The Seven FREE Wonders that make the Modern Smart Home

Summary

This video script introduces viewers to the modern smart home, emphasizing free, open-source solutions over reliance on tech giants like Google, Apple, or Amazon. It highlights seven key components, starting with Home Assistant for device control, the ESP32 microcontroller for DIY projects, ESPHome for simplified programming, Zigbee2MQTT for device communication, RFID tags for touchless triggers, WLED for customizable lighting, and concludes with the recommendation of a 3D printer for custom smart home accessories. The script promises to save users money while unlocking the full potential of their smart homes.

Takeaways

• 🏠 Creating a smart home is not just about Google, Apple, or Amazon anymore; it's about using free, open-source solutions.
• 💡 Home Assistant is a powerful, free, open-source software that can control all smart devices in your home, emphasizing local control and privacy.
• 🤖 The ESP32 microcontroller is a tiny brain for DIY smart projects, connecting sensors and devices around the home.
• 🔌 ESPHome simplifies programming ESP32 devices, acting as a bridge between Home Assistant and your smart devices.
• 🌐 Zigbee2MQTT enables communication between different smart devices using the Zigbee protocol and MQTT messaging.
• 🎛️ RFID tags are a cheap and invisible solution for triggering actions in your smart home, requiring no batteries and lasting indefinitely.
• 🎵 WLED is software that turns LED strips into smart, controllable lighting effects, enhancing visual communication in your home.
• 💡 Home Assistant can be integrated with various smart devices and platforms, making it a central hub for home automation.
• 📦 A 3D printer can be a valuable addition to your smart home toolkit, enabling the creation of custom parts and solutions.
• 💻 Open-source solutions like Home Assistant and ESPHome not only save you money but also provide flexibility and control over your smart home ecosystem.

Q & A

What are the seven wonders of the modern smart home mentioned in the video script?

The seven wonders are Home Assistant, ESP32 microcontroller, ESPHome, Zigbee2MQTT, RFID tags, WLED, and a 3D printer.

What is the primary advantage of using Home Assistant according to the script?

Home Assistant is an open-source software that allows control of all smart gadgets in the home from one place, emphasizing local control and privacy without the need for cloud dependency.

How does the ESP32 microcontroller contribute to smart home projects?

The ESP32 microcontroller acts as a tiny brain for DIY smart projects, making it easy to build custom devices for sensing, monitoring, and controlling various aspects of the home.

What is ESPHome and how does it simplify the process of setting up smart devices?

ESPHome is an intermediary that simplifies programming ESP32 devices without requiring the user to be a programmer. It handles the connection between Home Assistant and ESP devices, making it easy to set up custom sensors and devices.

Can you explain the role of Zigbee2MQTT in a smart home ecosystem?

Zigbee2MQTT enables different smart devices to communicate with each other using the Zigbee protocol, which is known for its low power consumption and mesh networking capabilities. It integrates with Home Assistant for fast and responsive triggering of devices.

What is the purpose of RFID tags in the context of smart homes as described in the script?

RFID tags are used for triggering actions in smart homes. They contain a tiny radio frequency transponder that can be embedded in objects like stickers. When a reader is near them, they can trigger actions such as turning on lights or unlocking doors.

How does WLED enhance the smart home experience?

WLED is software that turns basic LED strips into smart, controllable lighting effects. It allows devices to communicate using light signals and integrates seamlessly with Home Assistant for custom lighting effects.

Why is a 3D printer considered the final wonder in the script's smart home setup?

A 3D printer is considered the final wonder because it allows the creation of custom parts, containers, or decorations for home gadgets, enabling further personalization and cost-effective solutions for the smart home.

What is the script's stance on using proprietary apps from manufacturers for smart home devices?

The script advocates for getting rid of manufacturer apps by using open-source solutions that interconnect and provide more control and customization without reliance on proprietary ecosystems.

How does the script suggest one can save money by using the mentioned smart home solutions?

The script suggests that by using open-source and interconnected solutions like Home Assistant, ESP32, and others, one can avoid the costs associated with proprietary systems and even save money by creating custom solutions with a 3D printer.

What is the significance of the open-source nature of the solutions mentioned in the script?

The open-source nature of the solutions allows for greater flexibility, customization, and community support. It also means that these solutions are constantly improving and can be adapted to suit individual needs without vendor lock-in.

Outlines

00:00

🏠 Introduction to Modern Smart Home Automation

The script introduces the concept of modern smart home automation, emphasizing the shift from reliance on big tech companies like Google, Apple, and Amazon to open-source solutions. It promises to reveal seven interconnected wonders that can transform a home into a smart environment, potentially saving the user thousands of dollars. The focus is on free tools that enhance privacy and local control, with the first wonder being Home Assistant, a powerful, open-source home automation platform that supports a wide range of devices without cloud dependency.

05:01

🛠 The Role of ESP32 Microcontroller in DIY Smart Home Projects

The second paragraph delves into the ESP32 microcontroller, a tiny yet powerful device that acts as a brain for DIY smart home projects. It allows users to connect various sensors and create custom smart devices, making it easy to turn non-smart devices smart. The paragraph highlights the affordability and low power usage of the ESP32, which enables users to populate their homes with smart devices. The script also mentions the growing ecosystem around the ESP32 and the emergence of all-in-one sensors that can monitor multiple aspects of a room's environment.

10:04

🔧 ESPHome: Simplifying ESP32 Device Configuration

The third paragraph introduces ESPHome, a tool designed to simplify the configuration of ESP32 devices without requiring programming knowledge. It acts as an intermediary between Home Assistant and ESP32 devices, handling wiring, code, wireless connectivity, and firmware upgrades. The paragraph emphasizes the ease of use, the availability of guides, and the seamless integration with Home Assistant, which allows the home's 'brain' to connect with its 'nervous system'.

15:05

🤖 Zigbee2MQTT: Enabling Inter-Device Communication

The fourth paragraph discusses Zigbee2MQTT, a solution that enables different smart home devices to communicate with each other. It explains Zigbee as a low-power, mesh networking wireless communication standard used in many smart home devices and MQTT as a lightweight messaging protocol. The script highlights the benefits of using Zigbee2MQTT for fast and responsive device triggering, which often outperforms native apps that rely on cloud servers.

🔑 RFID Tags: Invisible and Versatile Smart Home Controls

The fifth paragraph presents RFID tags as an inexpensive and invisible solution for smart home controls. These tags, which contain a radio frequency transponder, can be embedded in various objects and used to trigger actions like turning on lights or unlocking doors when a reader is nearby. The script discusses the wide range of applications for RFID tags, their lack of need for batteries, and their potential for creating a more interactive and convenient smart home experience.

🌈 WLED: Customizable Lighting for Smart Home Notifications

The sixth paragraph introduces WLED, a software that allows for easy customization of LED strip lighting to create various colors and patterns. It can be used for devices to communicate with users through light signals, enhancing the smart home experience. The script mentions the software's compatibility with ESP32s and Home Assistant, and its ability to program thousands of unique lighting effects for different notifications or mood settings.

🎁 The Value of a 3D Printer in Customizing a Smart Home

The final paragraph argues for the inclusion of a 3D printer as an essential tool for smart home customization. It discusses the ability of a 3D printer to create custom parts, containers, or decorations for home gadgets, thus allowing for unique and personalized solutions. The script suggests that the cost of a 3D printer can be offset by the savings from creating one's own components instead of purchasing them. It positions the 3D printer as the final tool needed to break free from high-cost, low-feature solutions offered by tech giants.

📺 Upcoming Demonstrations of Smart Home Automation Tools

The concluding paragraph teases upcoming content where the speaker will demonstrate how the discussed smart home automation tools are used in their own home. It invites viewers to stay tuned for more examples and encourages them to share their ideas for smart home projects, fostering a community of enthusiasts who are excited about open-source ecosystems and innovative home automation solutions.

Keywords

💡Home Assistant

Home Assistant is a free, open-source home automation platform that allows users to control all smart gadgets in their home from one place. It prioritizes local control and privacy, supporting a wide range of devices across different brands without cloud dependency. In the video, it is described as the 'brain' of the smart home system, integrating various devices and sensors.

💡ESP32 microcontroller

The ESP32 is a low-cost, low-power system on a chip (SoC) with integrated Wi-Fi and dual-mode Bluetooth. It serves as a tiny brain for connecting various sensors in DIY smart projects. In the video, it is praised for its versatility in building custom smart devices and turning non-smart devices into smart ones.

💡ESPHome

ESPHome is a tool that simplifies the configuration of ESP32 and ESP8266 devices, allowing users to easily create custom firmware for their smart home devices. It acts as an intermediary between Home Assistant and ESP devices, handling wireless connectivity and firmware upgrades. The video highlights its ease of use and integration with Home Assistant.

💡Zigbee2MQTT

Zigbee2MQTT is a bridge that allows Zigbee devices to communicate with MQTT, a lightweight messaging protocol. Zigbee is a popular wireless communication standard for smart home devices due to its low power consumption and mesh networking capabilities. The video mentions how Zigbee2MQTT enables fast, responsive triggering of smart devices and integrates well with Home Assistant.

💡RFID tag

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags are tiny devices that contain a radio frequency transponder, receiver, and transmitter. They can trigger actions when a reader is nearby. The video discusses their use in smart homes for tasks like turning on lights or unlocking doors, highlighting their low cost, ease of use, and long lifespan.

💡WLED

WLED is software that allows users to control LED strips, changing colors and patterns easily. It uses ESP32 and integrates seamlessly with Home Assistant. In the video, WLED is described as enabling smart lighting effects that can communicate information through light signals, enhancing the smart home experience.

💡3D printer

A 3D printer is a device that creates physical objects from digital designs, using materials like plastic. The video emphasizes its role in a smart home for creating custom parts, containers, and decorations for home gadgets. The narrator argues that a 3D printer pays for itself quickly by allowing for the creation of bespoke solutions.

💡Open-source solutions

Open-source solutions refer to software and hardware with source code that is freely available for modification and distribution. The video promotes using open-source solutions like Home Assistant, ESPHome, and WLED, emphasizing their customization, community support, and cost-effectiveness compared to proprietary alternatives.

💡Smart home automation

Smart home automation involves using technology to control and automate household systems and devices. The video showcases various tools and platforms that enable users to automate lighting, temperature control, security systems, and more, creating an interconnected and efficient home environment.

💡Integration

Integration in the context of a smart home refers to the seamless connection and interaction between different devices and systems. The video highlights how Home Assistant integrates various smart home components, from sensors to lighting controls, enabling them to work together harmoniously to enhance functionality and user experience.

Highlights

Creating the ultimate smart home is now about free, open-source solutions rather than reliance on tech giants like Google, Apple, or Amazon.

The video presents seven modern smart home wonders that can save thousands and enhance home automation.

Home Assistant is a free, powerful, open-source software for controlling smart home gadgets with a focus on local control and privacy.

Home Assistant supports a wide range of devices across any brand without needing cloud dependency.

The ESP32 microcontroller is a tiny, affordable brain for DIY smart projects, capable of connecting various sensors.

ESPHome simplifies programming for ESP32 devices, requiring no programming skills and offering easy integration with Home Assistant.

Zigbee2MQTT facilitates communication between smart devices, leveraging low power consumption and mesh networking for responsive triggering.

RFID tags offer a cheap, battery-free solution for triggering actions in a smart home environment.

WLED software enables customizable lighting effects using LED strips, enhancing visual communication in smart homes.

A 3D printer is suggested as an essential tool for creating custom parts and enhancing the smart home setup.

3D printers can quickly pay for themselves by enabling the creation of custom solutions for home gadgets.

The video provides a simplified list of tools for smart home automation, making it accessible and less overwhelming.

The Home Assistant platform is extensible with thousands of integrations for various smart home devices and applications.

Smart home devices can be made from non-smart ones using ESP32 chips, expanding the possibilities for home automation.

The ecosystem around ESP32 is growing, with new all-in-one sensors emerging for enhanced smart home capabilities.

RFID tags can be embedded in various objects for triggering smart home actions, adding a layer of convenience and intrigue.

WLED can use different light patterns to communicate different statuses or notifications in a smart home.

The video encourages viewers to share their ideas and projects, fostering a community around open-source smart home solutions.

Transcripts

You're going to be quiet and come with  me right now because I'm going to show  

you the seven wonders of the modern smart home.

If you haven't noticed creating the ultimate  

smart home has nothing to do with  Google or Apple or Amazon anymore.

It's all to do with free, open-source solutions  

that you can't live without. This  video could save you thousands.

These are absolutely amazing wonders that  

interconnect together and allow you  to achieve pretty much anything,

from photo frames that act as  calendars when you need them

to smart ornaments that tell you  how your solar system is doing

to interactive lighting controls

to smart paintings that  set the scene for the room.

Adding them to your toolkit will let you  unlock pretty much everything in your house,  

and most importantly get rid of  those stupid manufacturer apps.

And they're all free. With one exception,  which I will argue is even better than free,  

but wait and see if I can convince you.

So without further ado let's begin.

The first wonder is Home Assistant.

This helps you control all of the smart  gadgets in your home from one place.

Home Assistant is an extraordinary piece of  

software. It's free. It's  powerful. And open source.

It's a home automation platform that puts local  control and privacy first, supporting basically  

every device that you can think of across any  brand, without the need for cloud dependency.

In the same way everyone now googles for  a real search result by adding "Reddit" at  

the end of their search, I now buy items for  the home with "Home Assistant" at the end.

If it hasn't been integrated,  which is rare, then it's a no no.

You can install home assistant  on pretty much any device,  

from a Raspberry Pi to a PC. Or you can just  buy a pre-built device that does it all for you.

Either way, it's cheap, totally  customisable and open source.

You name it. it's got it: voice  control, smart web interface,  

app control and thousands and thousands of  integrations for everything you can think of.

These guys deserve a Nobel prize for the work  

they've done for humanity! And  it's constantly improving too.

I have a little moment every  time they release a new version.

So we've got a brain, but we need sensors  to trigger events in our smart home.

That's where we come to the second wonder,  

a true jewel of the maker world:  the ESP 32 microcontroller.

The ESP32 is like a tiny brain that you can  

connect all your sensors to for  all of your DIY smart projects.

This dinky powerhouse makes it super easy  to build your own little devices to sensor,  

monitor and control devices all around the home.

I love him so much! So cute!

There are millions of great  videos out there with people  

demonstrating their innovations using these.

People use them to control  just about everything. They  

can also be used to turn non-smart devices smart.

These chips are super cheap and will cost  just a few pounds or dollars each and have  

low power usage. This suddenly unlocks your  ability to fill your house with smart devices.

The ecosystem around this is developing  every day. There are some smart all-in-one  

sensors starting to pop up that will  push things even further as well.

Imagine having a device in a room that can monitor  temperature, noise levels, air quality, movement,  

light levels, humidity and more. The mind boggles  with the cool stuff that you could achieve!

So you've got home assistant as  your brain and ESP 32 chips ready  

to sense, but you're not much of an  electronics engineer. Well fear not!

This is where the third wonder comes in: ESPHome.

ESPHome makes it easy to tell  those tiny ESP32 brains what  

to do without you having to be a programmer.

It acts as a simple intermediary  between Home Assistant and every  

one of your ESP devices. It handles everything.

You can find hundreds of guides on  their site that cover how to wire up  

basically any component and you can  just plug in wires and you're away.

It has super simple code that you can copy,  

paste and tweak to suit your use case, and  it sorts out all the wireless connectivity,  

over-the-air firmware upgrades and  everything that you could think of.

It's completely free, with an awesome community  all working to make the smart world cooler.

It seamlessly integrates into Home Assistant also,  

so suddenly your brain is picking  up the nervous system of your house.

Now whilst everything can connect  by Wi-Fi that I've covered I now  

should introduce the fourth wonder: Zigbee2MQTT.

Zigbee2MQTT lets different smart  devices talk to each other.

Very quickly Zigbee is a popular wireless  communication standard used in many smart  

home devices, primarily driven by its low power  consumption and mesh networking capabilities.

So it can communicate by bouncing  from one device to the next.

MQTT is a classic nerd name: Message  Queuing Telemetry Transport. But in  

essence it's a lightweight messaging protocol.

You almost certainly have Zigbee devices in  your house: your smart bulbs, smart plugs,  

door window sensors and motion sensors,  temperature and humidity sensors,  

smart thermostats, smoke and carbon  monoxide detectors and loads more.  

This provides super fast responsive  triggering of all these devices.

In fact I actually find that lights switch on  much faster using this than the native apps,  

which are usually bouncing off  some cloud some server somewhere.

And yes it integrates  wonderfully with Home Assistant.

Okay so we have all our devices either  integrated directly into Home Assistant  

or using Z2M to connect. We have lots of custom  sensors appearing using ESP32s and ESPHome. We  

now need to free ourselves from opening  our phones, unlocking and loading apps.

You can use the Home Assistant,  which is great as you can put  

everything in one place and design  it to perfectly suit your use case.

However sometimes you don't  want to even have to do that.

There is a broad ecosystem of  smart buttons you can buy. IKEA  

TRÅDFRI ones that I use which are pretty  cheap, however there is a cost limit and  

a visual limit to how many buttons  you want to litter about your house.

This is where a super cheap and invisible  solution comes in. So the fifth wonder costs  

literally pennies, usually around  just 5p or a few cents per tag.

I'm talking about the RFID tag. Just look  at this thing! It's an amazing tool to have.

RFID tags contain a tiny radio frequency  transponder, radio receiver and transmitter  

that can be embedded in something like a simple  sticker. When you hold a reader near them,  

such as your phone, they can trigger actions,  like turning on lights or unlocking doors.

You can buy them as sticky labels, like this one  or printable credit-card-style plastic key tags  

or anything that you can imagine. They require  no batteries of course and they last forever.

They really are a brilliant invention that  I'll need to do a whole video on one day.

They most famously were used by the  Soviets to spy on the Americans,  

but these days they're ubiquitous  in asset tracking, payment systems,  

secure entry, library tracking, airport  baggage handling and loads more.

You can control them using a dedicated reader  or just use your phone or any smart device.

Think about this: there are loads of  things that we'd do if we could just  

be bothered. For example, wouldn't  it be nice whenever you got home you  

could just set the lights to evening  mode and turn on some relaxing music.

But you don't do you, because let's go through  the steps: open your phone, open the Hue app,  

set the lighting level, close  the app, open the Sonos app,  

choose the speaker sets, select the  playlist, hit play, adjust the volume level.

Oh it's just not going to happen is it.

You just want to drop your phone down and relax.

But that is exactly what you can do for 5p!

They add a wonderful sense  of intrigue by their hidden  

nature. They're just so easy to add  to anything - they're just so thin!

I can literally just stick this  under the table and I now have a  

smart table that I can just tap  with my phone to do something.

I can stick it on me and when you tap your phone  

on me I can can become...I  can become smart.... [Music]

....or just maybe play some music.

My dining room has a whole series of  paintings with RFID tags behind them  

that trigger individual themes  of music: British, American,  

Italian, whatever I want to match  the kind of food that we're eating.

And then from top to bottom  we have three levels of beat:  

top being upbeat, middle being  normal and bottom being chilled.

So I can just tap my phone and the music  magically starts playing whatever playlist I want.

So now you can cover your house  with sensors and triggers,  

however sometimes you need the  devices to communicate to you.

And the fastest method known to man

is the speed of light.

This is where the sixth wonder comes in: WLED.

WLED lets you change the colours and  patterns of your lights really easily,  

so you can then use this to get your  devices to talk to you using light signals.

It is a lovely bit of software that lets  you turn basic LED strips into smart,  

controllable effects powerhouses.

Guess what? It uses ESP32s, it works  brilliantly with Home Assistant.

But it's just an amazing controller  that connects seamlessly to Home  

Assistant and lets you program literally  thousands of bespoke lighting effects.

It can use flames to show you one thing  and gradients to show you another.

Okay we come to the final  wonder. And this is where  

it gets a bit controversial, but hear me out.

I've just saved you thousands and thousands of  pounds. I've made your life so much better and  

freed you from the grip of dozens of cynical  corporate entities - so basically you owe me.

So keep all those thousands for yourself,  but I want you to go and buy yourself a gift.

And that gift is a 3D printer.

A 3D printer is a device that can create  physical objects from digital designs that  

you can create yourself or download.  This will let you create custom parts,  

containers or decorations for your home gadgets.

Now 3D printers have amazing  slicers that are completely free,  

and my shout would be the brilliant Orca  slicer that is fighting the increasing  

closed-box mentality of the printer makers.

But you will need to buy a printer  to use them. I would be astonished  

if the actual cost of your 3D printer  wasn't essentially free within 6 months.

They pay for themselves so quickly.

For me it was all those shelf brackets that I would have paid for for my Sonos speakers, the tool holders, the wall hooks.

It took a month before I was at the point that I'd  saved more than the purchase price.

And since then it's been unbelievable savings.

The reason I've included this is this is an essential final part of creating your smart home.

It allows you to create all the custom boxes for your ESP chips,

covers for your smart LEDs,

bespoke solutions for your wall mounts.

It is the final tool in your arsenal that you need to toss away all the high-cost, low-feature solutions from tech giants.

So, I hope you enjoyed that quick trot through some of my favourite solutions.

There are of course hundreds of other platforms and ecosystems

But my goal with this was to share my view of the tools that I use to make a smart home.

and give you a simple list rather than a dizzying  array of options. With these seven solutions you  

hopefully can see just how much you can automate  across your house with relative ease.

Now please do let me know if there's something missing  or worthy of adding. There are a few things  

that get me as excited as discovering a new  open source ecosystem, so please do suggest in  

the comments. Oh! And please, please, please let  me know any cool ideas that you've got that  

could be built. It's so exciting to see them  and it gives me new ideas of crazy projects  

that I could build. I've already covered a lot  of examples of how I'm using these tools in  

my house but I've got even more coming up  so keep watching to see how they all come

together.