Welcome to HA Hub

I want this website to be a hub for all things "Home Automation". Content will be targeted primarily towards do-it-yourselfers. In promoting home automation as a DIY activity, I'm hoping to provide others the benefit of my experience as I figure out to automate a typical middle-class home. I'm hoping that growth in the DIY community will stem certain trends that have cropped up as home automation has become more mainstream. One trend that I don't favor is the explosion of an app for everything. While some people tout the simplicity of wifi or Bluetooth connected devices that are controlled by their own app, I find them inefficient once you progress beyond two or three controlled devices. Generally, I prefer a hub controlled by a single app that can bring together many devices allowing easier control as well as scripting of scenes allowing multiple devices to be controlled by a single action. The other troubling trend I've noticed are companies co-opting open technologies and tying them to for-pay service, requiring a subscription to a cloud service to control the hub. There are alternatives that include these services in the cost of their hub. While some of these services have shut down and left their users stranded, if you chose your controllers carefully, you shouldn't be locked into a single provider. For this reason, I will tend to favor the mostly-open protocols of Z-Wave and Zigbee. If you should need to replace your hub, most will be compatible with one or both of these protocols.

As I build out this website I will be offering news of the latest developments in home automation as well as tutorials to help you implement your own home automation project. I will show you how I've automated my own home and tell you why I've implemented certain features. I will also offer suggestions for automation that while maybe not suitable to my situation, may be appropriate for others.