How to choose your smart home system?
Introduction
On social media, I see a lot of questions on how to start and choose the right smart home system.
You enter a “rabbit hole” with all those unknown terms like NUC, N100, Proxmox and HAOS.
You have no idea what they mean!
I can completely understand this scares you.
I have a technical background and know already a lot about computers, networks, and software. All my live I have been interested, did studies and worked in all kinds of different technical sectors.
On this page, I try to clear things up by comparing the different smart home solutions and explain terminology with some extra background information.
Be aware that everybody has different knowledge / experience levels, budget, and functionality wishes. There is no single best solution for everyone. You can compare it to buying a car, there is no single car that fits everybody’s needs. Like cars, there are also some main categories to choose from, and it contains different models.
I hope this page will help you make a substantiated choice for yourself. To select the right system for YOUR smart home setup which fits your wishes and experience and which you can enjoy for a while.
If you still have any questions about the choice you need to make, don’t contact me personally, but use the social media channels or forums. There are also a lot of other smart people who can help you.
Table of Contents
- Questions before you start
- What is a smart home system?
- Which categories are there?
- Terminology
- Need help?
- Remarks
- Support my work
Questions before you start
You can ask yourself some questions before you start to choose your smart home system. This way you can already filter some categories out.
Commercial vs nonprofit vs mixed
Do you mind that companies use your data for commercial purposes?
Commercial
Big tech companies sell affordable home automation system solutions (like Google Home, Alexa), but nothing is for free. You get a complete product with many out-of-the-box functionalities. You don’t need any technical knowledge to maintain or install it.
But realize yourself that all YOUR data is stored on THEIR cloud servers. If you have lamps, motion detections and cameras added to the system, they know when you’re at home, when you sleep, when you’re awake, when you’re in the bathroom, etc. They use (and sell) this data and use it eventually for commercial purposes.
NOTE: If you don’t pay much for the product, you are the product!
These parties have the power to change the conditions and functionalities with a single update. We’ve seen products that force you to suddenly create an account (Hue). Or stop local support “per accident” (Somfy) Or when the company decided to pull the plug out of the product, they also shutdown their required cloud servers. The product will end up as useless brick.
This is something that you can (most of the time) avoid while choosing the products you want to buy and check if it also support local communication. When the company stops existing, you can still use the product locally. It happened to me already with my smart curtains. The company stopped but with the local support, I can still use the product!
Nonprofit
Nonprofit solutions are also available, like Home Assistant, OpenHAB, Domoticz they are open-source and free software solutions. You can look into all the code of these applications and see what happens with your data.
These solutions don’t provide any cloud storage solutions; you need to arrange the storage location yourself, which will mainly be on a local (network) hard disk. These solutions can be installed on a wide range of hardware of your own choice. That makes you also responsible for your setup, backups, and updates.
These days there are a lot of instruction videos on YouTube, online manuals, forums, social media and chat groups dedicated to these products. Here you can search for a comparable problem and otherwise ask for help from people who have a lot of experience.
Mixed
You can also use mixed solutions, like Home Assistant, which can be installed on your own hardware where you use a local protocol to communicate with most of your smart home devices. And also use use for some devices their cloud solution integration, like for your electric car, dishwasher or robot vacuum cleaner. Then you can decide for each new device you add to your setup if you feel comfortable that only this specific data is stored in the cloud or that you only want a product that works locally.
Which protocols do you want to use?
In your home your phone and computer communicate with each other over WiFi or via the wired network via a central router and use the TCP/IP protocol to communicate with each other. The same protocol is used to connect these devices also to the internet.
Smart home devices also need a protocol to communicate with each other. This can also be via the WiFi (aka WLAN), then your router is your ‘hub’. Which make WiFi sensors an easy choice to start with because you have this network already available.
However, there are other protocols, especially for smart home devices as well.
You have the Personal area network (PAN) protocols for short distances; like Zigbee, Thread, Matter, Z-Wave, Bluetooth, Infrared.
The ones with a bigger range grouped under Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN / WSAN) like Lora, Zigbee and Z-Wave (some overlap).
Each protocol has its own advantages and disadvantages and is perfect for different situations. To support a protocol, you need for each a specific USB adapter that ‘talks’ that protocol.
| Protocol | Range* | Speed | Power consumption | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WiFi | 30 m | 100 Mbps | High | Downloading large files and fast communication |
| Zigbee | 20 m | 250 kbps | Low | Small messages, lower power consumption, it use a mesh network to create bigger coverage of the network |
| Thread | 200 m | 250 kbps | Low | It use IPv6, which allows direct internet connectivity and easier integration with other IP-based networks |
| Matter | 200 m | 250 kbps | Low | New standard, let different brands and protocols speak with each other over IPv6, also to cloud servers |
| Z-Wave | 40 m | 100 kbps | Low | Strict standard, mesh network, max. 232 devices |
| Lora | 15 km | 0,3 - 50 kbps | Low | Very long distance communication, used for street and traffic lights, bike location tracking |
| Bluetooth | 10 m | 1 Mbps | Low | Communication on a short distance, wireless earphones, mouse, keyboard, toothbrush, personal weighing scale |
| Infrared | 10 m | 1 Mbps | Low | Only one way communication in a direct line on a short distance, like a remote control |
| 433 / 868 MHZ | 100 m | 100 kbps | Low | Older standard, only one way communication, cheap products |
- The range is an indication, it can be influenced by walls, floors, and other obstacles.
FUN FACT: Bluetooth devices send signals which everyone nearby can receive. For example, it can be that you also get the data from your neighbors personal weighing scales. Or the other way around, they get your weight data and add it to their own dashboard. You have at least a nice subject to talk about.
What is a smart home system?
I read all kinds of different namings for a system which runs your smart home software.
The names I see mostly are: smart home system, homelab.
How do you call it? I call it here a “smart home system”.
I see it as a full (small) computer with:
- A hard disk, memory, and a processor
- A full operating system
- A local protocol to communicate with your smart home devices
Smart home system - Pros |
Smart home system - Cons |
|---|---|
| * No risk devices are not supported anymore * You can choose you own supported protocols * You can choose your own software * Hardware upgrades are possible All sensor data keeps local |
* You need to make your own backups * You need to update the software yourself * Technical knowledge about hardware and software maintenance |
Which categories are there?
Voice-Controlled
Description: These hubs include built-in voice assistants, allowing users to control smart devices through voice commands.
Examples:
- Amazon Echo (Alexa)
- Google Nest Hub (Google Assistant)
- Apple HomePod (Siri)
Key Features:
- Seamless integration with other smart devices.
- Voice-based automation.
- Often include speakers for media playback.
Smart home hubs can be categorized based on their design, functionality, and the type of devices or ecosystems they support. Here’s a breakdown of the main smart home hub categories:
App-Based
Description: Hubs managed primarily through mobile or desktop apps, focusing on remote and centralized control.
Examples:
- Samsung SmartThings App
- Apple HomeKit (via the Home app)
- Google Home app
Key Features:
- Unified app interface for all devices.
- Easy setup and management.
- Ideal for users comfortable with smartphone-based control.
Open-Source and DIY
Description: Customizable hubs designed for tech-savvy users who prefer flexibility and control.
Examples:
- Home Assistant
- OpenHAB
- Domoticz
Key Features:
- Highly customizable with open-source software.
- Requires more technical expertise to set up.
- Support for diverse protocols and hardware.
Terminology
here is a list of abbreviations and terms that frequently come up in discussions on this topic.
| Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| 12th Gen | The version of Intel Core processors. The name for it is ‘Alder Lake’ and is used in the popular N100 mini PC’s |
| Bare metal | It refers to a physical computer system running without (an operating system or) virtualization layer (like docker, Proxmox), directly utilizing the hardware. |
| Docker | It’s is a tool that let you package a full configured app in a single file and run it direct on a machine with only configure some (optional) parameters. |
| HA | Abbreviation for Home Assistant |
| IoT | Abbreviation for Internet of Things |
| HAOS | Abbreviation for Home Assistant Operating System |
| Mesh network | A network topology where nodes can relay data for the network. This can make the range much wider. |
| Mini PC | This refer to the size of popular small pc cases |
| NUC | It stands for ‘Next Unit of Computing’ a small (4”x4”) but complete desktop pc series, original from Intel and now take over by Asus  |
| N100 | It’s a popular, low power consuming, but powerful Intel processor number, mostly used in mini PCs. Others N-series processors are N95, N200, N305 |
| Proxmox | Is a Debian Linux Operating System where applications can be ‘installed’ via virtual machines and (docker) containers. |
| T630/T620 | A small, compact and energy effective Thin client PC model (like a NUC) by HP. A cheap, second hands, opportunity to run HA on. |
| Thin client | An energy effective PC with just enough power to connect to a central (cloud) system where the heavy tasks runs. |
Need help?
If you need help, DON’T contact me personally, but use the social media communities or fora. There are also a lot other smart people who can help you further.
- Home Assistant forum
- Reddit - Home Assistant
- Reddit - MiniPCs
- Facebook - Home Assistant worldwide
- Facebook - Home Assistant Dutch
- Discord Chat Server
Remarks
I hope this pages clear things up for you!
Are there still terms, hardware or anything else you miss here?
Or do you have any other remarks, suggestions, spell errors found after reading this page?
Please let me know, you can reach me in one of mine social media posts or create a GitHub issue.
Support my work
Do you like my blog posts and articles? You can support my work in different ways. Or just leave a comment on one of my posts if it’s useful for you.
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