes up a fair bit!

[@BeInspiredwithDominic]

Please, Katie, my project list is already too large without you adding to it. But then again, all the ideas, the options, the possibilities... Well, I guess I need a bigger list. Thanks for sharing!

[@handsonkatie]

oops! 🤣 You and me sound similar - too many fun projects, who put only 24 hours in the day, eh???

[@shinylugia249]

Great content! I just got my home assistant green and got so many ideas from watching. Can't wait to see more videos!

[@alfem]

Fantastic video. I only miss a couple of speakers inside de air conducts to make your home smart and nice 😃

[@PetiteKatie]

so impressive and innovative! 🌟🏠

Unless Santa is dropping off micro controllers and sensors, nothing there is free, but your content is amazing, thank you. I used to play with esp32 and sensors using raspberry as a hub and I had a lot of fun, but unfortunately you need a lot of spare time to work on your home like that.

[@handsonkatie]

Heheh! Thanks - I probably need to do a video on open source as a lot of people seem to misunderstand what 'free' means - the famous 'free as in speech, not as in beer' probably sums it up best: www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html But yes, all this content is free as in speech and a lot of it is also free as in beer - and very cheap to buy at the worst!! Keep watching!

[@christianlohmann8577]

The funny thing was at begin of the video I was thinking: need a 3D printer for all the ESPs … e voila: the last point was exactly that … 😊 nice video, thanks

[@handsonkatie]

... you walked right into my little trap.... 🤣🤣🤣

[@jennifermedia6288]

Loved this. Ab you show your us more of your system! I really want to set ours up. My son and I want a 3d printer and need to know which one to get . Keep posting videos

[@handsonkatie]

Hey Jennifer! Of course - I cover more in other videos! Check my site for 3d printers - I get these questions a lot, so I've created a little page of products I recommend: handsonkatie.com/recommended-products/

[@axMf3qTI]

I have perma-nipples too, Never thought about covering them up with a rifd-tags. That's genius.

[@nikscha]

Lol

[@nodoboho]

ROTFLMAO! I know everybody was noticing. (The elephant in the room....)

[@towkukus]

What's a great SmartHome introduction. Very informative, your mounth 'prints' queens spoken English, and you touch on things like ESPhome and many more that regular (even IT) guy would not be aware of initially. Are you UK based? If so, can you sometimes add links to products where you usually buy from?

[@handsonkatie]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed! Yes of course, I've had this question a lot, so I've started adding them to the description of videos and the products I really really like, I've added to my site: handsonkatie.com/recommended-products/

[@RobertoGomez-zn3dz]

Your videos are both informative and entertaining. Keep up the excellent work!

[@creativecityis]

definitely some topics I should research. any chance you could help out and do a video on how to set up a ESPhome or a Zigbee2MQTT ect. I really appreciate your way of explaining things. Keep it up!, edit, never mind i found it "home superpowers"

[@handsonkatie]

Hehehe! It's like I made it just for you! ;)

[@MrStuntman]

You're really well spoken, Katie. Definitely make the idea of having a smart home more appealing. If only they came with you 😂

[@leona_devon]

Wow, thank you so much for this video, well presented well thought through, some great things that I had not considered in my smart home, you make this so accessible, finally another woman acing the tech world 💪wish KZbin would promote more women like yourself, i understand the reasons for the thumbnail, but it's sad woman have to do that to get noticed, but well done, this is great!

[@handsonkatie]

Thanks, glad you found it helpful!! And no women don't need to do anything, but likewise the world is far too serious these days, we should have more fun! 😜 Join my discord and we can chat away thoughts on the world in more detail!!

[@leona_devon]

@@handsonkatie would love to, where can I find a link to your discord server please?

[@handsonkatie]

Just drop me an email from my site and I'll share a special link! - would post email here, but spambots would pounce... 😊

[@trailheadmedia5578]

Subscribed! Mainly for the udders, but also because this was some awesome content. I don’t see how this channel doesn’t have hundreds of thousands of subscribers! Nice work!

[@nodoboho]

... _udders_ ??! What a scumbag. (Yes, we all noticed, but no woman, _ever_ , would find that word acceptable.)

[@sunthroughtheblinds]

You’re all class aren’t you 🙄 Have a think about why she ignored your comment but reacted to so many others. Imagine how much better you’d have felt if she’d actually appreciated what you wrote because you’d remembered about respect?

[@hvardrino]

I discovered your channel just yesterday, im loving your videos, very different vibe to all the videos in the home automation community, its great!

[@joostleonard9614]

Glad I clicked on your Video, I recently had Home Assistant running on my Synology NAS but I deleted it because of to many issues I kept getting. I could not get the updates going, and more and more error's entered the configuration. Beside this I have a humidity sensor that triggers my bathroom ventilation that alway's worked perfectly with Domoticz. My experience with HA was that sometimes it the ventilation was triggered but sometimes it was not. I could not find the reason, but it felt unreliable. It is a beauty full peace of home automation software, but maybe not for me. But for educational purposes I will be following your vids from now on ;-)

[@handsonkatie]

Hey, that's interesting as I originally had it running on my Synology NAS too and had similar challenges - I put it on a RPi around 3-4 years ago and never had a problem since... so I have a strong suspect! I'm actually looking around at other NAS brands at the moment, bit fed up with Synology! So might be worth a try again in future!

[@joostleonard9614]

@@handsonkatie sigh....I was just hoping to get rid of the RPI ;-) I was happy to get the whole thing running on the Synology... Now I feel just so disappointed that my issue was probably with the NAS... I need more of your vids watching and listening to you, hopefully it gives me the vibes again to put in the energy to start from scratch once more ....🙂

[@kevinroell9007]

I really enjoyed your video. I look forward to more smart home videos. I'm primarily using Alexa devices with a ring home security system and lutron caseta smart switches. I'm curious if you can achieve the same types of routines I use in Alexa with the home assistant. I'd also like to know what 3D printer you recommend. Keep up the good work.

[@handsonkatie]

Hey Kevin - well I guess it depends what sort of routines you have, but I think you can achieve pretty much anything in my experience! 3d printer - it depends a bit on the task, but for a starter a Bambu Labs A1 Mini or a P1S depending on budget is a great place to start!

[@MekazaBitrusty]

I have done a search on rfid tags and discovered that they come in different types. Do you recommend any type?

[@handsonkatie]

Without getting into the full range of RFID tags (eg frequency ranges) - the best place to start is look for NTAG215 or NTAG 216. All should work with your phone/scanners, it's just things like the amount of data they can store has increased - so I go for one of these for usual use. Hope this helps!

[@RichardNobel]

Wonderful video, Katie! 👌 The only thing I found missing are timestamps (in the video description), so I posted those in a separate comment. Just discovered your YT channel and I love your enthusiasm, witty humor and maker spirit. ✨ (Either destiny/fate or the KZbin algorithm brought me here 😄). Instantly decided to click the Subscribe button _and_ the notification bell icon. 👉🔔 Best wishes from the other side of The English Channel / from European mainland; the Netherlands. 🇳🇱

[@handsonkatie]

Thanks Richard for the lovely comment - much appreciated and thank you so much for the timestamps - there's so many things I've got to learn/remember, so I'm trying, but I definitely forget! I'll try and remember this in future! And I love the dutch! You're always useful as you can usually speak better english than the British.... :) Keep watching!

[@MaximusLampreht]

Great! Now you have all of this wonderful options and don’t have time to live in your smart home. Congratulations!🎉

[@handsonkatie]

😅😅 Exactly the opposite actually, I carefully monitor this as a 'success criteria' - you'll see I even measured this on my PC upgrade video! These devices have saved me thousands of hours every year, but you're right with your instinct, it's something you need to be very careful of - tech firms have release loads of products like this that are the guise of 'smart', but actually are slower than the previous interface - switch off a light with your hand vs hue app/voice assistant - I know which is quicker most of the time for me....!

[@daveconlan]

Great video! I've been looking into doing some home automation. I've subscribed and look forward to watching more content.

[@8lec_R]

Nice video, all information in one place.

[@joe_fabricator]

Very motivating, thanks Katie. Great video.

[@lorenakademar5267]

I like your video, I think it's the good point to start with a smart house....I'll let you know my progress

[@rawdelicious]

Fantastic tips! I can now finally enter the world of smart home away from tech giants and their dubious privacy practises!

[@Technoriety]

Is there any reason to use Zigbee rather than the newer Thread?

[@handsonkatie]

Main points are it's established and availability of devices, matter and thread are still a little 'beta' in their implementation. I'd guess a few years before they become ubiquitous (unless something better takes them over before that!)

[@crisgrant3745]

Agree with all the comments below re great high level intro - thank you very much. However, as a relatively new RasPi 5 owner, this use case was the reason I bought my Pi 5, but I need more detail to set it up properly. I went to the Home Assistant web link you addded, and followed the steps as best I could but still go lost swithcing between my Pi 5 and my main computer. Doh! Maybe I shouldn't be playing with these toys at my age...

[@handsonkatie]

Hey crisgrant - thanks for your kind comments! I could maybe do a more detailed tutorial/guide in future if that'd be helpful. You could drop me an email on my site or join my discord and I'm happy to help too!

[@julious3603]

I'm glad I found your channel. You are smart and cute!!! I'm a fan!

[@TerraMagnus]

Instant subscribe. Brilliant video. I’m already doing most of this but I’m going to order some RFID tags right now to try out.

[@grzejnikMilosz]

Which 3d printer would you recommend for beginners?

[@handsonkatie]

Why I've just done a video on that! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYG8gHymi5yNopYsi=KxgfvPlif5V6TEey Enjoy!

[@Bayzon08]

The tittle is a little misleading as not all of them are actually free, but I get the point. Great video though, can’t wait to see more 😊

[@handsonkatie]

Well yes, fair point - all the software is free - but obviously you need to buy the chips/wires etc - although they're very cheap regardless! 😊

[@ericfalkenberry2908]

Okay, you are right! I do need to get a 3D printer … thinking Voron 2.4, but maybe Bambu???

[@handsonkatie]

Either is a win in my eyes!!

[@offgridd]

nice package, great content 😉 Don't forget however that home assistant on your phone is a privacy nightmare: if something is free, you are mostly the business model...

[@handsonkatie]

Thank you! I'm not sure I could describe Home Assistant as a 'privacy nightmare' on my phone - it sits with the usual Apple privacy permissions and on Android slightly less? You can disable each and every sensor you don't to expose and I run mine locally - anything I'm missing? It certainly seems a long, long way from some of the true 'nightmare apps' - the point on free is distinct between freemium vs open-source - your point applies to the former, not the latter - indeed I strongly suspect most of the truly private solutions you'll use are open source....! Welcome thoughts if there's anything I've missed, always like to learn!

[@offgridd]

@@handsonkatie I installed it on my iphone and didn't know how fast I could remove the app because of an alarming amount of messages about permissions for HA. Locally running on a NUC it's more convenient for me, whilst keeping all the tech equipment in a separate VLAN subnet (ubiquity). Keep on going with your movies!

[@Justsomeguyus]

Yup the thumbnail attracted my attention but the subject line was the hook. I was doing home automation before it was cool or easy and dropped out for a few years. I'm now upgrading my place and I'm glad to see that things that were very developmental a few years ago now have a serious following and good capability. My place is mostly UPB lighting and a few tricks, but you gave me some very good ideas with just this short piece. I do owe you, and thanks!

[@handsonkatie]

Great to hear - you're right, these capabilities are really becoming much easier to implement ... so definitely worth a closer look!

[@clairerovic]

I was just creating the new ESPHome voice assistant, with all the toys and your video popped up. What a great video - loved it - every second. I so wanted to pop over with a glass of wine and discuss the point - hey have the Everything Presence sensor & the Anthom. For me Tasmota needs to be added as one of the other core ESP32 Open Source solutions. It also supports MQTT & UDP as well as working independently (like ESPHome) from the server. For me I use Tasmota lights to talk to Tasmota wall switches using UDP (DevGroups), so if HA stops, which typically means ZTM will be down I can still turn my lights off and on. Smile - not perfect as we still need WiFi but a great start, also conceptionally WLED can use UDP so more room for fun. Ooooooh dont forget LLM's my baby voice assistant uses a HACS extended LLM and it simply works - channeling Paul.

[@handsonkatie]

thanks Claire! Delighted you enjoyed it! 💑 Oh it definitely was a tough choice - I kinda cheated given HA is so huge, it encompasses loads - eg voice control as you say. I'll do some follow up videos on the best components for ESP chips also as there's masses of them! You're right on Tasmota also - although again, I was trying to avoid all the various options to keep things simple for new folk (eg I cut a whole section on ZHA vs Z2M for the same reason) - I'll again do a whole video on that at some point! Anyway, thank you so much for the lovely comment and hope you enjoy the wine!! (assume it's a Node-Red Wine..... sorry I'll get my coat! 🤣 )

[@handsonkatie]

Oooh and you're totally right about LLMs - I'll need to do a whole video on Voice/LLMs/Presence detection etc - it's sooooo cool the stuff you can do. I genuinely think it's a better implementation than all the cack-handed tech giant versions.....!

[@clairerovic]

@@handsonkatie your awesome 😎, yes. Must get a bottle 😂🤣😂🤣. Good point re ZHA & ZTM, no need to bring in every option.

[@handsonkatie]

Well let me know when you do, you can come over and we can share a glass! 🤣

[@nikscha]

I feel bad for making this about your gender (because it really shouldn't be), but I'm super happy to have found a female KZbinr who's doing that kind of content. I'm looking forward for more videos!

[@handsonkatie]

Great to hear you like the content - I'll try to keep it coming!

[@TheBioniXman]

Thank you for some great information that is very well presented.

[@montanaflyer1147]

Good presentation, great choice of amazing components, but you make it seem as if all those parts just seamlessly work together without any prior knowledge. I agree that HA is the wonder integration platform as I've used it for going on 3 years now. I promote it as often as I can, but as easy as it makes integrating different platforms most humans are going to be extremely overwhelmed with the terminology, networking requirements, implementation, maintenance, backups, security, etc.... I am (was, as i am now retired) a 30 year IT professional, I've used many different home automation softwares since the X-10 days, and I still occasionally get frustrated implementing new items into HA. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the platform and I am a monthly contributor to the development, but most of my friends wouldn't be able to even install it on a PC, let alone light up their house with automation. One thing that I think you overlooked was the security side of things, especially the amazing integration of Frigate, an IP camera platform that really makes it easier to deploy security cameras. I'd say that security is 75% of my reason to have home automation, and comfort/convenience come in at a distant 2nd.

[@handsonkatie]

Some great points here Montanaflyer! HA is definitely getting more accessible (eg the days of YAML coding everything are gradually fading), but there's certainly still a learning curve. And it's certainly relatively easy to install a basic setup (I know non-technical people who've done so quite happily), but it naturally gets more complex as you try to achieve more as you describe! Frigate is a great point too - wonder if it would be worth doing an OSS security system video in its own right....?

[@slicedpage]

that was an easy sub. BTW any recommendations for RFID tags. Any run-of-the-mill or one type in particular?

[@handsonkatie]

Hey, welcome! :) To be honest, I really don't think it matters - any brand will do in my experience as they're pretty simple devices. Key difference is 213 vs 215 vs 216 - just google these and you'll see the higher numbers essentially can store more data (213=144 bytes vs 216=888 bytes) - so in SOME use cases, you might want to get the higher ones (but 99% of my uses just need it to load a url or trigger a short command, so really doesn't matter!)

[@slicedpage]

@@handsonkatie I remember back in the day when NFC tags were new and the actions they started. So, I am duty-bound as a card-carrying Geek to introduce my home to RFID tags. Thank you for the informative reply.

[@handsonkatie]

March on, brave soldier!! May every RFID tag serve you well!

[@slicedpage]

@@handsonkatie You honour me with your gracious replies my Empress.

[@sayubu]

Smart, witty, pretty, so refreshing ! No more 'bearded guys' from now on ;)

[@handsonkatie]

You sayin' I couldn't pull off a beard???? 😂

[@sayubu]

@@handsonkatie Dios mío, better a woman without one ! XOXOXO

[@handsonkatie]

😂😂😂😂

[@stevenA44]

I already have most of the stuff you mentioned. When you said go buy yourself a gift, I thought, yeah here we go. Then you said to buy a 3D printer; I already have that too! I'm definitely going to check into the few parts I don't already have. I hate when the internet goes out and I can't control my lights! This sounds like the perfect thing to have! Thank you. Gave your video a like.

[@handsonkatie]

...well I had a 3d printer.... and so I bought another one.... now I have five.... 😅😅 Glad you found it useful and get those lights locally controlled!

[@ashrafkalnad]

I loved every moment of this presentation.Well presented. I just subscribed to the channel.

[@ManuelVogt-c7b]

I nned to get my wife (a huge Harry Potter fangirl) to approve a "itinkered" smart home like this (at the moment we have the full Amazon ecosystem). I think about an RFID reader in a 3D printed wand to control the house via RFID Chips... Any suggestions if this would be possible?

[@handsonkatie]

This is a brilliant idea, I've been musing it all day - I might do this as a Halloween project!! 😄 There's plenty of RFID readers, so you could find one small enough and hook it up to an esp chip (a D1 mini or something would be good to make it small enough for the wand, I'll need to brainstorm this some more!)