Smart Home, Smart Live, Smart Solutions
The Home Assistant community regularly generates new ideas for controlling a smart home efficiently and elegantly. Besides classic dashboards on tablets or wall displays, an alternative approach is increasingly coming into focus: a dedicated display with an E-Ink screen. A project recently presented in the subreddit demonstrates how an e-paper display can serve as a stylish control element […]
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With the latest generation Echo Show 8, Amazon is focusing its smart speakers more on smart home use. The device no longer functions solely as an Alexa voice assistant with a screen, but instead integrates several key wireless standards into a single system. These include Zigbee, Matter, and Thread, which acts as a border router. This allows the Echo […]
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The FRITZ! Smart Energy 250 from AVM is a power sensor for digital electricity meters that reads consumption data directly and makes it available in the smart home. We are testing the integration of the sensor with Home Assistant to analyze the energy data and incorporate it into automations. What is the FRITZ! Smart Energy 250? The FRITZ! Smart Energy 250 is a battery-powered sensor, […]
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With the MYGGSPRAY motion sensor, IKEA is launching a compact, Matter-compatible motion sensor that can be used not only within the IKEA ecosystem but also in open systems like Home Assistant. This article explains how the sensor works, what requirements it needs, and how to integrate it with Home Assistant. Brief product overview: IKEA MYGGSPRAY The […]
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Home Assistant 2026.1 kicks off the new year with an update, delivering a compact yet targeted minor release. The focus is clearly on an optimized user experience, more intuitive automations, and improved settings organization. While the update is somewhat smaller due to the holidays, it includes several features designed to simplify everyday life in the smart home.
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With the KAJPLATS LED bulb (E27), IKEA expands its portfolio with a decorative light source for the smart home. The bulb is ideal for users who want to flexibly automate their lighting and seamlessly integrate it into modern systems such as Home Assistant, Aqara, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit. Brief introduction: IKEA KAJPLATS LED bulb […]
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IKEA recently introduced the TIMMERFLOTTE temperature and humidity sensor. An over-the-air (OTA) firmware update is now available. The update from firmware version 1.0.18 to version 1.0.21 can be performed directly via Home Assistant. Update notification directly in Home Assistant: After integrating the IKEA TIMMERFLOTTE into Home Assistant, a notification about an available update will appear in the device settings.
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With the TIMMERFLOTTE, IKEA expands its smart home portfolio with a compact solution for measuring temperature and humidity. The sensor is primarily aimed at rooms such as bathrooms, kitchens, or basements, where the indoor climate plays a crucial role. In combination with Home Assistant, the TIMMERFLOTTE can not only be read but also used specifically for automations […]
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Thanks to the open Matter standard, the MYGGBETT door/window sensor from IKEA can be directly integrated into Home Assistant. This eliminates the need for a traditional hub from IKEA or similar companies. Instead, the sensor communicates via Thread and is integrated into Home Assistant. This makes the MYGGBETT particularly appealing for users who want to manage their smart home locally, independently of manufacturers, and without […]
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With the BILRESA, IKEA expands its smart home range with a compact, Matter-compatible remote control. The device is aimed at users who want to control their smart home functions easily and without a smartphone or voice assistant. Matter Standard and Smart Home Compatibility: The IKEA BILRESA remote control supports the open Matter standard, allowing for flexible integration into modern smart home systems. In conjunction with the IKEA […]
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With the FRITZ!Smart Energy 250, AVM expands its smart home portfolio with a clever energy sensor that reads the energy consumption of digital meters – and integrates seamlessly into the home network. Our test shows that setup, installation, and operation are surprisingly straightforward. The standard electricity meter is transformed into a smart meter in no time. In the test, we used the latest […]
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