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IKEA vs. Eve: Which Matter over Thread Sensors Are Really Worth It?

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0200

I hadn’t planned this at all.

The last video about Matter and Thread had barely been online for a week when the same question kept showing up in the comments: What about IKEA? First a few times, then more and more — until I couldn’t ignore it any longer. So I put both systems side by side and took a close look.

Honestly, the result surprised me.

A price difference that calls everything into question

IKEA sells a Matter over Thread window contact for around €8. The comparable Eve Door & Window sensor costs four times as much. And it’s similar for motion sensors.

That means concretely: you could equip your whole home with Thread sensors for under €100. That sounds almost too good. So — where’s the catch?

The answer is more complicated than expected — and depends heavily on what you’re actually trying to do.

What’s in the video

I go through five categories and take an honest look at each one:

Door/window contacts — For low-risk areas, IKEA does its job absolutely solidly. At the front door or combined with an alarm system, I’d personally still stick with proven solutions — not because IKEA is bad, but because Eve and Aqara have years of track record there.

Motion sensors — There’s a clear winner here: Eve. The IKEA sensor reacts noticeably slower and reportedly hangs occasionally according to user reports. For applications where response time matters, this is a real difference.

Smart plugs — Both measure energy consumption, which is far from a given at this price point. But Eve has a decisive advantage: the Eve Energy is a Full Thread Device — it actively strengthens your Thread network. The IKEA plug does not.

Water sensors — IKEA has a simple point sensor for ~€7. Eve delivers a 2-meter sensor cable that can be extended to over 100 meters — and costs accordingly. For simple protection under the kitchen sink, IKEA is perfectly adequate.

Air quality — Here IKEA surprises: the Alp Stuga measures CO2, particulate matter, temperature, and humidity for around €20. Eve currently has nothing comparable in their lineup. In testing, the readings are surprisingly close to much more expensive devices.

Zum Aktivieren des Videos musst Du auf das Bild klicken. Ich möchte Dich darauf hinweisen, dass durch die Aktivierung Daten an YouTube übermittelt werden.

Team IKEA or Team Eve? Just write it in the comments — I’m curious who wins the vote.

Products from the video

Eve Systems (Matter over Thread, fully local):

Eve Door & Window – door and window sensor, Thread, runs forever on one battery (affiliate link)
Eve Motion – motion sensor, same principle, same philosophy (affiliate link)
Eve Energy – smart plug with energy monitoring (affiliate link)
Eve Thermo – radiator thermostat, Thread-based, no account needed (affiliate link)

For Home Assistant (Thread Border Router):

ZBT-2 Thread Border Router – the stick for Home Assistant to set up your own Thread network (affiliate link)

IKEA – the sensors shown in the video (Mittelpunkt, Mixspray, Clyppa, Alp Stuga) are available directly in the IKEA online shop. No hub needed if you’re using Home Assistant.

A small note: IKEA apparently doesn’t need an affiliate program — I recommend their products here anyway, but earn nothing from it. If you’d still like to support me: just do your next Amazon purchase through this link — whatever you buy, I get a small commission, and the price doesn’t change for you.

Hinweis: Die mit bezahlter Link markierten Links sind Affiliate-Links. Als Amazon-Partner verdiene ich an qualifizierten Verkäufen. Das bedeutet, dass ich eine kleine Provision erhalte, wenn ihr über diese Links einkauft. Für euch entstehen dabei keine zusätzlichen Kosten. Die Einnahmen helfen mir, diesen Blog und meinen YouTube-Kanal zu betreiben und auch in Zukunft Inhalte für euch zu erstellen. Vielen Dank für eure Unterstützung!
― Joachim

Is Zigbee dead now? Matter & Thread – 10 answers you need to know – The basics of Matter and Thread that this video grew out of

Is Zigbee Dead Now? Matter & Thread – 10 Answers You Need to Know

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0200

I’m about to buy an air purifier — the Bosch Air 4000i (affiliate link). Sounds unremarkable — and it would be, if not for a small note on the packaging: Matter over Thread or Matter over Wi-Fi.

There I stood. A device I consciously want to buy because it supports Matter — and I realized I actually had no idea what that concretely means. Matter has been part of smart home discussions for three years now. Three years. I’d kept catching glimpses of it, kept setting it aside. Probably not that important. Zigbee works just fine.

Then came the air purifier.

The moment that triggered this video

I’d planned to make a detailed video about that device — setup, Home Assistant, automations, the full package. But before I can do that meaningfully, I need to understand what’s actually happening under the hood. What is Matter? What is Thread? What do they have to do with each other? And why should I even pay attention to this when buying new hardware?

So I sat down and researched. Not just a quick Google — I really dived deep. Specifications, comparisons, forum posts, real-world tests. And I noticed: the information is out there, but it’s scattered everywhere, often technically overloaded, or stuck in the year 2022.

I’ve now summarized my research in a video — in the form of 10 questions and 10 answers that really help.

10 questions you’ll finally get a clear answer to

The chaos has many faces. Matter, Thread, Border Router, MoW, MoT — it’s easy to lose the overview. That’s why I picked the questions that came up for me — and that I keep reading in comments and forums.

#1 What’s the difference between Matter and Thread? — Constantly thrown in the same pot. But they’re fundamentally different things. I explain it with an analogy that really sticks.

#2 Do I need a new, expensive hub for this? — The honest answer is: sort of. When you need a Thread Border Router — and when your existing router is enough.

#3 Matter over Wi-Fi or Matter over Thread? — Both options are listed on the packaging. What you should choose depends on one single question.

#4 Why not just evolve Zigbee? — Thread uses the same chips. So why a new standard anyway? There’s more behind it than you’d think — and it has to do with IPv6.

#5 How does pairing work? — QR code, app, done. No cloud account, no manufacturer app, no subscription. It really is that simple.

#6 Is Zigbee dead now? — No. But the answer is more nuanced than you might expect.

#7 What about privacy? — For everyone who cares about local control — this is good news.

#8 Why do Thread devices sometimes go offline? — There’s a very specific, common reason for this. And an equally specific tip that solves the problem permanently.

#9 Is switching over worth it now? — My honest assessment, without sugarcoating.

#10 Which specific devices do I recommend? — One manufacturer committed early to Matter over Thread and consistently built their entire product range around it. I’ll introduce them.

All of that — compact, jargon-free, straight from real-world experience — is in the video:

Zum Aktivieren des Videos musst Du auf das Bild klicken. Ich möchte Dich darauf hinweisen, dass durch die Aktivierung Daten an YouTube übermittelt werden.

Where are you at with this topic? Do you already have Matter or Thread devices running, or are you still waiting? Just write “Thread”, “Matter”, or “Still waiting” in the comments — I’m genuinely curious where the community stands.

Devices from the video

If you want to get started right away, here are the products I recommend in the video — all Matter over Thread, fully local, no cloud dependency:

Eve Door & Window – door and window sensor, Thread, runs forever on one battery (affiliate link)
Eve Motion – motion sensor, same principle, same philosophy (affiliate link)
Eve Energy – smart plug with energy monitoring (affiliate link)
Eve Thermo – radiator thermostat, Thread-based, no account needed (affiliate link)
ZBT-2 Thread Border Router – the stick for Home Assistant to set up your own Thread network (affiliate link)

And the trigger for this whole video:

Bosch Air 4000i Air Purifier – Matter-capable, I’ll be making a separate hands-on video about it soon (affiliate link)

Hinweis: Die mit bezahlter Link markierten Links sind Affiliate-Links. Als Amazon-Partner verdiene ich an qualifizierten Verkäufen. Das bedeutet, dass ich eine kleine Provision erhalte, wenn ihr über diese Links einkauft. Für euch entstehen dabei keine zusätzlichen Kosten. Die Einnahmen helfen mir, diesen Blog und meinen YouTube-Kanal zu betreiben und auch in Zukunft Inhalte für euch zu erstellen. Vielen Dank für eure Unterstützung!
― Joachim

IKEA vs. Eve: Which Matter over Thread Sensors Are Really Worth It? – Came straight from the comments: a concrete price comparison of both systems

5 New Automation Mistakes in Home Assistant – Are You Affected Too?

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

It was a perfectly normal evening. I built an automation, started it — and it simply didn’t do what it was supposed to. No error in the logs. No red bar. Just: nothing.

After twenty minutes of searching, I found the mistake. And then something became clear to me: That wasn’t a one-off slip. That was a pattern.

My first video on the 5 most common automation mistakes was a hit back then — the comments went wild. And many of you wrote: “I knew all of these and still do them anyway.” I get it. I really do.

Since then, quite a bit has changed in Home Assistant. New features, new possibilities — and a whole new category of traps to fall into. Trigger IDs, for example. Or AI-generated automations that look so plausibly correct — and then aren’t.

I’ve picked out five of them. Five new mistakes I had to learn the hard way myself — and that I keep seeing when talking to the community. Some are insidious because the mistake only surfaces weeks later. One of them costs you all the progress of a running automation — at exactly the moment you least expect it.

Five mistakes that sound more harmless than they are

Mistake 1: The Trigger ID Trap

Trigger IDs are one of the features that have genuinely upgraded Home Assistant in recent years. You can finally consolidate multiple triggers in one automation and still tell them apart. Practical, elegant, modern.

And that’s exactly why this trap is so sneaky. Anyone who’s discovered the feature wants to use it for everything. Ten triggers, twelve conditions, a huge choose block — and at some point, actions fire that shouldn’t be firing at all. No error in the logs. Everything runs. Just wrong.

How to use trigger IDs properly — and where the line is — I show in the video.

Mistake 2: The light burns even when the sun’s still out

You built an automation: lights on at 6 PM. In October, that’s perfect. In March, the lamp is on while it’s still broad daylight outside. In December, you’ve been sitting in the dark for an hour.

Hard-coded times feel right when you set them up — and they get their revenge for the rest of the year. Most of us have at least one such automation hidden somewhere. Sometimes even several.

The good news: Home Assistant has everything you need to solve this permanently. What exactly — you’ll see in the video.

Mistake 3: The silent total loss

This is the mistake that surprised me most — and at the same time the one most people completely underestimate. You build an automation with a long wait action. Everything runs. At some point you apply an update. Home Assistant restarts.

And your automation? It remembers nothing. No hint, no log, no error message. The progress is simply gone. That can mean: a reminder is never sent. A lamp stays on. A door remains unnoticed open.

There’s an elegant solution for this — and it’s simpler than you’d think. But it requires a change of thinking. I explain how in the video.

Mistake 4: The script that silently refuses

Anyone who knows automation modes feels confident. Single, Restart, Parallel, Queue — that’s clear. But now here’s the trick question: Are you also keeping an eye on the modes of your scripts?

In the default mode Single, if a script is already running and gets called again, absolutely nothing happens. No error message. The script is simply ignored. Depending on your use case, your system then runs silently into the void — and you don’t know why.

Mistake 5: The automation that looks like a good idea

We use AI. That’s normal, that’s sensible, that’s fast. ChatGPT, Gemini, the built-in Home Assistant assistant — they can all deliver a first draft of an automation in seconds. And it looks good. Really good. Structured, plausible, commented.

The problem: ancient syntax from three-year-old training data. Entities that don’t even exist in your installation. Logic errors that only surface when they’ve already surfaced. AI code doesn’t check itself — you have to do that.

In the video, I show a real example and explain where you need to look especially carefully.

All five mistakes — with screenshots, real examples, and a look inside the automation editor — are in the video:

Zum Aktivieren des Videos musst Du auf das Bild klicken. Ich möchte Dich darauf hinweisen, dass durch die Aktivierung Daten an YouTube übermittelt werden.

Write in the comments afterwards which mistake got you the most — just the number, e.g. “Mistake 3”. That’s how I know what’s really on your mind.

Hinweis: Die mit bezahlter Link markierten Links sind Affiliate-Links. Als Amazon-Partner verdiene ich an qualifizierten Verkäufen. Das bedeutet, dass ich eine kleine Provision erhalte, wenn ihr über diese Links einkauft. Für euch entstehen dabei keine zusätzlichen Kosten. Die Einnahmen helfen mir, diesen Blog und meinen YouTube-Kanal zu betreiben und auch in Zukunft Inhalte für euch zu erstellen. Vielen Dank für eure Unterstützung!
― Joachim

→ If you want to secure your automations, the next step is security: Securing Home Assistant – 5 mistakes to avoid in your smart home

XSense Smoke Detectors in the Test: How Secure Is the New Smart Home Integration?

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Imagine there’s a fire — and your smart home reacts instantly.

That’s exactly what I tried out with the new XSense smoke detectors. The special thing: they can be connected locally via MQTT to Home Assistant — completely without cloud dependency. In my test I didn’t just document the setup and integration, but also simulated the real emergency: what happens when the internet goes down? How reliable is the alarm chain? And how easy is the setup really?

Zum Aktivieren des Videos musst Du auf das Bild klicken. Ich möchte Dich darauf hinweisen, dass durch die Aktivierung Daten an YouTube übermittelt werden.

What to expect in the video

In this comprehensive test, I show you how the alarm chain works in practice, how far the radio range actually reaches, and how reliable the low battery warnings are. You’ll learn step by step how to get the MQTT integration working in Home Assistant, and I give you concrete tips for secure automations that protect your escape routes in an emergency and warn you with push notifications. At the end, I share my personal verdict and tell you who this system is really worth it for.

Curious? Then watch the video and find out how to make your home even safer!

Basics: Why networked smoke detectors?

In Germany, smoke detectors have been mandatory in all states since 2024 — in bedrooms, children’s rooms, and hallways that serve as escape routes. There’s a good reason for this: most fire victims don’t die from the fire itself, but from smoke inhalation — often at night while asleep, when you don’t notice the smoke in time. A smoke detector gives you the life-saving minutes you need to escape.

Interestingly, it’s not required that these smoke detectors be networked with each other — but that’s exactly where things get interesting. Imagine there’s a fire in the basement or a distant room of your home. You might not even hear a single smoke detector there, especially at night with closed doors.

Networked smoke detectors trigger together: when one detector detects smoke, all of them raise the alarm, and you’re guaranteed to be warned everywhere in your house. That can ultimately determine whether your escape route is still smoke-free or not.

The XSense system in detail

Specifically, I tested this networked smoke detector kit from XSense: six smoke detectors plus a central base station. The detectors are networked with each other and can trigger simultaneously in an emergency. The base station also serves as an interface to the XSense app and — this is new — to the local integration via MQTT in Home Assistant.

The base station comes with a power adapter, but it’s standard USB-C. I simply plugged it into the hub in my smart home server, saving an extra socket — a nice bonus.

The smoke detectors need to be paired once using the XSense app. That worked seamlessly for me and was done quickly. This step is necessary so that the detectors know each other and can reliably alert each other in a fire — even though this alarm communication doesn’t go through the base but directly between the detectors.

Safety first: smart home is an addition, not a prerequisite

Before we go deeper into the smart home integration, there’s one point I want to make particularly clear: smoke detectors are safety devices. The smart home connection is an addition, but must never be a prerequisite for an alarm to function at all.

That’s why I tested the behavior in a fire scenario first — using smoke detector test spray. Because the test button on the detectors often only simulates the acoustic alarm, but doesn’t test the optical smoke detection. The spray simulates real smoke particles and is also used for professional functional testing.

I must make an urgent warning here: never try to trigger a smoke detector with a lighter, a candle, or other smoke. The risk of irreparably damaging the detector in the process is enormous. And nothing would be more fatal than having the detector fail in a real emergency because you destroyed it during a test.

Alarm chain & radio range in the test

When a smoke event is detected, the affected smoke detector triggers locally first, and a few seconds later the other detectors connected in the home respond — provided they’re within radio range, of course.

The radio range is genuinely impressive: I live in an apartment building, and only beyond four floors did the connection become unreliable.

At the same time, the fire event is reliably displayed in the XSense app and — particularly relevant for us — the event is passed to Home Assistant via MQTT by the base station, where we can react to it.

Automations: what happens in an emergency

Based on this, I created an automation in Home Assistant that triggers a complete rescue chain in an emergency. First, it sends me a push notification to my smartphone so I’m immediately informed, even if I’m not home. At the same time, it automatically turns on all the lights in the house so escape routes are clearly visible and no one has to fumble around in the dark. And then something happens that might sound surprising at first: the automation raises all the blinds and roller shutters. Why? Simple — this frees up potential additional escape routes via windows, and the fire department can immediately see what’s happening in the house from outside.

This complete chain works reliably in my test: from the smoke event through the communication to other detectors, through the communication to the base, the display in the XSense app, the MQTT event transmission to Home Assistant, and the subsequent triggering of the automation.

Automatically alert the fire department?

Before anyone asks in the comments: could I theoretically use Home Assistant to automatically alert the fire department? Yes, technically yes — given the right interface to the telephone network.

But: legally and practically, I strongly advise against it! False alarms in Germany can result in costs and even legal consequences.

Offline function: integration without the cloud

I of course specifically tested the new offline functionality. When the XSense base station is switched on but offline, the app no longer works (logically — it needs a cloud connection). The local MQTT integration with Home Assistant continues to work as expected, however, since it runs completely locally in your home network.

To test this further, I disconnected the internet connection and deliberately triggered a low battery warning from a smoke detector by removing the battery and supplying it via a lab power supply with weak voltage. The MQTT message arrived in Home Assistant without any problems — even though the internet connection was down.

That’s exactly how a local integration should work: independent of cloud and internet, as long as the local network is stable.

Base station LED status

You can easily tell whether the base station currently has contact with the cloud by the LED in the center of the device. If it glows blue, everything is fine and the cloud connection is established. Yellow light signals that the cloud connection is interrupted — which, as we’ve seen, isn’t a problem for the local MQTT integration. If the LED glows red, the device is restarting. And if it’s completely off, that indicates a problem with the power supply.

Test button & MQTT integration

Manually testing the device (pressing the test button) is correctly displayed in the XSense app — there’s a notification that a test alarm has been triggered. However, this event is currently not yet forwarded via MQTT to Home Assistant.

I spoke with XSense support and learned that this is currently a limitation of the implementation. According to the manufacturer, this could be added in a future update — in my opinion, extremely useful for test scenarios, so I can test the entire signaling chain through to Home Assistant without having to use test spray.

The most important thing: primary safety independent of everything

The decisive point regarding safety: the networked alarm between smoke detectors always works — even if the power has already gone out.

Why? The answer is as simple as it is brilliant: every smoke detector has a built-in battery, and this networked alarm works exclusively via radio directly between the detectors. It requires neither contact with the base station nor an internet connection, let alone external power. The batteries in the detectors themselves are all that’s needed for the life-saving alarm chain.

I tried all conceivable combinations — with power to the base station, with internet, without internet. This function worked flawlessly every time.

The primary safety function (networking of the smoke detectors) is therefore not dependent on the app, MQTT, or a cloud connection. That’s exactly how it should be for a safety-critical system.

Battery life & replacement

The smoke detectors come with a battery included. According to manufacturer specifications, it should last one to two years — depending on how often you press the test button. I couldn’t verify this during the test period, of course.

The battery replacement itself is pleasantly straightforward — you can reach the battery compartment easily and are done quickly. And don’t worry about forgetting the replacement: you’ll be warned about a low battery on every conceivable channel. The detectors start briefly beeping every few minutes, the XSense app signals a weak battery, and this is of course also forwarded via MQTT to Home Assistant. So it’s practically impossible to overlook the needed battery replacement.

Setup: MQTT integration step by step

For anyone who wants to set up the system practically, here are the steps for MQTT integration:

Prerequisites and first steps

Before you start, make sure your base station is running at least firmware version 1.7.0. The app version should also be as current as possible to use all functions.

Setup begins in the XSense app, where you first go to “My Devices” and select the base station. In settings, check the firmware version and update if needed. You then find the “Connect with Home Assistant” option under the device settings. There you activate the MQTT connection and enter the IP address of your MQTT broker.

Authentication — this is where it gets tricky

Now comes the part where many people stumble. If you’re using Home Assistant OS, things are relatively straightforward: install the MQTT add-on if not already done, then enter your Home Assistant username and password. The reason is simple — the MQTT broker that comes with Home Assistant is typically secured with exactly these credentials.

With a different setup, like mine, things look different. Here you must not enter the Home Assistant credentials, but the authentication data for your MQTT broker — in my case, Mosquitto, for example.

Even if the app says “Home Assistant credentials,” don’t be confused. The manufacturer’s guide focuses on Home Assistant OS users, where Home Assistant and MQTT broker require the same credentials.

After successful activation

If everything works, you’ll see “MQTT status: connected”, regardless of your setup.

In Home Assistant, after successful activation, multiple entities appear automatically. You can see the status of each individual smoke detector, the current battery status, the connection status to the base station, and of course the crucial alarm entities with which you can build your automations.

All sensors are neatly grouped as devices, and each smoke detector appears as an independent device with its own entity. This makes it very easy and clear to use in automations.

Note on naming: If you’ve already named your smoke detectors in the XSense app and assigned them to rooms, that’s not transferred via MQTT. You’ll see the detectors in Home Assistant with their technical name (serial number) and then assign them to the correct rooms using the usual Home Assistant procedures. Once you’ve done that, you’re done.

My verdict: Who is this system for?

The smoke detectors fulfill their core task reliably and autonomously. The smart home integration via MQTT works very cleanly and reliably for real fire events or other safety-critical events like low battery status.

Personally, I’d be happy if XSense expands the interface further and also signals the test button press via MQTT, so I can test my Home Assistant automations more easily.

Who is this system worth it for?

Let me be honest about who I’d recommend this system to. First, there are Home Assistant users who want to use networked smoke detectors and value local integration. For this group, the setup is definitely worth a look. But even if you don’t use Home Assistant, the system can be interesting — provided your smart home solution supports MQTT. Then you can integrate the smoke detectors locally and benefit from the same advantages. And even if you don’t want any smart home connection at all, you get a classic networked smoke detector system here that works completely reliably without the app and base station in a fire situation.

If the setup interests you, here are the links to the tested set:

Directly from XSense (currently 12% discount, combinable with further promotions on the product page): 👉 XSense Smoke Detector Starter Set with discount code safexsense
Alternatively via Amazon: 👉 XSense Smoke Detector Starter Set on Amazon (affiliate link)

This video was supported by XSense and the devices were provided to me free of charge. Affiliate links: your price stays the same, but you support the work on my channel.

Hinweis: Die mit bezahlter Link markierten Links sind Affiliate-Links. Als Amazon-Partner verdiene ich an qualifizierten Verkäufen. Das bedeutet, dass ich eine kleine Provision erhalte, wenn ihr über diese Links einkauft. Für euch entstehen dabei keine zusätzlichen Kosten. Die Einnahmen helfen mir, diesen Blog und meinen YouTube-Kanal zu betreiben und auch in Zukunft Inhalte für euch zu erstellen. Vielen Dank für eure Unterstützung!
― Joachim

Smart Garage 2.0: Garage Door, Lighting & Automations with Shelly Blue

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0100

About a year ago I had a deceptively simple idea for a video: just show how I made my garage door smart with a Shelly. No big concept, no elaborate production — it was roughly my third video on this channel. I sat at the editing table that evening, thought “well, somebody will find it interesting” and clicked publish.

I had absolutely no idea what would come of it.

The video that changed everything

50 videos later, this garage door video is by far the most watched on the entire channel. Way ahead of everything I’ve produced since with considerably more effort. And what surprises me even more than the total numbers: it keeps attracting new viewers to this day. Not as a brief spike after upload, but continuously, week after week, year after year. People who want to automate their garage door, who are searching for a solution with Home Assistant, who just want to see what’s possible with a Shelly — they land there. Many stay.

I’ll admit: that left me speechless for a while. A spontaneous hobby video beats everything else. What does that say about YouTube? No idea. But it tells me something about you — and about the fact that this topic is clearly on a lot of people’s minds.

The moment that triggered this video

One winter not long ago, I was standing in the garage in the morning. I unplug the charging cable from the wallbox — and I’m standing in the dark. I’d forgotten the light. The garage door to the driveway was still closed. I feel my way to the switch, squeeze past the car, and think to myself: that’s ridiculous. I have a smart home. Why isn’t the garage smart?

A dumb question with a long answer — that I wanted to film.

Since then, I’ve gradually rebuilt everything. The light now turns on automatically as soon as I open the door or the garage door moves — controlled via Shelly BLU motion sensors and a Shelly Mini Gen3 that replaces the old impulse relay. And yes, the door now opens by itself when I unplug the charging cable in the morning. The logic runs directly on the devices, locally and independent of the cloud — even when my Home Assistant is applying an update and briefly unreachable.

It wasn’t always easy. Getting several Shelly BLU sensors bound locally to one actuator at the same time cost me a few evenings. But the result is a garage where I just drive in in the morning — and everything happens as if by magic.

What’s in the video

If you’re currently thinking about upgrading your smart garage — or finally want to tackle the garage door topic — you’ll find my complete current setup in the video. From the Shelly Blue Door Window Sensor for garage door state detection to garage lighting with motion sensors, the wallbox automation, and control via CarPlay and Android Auto. Everything from real-world use, nothing staged for the video.

Zum Aktivieren des Videos musst Du auf das Bild klicken. Ich möchte Dich darauf hinweisen, dass durch die Aktivierung Daten an YouTube übermittelt werden.

If the video helps you — or if you have your own experience with your garage in Home Assistant — feel free to write it in the comments. Not just because I’m genuinely curious, but because exactly these interactions help YouTube show the video to more people who are looking for exactly what you just found.

Make Roller Shutters Smart Safely with Shelly – Shelly modules for blinds: the same principle, different application
No More Annoying Thermostats! Shelly Makes Your Heating Smart – Shelly for heating control: autonomous, affordable, local
Repair BROKEN Shellys – the 30 CENT repair that actually works! – When old Shellys act up: a capacitor for 50 cents saves the device

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Sun, 20 Apr 2025 10:39:36 +0000

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Sun, 20 Apr 2025 10:39:36 +0000

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As a service provider, we are responsible for our own content on these pages in accordance with general law pursuant to § 7 Abs. 1 TMG. However, pursuant to §§ 8 to 10 TMG, as a service provider we are not obliged to monitor transmitted or stored third-party information or to investigate circumstances that indicate illegal activity. Obligations to remove or block the use of information under general law remain unaffected. However, liability in this respect is only possible from the point in time at which knowledge of a specific infringement becomes known. Upon becoming aware of corresponding infringements, we will remove this content immediately.

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Our website contains links to external third-party websites over whose content we have no influence. Therefore, we cannot accept any liability for this external content. The respective provider or operator of the linked pages is always responsible for their content. The linked pages were checked for possible legal infringements at the time of linking. Illegal content was not recognizable at the time of linking. However, permanent control of the content of the linked pages is not reasonable without concrete evidence of an infringement. Upon becoming aware of infringements, we will remove such links immediately.

Copyright

The content and works created by the site operators on these pages are subject to German copyright law. Duplication, processing, distribution, or any form of commercialization of such material beyond the scope of the copyright law requires the written consent of its respective author or creator. Downloads and copies of this site are only permitted for private, non-commercial use. Insofar as the content on this site was not created by the operator, the copyrights of third parties are respected. In particular, third-party content is marked as such. Should you nevertheless become aware of a copyright infringement, please inform us accordingly. Upon becoming aware of infringements, we will remove such content immediately.

Privacy Policy

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 10:39:36 +0000

Note: This website is operated from Germany and is subject to German and EU data protection law. The full legally binding privacy policy is available in German. This English version is a summary for your convenience.

Last updated: April 21, 2025

Controller

Dr. Joachim Wilke
Sauerbruchstr. 4
76646 Bruchsal, Germany
E-Mail: joachim@smarthome-aber-sicher.de
Imprint

What data we process

We process personal data only to the extent necessary to operate this website and provide our services. This includes:

Usage data (page views, time spent, click paths, device types, operating systems)
Log data (IP addresses, access times, browser type) — stored for up to 30 days
Contact data — only if you contact us directly
Comment data — if you leave a comment via Disqus

Hosting & CDN: Cloudflare

This website is hosted via Cloudflare Pages (Cloudflare Inc., 101 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA). When you visit our site, your browser connects to Cloudflare’s servers. Cloudflare processes technically necessary data such as your IP address, browser information, and access time.

For statistics we use Cloudflare Web Analytics — a privacy-friendly service that sets no cookies, performs no user tracking, and creates no personal profiles. Only aggregated, anonymized data is collected (page views, referrers, device types, country of origin).

Cloudflare is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework.

More information: Cloudflare Privacy Policy

Comments: Disqus

We use the comment service DISQUS (DISQUS, Inc., 301 Howard St, Floor 3, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA). By using Disqus, your IP address and comment content may be stored by Disqus. Disqus may also use cookies for advertising purposes. You can opt out at https://disqus.com/data-sharing-settings/.

Disqus Privacy Policy

Embedded YouTube videos

Some pages embed YouTube videos. These are loaded from Google’s servers, which may set cookies and collect data including your IP address. We use YouTube’s privacy-enhanced mode where possible.

Google/YouTube Privacy Policy

Affiliate links

Some links on this site are affiliate links (e.g. Amazon). If you purchase through these links, we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. No personal data is shared with us in this process.

Your rights

Under GDPR, you have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you
Rectification of inaccurate data
Erasure (“right to be forgotten”)
Restriction of processing
Data portability
Object to processing
Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority

To exercise your rights, contact us at: joachim@smarthome-aber-sicher.de

Legal basis

We process data on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interests) for website operation, and Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR (consent) where applicable.

Data transfers to third countries

Where data is transferred to the USA, this is done on the basis of the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework or Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.

For the full detailed privacy policy (in German), please see Datenschutzerklärung.

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