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Can You Solve SmartHome Automation Challenges With A Proxy?

Proxy-Powered Home Automation The dictionary defines the word proxy as “the authority to represent someone else” which is close to what it means in software programming too. In a nutshell, a proxy is when one thing stands in for another. You manipulate one thing, and...

Putting The “Why” Into DIY Home Automation

What Is Professional Home Automation? This simple question generates and lot of different and unexpected answers. When I ask many people what they think distinguishes a Pro from a consumer DIY project, I get may different answers but the only thing everyone agrees on...

Out With The Old; In With The New

Spring has Sprung! Now that we have swung full speed into Spring, it’s time to plan for re-planting the smart home garden of controllers, devices, and appliances. Every Spring I take an inventory of where things stand, what needs to be fixed or changed, and what I...

Are You Documenting Your Smart Home Projects?

The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword The biggest secret to a successful smart home project is not in the design or the building, but in the documentation.  Without exaggeration, I must admit it has taken me many years to learn this simple lesson. Recently, I...

Top Ways to Save On Your Smart Home

Cost-Effective Smart Home System Choices Most DIY projects serve two different masters - our enjoyment of doing something by ourselves and the desire to save money.  But the fun of learning, hands-on doing, and fiddling around with smart home tech is very...

Is Your HomeKit ‘Glass’ Half-Empty or Half-Full?

New Year’s Resolutions For Apple In just a few weeks, we’ll be reading lots of advice about making New Year’s Resolutions for the coming year.  I’ve got an interesting angle - I’m going to list my wish list now for Apple’s HomeKit so when the product managers and...