Home Assistant is highly customizable and well-equipped software for controlling and managing your smart devices. I can vouch for its benefits of automating everyday tasks and staying on top of things at home. Fortunately, I didn’t have to deal with complicated code; I just had to ensure proper indentation in YAML files. Looking back, I feel Home Assistant automations have significantly improved my life and that of the electronics and appliances I own. My only regret is that I wish I had started automating things in my life sooner.
These 5 neat Home Assistant features help me better automate my home
These built-in features in Home Assistant lay down the stepping stones to craft automations that work every time.
5 Taking automatic and regular backups to Google Drive
Saving up for unforeseen hiccups
When I just got started with Home Assistant, I realized that the entire installation and setup from scratch took nearly an hour. I have suffered through the pain of setting up Home Assistant OS on multiple occasions. Also, several devices and integrations will encounter issues after software updates. When that method became unreliable due to regular crashes, I used aHACS add-on to take Home Assistant backups to my Google Drive account and even customize the schedule and options without touching a YAML file. You can explore the options for taking backups of your Home Assistant instance into a cloud service or another device. Finally, setting up an automation to take regular backups and clean up old ones daily has relieved me of all my worries.
4 Turning off media devices post midnight to curb binge-watching
Prioritizing some shut-eye
Like many, I am guilty of binge-watching TV shows and YouTube content till late on my smart TV, especially on weekends. To manage my health and well-being, I set up a simple automation system that automatically shuts off my smart TV if it’s on after midnight. That comes with some discipline, such as not taking any remotes or phones to bed. For the TV in the living room, it was easier to add a condition to the automation that checks if any family members are present in the room before switching the TV off. I went a step further and used a smart plug for the TVs. A separate automation checks if the TVs are off after midnight, and then the smart plugs also turn off to reduce the standby power consumption.
3 Switching off smart plugs when charging gadgets overnight
Slowing down the battery degradation
Letting several gadgets charge overnight is quite convenient. However, it also degrades the battery health over time, which is why I use smart plugs to delay this process. Typically, the phones and tablets that can run the Home Assistant Companion app can report the battery life of the device. Based on that, I’ve set up an automation to turn off the smart plug whenever the charging reaches 95 percent. Things can get tedious with devices like TWS earphones, e-book readers, digital cameras, and Bluetooth speakers, which often can’t report the battery percentage. I’ve set up an action trigger to help turn it off after a pre-defined time. I also created Timer Helpers to ensure it happens smoothly.
2 Controlling a Windows desktop using Home Assistant
Easier to turn off or hibernate the PC
A lightweight program called HASS.Agent lets me control and manage my Windows computer through Home Assistant. After linking it using theMQTT server in Home Assistant, I’ve set an automation to trigger whenever someone attempts to access my personal folders or uses the PC for an extended period. When I’ve left the desktop unattended for over an hour, an automation triggers a command to put the PC into hibernation mode. After a couple of hours, another automation triggers a command to shut down the PC when not in use. The MQTT messaging makes it easier topush actionable notifications for activities, such as giving the option to shut down a program or stop using the media player. Most of the time, I use simple automation to turn off or hibernate the Windows desktop when I’m not using it at all.
This lightweight program is a must-have for Home Assistant users like myself
This Windows-based companion app lets you monitor your PC and perform actions without opening Home Assistant.
1 Fusing notifications when appliances finish with service reminders
A handy blueprint makes my life easy
Whenever my washing machine finishes cleaning clothes, I receive a notification on my phone and smartwatch, as I often forget to take them out. Ahandy blueprint made itmuch easier to automate various home appliances. In the same automation, I added the energy and time tracking for select devices to understand the overall energy cost and duration. Plugging in the service reminders helps me plan regular maintenance of regularly used appliances, especially the washing machine. The automation to turn off the idle appliances also comes into play whenever I am not at home.
I use these 5 Home Assistant automations to impress my friends and family
How Home Assistant can help you show off to friends and family.
Smarten your life with a handful of automations
Home Assistant automation has been a revelation for managing everyday tasks efficiently. Each of the above automations brings comfort and convenience in handling smart devices. From taking regular backups to staying on top of chores, these automations have made my smart home smarter. I continue to spend my weekends tweaking the automation’s YAML to make my smart home even smarter. Also, I utilize several otherautomations that don't require additional hardware.
