I build, break, and fix smart home stuff.
I'm Brandon Harvey. At home it's Home Assistant across Zigbee, Z-Wave, ESPHome, and whatever else I'm testing. I write up what breaks, not just what works.
I test in my own house. Buying guides marked In my house only list gear I run, and researched guides say so at the top. Everything I run is listed below.
In my house
Everything here runs in my house. Links to Amazon are affiliate links, so I get a small cut if you buy through them. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Sensors
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Aqara P1 motion sensors
Cheap Zigbee motion, one in every room without budget pain.
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Xiaomi LYWSD03MMC thermometers
$5 BLE thermometers flashed with pvvx firmware; Home Assistant reads them natively, no hub.
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Zooz ZSE44 temperature and humidity sensors
4 in service
Real room air for the AC automations, measured away from the cold blast: my room, the cat room, the guest room, and the network closet.
Lighting
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Philips Hue bulbs
Premium Zigbee color. I only buy these where lighting is the room's whole point.
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IKEA KAJPLATS bulbs
IKEA's TRADFRI replacement. Ships as Matter over Thread; mine run on Zigbee2MQTT instead. There's a blog post about the 12-power-cycle trick.
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Aqara Ceiling Light T1M
RGB+IC Zigbee ceiling light with gradient effects, on the same mesh as everything else.
Switches & power
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Zooz Z-Wave switches
In service since 2021
ZEN76 and ZEN71 on the walls, the wired lighting layer. Running 5+ years with zero failures.
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Inovelli Blue Series 2-1 switches
Zigbee wall switches that run as switch or dimmer; the LED bar doubles as automation feedback.
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Zooz ZEN15 800LR power switch
The plug for compressor loads: dehumidifiers, fridges, sump pumps. Built for the startup inrush that kills regular smart plugs. 15A, energy monitoring, Z-Wave Long Range.
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Zooz ZEN20 800LR power strip
Five individually switched Z-Wave outlets plus two USB ports, with energy monitoring and Z-Wave Long Range. One strip instead of five plugs.
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Zooz ZEN05 outdoor plug
Single outdoor outlet, IP65 weatherproof housing with an outlet cover. Puts landscape and holiday lighting on Z-Wave.
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Zooz ZEN14 800LR double outdoor plug
Two independently switched outdoor outlets, IP65 rated, up to 15A total, Z-Wave Long Range. Holiday lights and patio gear.
Climate
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Midea 12,000 BTU Duo portable ACs
3 in service since 2026
Three of them cooling the rooms my central air can't keep up with, driven by Home Assistant instead of a $24k AC replacement.
Hub & server
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Home Assistant
Runs the house, all local.
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ESPHome
Firmware on every custom sensor and switch that isn't off the shelf.
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Ring keypad v2 + Alarmo
Real arm/disarm keypad on Home Assistant's Alarmo, fully local.
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Unraid server
Self-hosts Plex, Bitwarden, AdGuard, and the rest of the container drawer.
Display
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Cozyla 32" wall tablet
Always-on Home Assistant dashboard in the living room.
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Posterr
Turns the wall tablet's idle time into a Plex movie-poster wall.