2019 was one to remember.
It was the year that work got underway on the Automated Home 2.0 – thank you for following along with our project.
Our Self Build blog takes more than a quarter of the top twenty this year with posts on our Floor Plan, Choosing our Architect, The House Design, and our PTZ CCTV building site watching camera all among your favourites so far.
Also amongst your favourites was the post on our ideas for the new Loxone System that will power the new Automated Home 2.0. It’s been great working with Epitome Living, planning our install.
Despite only being posted in December, the first part of our UniFi Network series saw amazing traffic and made it all the way to number 9 in a few short weeks!
We’re really looking forward to updating you on Loxone and UniFi in particular so look out for plenty more AH2 updates in the new year as first fix electrics continue and we head towards our summer deadline to move in.
The always popular Home Assistant features again this year in a mashup with MQTT and IFTTT. ComfortClick launched their new Colibri system in 2019 billed as the First Z-Wave Hub for Professional Projects and it made to number 18.
2019 was also the year that my electric dreams came true when the Tesla arrived after more than 3 years of waiting.
It was one of the first Model 3’s in the country and it has been a revelation. There are 2 Tesla posts in this years top 20 including my comprehensive review after the first 3,500 miles. As ever I’d encourage you to consider an EV as your next car.
Number 11 sees another innovation for Philips with their new Hue Play HDMI Sync Box. Judging by some of the comments in our new Automated Home Facebook Group Hue is by far your favourite smart lighting system.
The new Homey v2, Nuimo’s switches and Lightwave’s mini relay all made it to the Top 10 and our 3D printed smart home accessories post made it to the bronze medal position.
The cool little Remootio garage door Bluetooth and WiFi remote seemed like an ideal DIY smart home project and made it all the way to number 2.
But there was nothing that even came close to our number 1 this year, as the traffic to this post was head and shoulders above everything else. It’s a bitter sweet affair though. The Den range of smart home products were launched in February and created a real buzz. However confirmation came just a few weeks ago that the company is heading into liquidation.
On a more positive note, on the 18th of December Amazon, Apple, Google and Zigbee revealed they are to develop a new Open Source Smart Connected Home Over IP Standard. Just a day later Z-Wave fired back with an announcement of their own. Could this be the standard the industry is crying out for? If nothing else it may confirm the smart home’s future is IP over WiFi, replacing the need for all those proprietary hubs.
Check out your entire top 20 below. Thank you for your support once again and a Happy New Year to you all!
M.
20. DIY Smart Home Hack Uses IFTTT API to Trigger MQTT Home Assistant Action
19. Automated Home 2.0 – #11 Our Floor Plan
18. ComfortClick Launches Colibri – the First Z-Wave Hub for Professional Projects
17. Automated Home 2.0 – #13 Here’s What We’re Planning for Our Loxone Smart Home
16. Automated Home 2.0 – #10 Here’s Our New House Design
15. Collecting My Tesla Model 3 Today – A Petrol Head’s Journey to the Electric Side
14. Automated Home 2.0 – #05 Choosing Our Architect
13. New Dyson Lightcycle Lamp Adjusts for Daylight, Age, Tasks & Lasts 60 Years
12. TV Lights with New Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box
11. UK Double Wall Socket with Built-In WiFi Repeater & USB Charging
10. Lightwave Reveals New Smart Mini Relay
09. Automated Home 2.0 – #14 Why I’ve Chosen UniFi for Our New Home Network
08. Nuimo Click Uses Energy Harvesting Tech for Wireless Sonos & Philips Hue Wall Switches
07. Homey Announce v2.0 Plus Homey Pro – Z-Wave, ZigBee, WiFi, BLE, IR, 433 & 868 MHz
06. Automated Home 2.0 – #04 Awesome PTZ CCTV Camera to Watch Our Self Build Remotely
05. Tesla Model 3 UK – The First 3,500 Mile Mega Review
04. Check Out This Cool Budget Wall Controller Setup using Home Assistant
03. 15 Cool Home Automation Accessories to 3D Print for Your Smart Home
02. Video: Inexpensive Remootio Interface Makes Gates & Garage Doors Smart
01. Den Automation Launches UK Smart Home Range with Cool Self Moving Switches
BONUS: Top 20 Products
Here are the top 20 most popular items bought through our Amazon Affiliate store in 2019. This remains the easiest way for you to support this site – many thanks.
01. Philips Hue Smart Wireless Dimmer Switch
02. WiFi Smart Power Strip with Alexa Google Assistant and SmartThings Remote Control Voice Control
03. Meross Smart Garage Door Remote Control
04. Samotech Light Switch Cover for Philips Hue Dimmer
05. Drayton Wiser Smart Heating Radiator Thermostat
06. Aurora Enlite White Warm White COB LED GU10 Ceiling Downlight
07. Rode VideoMicro Compact On Camera Microphone
08. SanDisk Extreme Pro 32 GB microSDHC Memory Card
09. BG Electrical Double Switched Power Socket and Wi-Fi Repeater
11. TOMMOX 75W USB C PD Charger 4-Port
12. Silicondust HDHomeRun CONNECT QUATRO Network DVB-T/T2 TV Tuner
13. Echo Dot (3rd Gen) – Smart speaker with Alexa
14. Sonoff Dual R2 Smart WiFi Switch
15. eQ-3 141227C1 CC-RT-M-TFC Radiator Thermostat
16. Lightwave Connect Series 1 Gang Smart Socket
17. Aeotec Z-Stick Gen5, Z-Wave Plus USB to Create Gateway
18. Philips Hue White Ambiance Dimmable LED Smart GU10 Spot 2 Pack
19. Ubiquiti UAP-AC-IW Unifi AP-AC-IW IN WALL Access Point
20. Sonoff Dual R2 Smart WiFi Switch, 2 Gang Light Switch
