The Gatekeeper
This post teaches a cornerstone of good smart home design: separating the action from the condition. Learn the “Gatekeeper Pattern” to create a powerful Home Assistant setup that is robust, orderly, and sustainable.
The Thinking Home Gets a Brain
From model selection to hardware, this is your blueprint for private AI in the home. Our “Good, Better, Best” guide helps you plan and build a powerful, local AI assistant that you truly own.
Bricked by Design
The Echelon smart bike controversy is a painful lesson in digital ownership. A mandatory firmware update has locked users out of third-party apps, proving that the hardware you paid for may not truly belong to you.
Another Glitch in the Cloud
When Ring users saw suspicious logins, the company called it a “visual bug.” We explore why this incident reveals the myth of the “digital fortress” and the dangers of trusting your home’s security to the cloud.
The Fragile Home: A Crisis of Ownership and the Case for a Thinking Home
You may not truly own your smart home devices. The 2025 Belkin Wemo and Futurehome debacles prove companies can brick your hardware or hold it for ransom, escalating the crisis of digital ownership.
AI and Smart Homes: Current State, Concerns, and a Glimpse into the Future
AI promises a home that anticipates our needs, but it also raises serious privacy concerns. We explore the current state of AI in the smart home, its future, and the crucial balance between convenience and control.
The Day My Smart Home Went “Dumb”: Why You Need a Plan for Hardware Failure
Don’t let a hardware failure turn your smart home into a lifeless shell. This guide teaches you how to create a robust recovery plan, transforming a potential catastrophe into a manageable inconvenience.
My Smart Home Journey: From Frustration to “The Panorama” (And How You Can Do It Too)
This is the roadmap I wish I had when I started my smart home journey. Learn from my failures and successes to build your own “Thinking Home” on a foundation of local control and intentional planning.