Rod AlcidonisPublished on December 14, 2022Subscribe to my YouTube channelBuy me a beerDo you often worry about the security of your home when you’re away? A smart security camera can provide the peace of mind you need. Equipped with features like remote access, real-time alerts, and two-way audio, these cameras offer an elevated level of… Continue reading How to Keep Your Home Safe and Secure with Smart Security Cameras
Author: Rod Alcidonis
Ten Reasons You Should Use Home Assistant to Power Your Smart Home
Rod AlcidonisPublished on December 12, 2022Subscribe to my YouTube channelBuy me a beerIn this article, I want to suggest ten reasons you should consider using Home Assistant to power your smart home. Home Assistant is an open-source platform that allows you to control and manage your smart home devices from a single user-friendly interface. It… Continue reading Ten Reasons You Should Use Home Assistant to Power Your Smart Home
Home Assistant automation to detect motion on an Arlo security camera and turn a light on and off
Rod AlcidonisPublished on October 21, 2022Subscribe to my YouTube channelBuy me a beerIn this tutorial, I will be showing you how to create an automation in Home Assistant to detect motion on an Arlo Security Camera and to turn the front door light on when motion is detected and off when motion is inactive. You… Continue reading Home Assistant automation to detect motion on an Arlo security camera and turn a light on and off
Automation to Detect Person, Packages, Animal, and Vehicle on an Arlo Camera and Announce the Detection on a Sonos Speaker
Rod AlcidonisPublished on October 14, 2022Subscribe to my YouTube channelBuy me a beerIn this tutorial, I will be showing you how to create a Home Assistant automation to identify person, vehicle, animal, or package on your Arlo camera and then announce the object to your household on a Sonos speaker. I am using Appdaemon to… Continue reading Automation to Detect Person, Packages, Animal, and Vehicle on an Arlo Camera and Announce the Detection on a Sonos Speaker
Getting Days by Name in Home Assistant and Checking Whether the Day Falls on a U.S. Holiday
Rod AlcidonisPublished on October 12, 2022Subscribe to my YouTube channelBuy me a beerHave you ever found yourself configuring an automation in Home Assistant and you needed to find out what day is today, yesterday, and tomorrow, or whether any of those days fell on a U.S. holiday? That kind of information is unfortunately not intuitively… Continue reading Getting Days by Name in Home Assistant and Checking Whether the Day Falls on a U.S. Holiday
Using NFC Tags in Home Assistant to Create Reminders in Google Calendar
Rod AlcidonisPublished on October 11, 2022Subscribe to my YouTube channelBuy me a beerThis automation uses an NFC tag to create a reminder on my Google Calendar to change the Family Room Lock’s batteries in six months. I am using Appdaemon to program the automation, which is one of the automation engines in Home Assistant, and… Continue reading Using NFC Tags in Home Assistant to Create Reminders in Google Calendar
Five things to Know Before Getting Started With Smart Home Technology
Rod AlcidonisPublished on May 10, 2022Subscribe to my YouTube channelBuy me a beerThere are a few things I wish I had known before starting my smart home journey. If you are a new user, you likely will encounter similar challenges along the way. I am sharing my experience to motivate you to take the plunge… Continue reading Five things to Know Before Getting Started With Smart Home Technology
Home Assistant is Now For Everybody!
Rod AlcidonisPublished on May 5, 2022Subscribe to my YouTube channelBuy me a beerThe debate on whether Home Assistant can be used by non-programmers and beginners alike to automate the connected home has been rendered moot by the April and May 2022 system updates. From my perspective, it is no longer a viable argument to compare… Continue reading Home Assistant is Now For Everybody!