Your Smart Home
Field Guide
Hands-on reviews, protocol comparisons, and real build logs for Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, Home Assistant, and beyond.
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Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro Review 2026: Security Camera and Smart Home Hub in One
Hands-on review of the Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro — an outdoor 4MP security camera with built-in Zigbee and Thread radio, Matter support, True Color night vision, and AI-powered detection. Tested with HomeKit, Home Assistant, and multi-ecosystem setups.
Build a Fully Local Voice Assistant for Home Assistant: 2026 Build Log
Step-by-step build log for adding local voice control to Home Assistant using the Voice Preview Edition, Whisper speech-to-text, Piper text-to-speech, and Ollama LLM as the conversation agent. Complete parts list, pipeline wiring, and real-world latency testing.
Build a DIY Multi-Sensor Node with ESP32 and BME280 for Home Assistant
Step-by-step build log for creating a custom multi-sensor node with ESP32 and BME280. Covers wiring, ESPHome YAML configuration, flashing, Home Assistant integration, dashboard setup, and expansion with BME680 air quality sensors.
Aqara Hub M3 Review 2026: Matter, Thread, PoE — The Smart Home Hub That Does It All?
Hands-on review of the Aqara Hub M3 with Matter controller, Thread Border Router, Zigbee 3.0, PoE support, and IR blaster. Real-world testing of setup, Home Assistant integration, local automation performance, and multi-ecosystem compatibility with Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Alexa.
Complete Guide to Home Energy Monitoring with Home Assistant (2026)
Set up whole-home energy monitoring with Home Assistant using the Emporia Vue 3. Covers hardware selection, installation, local ESPHome flash vs cloud integration, and building an energy dashboard that actually saves you money.
Aqara FP2 Presence Sensor Review: mmWave Radar After 3 Years of Updates
The Aqara FP2 mmWave presence sensor promised to replace traditional PIR motion detectors with radar that can tell if you're sitting still, asleep, or have fallen. We tested it across Home Assistant, HomeKit, and Alexa — covering zone setup, multi-person tracking, fall detection, and the new FP300 comparison.
Smart Light Bulbs 2026: Which Protocol Wins Your Home?
We tested 7 smart light bulbs across Zigbee, Thread, Matter, and Wi-Fi protocols — Philips Hue, Nanoleaf, IKEA TRÅDFRI, TP-Link Kasa, WiZ, innr, and Govee — comparing price, brightness, CRI, hub requirements, and real-world Home Assistant reliability to find the best bulb for your smart home.
How to Set Up Local Object Detection on the Raspberry Pi AI HAT+ for Smart Home Security
Build a privacy-first smart home camera system with the Raspberry Pi 5 and AI HAT+. Step-by-step tutorial covering Hailo NPU setup, YOLO object detection, Frigate integration, and automations — no cloud required.
Apple HomePad Review 2026: The Smart Home Hub We've Been Waiting For?
Apple's HomePad smart home hub combines a 7-inch display, A18 chip, Face ID, and homeOS into one device. Here's everything we know about specs, price, launch date, and how it stacks up against Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub.
Build a Privacy-First Smart Home: Local Control Build Log
Step-by-step build log for a fully local smart home using Home Assistant, Zigbee, and sensors — no cloud required. Complete parts list and setup guide for 2026.
How to Build Room-Level Presence Detection with ESPresense
Track who is in which room using $5 ESP32 boards running ESPresense firmware. Step-by-step guide covering flashing, MQTT setup, calibration, and Home Assistant integration for room-level presence detection.
Smart Lock Shootout 2026: Nuki Ultra vs Schlage Encode Plus vs Aqara U400 vs Yale Assure Lock 2
We compared 6 top smart locks head-to-head: Nuki Ultra, Schlage Encode Plus, Aqara U400, Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch, August Wi-Fi, and Aqara U200. Pricing, features, real-world battery life, and which one you should buy in 2026.
How to Build an ESP32 Bluetooth Proxy Network for Home Assistant
Eliminate BLE dead zones by building a multi-proxy network with $3 ESP32 boards. Step-by-step ESPHome config, placement tips, and troubleshooting.
Aqara Smart Lock U300 Review: The Best Matter Deadbolt for 2026?
Hands-on review of the Aqara U300 smart lock with Matter over Thread, fingerprint reader, and keypad. Specs, real-world performance, and how it stacks against the U100, August Wi-Fi, and Schlage Encode Plus.
Home Assistant Complete Setup Guide 2026: From Zero to Your First Automation
Step-by-step Home Assistant setup guide: hardware choices (Pi 5 vs NUC), installation, ZHA/Zigbee2MQTT, dashboard setup, and your first automation.
Zigbee vs Z-Wave vs Matter: The 2026 Smart Home Protocol Decision Guide
Zigbee vs Z-Wave vs Matter in 2026: Compare range, device availability, hub requirements, and use cases to choose the right smart home protocol.
Smart Home Hub Showdown 2025: Home Assistant Green vs Hubitat C8 Pro vs SmartThings
The article compares Home Assistant Green ($199, 4GB RAM, no radios, $65/yr sub, 1,000+ integrations, 15-min setup, Ethernet), Hubitat C8 Pro ($169.95, 2GB RAM, built-in Zigbee/Z-Wave 800 LR/Bluetooth/Matter, external antennas, no sub, 30-60 min setup, Rule Machine, Wi-Fi), and SmartThings Aeotec ($119.99-$149.99, cloud-dependent app, Edge drivers, V3 Z-Wave Plus, no HomeKit, 10-min setup, Wi-Fi). Three-year TCO: $469, $170, $150.
SF Bay Area Smart Home Secondhand Market: Real Prices From Craigslist (May 2026)
The secondhand smart home market on Craigslist offers huge discounts (30-70% off) due to ecosystem churn and upgrades. Best deals include Aqara U100 lock ($80, 56% off), Ecobee 3 Lite thermostat ($60, 65% off), and sealed Roborock Qrevo Edge ($499, 64% off). Caveats: locks and Nests need account removal; robot vac LiDAR degrades; Blink/Arlo require cloud subscriptions. Budget starter pack ($230 vs $600 retail): eero 6 mesh 5-pack, Tapo bulbs, Nest 3rd gen, Schlage keypad, Blink doorbell. Wi-F...
Welcome to Smart Home Field Guide
Smart Home Field Guide delivers real-tested reviews, comparisons, tutorials (Zigbee2MQTT), and build logs, cutting through forum knowledge buried in threads. It covers Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, and Home Assistant. Upcoming: protocol guide with range testing and device availability, modern dashboard using Mushroom/Layout Cards/HACS, sponsor-free hub comparison covering setup time, automation, radio quality and long-term maintenance, and sensor roundup testing Aqara, Sonoff, IKEA for reliability,...