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Latest entry
Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2: The $49 Stick That Became My Thread Border Router
Read the log: Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2: The $49 Stick That Became My Thread Border RouterThe official Home Assistant radio stick, explained: what the ZBT-2 is, why I’m using it as a local-first Thread border router instead of an Apple or Google hub, and how the OpenThread setup actually works.
Recent entries
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Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2: The $49 Stick That Became My Thread Border Router
The official Home Assistant radio stick, explained: what the ZBT-2 is, why I’m using it as a local-first Thread border router instead of an Apple or Google hub, and how the OpenThread setup actually works.
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Home Assistant 2026.6: The Card Picker Finally Speaks Human (and Other Things I Actually Noticed)
Home Assistant 2026.6 landed this week with a redesigned card picker, two-way infrared, and a Bluetooth change that quietly saves your sensor batteries. Here’s what actually matters from where I sit.
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I Spent Weeks Choosing a €200 Mini PC for Home Assistant. Here’s What Actually Mattered.
A used HP EliteDesk, a returned Acemagic N100, and weeks of spec-sheet agony. What actually matters when choosing a Home Assistant box — and why trust is a spec.
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Wiring the hallway motion lights — what actually worked
Three sensors, one stubborn breaker, and a 2am fix. The full play-by-play of getting motion lighting that never leaves you in the dark.
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Choosing your first sensor protocol
Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread, Wi-Fi — picking the one you won’t regret.
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Mapping the house, room by room
Where I started, what I planned, and the order I’m tackling it in.
One house, going fully automated — documented honestly
No sponsor scripts, no spec-sheet worship. Just a working log of every room as it gets wired, what broke, and what I’d do differently. If it didn’t earn its place, it doesn’t make the site.
Read the full storyGear I actually use
Zigbee PIR Sensor
Fast trigger, two-year battery, and rock-solid local control. The one in every room.
Thread radio
Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2
The official HA stick, running OpenThread — the anchor of my local-first Thread network. No big-tech hub required.
Dimmable Smart Bulbs
Warm-to-cool tuning that actually holds state after a power cut. Worth the extra.
The newsletter for people building it themselves
One email when a new build log lands — plus the small wins and dumb mistakes that don’t make the site. Free, weekly-ish, no spam.