Home Automation
28 posts in this category
- 2025 Guide: Getting Started with ESPHome Device Builder in Home AssistantLearn how to install and use the ESPHome Device Builder add-on in Home Assistant to flash and manage your ESP32 and ESP8266 devices.Jan 29, 20256 min read
- Build a cheap water usage sensor using ESPhome and a proximity sensorThis article will provide you with a walkthrough on how you can build a water usage meter sensor that integrates with your Home Assistant for under 10 $/EURO…Feb 2, 202211 min read
- Make your city heating (stadsverwarming) smart and connect it Home Assistant energy dashboardSome places in the Netherlands have city heating. The intention is to reuse warmth from industry to heat your houses and get warm water. In theory this is a…Feb 1, 20229 min read
- 2022 update: Flash ESPhome on ESP32 ESP2866 NodeMCU boardUPDATE January 2026: This article is now outdated. ESPHome has introduced the new ESPHome Device Builder with a simplified workflow. Read the 2026 Guide:…Jan 1, 20226 min read
- Adding centerfire, increase and decrease to your smart Bellfire fireplace solutionIn a previous article series I provided an overview and step by step instruction how to make your Bellfire fireplace with Mertik Maxitrol controller smart.…Mar 22, 20213 min read
- Migrating from Zwave2MQTT to Z-Wave JS for Home AssistantI’m on a quest to decrease the number of points of failure in my home automation setup. Moving everything as close to Home Assistant core functionality.…Mar 12, 20216 min read
- Build a cheap air quality sensor using ESPhome, Home Assistant and a particulate matter sensorThis article will provide a walkthrough of how you can build a Particulate Matter Air Quality meter that integrates with your Home Assistant for under 20$,…Feb 3, 202112 min read
- Bellfire home automation projectThis article provides you with an overview and links of all articles published around the Bellfire fireplace Mertik Maxitrol controller project that was…Dec 14, 20202 min read
- Step 4: Configure ESPHome to control the relays from Home AssistantThis article is part of the Make your Bellfire fireplace smart project that I presented during the Home Assistant Conference 2020. It's time to execute the…Dec 14, 20204 min read
- Step 2: Flash ESP chip with ESPHome node firmwareThis article is part of the Make your Bellfire fireplace smart project that I presented during the Home Assistant Conference 2020. UPDATE January 2025: This…Dec 14, 20203 min read
- Home Assistant Conference 2020 presentation\ placeholder for overview and recording\Dec 14, 20201 min read
- Home Assistant to Fireplace, how will it work togetherThis article is part of the Make your Bellfire fireplace smart project that I presented during the Home Assistant Conference 2020. We now have all…Dec 14, 20202 min read
- Step 1: Install ESPHome in Home Assistant and create first NodeThis article is part of the Make your Bellfire fireplace smart project that I presented during the Home Assistant Conference 2020. It's time to execute the…Dec 14, 20202 min read
- Introducing ESP / NodeMCU boardsThis article is part of the Make your Bellfire fireplace smart project that I presented during the Home Assistant Conference 2020. In the previous article,…Dec 14, 20202 min read
- Introducing ESPHomeThis article is part of the Make your Bellfire fireplace smart project that I presented during the Home Assistant Conference 2020. In the previous article,…Dec 14, 20202 min read
- Introducing RelaysThis article is part of the Make your Bellfire fireplace smart project that I presented during the Home Assistant Conference 2020. In the previous article I…Dec 14, 20203 min read
- Investigating options for making the Bellfire fireplace smartThis article is part of the Make your Bellfire fireplace smart project that I presented during the Home Assistant Conference 2020. In the previous article I…Dec 14, 20203 min read
- Step 5: Wire the relays to the fireplaceThis article is part of the Make your Bellfire fireplace smart project that I presented during the Home Assistant Conference 2020. It's time to execute the…Dec 14, 20201 min read
- Ways to make dumb devices smartWhen I buy a new device for my home I want it to be smart. I might be pushing it a bit too far, including scales, washing machines, barbeque, toothbrushes……Dec 14, 20202 min read
- Step 3: Wiring the ESP to the relayThis article is part of the Make your Bellfire fireplace smart project that I presented during the Home Assistant Conference 2020. It's time to execute the…Dec 14, 20201 min read
- Speaking at the Home Assistant conferenceAt the end of October, the Home Assistant conference was announced. I’m very excited about home automation and sharing my knowledge. So I decided to submit a…Nov 19, 20202 min read
- ESPeasy rules for Bellfire fireplace / mertik maxitrolA back up of the ESPeasy rules that I used to control my Bellfire fireplace . You can find the end to end integration of the Bellfire fireplace with Home…Mar 18, 20201 min read
- Using Woonveilig / Egardia alarm with OpenHab using Node-RedThe above screenshots shows the flow in Node red. The flow has following steps: TIP: the flow is available for import at the end of this article. 1\. Start…Sep 27, 20193 min read
- Use your alarm for presence detection in your Home Automation setupOne of the great things about home automation is the possibility to activate scenes based on presence of people in the house. Having solid presence detection…Jul 28, 20193 min read
- 7 tips for a successful home automationFor the last eight years I’ve been busy improving with home automations, also called domotica. The time that I invest varies strongly per period, sometimes I…May 28, 20194 min read
- My home automation setupLet's start with the first post about home automation. I’m pretty happy with my current home automation setup. In this post I would like to share my current…May 22, 20194 min read
- Install Node-Red on openHABian (openHABian PI)Node Red is available as an extension on Openhabian, this short post will explain you how to do this. Open Putty and start SSH session to your OpenHabian…May 16, 20191 min read
- Sharing is caringDuring my professional career I’ve always been an advocate of sharing knowledge. Share what you’ve learned so others can learn from it, this way at the end…May 12, 20191 min read