The Automated Home Blog started life in 1996, so 2021 saw it reach its 25th Anniversary.
The top 20 most popular posts from the past 12 months included the new Airthings View Plus air quality monitor at #19 and the Faradite volt free switch at #18.
2021 was also our first full calendar year living in the new Automated Home 2.0. You won’t be surprised to see the top 20 is dominated by posts about the new house, as that’s been the focus of the blog.
We’ve still a few rooms to complete and at #15 we were delighted to get the fantastic VSSL A.1 sound systems into the upstairs bedrooms this year
At #14 we covered the rebrand of the Matter smart home standard, asking will it matter? (see what we did there). Actually I think it may well matter, more thoughts on the subject soon.
Even though it was announced back in May, we’re still waiting to receive our new Loxone Intercom (#13), chip shortages certainly became a real issue in 2021.
A shout out to Mat Smith for his cool DIY multi sensor at #11 and our Siemens smart appliances at #9 that have allowed us to push more of our energy usage into our night time electricity rate. Very important in the year that saw such huge increases in energy prices.
At #10 is the launch of the new Boundary DIY Z-Wave Smart Home Security System and at #7 my 24 month report on the Tesla Model 3 (I miss you).
At #3 is a list of non-standard things to wire for in a new build, while #2nd place goes to our comprehensive resource of links for the products and services we used in the self-build.
But number one for 2021 was our list of top tips for self builders. Hopefully you found something useful there if you are working on your own smart home build or planning a renovation.
Remember to check out our Instagram to follow the progress and look out for a comprehensive update coming next week with a full years data of running costs for an all-electric home with an air source heat pump.
Thank you as always for your support over the past 12 months and have a great new year!
M.
20. Yale Linus Smart Lock Partners with Philips Hue
19. Video: New Airthings View Plus Monitors PM2.5, CO2 & Radon
18. Video: Faradite Launch New TAP Volt Free Smart Home Switch
17. Automated Home 2.0 – #42 Our Kitchen with Parkes Interiors
16. Crestron Announces DM NAX Matrix Amp & Streaming Music Player
15. Automated Home 2.0 – #40 The VSSL A.1 Music Streaming Amplifier Part 1
14. Will It Matter?
13. Video: Loxone Reveal New Intercom Doorbell
12. Automated Home 2.0 – #43 Low Energy, Airtightness, Budgets, & Compromise
11. Building the Ultimate DIY Home Automation Ceiling Multisensor
10. Boundary Launch DIY Z-Wave Smart Home Security System
09. Automated Home 2.0 – #35 Here’s All Our Siemens studioLine Smart Appliances
08. Automated Home 2.0 – #34 Spore True Doorbell for Loxone Trigger
07. Tesla Model 3 – 24 Month Update
06. Automated Home 2.0 – #38 Where Did It All Go Wrong With Our Loxone Install?
05. Automated Home 2.0 – #39 The Pain of Fibre to the Premises (FTTP)
04. Automated Home 2.0 – #33 Our Air Source Heat Pump
03. Automated Home 2.0 – #36 What To Wire For In Your New House
02. Automated Home: Product Sources for the Automated Home 2.0
01. Automated Home 2.0 – #37 Our Top Tips for Self Builders