Smart home, built right.
Guides and buying research for a house that runs on Home Assistant. Sources on the page. A lab label only when we ran it.
Home Assistant · Dashboards Start here
How Home Assistant dashboards work in 2026: views, the Sections layout, cards, badges, visibility, community cards, tablets and phones, with links to every step-by-step guide.
Home Assistant · Guides & Tutorials
Turn Christmas lights on at sunset and off at bedtime in Home Assistant, with weekend schedules, away handling and a free blueprint you can import.
Home Assistant · Guides & Tutorials
Home Assistant 2026.11 replaces HACS with the built-in Marketplace. What carries over, what stops updating, and the templates and YAML resources to check.
Home Assistant · Guides & Tutorials
Turn on Home Assistant's built-in MCP server, limit what an AI can control, and connect Claude's free plan. Plus what ChatGPT requires, what MCP can't do yet, and privacy notes.
Buying guides · Sensors and switches
Five US outdoor smart plugs for Christmas lights compared on Home Assistant route, IP rating, LED load limits and GFCI needs. Research-based, with sources.
Buying guides · Lighting
Govee Christmas Lights 2, Twinkly Strings and Philips Hue Festavia compared on effects, outdoor ratings and what Home Assistant, Alexa, Google and Apple Home can control.
Buying guides · Radios
Which Thread border router to use with Home Assistant: ZBT-2, SMLIGHT, Apple TV, HomePod, Nest and Echo compared on compatibility, Thread 1.4 and price.