The best piece of advice I would have liked to have been given when I started would be to try and clarify the problem you are trying to solve and not get seduced by having everything smart. Make the home work effortlessly for you and don’t go over the top!
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@06centric-unfixed Totally agree with this. The “make everything smart” phase is fun, but it can quickly turn into extra maintenance, more points of failure, and automations that feel like they’re working you.
What’s worked best for me (and what I usually recommend on Aqara setups) is:
- Start with a single pain point: e.g., “I keep forgetting lights,” “the hallway is dark at night,” “I want better security when I’m away.”
- Build one reliable automation at a time and live with it for a week before adding more.
- Prioritize boring reliability over flashy features: motion + light, door + notifications, leak sensors under sinks—stuff that quietly saves you effort.
- Keep manual control easy (buttons/switches/voice), so the home still feels effortless when an automation doesn’t trigger.
Smart home is at its best when it disappears into the background—solving real problems without needing constant tweaking.