187 Automations, 300 Devices: Josh’s Smart Home Assistant Journey
Home Assistant Podcast
Early device choices and failures
Josh recounts early purchases like MyQ and a Honeywell thermostat and why those choices hindered his setup.
Josh from Josh’s Smart Home joins Phil and Rohan to unpack a 300-device Home Assistant setup running on Home Assistant Green. We dive into the move from SmartThings, building a reliable Zigbee mesh, energy automations with Tesla Powerwall and a smart pool pump and theatre room presence.
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA215
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Chapters
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:22 - Meet Josh
00:02:18 - Early smart home missteps
00:04:12 - SmartThings and Lutron
00:05:54 - WebCoRE ends, HA begins
00:09:29 - Home Assistant Green setup
00:09:34 - Zigbee mesh with Aqara
00:12:55 - Theater gear quirks
00:14:18 - Theater automation philosophy
00:22:02 - Time-of-use energy automations
00:23:00 - Powerwall + solar in HA
00:26:31 - ROI and arbitrage
00:28:28 - Tesla automations
00:32:42 - Dashboards and voice control
00:37:19 - Washer/dryer and doorbell alerts
00:40:37 - 187 automations, time saved
00:44:20 - Motion and humidity control
00:48:56 - Measuring automation impact
00:50:02 - Smart blinds convenience
00:50:19 - Yarbo mower and snowblower
00:58:43 - Security and utility uses
01:06:59 - Starting Josh’s Smart Home
01:10:27 - Automation content plans
01:12:45 - Top new-build tips
01:15:56 - Designing and building
01:21:26 - Where to find Josh
This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors
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Products Discussed
Reolink Video Doorbell: https://amzn.to/4a7LIId
Apple TV 4K: https://amzn.to/4prsT7n
Narwal robot vacuum and mop: https://amzn.to/3KgSaSK
UV insect light traps: https://amzn.to/484CNEY
Yarbo robotic core with mower/snow modules: https://amzn.to/3LOtOQV
Hosts
Phil Hawthorne
Twitter: @philhawthorne
Bluesky: @philhawthorne.com
Rohan Karamandi
Twitter: @rohank9
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