If I Started My Smart Home Over Again… 5 Things I’d Do Differently

Five things to do differently when (re)building a smart home

A concise set of tech- and product-focused takeaways emphasizing planning, household alignment, protocol choices, edge-case design, and simplicity.

1) Have a plan

• Define your ecosystem before buying devices (examples: Home Assistant, Amazon, Apple).
• Decide between cloud vs local control and understand trade-offs around privacy and reliability.
• Verify your home network capability:
  • Wi‑Fi coverage (not just internet speed)
  • Traffic handling capacity
  • Security (VLANs were part of the author’s setup)
• Pick core automations first (lighting, climate, security) rather than chasing every “cool” idea.

2) Align with household members

• Get buy-in and set expectations about reliability and occasional breakage.
• Communicate changes clearly and prioritize troubleshooting when automations affect others.

3) Choose the right protocols

• Common protocols: Wi‑Fi, Zigbee, Z‑Wave, Bluetooth, Thread, Matter.
• Preference noted: Zigbee and Z‑Wave for local control, low‑power mesh networking, reduced Wi‑Fi congestion, good reliability and range.
• Some devices require vendor apps for setup; platforms like Home Assistant often provide full-featured direct integration for Zigbee/Z‑Wave devices.
• No single “best” protocol — choose based on required features, local/cloud control needs, and network architecture.

Practical takeaway: match protocols to features and your desired balance of local control vs cloud convenience.

4) Design for edge cases

• Automations must account for context: time of day, occupant preferences, guests, sleep schedules, seasons, etc.
• Tricky examples:
  • Bathroom lighting (different family preferences)
  • HVAC control (many conditional states: occupancy patterns, naps, TV vs recording, seasonal changes)
• Expect iterative fine‑tuning as real-world exceptions appear.

5) Keep it simple

• Avoid over‑automation. The creator’s system grew to ~100 automations, 400 devices, and 3,000 entities — more complexity means more troubleshooting.
• Focus on automations that save time, money, or meaningfully improve comfort and security.

Guides, reviews, and tutorials referenced

• Video comparing ecosystems: Amazon vs Apple vs Home Assistant.
• Video on home network setup and using VLANs for security.
• Additional videos: “top tips” and “biggest mistakes” in building a smart home. (Note: links were said to be in the original video description.)

Main speaker / source

• Michael Lean — YouTube creator focused on productivity through home automation, with an emphasis on Home Assistant. Platforms mentioned include Home Assistant, Amazon, and Apple.