There are many home automations systems available and choosing one can be very confusing.
However if you are technically minded and willing to learn it is possible to take a DIY approach and build your own system.
Not only will this save you money but you will also learn about:
- home automation
- networking protocols
- programming
- APIs
Using Node-Red and Raspberry Pi
Node-Red is a very popular low code system for building IOT and other applications.
Because of this it is ideal for building smart home systems without requiring lots of programming knowledge.
Because an home automation system is always on the low power consumption and small footprint make the PI an Ideal device for hosting your own DIY home automation system and this will be the preferred device for most people.
In fact the popular open source home automation system home assistant runs on a raspberry pi.
However you are not limited to a pi as you can run node-red on any computer you want.
What Is Being Covered?
I will be creating project tutorials with example flows and dashboards that will show you how to:
- Monitor Your Home Network and the Internet
- Automate your Home.
- Manage Tasmota devices
- Work with APis
If you have any questions then please use the Ask-steve page.
Getting Started with Node-Red
If you are new to Node-Red then I would recommend you take a look at this overview video.
To learn the basics of node-red I recommend you visit my other site stevesnoderedguide.com.
Using MQTT
Although most current smart home devices use http for management and control MQTT is fast becoming the protocol of choice in IOT and home automation.
To use MQTT you will need to set up your own MQTT broker. Node-red has MQTT broker called Aedes which is installed as a node
See Install and run Aedes on Node-Red
For home automation using the Aedes broker works perfectly fine and doesn’t involve any other software.
However if you prefer to use mosquitto you can also install it on the Pi.
How to Install Mosquitto on The Raspberry Pi
Monitoring Your Network
Home Automation
- Controlling the Tasmota Switch with Node-Red and MQTT
- Controlling the Tasmota Switch with Node-Red and HTTP.
- Tasmota Network Monitor and Control Project
- Home Automation Timer with Node-Red
- Using Zigbee2MQTT- A Beginners Guide
- Geofencing for Smart Homes with Node-Red
Smart Home Simulator
In order to generate test data and a control dashboard I have created a smart home simulator in node-red which currently consists of :
- sensor simulators
- Control dashboard
You can read more about it and download the node-red flows- Smart home simulator
Question
Do you have any project suggestions I would be glad to hear them. Please use the comments form below.
Hi, this is Helene from ah Evvr.
Evvr is dedicated to providing smart home solutions for users. Evvr Smart In-Wall Relay Switch has a split design. In addition, it is compatible with Z-Wave, Zigbee and HomeKit protocols.
This smart relay lighting switch has the following additional features.
Always Connected, Always Online
Unlike other smart relay switches and smart bulbs, the Smart Relay part remains connected even if the wall switch is turned off. You can always access and control your lighting system via apps or voice commands like Google Assistant, Alexa and HomeKit Siri wirelessly.
No Neutral Wire Required
No neutral wire required installation. Enjoy the convenience of smart lights and smart relays, without spending a fortune to rewire the electrical wires inside walls and ceilings.
Work with All Wall Switches
Works with all types of conventional wall switches: toggle switches, momentary push buttons, as well as smart remote buttons. No need to replace any of your existing wall switches.
Exceptionally Small
The Smart Switch part of the product is kept exceptionally small. 2 Smart Switches can fit in any electrical boxes to support up to 4-gang panel switches to meet different application scenarios.
Make Any Bulbs Smart
It works with all kinds of regular bulbs: incandescent, halogen, fluorescent, and LED bulbs. Convert your whole lighting setup to a smart lighting system without replacing a single bulb no matter what type or what shape it is.
Hardwired 3-Way or 4-Way
Supports Hardwired 3-Way or 4-Way Control with your existing wall switches, no neutral wire required and easy installation.
We would like to provide you with products for testing blog or video. Or what are your ways of cooperation? We look forward to working with your site.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards
Helene
I will leave this comment for the time being but it should have been sent via the contact page
https://stevessmarthomeguide.com/contact/
Rgds
Steve