Blog
About a smart home that really is under control
Short, practical writing on energy, security, comfort and integrations.
What is a local-first smart home, and why the internet shouldn't matter
Local-First means the rules, the data and the control live on your own LAN server, not in somebody else's cloud. Here is why the home keeps running when the connection drops — and how one screen replaces a dozen apps.
What is MQTT and why you should care — the open language of the smart home
MQTT is a lightweight, fast and widely implemented protocol that devices in the home use to talk to each other. Because HoumeOS is designed around it, your home is not tied to a single manufacturer — a new device enters the register without touching the screens.
Smart automations: hold, pause and the "why did this happen" answer
A one-second cloud should not switch the boiler on and off. That is why rules in HoumeOS have a hold and a pause between executions, and every decision is logged with an explanation — executed, skipped, waiting or error.
Self-consumption and battery protection: the priorities in the energy flow
The more of your own solar energy you use on site, the less you buy from the grid. Here is how HoumeOS steers the surplus by meaning — first the battery, then the boiler, finally the grid — and why the battery's emergency reserve is never breached.
Automatic garden irrigation: schedule, sensors and solar surplus
How to water the garden on a schedule and according to a moisture sensor and the rain forecast — so water and energy go where they belong, with no waste.
Data you can trust, and a history that is never lost
Better an empty screen than one that shows yesterday as if it were now. HoumeOS does not cache device numbers, marks stale values, and histories are kept on the server — surviving a restart and a power failure.
Access security in the smart home: roles, double confirmation, PIN hashing and audit
Who can press what is decided by the server, not the screen. A guest never touches locks, critical actions ask for a second confirmation, PINs are stored as a salted hash (scrypt), and every login and command has an author and a time.
The HoumeOS roadmap: what is ready and what is coming
We say clearly what works today and what is planned. Ready are the eight-screen kiosk, the automations, the histories, the roles and the simulation. Coming are a real MQTT broker, notifications, a visual editor and camera and EV integrations.
Smart heating and heat pump control: comfort without wasted energy
How room-by-room temperature, the weather forecast and solar surplus work together so you heat the home with less energy — without giving up comfort.
For integrators: a demonstration without hardware and a tested automation core
Want to show or test a system before installation? HoumeOS has a simulation mode that runs the whole flow without real devices — ideal for demos, training and checking scenarios. And quality is not promised, it is proven with tests.
Wall panel, tablet or kiosk: how to run the whole home from one place
How the same interface works on a wall panel, a tablet, a phone and a computer — and why controlling the whole home from one screen beats ten separate apps.
Monitoring a solar system: inverter, meter and the flow of energy
How to see production, consumption, battery charge and grid exchange on one screen — and how inverter and meter data turn into decisions that raise self-consumption.
Charging an electric car from the sun: how surplus goes into the car
How to steer daytime solar surplus into EV charging so you can drive almost for free — and the role of OCPP and smart power management.
Morning, evening and holiday: the scenarios that run the house for you
How one-touch modes turn dozens of manual steps into a single button — and how the automations behind them save energy and time without any programming.
How big a battery do I need: sizing home storage sensibly
A practical way to estimate the storage your house actually needs — the steps, the numbers and the reserve you should not ignore, so you don't pay for capacity you never use.
Smart alarm and emergency scenarios: how the home protects itself
From water and gas leaks to access control with roles and PINs — how local automation turns separate sensors into a connected security system that keeps working without internet.
How to connect different brands in one smart home system
Why you don't have to replace every device to get a single interface — and the role of MQTT, Modbus and KNX as the common language.
Smart home without internet: how local automation works
Why cloud dependence is a risk, and how a single local server keeps rules, modes and security running even when the connection drops.
How to use solar surplus for hot water
A practical way to stop exporting your cheap midday surplus and invest it in the water heater and the battery instead — with a clear distribution priority.