Guest Interviews

Rob went from 15 Apps to One Smart Home With Home Assistant

Published 2 months ago
Recorded August 22, 2026
Duration 1:03:49
Watch Later Cinema Mode
FacebookX
Rob joins Phil and Rohan from New Zealand to share how he replaced 15 smart-home apps with Home Assistant. Discover his AI-assisted workflow using VS Code, Claude Code, Codex, Git, YAML documentation, solar optimisation, camera-powered number plate recognition, and a resilient smart-home network.

Links Discussed

Chapters
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:00 Escaping the app overload
00:07:00 First automations and Wi-Fi devices
00:10:00 Batteries, presence sensors and vacuums
00:17:00 UniFi network and Home Assistant upgrade
00:20:00 Solar, Modbus and energy optimisation
00:23:00 AI coding workflow with VS Code
00:33:00 OpenCode, MCP and custom workflows
00:37:00 AI documentation and automation intent
00:42:00 Fail-safe smart home design
00:45:00 AI camera gate recognition
00:50:00 Security, modes and alarm integration
00:54:00 Backup power and future projects
01:01:00 Advice for a new setup

Sponsored By

Home Assistant Cloud by Nabu Casa

Easily connect to Google and Amazon voice assistants for a small monthly fee that also supports the Home Assistant project. Configuration is via the User Interface so no fiddling with router settings, dynamic DNS or YAML.

Website

Zooz

Check out The Smartest House for Zooz devices at the best prices

Website

Apollo Automation

Apollo Automation are the makers of open source smart home sensors built for the Home Assistant ecosystem. They're an official Open Home Foundation commercial partner and their devices are built with local control, privacy, and reliability in mind, giving you full control and flexibility right out of the box.


Hosted By

Phil Hawthorne

Phil is a Melbourne based web developer who lives and breathes technology. When he's not at his day job, he’s in his home office attempting to simplify his life through complicated tech.

Website Smart Home Products Buy a Coffee

Rohan Karamandi

Rohan from Toronto, Canada works in the Technology sector as an architect designing network and datacenter solutions for his customers. His passion for technology stems from there and extends to IoT and home automation

Website Smart Home Products Buy a Coffee


Special Appearances By

Rob Benson

Not quite at retirement age. 40 years in IT, last 30 owning and running consulting firms. Most of my days are spent around P&L's but still able to code when needed.
Fun fact 5 daughters, 5 grand daughters and finally grandsons. WAF is my reality!

Spotlight

 

Special episodes focused on various aspects of Home Assistant and Home Automation.