“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

― Arthur C. Clarke

Back to the Future Part 2 (1989) predicted that houses of 2015 would be automated, including homes that greeted you on entry and carried out chores based on your vocal commands. The future it predicted was seamless and integrated.

Does it look like we're there in 2023? While "smart" devices are ubiquitous, are we really using them in "smart" ways? Do our smart home devices help us, or does their potential get overshadowed by their complexity?

In this session, I'll teach you the basics of what you need to know to leverage your existing IT skills and knowledge to integrate your smart home devices into a responsive, reactive digital organism--A wizard's castle to rival Mickey's Fantasia adventure!

Using my own home for examples and demos, you'll learn about:

- Common IoT protocols used by smart devices, including Z-Wave, ZigBee, WiFi, and Matter
- The role of free and open source tools like Home Assistant, Mosquitto, Zwave JS UI, and zigbee2mqtt in building your dream smart home
- Examples of how I've applied these technologies in unique and interesting ways in my own home, including with my own code

You'll leave this session inspired and equipped to make magic of your own!

Notes for organizers: I really really need a stable internet connection for this one, since I intend to remote home and show off my actual network. Wired ethernet is best, obviously, but reliable WiFI will do. I'll prepare videos as a backup plan.