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Smart home & automation
Lighting, shades, locks and climate that keep working when the internet does not.
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Smart home & automation · 5 min read
Lutron Smart Lighting Installation in Ontario
Why we install Lutron for smart lighting in Ontario homes: no neutral wire needed, three-way without rewiring, and control that keeps working offline.
Smart home & automation · 3 min read
Lighting automation guests won't hate
Motion lighting with sensible timeouts, scenes instead of surprises, and switches that still work: how to automate lights people enjoy.
Smart home & automation · 2 min read
Why we insist on local control for smart homes
If your lights need the internet to turn on, you have a problem waiting to happen. How local-first systems work, and which brands do it properly.
Smart home & automation · 4 min read
Cottage monitoring without monthly fees
How to watch temperature, water and cameras at a cottage with local recording and no subscriptions, and what happens when the power fails.
Smart home & automation · 4 min read
Matter in the real world: what works, what doesn't
Matter promised one smart home standard for everything. Here is where it delivers, where it falls short, and how we use it on installs.
Smart home & automation · 4 min read
Smart locks that keep working when the internet doesn't
Why locally controlled smart locks beat cloud-dependent Wi-Fi models, what still works during an internet outage, and battery habits that matter.