Ultimate Guide to Starting and Growing a Smart Home in 2024!

[@SmartHomeSolver]

UPDATE: My Home Assistant Beginner’s Guide is live! Watch it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGXKp56jf52kaposi=HgPgktsW0ihW5rlv Don't forget to subscribe so you can keep learning how to grow your smart home! And leave a comment if you have other questions I didn't cover ⬇

[@Kaltsut]

Hi

[@Cemilaws]

Hello, can you test smart boiler or is it better to stay with Tado like devices, boiler needs to be run with gas

[@TheSpin007]

I would LOVE a beginner guide to Home Assistant! We’re getting ready to move and I think it’s the perfect time for me to finally make the switch

[@emilsecker7881]

Home Assistant is great, there can be a fair bit of admin though

[@Tim_E88]

Same here. Just received my home assistant green and I'm ready to get started.

[@mohammedgafoor8543]

YES PLEAAAASE

[@BothellPlaysMusic]

I'm very interested in starting home assistant, but it's very intimidating

[@emilsecker7881]

@@BothellPlaysMusic it’s not that bad

[@reelrebellion7486]

You are describing what I have been calling in my head an "aware home", sensors all over to know what is going on, and then actions based on those sensors to make them "smart"

[@joaomensah8159]

Reed I'm generally the biggest fan of you and your family especially your home!I just implemented your smart home automation for distracting your kids here in my home in the UK I enjoyed this vide a lot and I learn much from you all the time Thank you for you and your family's work!

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Wow thanks for the really nice comment! Haha also I'm happy to hear you implemented the automations to distract your kids. It's great to have fun with the smart home too.

[@ArieHans-5]

Of all the things I got this year when it comes to everyday tech, it was undoubtedly my vionentus wallet, the airtag slot and the details often make me feel like I'm in Blade Runner.

[@pondbrad47]

Dude, I'm with you on this opinion!! It's great, although Alexa has also saved my life several times.

[@ArieHans-5]

@@pondbrad47 hahahah samee, still my #1 though

[@Elizas1965]

Yes friend, I am with you in this opinion!!

[@nasherbasher7641]

Nope that’s just you

[@teekandy]

What does it do ?

[@onlyzach1]

Yes, please do the Home Assistant tutorials! I've been wanting to get into it, but too scared haha. Good video as always!

[@FlyingHellfish]

When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all..... I think of that a lot when I'm spending hours making automatons work just right, but the ones that are flawless are the ones with the highest approval

[@Tommy_Tran023]

Watching your videos started my rabbit hole of getting my own smart home! Thanks for all the content and tips!

[@firestorm4370]

Yes, i would love a beginner home assistant video. I am blind and just purchased a HA yellow kit and cm4. Going to be working on the install tomorrow and could always benifit from totorials to grapple how to get going.

[@stevenshircliff393]

My family has PhD in home automation destruction as well! Hilarious! Wish you could have given Hubitat some love. Love my Hubitat and it's flexibility.

[@OdinsOdyssey5252]

Just moved into our new home that we bought and step by step I am building our smart home. I also work with sensors and conditions.

[@sundeeppatel3537]

Beginner Home Assistant video would be amazing, looking forward to when it gets posted!!!

[@reginaldwcooper]

This is the first time I've noticed someone mentioning visitors and setting your smart home to change routines when you have people staying at your house. Which happens often. Thanks

[@reidcardwell]

Great video! I'm in the process of porting my hodge-podge smart home into Home Assistant, so I'm definitely looking for good H.A. content right now. I know whatever you produce will be good stuff, thanks for taking the time to help the rest of us.

[@Nifty-Stuff]

This was GREAT! Exactly what I need for my new smarthome remodel! Yes, please to a simple HomeAssistant from scratch video!

[@fearlesslionmedia4232]

I'm savings these videos to a Home Automation playlist as I gear up to get started!

[@jamesmonahan7872]

Great video Reed. I would concur with all that you said and have done most of what you have suggested. It is much easier doing one room at a time as the whole home can get overwhelming. Be curious to see the HA tutorial and will watch for that on the other channel. Keep up the great work.

[@revx]

Great video as always Reed! One thing about WiFi devices; they usually rely upon servers that the manufacturer runs, and if they ever shut down, your hardware becomes uselss. I also just don't trust all the random fly-by-night companies to keep my data safe, and so going with local control is ideal IMO. But of course there are also WiFi devices that don't connect to an external server, I'm more amenable to that

[@monas.6839]

This is so helpful, Reed! I can’t wait to start tinkering with Home Assistant 😊

[@jsjiang6120]

I wish I had watched this kind of video earlier. I went through the following stages. 1. Wow, google voice control is so cool. 2. I'm so tired of having to say "OK, Google" everytime just to turn on the light. 3. What? I can't control anything just because the internet is down? 4. Home assistant + local control + sensor without voice control are must have for smart home. Before knowing that I've purchased too many not-really-smart devices. Wasted a lot of time and money.

[@Lightloch]

Excellent video! Answered virtually all of my questions as I look to smart-ify the new house a bit.

[@SamPhoenix_]

I used to be a Home Assistant purist, but have moved towards native HomeKit as a base for relaibility and simplicity and making sure those devices are either also Home Assistant integrated or Matter enabled so I can add into Home Assistant as well for Logging and more advanced automations. Meaning even if Home Assistant goes down (and at least one AppleTV or HomePod is still alive) I still have basic control of my devices aut automations, but I might lose some of the nicer automations. It's a good compromise to get the best of both worlds. It's also a lot simpler to just avoid WiFi devices when there is a good alternative availalble than having to diagnose the problems these devices can cause later.

[@emilsecker7881]

Sometimes there isn’t a good alternative to WiFi available though. Non native HomeKit devices through Home Assistant work well enough imo

[@Registered55]

The biggest fear I have about automation in the home, is if anything should happen to me, like long term injury or even worse like death, how does my family take over the home...I mean as a man we Must!! Think about our family needs and that also means what will they do if I'm no longer here, this is the only thing that stops me as I cannot design a system around that possible eventuality.... Any ideas

[@donaldhoudek2889]

Congrats for reaching 600K!!!

[@bigpop1996]

I prefer smart home without being connected to internet to work all the time and a system that stays as I set it when I started and if we face blackout, I don't want to reset everything

[@VisualReversal]

I love to tinker and node-red paired with Hubitat is perfect for that.

[@_Zsolt_]

Nem semmi!! Környezetvédelem címszónál a kínai értemlező kézi szótárban: “Lefordíthatatlan külföldi kifejezés” (irónia)

[@volcolby]

I totally agree that voice commands are just not great as the only way to control things. I think it takes some time and then some trial and error to figure out what you actually want and need your smart home to do. To that end, I like lighting and security as my first priorities. Thanks for the video.

[@Stevo.100]

Nice video, you're my favorite smart home youtuber :D So I really like it whenever a new video of yours comes out. I only recently started getting into building a smart home and the reason for it was because I wanted to turn my light off while sitting on the lounge, then I loved doing that so much I wanted to do more, so I bought an IR device so I could control my AC from wherever I was, if it was a hot day I could turn it on just before I was about to go home. I never really thought I needed Home Assistant, my smart home is pretty basic (I am getting a smart door bell and door lock though), but there was something I wanted to do that wasn't possible with the tools I had, that was to set up an automation for plex on my chromecast to play the next episode in a tv show, because I watch an episode each day and instead of having to press multiple buttons, it'd be nice to do that with just one button press, or a voice command (it could also dim the lights too, so that saves that as well) so I was on my way to set up Home Assistant. Oh great... it doesn't work on Android, so I can't have it enabled on my phone that is on 24/7, that's no good but I guess I'll just put it on my PC that is also on practically 24/7... Oh great... it doesn't work on Windows. So I pulled my old gaming PC out the spare room and spent a day turning it into a server, I finally have Home Assistant! Now I've heard about how difficult it is, but I'm a techy guy, I'm sure when they say it's difficult they mean it's difficult for people who aren't into tech. Well i sat there playing around with Home Assistant for about an hour tonight and couldn't work out anything. I had no idea how to add my IR device to it, no idea how to add my smart bulbs to it. Pressing add a device only brings up a screen where you need to select a brand, you can't search for it like I would in the Smart Life app. It's possible I'm missing something somewhere, it's also possible those kinds of detection is enabled when you have wifi on your server (my server is just ethernet, not wifi) So yeah. I'd be VERY keen for you to put up a beginners guide on how to work with Home Assistant (I feel like such a noob lol) oh and maybe an advanced tutorial on how to do that whole plex automation? jk jk... unless? :D

[@Stevo.100]

@SmartHomeSolver you have a bot here

[@Stevo.100]

@Hit-Profile-Let-Converse Fine, scammer. Whatever you want to be called.

[@loraf2009]

Getting ready to move so this is right on time. Can't wait for the next one!

[@Filipe_2004]

Beginer home assistant video YYYEEEESSSA

[@VitalyKorolev]

Thank you for another great video! But, another goal should be knowing how to transfer smart home ownership especially when you have to sell the house.

[@MrPoblijon]

Google Home Assistant has its limitation and flaws. But my smart wiring systtem supports it and with just the cheap Nest hub, I control the entire system by voice, i.e. shutters, lights, recuperation etc. I recently discovered that thanks to Matter GHA can finally work with sensors as automation triggers. So my motion sensors activate whatever I want. And that is a game changer, IMO.

[@Phil_Here]

Great work in this channel. I have been a subscriber for a long time but under a private account.. It's been fun to watch you grow your channel. Keep up the good work!

[@HaninaSayada]

I love your videos and the idea of smart home . I have one issue that i really think you have an answer that i don't know . I bought about 20 smart items (bulbs, switches, etc) my problem is that if i want to change different wifi company or even change the wifi i will have to reset 20 items one by one which is Very annoying. Am i doing something wrong ? Or is it because i buy from different companies (some i bought from ali expess )? I want a selution where i change one and hopa all changed automatically. Thanks

[@dhrandy]

Still super happy with SmartThings and the wife approves.

[@cheamericana]

Ohhhh thank you for this video. You have saved me a lot of headache

[@welshtony1]

Mines fully built using Alexa as like everyone when starting out we all tend to use smart speakers. I have noticed lately that Alexa doesn't always know what im on about even though I am using the exact same commands, my biggest issue lately is the master bedroom light - I can change the brightness but trying to turn it off at night is a pain in the butt. Sometime soon I plan to start using HA (ive been saying this for a year though :/ lol )

[@welshtony1]

@Hit-Profile-Let-Converse reported

[@bazanime]

Alexa can still exist as normal in your system and you can slowly integrate HA for its dashboard and the ability to create complex automations. You can do it. Pick a day and focus on that. It will be great achievement when you get it working.

[@Hiroshiken71]

Step 0 is probably the hardest one of them all. The step I'm talking about is actually getting a house whether it be in the US in Europe or in Asia.

[@robojimtv]

Would love a similar guide for renters because that's a big market that feels so underserved

[@tayoaderibigbe6125]

This is a one all in one that I really need from Reed. Thanks

[@dankelley9361]

Reed, always love your videos! I’d definitely like to see a migration into Home Assistant from SmartThings. Like the customization possibilities & the Dashboard that you show, but don’t have a programming background. Is it necessary? Thanks

[@andywebbzzz9999]

OHHHHH, THE ZIGBYYYY!!

[@Kaltsut]

Congrats on 600k

[@OweiraHani]

What are the best invisible window door sensors

[@jonhawthorne1489]

Do you have a video on a light strip that indicates when it is time to leave? It would fill up over time and be green when it's time to leave?

[@EsotericArctos]

Just a correction. Thread is not actually "fairly new" Matter is fairly new, and the implementation of Thread as a radio for Matter is new, but Thread has been around for many years with the Thread Group being formed in 2014. I think a lot of people only think of Thread in association with Matter, where Thread as a radio protocol has been around for a long time and is quite robust. That said, I totally agree not to limit yourself to one protocol. Zigbee, Thread and Z-Wave all have use cases and I would say just get the sensors you need to make your smart home work. I would not say avoid WiFi but I would say prefer Zigbee, Z-Wave or Thread over WiFi. This is mainly for reliability as WiFi doesn't mesh. Zigbee, Zwave and Thread have been specifically designed for the type of communication used for home automation devices.

[@siddharthrakundla8497]

@ 7:48 : Anyone knows which lamp is he using? Looks great

[@patrickpaganini]

Awesome job - and funny. Though my favourite joke ever was probably your count-down to new year!

[@hochleistungsbauelemente]

Hey, congrats on the 600K subscribers. Keep up the good work. 👍

[@PiyushNikam]

Hi Reed, I have been watching your videos for 2-3 years now and you are my biggest inspiration. Could you please tell me a way so that home assistant could ask me a question via my Google home speaker and give me options to select and I would speak whatever I want to do and home assistant will execute the action. E.g.: If the overhead tank is empty, then Google home speaker must ask me that which pump to turn ON, pump 1 or pump 2 and if I say pump 2, then it should turn it ON

[@OfficialAustinLeis]

Cool 👍

[@DRacer90]

Home Assistant looks too complicated. What do you think about Homey Pro?

[@IraQNid]

X10 modules were doing most of this decades ago. Using the electrical wiring in your home, you were able to program the command center to operate any thing that was plugged into the wall. Later came X10 PC software for DOS and Windows, allowing for better control of the Smart House. A common term about 30 years ago. Progress was made to the extent that the home computer didn't need to be powered on all the time to function with the X10 command module. Meaning that the command module itself was built with its own processing power. That also meant a lower power bill. Over on the voice command side of things is offline voice dictation, translation, and full voice command and control software for Windows computers from companies like Dragon Naturally Speaking. Never a need or permanent requirement to have some tech overlord spy on your daily life with an Internet connection in order to create your dream version of a Star Trek or Battle Star Galactica lifestyle.

[@reginaldwcooper]

I remember reading the catalog on X10 components back in the 90s. Started my smart home thoughts. Along with star trek, the ability to walk around the enterprise.

[@DIYtechie]

I very much agree with these tips / rules of thumb 👍🏻😊

[@kotgc7987]

Home Automation looks great, however this is like the icing on the cake. Seems like few address the foundational back bone network. I've tried 3 devices now on HA and the 3 devices have failed. Standard network would be an ISP, router and I think a HA bridge? I use a 1. bridged ISP router to the 2. Desktop computer (mini-pc tech is ready now, like RaPi5 for desktop use if you're not a gamer) with a 3. hypervisor (Qemu/KVM) running virtual machine (VM) 4.1. Home Assistant and VM 4.2. router pfSense.

[@bartwhat]

Hii Reed, it's me again ;) Another awesome video, thanks so much! Any updates about those awesome shirts you're wearing? Would love to order one (or two) from you! Cheers from Holland ✌🏻

[@timboe1848]

Reed love you’re videos but can you make videos on how to setup automation in home assistant, like a step by step for beginners, I make basic automation on home assistant but not positive,

[@K1LLA_KING_KONG]

Have done or can you please do a video on setting up a 'new build' house as apposed to setting up an existing home. I would like to consider wiring & networking in the construction process

[@ahmedmk534]

so should we take Matter or Zigbee ready devices?

[@davidhunter90]

So I think I need some advice on the hub. For the longest time, I've been using Amazon Alexa throughout my house. I have multiple speakers, and it worked OK, but it didn't give me the controls like your video kind of said. I watched your video on Homey Pro, and it's been a game changer. The only issue I've been having with it is my smart kasa lights keep running into rate limits. Did you ever have that issue with Homey Pro?

[@SmartHomeSolver]

I haven't seen that on the Homey Pro with the Kasa lights. I'll have to look into that one. I think Home Assistant connects to the Kasa lights locally so it hasn't run into that issue.

[@cosmicfantastic]

maybe i missed it, but why does Hubitat not get any attention in your videos? would be good to understand the cons that prevents it from being part of the options here

[@moemontana]

Apple users don't like Hubitat it seems like. Hubtiat should have made that hub list

[@RobSnow-ui4sz]

Great video. However for me to use Lutron like you have in the video, I need deeper boxes. So now this becomes a bigger issue because I have to first remove the box and install a new one. This involves cutting nails inside the box which I could do with a hack saw, etc. I have one box that has 4 switches, so a real jungle. Also were you concerned about having a neutral wire or not having during your process? Did you have to do that or were your boxes deeper already?

[@Vaticous]

Great video, though I feel this all can be a bit overwhelming. Maybe a simpler, beginner’s guide?

[@BaldcyrusTreva]

Please what and what should I buy so I can use my Alexa to control my home, thank you

[@DanFlynn]

At the 11:25 marker you are showing a zigbee mesh visualization in H.A. that I have never seen before. Can you go into more detail on how that is set up?

[@tysenp8193]

Now that the Echo Hub is out, would you change your ranking of the Alexa system? Seems like it adds a lot of capability for different types of devices.

[@RetroAdz]

Which doorbell are you using right now (lost track with all your doorbell reviews!) and how did you get the video notifications on your TV? I've managed to integrate the Android TV notifications and notify when someone rings my Eufy doorbell, but currently it can't get a live image let alone a video stream

[@bjørnjacobsengaming]

2:19 Motion sensors are triggered by pets, and then you have the joy of your light or whatever you think is smart to connect to them, turning on and off constantly. What's so smart about it?

[@MarcusPorter-o3e]

Excellent video

[@lowcus211]

Quick question Reed, what do you think about Brilliant switches and home controls? Are they worth the price?

[@coolbart66]

Which LED light strips do you use?

[@cakekomo]

Hi Reed or others reading this comment. What Wifi system do you recommend for Home Automation? Most if not all of my smart devices require 2.4Ghz networking and the mesh system I use can't do a specific 2.4Ghz network on an SSID. It's all automatic. So I had to set up a 2nd non-mesh wifi router (in AP mode) just for smart home devices. Also, my HA system is I'd say "medium"... not starter, and not advanced. I use HomeAssistant and expose some of it through Apple Homekit for the wife/kids. Mostly lights and garage door. Here's my question: None of my stuff is Zigbee so far. Should I just wait for Matter or start getting into Zigbee stuff to get more advanced?

[@joewaidl1776]

Hi Reed great video! I am interested in switching over to HA but I am having hard time finding the cost of it all. Are there monthly subscriptions to use this platform?

[@KeplarDesign]

I love tinkering. Can I use my Google nest devices connected to my home assistant?

[@bmwchefbmw]

I have 5 split minis in bedrooms, and two main AC units in living spaces. I want to have all on a schedule to run when my solar has the batteries full and I still have sun left in the day! Some of these rooms are empty, but I want to rotate the AC on to keep the air moving and the room dry and not musty in the tropical environment. I'm so confused with all the Verbiage of smart home things! Do I just need a "sensibo" for each split mini? and do you recommend I hook them into a HA? or do I really need a HA? I would love a diagram of a simple system.

[@smody121]

1:50 Baby's walking already? Time flies!

[@InsaiyanTech]

What would you say is the best smart surge outlet so I can get multiple smart ports instead of having to buy multiple ones

[@Prohdin]

How have you set up your wifi? As in what routers and repeater/mesh points? :)

[@smallqwaro]

That shirt is 🔥

[@justinw6448]

Please make a beginner into home assistant video.

[@TropicalDoc]

Hello, do you offer off site consulting for a fee for a DIY project? I am building a new home and have watched many of your videos. Thank you.

[@MJGxo]

What's that led light bar you use in corner wall? I need one chat help

[@ej1033-]

Reed, I want to use matter as my smart home standard, but since it’s new not that much devices support it yet, but I know some older smart home devices can support it with a firmware update. How much of already existing smart home devices do you think could support it?

[@SmartHomeSolver]

Yes that's true about older devices updating their bridge to make their devices Matter compatible. Right now Matter doesn't support all the device types. Here is an article showing the device types that are supported www.theverge.com/23568091/matter-compatible-devices-accessories-apple-amazon-google-samsung and that list will keep growing as Matter keeps getting updated.

[@cjsalzano]

Love your videos, thanks for everything you do for the channel. I have 30 or so smart devices in my house and everything works great, only software is Alexa where I control all the devices. I haven't had a need for anything more sophisticated and never took the leap to other hub or software. Recently I wanted to add a sensor for a closet light and determined easiest way to do this, I upgraded my echo Dot to an echo 4th generation with zigbee hub built in, got a zigbee sensor and it works great. Now, I'd like to have two conditions or triggers on the routine for the sensor if it detects motion and is a particular time of day. It seems I'm at the crossroads for what's possible within the Alexa routines but I don't feel like I want to make the jump completely to home assistant. Is there something in between that would allow slightly more sophisticated conditioning for a sensor, is this maybe where IFTTT comes in or any other ideas?

[@leftyphingaz]

I love the T-shirt.

[@MrDingleberry31]

Great advice. Thanks.

[@ScottHughes12]

In the Home Assistant vs Homey conversation, what's realistic as far as cost comparison just for the hubs? Obviously the Homey Pro hub is fairly expensive at $400, while you can get a Home Assistant Green + Sky Connect for $130 to get started. But is that a reasonable way to look at it? It seems that most people end up running HA on more robust hardware (rPi+SSD, NAS, etc.). What would you consider a decent HA hub setup for someone who's making the switch from SmartThings?

[@TheRiehlThing42]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think Home Assistant Yellow has some of the wireless hook ups included on the device. I have the Home Assistant Green, and it didn't have the Matter Thread hookups ready. If you're ready to go into automations and programming, Home Assistant is a great system. I use Homey Pro because the visual routing of flows (what Homey Pro calls automations) makes sense to me. It has a very visual look to it, that really works. I still have my Home Assistant Green hooked up to my network, since one device I have doesn't appear on Homey Pro's system. Devices that work with Home Assistant, can carry over to Homey Pro too, and run in Homey Pro's flows. Or, just stay with Home Assistance, and learn automations. I struggled with the learning curve in Home Assistant. If you can overcome that, go for it.

[@beatsandmel0dy]

What is the app/device your using to control everything in the video?

[@Mangavorefr]

Hi there, I see in your AMZ list lots of NFC tags. What kind of use can we use it in a smart home if not for access?

[@AlfaMedtech]

Best outdoor security camera that’s homekit compatible?

[@gerryf7015]

Nice! Reed, Do you have a way to automate the "Visitor/Gueat" or "Babysitter" mode? New devices on your network? Or just a manual dashboard switch/

[@SmartHomeSolver]

I've always just hit a manual switch on my phone. New device on the network would be interesting but it might be difficult to differentiate from a friend visiting. What I could do is use the Google calendar integration and made a calendar event called "babysitter" for date night and then it would auto do it from that.

[@bertrandmauge9832]

Bonjour, I wonder if you could show and explain, how did you connect your withings bed sensor to HA ? I’m not interested in the medical stuff but just the presence. Tks.

[@ronm6585]

Thanks Reed.

[@JasonSmoker-qs6rx]

How would you compare Homeseer to Home Assistant? Currently running HS4, new project coming up so i am reevaluating for better options if any....

[@ronniemagatti3342]

You mentioned you use the Sonoff S31 Zigbee smart plugs, have you ever had issues with them seemingly congesting your zigbee network? I had a terribly looking network graph, only after I removed most of these routers did my network seem to stabilize.

[@johnr7532]

Will you put your yaml codes somewhere? Would like to see some of your harder automations code to work off of.

[@drawzeywazig9096]

Do you have recommendations for multi swiches that work with thread over matter? I'm looking for switches with like 4 buttons, so I can add functionality later, that i'm not thinking off right now. Advise welcome :) I would also very much like it if switches are wired and if they would fit our normal belgian switch format :)

[@anpc86]

Would you still go with the water leak sensors from aeotec? Im wanting to start my smart home with this aspect but having hard time figuring out what works or still in business, ideally compatible water valve shutoff

[@iomis2001]

I control most of my smart home with voice commands. I actually prefer it.

[@emilsecker7881]

That’s not always the best approach