From Reddit saved post — r/homeautomation, u/CatLumpy9152, Aug 04 2026 https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/1vfr6hm/custom_homekey_support/ I have been having fun recently with apples home key, I thought I would share it here and I am sure there are some people out there who would love to use this in there smarthome. Homekey is a way of using your iOS device to unlock a door using NFC it is using a lock that exists in the home app on iOS and that it registers with first then after that it all works. The way I built it is I have 1 controller and many door readers connected over the network. I then know what door you unlocked by the reader that I am talking to. You can see a removal TikTok - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZN8d9odsq/ I have a full video on YouTube - https://youtu.be/gxXXENcvz28?is=Dt3HH9LZ\_DcThJ46 All code can also be found on my GitHub - https://github.com/thomasdye12/TDS-door-access-Homekey

From Reddit saved post — r/homeassistant, u/benlew, Feb 12 2026 https://www.reddit.com/r/homeassistant/comments/1r2zkhl/sharing_a_claude_code_plugin_i_built_for_home/ I've been tweaking this plugin over the past few weeks and have gotten it to a point where it is able to reliably create automations, scenes, etc. and deploy them to my Home Assistant. I added an onboarding wizard so that you can easily try out the plugin. I hope folks will find this useful, and I'd love to hear feedback if you try it out! [https://github.com/Benny-Lewis/home-assistant-assistant](https://github.com/Benny-Lewis/home-assistant-assistant)

From Reddit saved post — r/homeassistant, u/AdvantageFinancial54, Sep 06 2025 https://www.reddit.com/r/homeassistant/comments/1n9zld7/ive_made_a_gadget_that_turns_any_usb_keypad_into/ Hello, I've recently built KeyBridge, an esp32-powered gadget that allows you to use any USB keyboard/keypad as a controller for home assistant, without the need to be connected to a computer. I was originally inspired by this [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTJSREjWH7Y&pp=ygUXbWFjcm9wYWQgaG9tZSBhc3Npc3RhbnQ%3D), but didn’t want to be always connected to a PC. I’ve made it open source (firmware + PCB files) on [GitHub ](https://github.com/abdalrahimnaser/homeassistant_keybridge.git)with setup steps, note that you should be able to replicate the same setup with an esp32s3 devkit and a USB-A breakout board. Wiring for this is also demonstrated in the same repo. Hope you leave a star if you find it helpful! Demo video: [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NC03dgoaOL0](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NC03dgoaOL0)

From Reddit saved post — r/homeassistant, u/NicholasLabbri, Sep 03 2025 https://www.reddit.com/r/homeassistant/comments/1n7ahfq/new_ikea_devices/ I found this article about new ikea's products https://www.ifun.de/ein-erster-blick-auf-ikeas-neue-home-smart-produkte-2026-263685/

From Reddit saved post — r/homeassistant, u/Alarming_Divide_1339, Aug 03 2025 https://www.reddit.com/r/homeassistant/comments/1mgm6qv/graphite_theme_now_has_eink_variants/ [https://my.home-assistant.io/redirect/hacs\_repository/?owner=TilmanGriesel&repository=graphite](https://my.home-assistant.io/redirect/hacs_repository/?owner=TilmanGriesel&repository=graphite) [https://github.com/TilmanGriesel/graphite](https://github.com/TilmanGriesel/graphite) It is raining the last days in Germany, feels like fall, so I created two new themes: **Graphite E-Ink Light** and **Graphite E-Ink Dark**. Same design language and simplicity of Graphite, but tuned for E-Ink displays. Always wanted to do it, now I finally did. And the best part, the name finally feels spot on. It’s the start of the E-Ink branch, so things might not be perfect, but I’d love your feedback to help shape them! The light one already looks great with some basic dashboard on my ONYX BOOX Palma. I think it could also work great on som info dashboards. Also gave the Theme Patcher some love, it's now a bit more flexible and robust. If you’re using it, I’d really appreciate any thoughts!

From Reddit saved post — r/homeautomation, u/considerspiders, Oct 31 2019 https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/dpl1xx/anyone_taken_a_punt_yet_on_aliexpress_powered/ Hey, I'm keen for automatic blinds but the local options seem very expensive (I'm in NZ). Has anyone had a go at these aliexpress options? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32999740883.html They've been discussed before here 5 months or so ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/bkz9s7/experience_with_aliexpress_smart_blinds/ and folks seemed interested but searching hasn't lead me to any authorative reviews. Any feedback would be super interesting.

From Reddit saved post — r/homeautomation, u/brent20, Aug 30 2018 https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/9bkw83/easily_find_the_mac_address_of_an_amazon_dash/

From Reddit saved post — r/homeautomation, u/Bboy486, Feb 12 2017 https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/5tnvzy/what_is_the_coolest_thing_you_are_doing_with_ha/

From Reddit saved post — r/homeautomation, u/adlx, Jan 29 2017 https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/5qv9e3/how_to_control_your_tplink_hs100_smartplug_from/

From Reddit saved post — r/homeautomation, u/GetABox, Dec 14 2016 https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/5id602/i_decided_to_jump_in_head_first/

From Reddit saved post — r/homeautomation, u/kissthering, Dec 14 2016 https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/5i7vs0/google_rebrands_project_brillo_as_android_things/

From Reddit saved post — r/homeautomation, u/Sorjak, Nov 28 2016 https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/5fe7iw/how_do_i_detect_when_i_enter_my_room/ I'm not looking for a general human presence detector with PIRs, I just want to know when I, specifically, have crossed the threshold that is my door into my room. I've tried both Wifi connection and Bluetooth nearness with my phone running Tasker, but it's very hit and miss. The bluetooth nearness detection is the closest to what I want, but even that seems to not go off unless my phone's screen is both on and unlocked. Is there a simple and cheap way to detect this? I wouldn't mind carrying around another piece of tech, might be able to integrate it into my keyring or something.

From Reddit saved post — r/homeautomation, u/morebeergoodsir, Nov 28 2016 https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/5fc21u/new_to_home_automation_noob_hubcontroller/ I have ABSOLUTELY caught the home automation bug because of this sub. I've recently purchased some basic smart devices and want to take it a step further by integrating a controller/hub and more components but am struggling with which route to take. I believe this topic will be useful to discuss considering there's most likely going to be an influx of new HA users to this sub with people buying Echo, Google Home, Hue lights, etc. from Black Friday & Cyber Monday. I've done a lot of research, but want to get the most current opinions from users and experts before I make my informed decision. A little background on my current setup and what I'd like to accomplish in the future: **Components** * Amazon Echo * Echo Dot * Google Home x2 (already had Echo but couldn't pass up the Best Buy deal at $75 so going to test them out and see which one I like better) * Harmony Hub x2 * Ecobee3 * HUE Lights **Expansion Plan** * Integrate controller/hub * Smart switches & plugs (Zwave, etc.) * Motion sensors * Development of scenes & routines * security system integration * Garage door integration I'm at a real roadblock on which hub/controller to pull the trigger on. I've done a lot of research on the different options primarily here on /r/homeautomation, but would like confirmation from people that are using the products if the info is still relevant current day and also any suggestions on which one would be best for my expansion plan. Below is info I've found from researching different Hubs/Controllers: **Smartthings:** From my research, it looks like reliability is the biggest issue with Smartthings. But from looking at more recent reviews from the past month or so, it looks like a lot of the issues have been resolved or at least acknowledged by Samsung and in the process of being resolved. It seems like ST's is a great starter package for HA, but I don't want to have to pivot down the road and go with a different Hub if it isn't powerful enough to handle what I'd like. It also seems like ST is very user friendly and doesn't require a lot of programming and includes a great UI. Pros: User friendly, UI, Cons: reliability **Vera:** From my research, it looks like it's essentially a little more reliable version of ST? User friendly, nice UI, not a lot of programming but maybe not the most powerful? Pros: User Friendly, UI Cons: Reliability (but better than ST) **WinkHub:** Similar power to ST and Vera, not really sure if it has anything that differentiates itself **HomeSeer:** This seems to be a super reliable controller that runs everything local and not dependent on a cloud based service. Downsides are ugly UI (but has the capability to modify with HSdesigner) and a bit pricey. Pros: Reliability, Local Cons: Price, not user friendly **Home Assistant:** Seems to be more for people that want to build their own and some sort of programming knowledge is necessary (PHP, python, JSON, etc.) Pros: open source, customizable, reliable, cheap Cons: Small amount of programming **OpenHab:** Same as HA Thoughts? Is this info still accurate? Any suggestions on which route I should take for my expansion plan?

From Reddit saved post — r/homeautomation, u/zzoom, Oct 20 2016 https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/58g9dt/renovating_our_house_starting_from_clean_slate/ Hi everyone, I am currently finalising the plans for home renovation, to be started in next couple of weeks. It’s a good opportunity to get everything done. Due to limited budget, I will have to do the design and set-up myself. What I am thinking of doing is: 1) CAT6, AV and telephone cabling with drops in all rooms (not sure yet about the number of drops in each room). Not really sure about landline telephone cabling at the moment as we don’t use landline phone much. 2) A central media server, switch, router and a home automation server (probably HomeSeer) in a small server cabinet. This can also be the location where all the incoming media, internet and telephone cables can come in and then get routed through the house) 3) Smart home security (one or two cameras near entrance including one camera as part of the door entry system; about 4 motion detector sensors for burglar alarm). Also, smoke alarm and potentially a flood sensor. 4) Smart lock for the main door 5) Smart thermostats – Nest or the like 6) Some smart lighting / sockets The questions I have are: 1) The big question I have is about wired or wireless for home security system and for audio/speakers. I have the option of getting everything wired during the renovation, what would you suggest? 2) I am thinking of getting a HomeSeer HomeTroller S6 to control everything. Any alternative suggestions or comments? 3) For lighting, I assume that I can have a few smart lights and sockets and the rest would be normal. Maybe one smart light in each room and a couple of smart sockets in the kitchen. I still need to do a cost/benefit analysis for smart lights as I have a fairly tight budget. Any thoughts on this? 4) Any thoughts or best practices for security of the system, given the noise in media about hackers targeting these systems. Thanks very much.

From Reddit saved post — r/homeautomation, u/Landrash, Oct 03 2016 https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/55n4v7/home_assistant_we_have_a_raspberry_pi_image_now/