In this episode of the Home Assistant Podcast, Rohan Karamandi and Phil Hawthorne have an engaging conversation with Jason Shearer, a long-time listener and an engineering leader in the technology industry.

Jason shares his fascinating journey from experimenting with home automation in his first condo to integrating advanced technologies into his current home. His expertise spans various domains, including lighting, irrigation, security, and energy management.

Jason's story is filled with intriguing projects, such as transitioning from SmartThings to Home Assistant, automating a sit-stand desk, and creating elaborate holiday light displays using individually addressable LEDs.

He delves into the importance of understanding energy consumption, leveraging predictive maintenance, and the integration of various protocols for a seamless smart home experience. Jason's innovative approaches and practical solutions provide valuable insights for both novice and experienced home automation enthusiasts.

Key Takeaways:

• Predictive Maintenance: Using energy consumption data to identify anomalies and predict potential failures in home appliances.

• Touchless Automation: Implementing presence-based automation with millimeter wave sensors for a more intuitive and convenient smart home experience.

• Holiday Lighting Automation: Combining physical and software skills to create impressive holiday light displays, controlled via Home Assistant and MQTT.

• Voice Assistant Integration: The importance of local, cloud-independent voice assistants for enhanced privacy and reliability in smart home control.

• Sensor Utilization: Maximizing the use of various sensors, such as air quality, CO2 levels, and water leak detectors, for a healthier and safer living environment.

Chapters

00:16 Introduction

00:47 Guest Introduction

01:24 Consumer vs. Commercial Automation

03:03 Jason's Home Automation Journey

05:59 Lighting Automation and Christmas Decorations

09:58 Physical Setup and Cable Management

12:50 Weather Automation

15:20 LED Longevity and Replacement

17:36 Sequence Programming for Lights

22:06 Lighting Effects and Home Assistant Integration

28:01 Future Plans for Lighting Automation

31:56 ESP Home Projects

35:26 Leak Detection and Mitigation

49:55 Energy Monitoring

57:39 Daily Use of Automation

01:12:16 Closing Remarks

To learn more about Jason and his home automation projects, connect with him through the Home Assistant community.

For complete show notes and more information about the topics discussed in this episode, be sure to check the notes at

https://hasspodcast.io/ha160/

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This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors

Home Assistant Cloud by Nabu Casa

Easily connect to Google and Amazon voice assistants for a small monthly fee that also supports the Home Assistant project. Configuration is via the User Interface so no fiddling with router settings, dynamic DNS or YAML.

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