Home Assistant - Chris Smart

Home Assistant 2026.7: The biggest automation update yet is here.

Home Assistant 2026.7: The biggest automation update yet is here.

July 2, 2026July 2, 2026ChrisLeave a Comment

With Home Assistant 2026.7, the Open Home Foundation has released one of the most significant updates in recent years. The focus is on a completely redesigned automation system intended to make getting started considerably easier. At the same time, the Matter integration receives a new technical foundation, Zigbee management has been modernized, and numerous detailed improvements are designed to make everyday life with Home Assistant more convenient.

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Zero feed-in implemented with FRITZ! Smart Energy 250 and Anker Solix in Home Assistant

Zero feed-in with FRITZ! Smart Energy 250 and Anker Solix in Home Assistant

June 13, 2026June 15, 2026Chris2 Comments

Many owners of balcony power plants with storage want to minimize their feed-in to the public grid. Ideally, only as much power is supplied as is actually needed in the household. Current systems often use special smart meters for this purpose, which record electricity consumption almost in real time and adjust the inverter's output accordingly. However, this requires the installation […]

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BILRESA dual button front view

IKEA BILRESA firmware update 1.9.15 brings Matter 1.4

June 9, 2026June 9, 2026ChrisLeave a Comment

The new firmware version 1.9.15 is now available for the IKEA BILRESA dual-button remote control. This is the first officially released firmware update for IKEA's new remote control with Matter technology. Users are reporting that the update is already being rolled out across various systems and can be installed via Home Assistant, among others. BILRESA Update […]

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Setting up FRITZ! Smart Energy 250 in the Energy Dashboard

Setting up FRITZ! Smart Energy 250 in the Home Assistant Energy Dashboard

June 7, 2026June 13, 2026ChrisLeave a Comment

With the FRITZ! Smart Energy 250*, AVM offers a simple way to read digital electricity meters and integrate the data into your smart home. The sensor becomes particularly interesting when used with Home Assistant, as the readings can be used directly in the energy dashboard. This gives you a detailed overview of electricity consumption, grid usage, and – in some cases – […]

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Matter smoke detector from Sensereo available for Home Assistant

Matter smoke detector from Sensereo available for Home Assistant

June 4, 2026June 4, 2026ChrisLeave a Comment

Several Matter smoke detectors are now officially available for Home Assistant through Sensereo. The manufacturer has been accepted into the "Works with Home Assistant" program. The Sensereo MS-1 smoke detector and the Sensereo MSC-1, which also detects carbon monoxide, have been certified. Both devices can be integrated locally into Home Assistant via Matter-over-Thread. This allows for the integration of additional smart smoke detectors into Home Assistant […]

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Home Assistant 2026.6 brings new dashboard tools and smart lock management.

Home Assistant 2026.6 brings new dashboard tools and smart lock management.

June 3, 2026June 4, 2026ChrisLeave a Comment

Home Assistant 2026.6 is available starting today, and the developers have implemented numerous improvements. The focus is on simplified dashboard creation, more powerful automations, and significantly expanded infrared support. Home Assistant dashboards are now easier to create. One of the biggest changes concerns the dashboard editor. Previously, when adding new cards, users first had to decide […]

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M5Paper Color ESP32S3

M5Paper Color ESP32S3: Color E-Ink Display for Smart Home

May 16, 2026May 19, 2026ChrisLeave a Comment

With the new M5Paper Color ESP32S3 Dev Kit, M5Stack has introduced a new development board particularly suitable for DIY displays in the smart home. The device combines a color E-Ink display with an ESP32-S3 controller, integrated battery, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity. The 4-inch Spectra 6 color display has a resolution of 600 × 400 pixels. As with classic E-Paper displays […]

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IKEA KLIPBPOK firmware update 1.0.13 aims to improve connection problems.

IKEA KLIPBPOK firmware update 1.0.13 aims to improve connection problems.

May 10, 2026May 10, 2026ChrisLeave a Comment

A new firmware update is available for IKEA's KLIPBPOK water leak sensor. Version 1.0.13 is currently being rolled out to users and is primarily intended to improve the stability of the new Matter-over-Thread devices. This update follows numerous community reports of connection and pairing problems with IKEA's new Matter devices. IKEA's Matter devices have recently been criticized […]

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SmartThings and Home Assistant: Official integration brings new advantages

SmartThings and Home Assistant: Official integration brings new advantages

May 7, 2026May 7, 2026ChrisLeave a Comment

Samsung SmartThings and Home Assistant will now officially work together. The new integration not only improves the stability of the connection between the two platforms, but also makes it easier to use a wide variety of smart home devices within a single system. Previously, connecting SmartThings to Home Assistant was possible, but it relied on a community integration using Personal Access Tokens (PATs). […]

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Home Assistant 2026.5

Home Assistant 2026.5 unveiled: More options for older hardware, more modern dashboards and smarter automations.

May 6, 2026May 9, 2026ChrisLeave a Comment

With Home Assistant 2026.5, the Open Home Foundation has released one of its most comprehensive updates in recent memory. This release not only brings numerous improvements to dashboards and automations, but also opens Home Assistant up more significantly to traditional wireless technology and older hardware generations for the first time. Existing devices will remain usable, while the user interface has been modernized and configuration simplified.

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Home Assistant 2026.4: Infrared support, new automations and major UI improvements

Home Assistant 2026.4: Infrared support, new automations and major UI improvements

April 3, 2026April 3, 2026ChrisLeave a Comment

Home Assistant version 2026.4 is a particularly comprehensive update, bringing both new features and fundamental improvements to existing Home Assistant systems. The focus is on better integration of older devices, significantly simplified automation creation, and a further improved user interface. With this update, Home Assistant continues its monthly release cycle […]

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SwitchBot Plug Mini Matter-compatible with power monitoring

SwitchBot Plug Mini: Affordable Matter smart plug with energy monitoring

March 29, 2026March 31, 2026ChrisLeave a Comment

The SwitchBot Plug Mini is a compact smart plug from Matter that integrates standard household appliances into a smart home system. Aimed primarily at beginners and budget-conscious users, the device even undercuts the price of the recently introduced IKEA GRILLPLATS smart plug. While the IKEA plug is currently available for around €8.99, the […]

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Integrating Navimow into Home Assistant: Instructions & Integration (2026)

Integrating Navimow into Home Assistant: Instructions & Integration (2026)

March 24, 2026April 25, 2026Chris1 Comment

Integrating the Segway Navimow robotic lawnmower into Home Assistant was long only possible via workarounds. With Navimow app version 4.1.0, there is now an official solution for the first time. This guide will show you step-by-step how to set up your Navimow in Home Assistant, what prerequisites must be met, and which functions are currently available […]

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IKEA GRILLPLATS in Home Assistant; Affordable Matter power outlet tested

IKEA GRILLPLATS in Home Assistant: Affordable Matter smart plug put to the test

March 23, 2026May 9, 2026ChrisLeave a Comment

With the GRILLPLATS smart plug, IKEA is launching a new, particularly affordable Matter-compatible smart plug. It can be used not only within the IKEA ecosystem but also easily integrated into open systems like Home Assistant. In this article, we test how the integration with Home Assistant works and what features the smart plug offers. What is IKEA GRILLPLATS? […]

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Home Assistant 2026.3: All new features at a glance

Home Assistant 2026.3: All new features at a glance

March 6, 2026March 21, 2026ChrisLeave a Comment

Home Assistant has released its monthly update, version 2026.3. The new version brings several practical improvements for automations, energy monitoring, and voice control. Particularly interesting are a new feature for robot vacuums, an enhanced energy dashboard, and experimental wake word detection on Android smartphones. What is Home Assistant? Home Assistant is an open platform for smart home systems that allows users to […]

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Shelly Plug M Gen3 Smart Plug with Meter and Power Measurement

Shelly Plug M Gen3: Smart plug with sensor and power measurement

March 3, 2026March 21, 2026Chris1 Comment

The Shelly Plug M Gen3 is a smart Wi-Fi socket for indoor use that combines classic switching functions with modern technology. In addition to remote control of connected devices, the plug offers integrated power metering and Matter support for seamless integration into smart home systems such as Home Assistant. Installation and setup: Installing the Shelly Plug M Gen3 […]

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SONOFF Orb – Smart wall switches and sockets with Matter or Zigbee

SONOFF Orb – Smart wall switches and sockets with Matter or Zigbee

February 21, 2026March 21, 2026ChrisLeave a Comment

With the SONOFF Orb wall switches and wall sockets, Sonoff is launching a new generation of smart flush-mounted components on the European market. The series is designed for European Type E and Type F (Schuko) sockets and is permanently integrated into a standard flush-mounted box. Depending on the model, SONOFF uses either Matter over Wi-Fi or Zigbee, thus covering various smart home applications […]

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IKEA KLIPBPOK water leak sensor firmware update 1.0.11 is now available in Home Assistant.

IKEA KLIPBPOK water leak sensor: Firmware update 1.0.11 now available in Home Assistant

February 11, 2026February 12, 2026Chris1 Comment

IKEA has released a new firmware update for its smart KLIPBPOK water leak sensor: Version 1.0.11 is now available via Home Assistant and can be updated directly from the dashboard. The water leak sensor is based on the open Matter standard, is small, easy to install, and has already proven popular with many users for monitoring critical areas such as under […]

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Home Assistant 2026.2 – More clarity and convenience in the February update

Home Assistant 2026.2 – More clarity and convenience in the February update

February 8, 2026February 11, 2026ChrisLeave a Comment

I'm a big fan of Home Assistant because hardly any other smart home system evolves so consistently and regularly. With each update, not only does the range of functions grow, but also its everyday usability. This was also the case in February: On February 4, 2026, Home Assistant 2026.2 was released – a release that focuses primarily on clarity, user-friendliness, and […]

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Small, smart, Matter-compatible – IKEA's new KLIPBPOK water leak sensor

Small, smart, Matter-compatible – IKEA's new KLIPBPOK water leak sensor

February 7, 2026April 26, 2026ChrisLeave a Comment

With the KLIPBPOK water leak sensor, IKEA expands its portfolio with a small but extremely useful safety device. The sensor detects leaking water early and uses the open Matter standard. This makes KLIPBPOK particularly suitable for users of open platforms like Home Assistant, but it is also compatible with common systems from Amazon, Apple, Google, Homey, and Samsung. […]

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