Our setup
Home Assistant runs on a small, low-power PC in the basement, with a Zigbee radio for the sensors, plugs and buttons around the house. Everything runs locally: the lights, leak protection and notifications keep working when the internet doesn't.
We try to automate the chores nobody wants to think about, keep the dashboards calm, and make sure a person can always override the house. The guides below are what we've learned doing that.
Guides
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Dashboard design tips
Eleven habits for Home Assistant dashboards that people actually look at: start from questions, keep normal quiet, and name things for humans.
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Dashboard ideas
Ten dashboards worth building, from a bedside night view to a guest page with the Wi-Fi code, with what to put on each one.
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Automation tips
Twelve lessons for automations that the whole household trusts: easy to override, safe when things fail, and quiet unless they matter.
Our projects
Write-ups of the automations and dashboards running here, with the YAML.
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A kitchen dashboard and a Home Assistant theme
An old tablet on the kitchen wall, a three-column sections dashboard, and a Mallow theme so it looks like the rest of the network.
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Leak sensors and an automatic water shut-off
Five moisture sensors, a motorised valve on the main, and the small automations that make sure both still work when they're needed.
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A laundry notifier from a smart plug
Watching the washer's power draw to send a 'laundry's done' message, and why the dryer needed a different approach.
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Porch lights that follow the sun
Using the sun's elevation instead of a fixed time, a dim evening glow, and a motion boost that knows when to give up.
Mallow theme for Home Assistant
The forest-and-parchment look from this site, as a Home Assistant theme. Download the YAML, or read how to install it.