Project Goals¶
- Automate daily routines to enhance comfort, efficiency, and wellbeing.
- Maintain full local control where possible for privacy and reliability.
- Integrate sensors, automation, and interface seamlessly with minimal latency.
- Ensure compatibility between all devices and software for scalable upgrades.
Target Automations¶
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Living Room Motion → Kitchen Light Automation Description: Detect motion in the living room and trigger the kitchen light to turn on. Use case: Entering home or walking around at night without manual switches.
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Kitchen Microphone Assistant Description: A microphone installed in the kitchen connects to a local server running an LLM or offline assistant to answer questions, read recipes, or control other devices via voice. Use case: Cooking while asking for timers, recipes, or status of other smart devices without cloud dependency.
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Front Door Face Recognition Description: Camera at the entrance recognizing known faces to log entries or unlock the door (if security review passes). Use case: Knowing who is at the door instantly and unlocking for trusted people without a key.
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Central Touch Display Description: Wall-mounted touch screen to manage all smart home functions. Use case: Quick overview and control of lights, sensors, cameras, alarms, and custom scripts.
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Bedroom Environment Sensing Description: Sensors for temperature, humidity, CO2, and possibly air quality in the bedroom. Use case: Monitoring sleep environment and automating climate controls or alerts.
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Automated Window Opener Description: A smart clicker or motorized actuator to press the existing window switch when your alarm goes off. Use case: Airing out the room automatically for fresh air upon waking.
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Sunrise Mimicking Smart Lights Description: Bedroom lights that gradually turn on with warm tones simulating sunrise when the alarm goes off.
Use case: Gentle wake up aligned with circadian rhythms.
Required Devices and Compatibility Plan¶
| Automation # | Device(s) | Example Products | Compatibility Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Motion Sensor | Aqara Motion Sensor P1, Philips Hue Motion Sensor | Ensure Zigbee compatibility with main hub |
| 1 | Smart Light Switch or Smart Bulb in Kitchen | Shelly 1 relay (switch control), Philips Hue bulbs | If using Hue, require Hue bridge or Zigbee hub |
| 2 | Far-field Microphone | ReSpeaker Mic Array v2.0, Seeed USB Mic Array | Connects to local server (Raspberry Pi or Intel NUC running Mycroft, Home Assistant Assist, or local LLM) |
| 3 | Smart Camera with Face Recognition | Hikvision with NVR face recognition, Reolink cameras integrated with Frigate + Home Assistant | Requires NVR or server for face model processing |
| 4 | Touch Display | Wall-mounted Android tablet, Home Assistant Dashboard on Fire HD, or dedicated Home Assistant Yellow + touchscreen | Must connect via WiFi and remain powered continuously |
| 5 | Temperature/Humidity/CO2 Sensors | Aqara TVOC sensor, Shelly H\&T, Netatmo Indoor Air Quality Monitor | Ensure integration with Home Assistant or main hub |
| 6 | Smart Clicker or Motor | SwitchBot Bot | Can be automated via Bluetooth or SwitchBot Hub Mini integrated to Home Assistant |
| 7 | Smart Lights with Sunrise Mode | Philips Hue, Yeelight, or IKEA Tradfri | Must support gradual brightness changes via automation scheduler |
Core Hub/Server Design¶
- Central Hub: Home Assistant (running on Raspberry Pi 4, Intel NUC, or Home Assistant Yellow).
- Protocol: Zigbee (via Conbee II stick or SkyConnect) + WiFi + optional Z-Wave if needed later.
- Voice/LLM Server: Intel NUC or powerful Raspberry Pi 5 with local LLM container or Mycroft.