I know quite a few people who would love to jump on the home automation train but are afraid to do so because they do not want to put even more of themselves online. I get it. I feel the same way. So a few years back, I began investigating the viability of building a locally-confined home automation system. I learned that it is entirely possible.
Home Automation Basics
Before I get into the details of how I built my system, a short introduction to home automation basics is in order. The home automation concept is built on the idea of using computers and software to perform tasks like adjusting the thermostat and turning off the lights.
Regardless of whether a person builds a local-only system or purchases through a big name provider like Vivint Smart Home, there is software involved in controlling the devices in that person’s home. Software on a locally hosted system is on a computer in the home. The software controlling a Vivint system is sitting on a server in the cloud.
When certain conditions occur, the system sends a command to the control center (software). The control center then sends commands to the affected devices. So I have my system programmed to turn on the living room lights at the same time every morning. When my server detects the correct time, it sends a signal to the software. The software then sends a signal that turns the lights on.
Confining Things to a Local System
The brain of my local home automation system is an old laptop computer I resurrected from the corner of a closet. All my home automation devices are connected to it via a spare router that was also in the closet collecting dust. Neither my devices nor the router has any need to connect to servers outside my home. So they don’t. Everything is confined to a dedicated network that is separate from my main network and internet connection.
I am able to access my system remotely by way of a dynamic DNS service and embedded proxy. Admittedly, beginners with no knowledge of these sorts of things would struggle to set up remote access. But the platform I use, known as Home Assistant, does offer a remote access service. The service still allows for local confinement by limiting traffic to me and my approved mobile devices.
What You Need to Make It Work
So, what do you need to make a local-only home automation system work? First, you need a platform. I chose Home Assistant because it is open source and runs flawlessly on Linux. There are other free and paid platforms out there.
Next, you need a device to run the platform. I am using an old laptop. Home Assistants works on just about any Linux, Windows, or Mac computer. They also offer a device with the software embedded, similar to a Google or Amazon smart home hub.
Finally, you need smart home devices that your platform supports. Another reason I chose Home Assistant is that it supports thousands of devices from both big-name and lesser-known manufacturers.
I have only scratched the surface with this post, but the point I want to make is that building a local-only home automation system is possible. I have done it. My system is not flawless, but neither is a commercially available system from Google, Amazon, Vivint, or any other provider.
For me, going local-only is a matter of my peace of mind. Local confinement eliminates yet another opportunity for hackers and cybercriminals to get into my network.