I’m a Smart Home enthusiast and have been working with this topic for over 20 years. Right now, I’m building my third Smart Home – and with over 400 Aqara devices plus dozens of other devices from different brands, it’s a pretty ambitious project. With this post, I’d like to share some of my experience. I hope it’s helpful.
One thing I learned the hard way: without a good naming convention, large setups quickly turn into chaos. Finding the right device in an app, writing an automation, or troubleshooting a scene becomes a nightmare if names are inconsistent, unclear, or duplicated.
Here’s the system I use today – it works just as well for small setups as for monster installs.
It’s based on three principles:
- Unique – No two devices share the same name.
- Self-explanatory – You can tell what it is, where it is, and what type it is at a glance.
- Scalable – Works for the small setups and the monster installs.
1. The Basic Formula
[Room].[Device type].[Number or detail]
Examples:
living.lt.ceiling1 → Living room, light, ceiling fixture #1
kitchen.sns.mmwave1 → Kitchen, sensor, mmWave #1
office.sw.scene2 → Office, switch, scene button #2
bedroom1.blind.main → Bedroom 1, main blind
garage.lock.entry → Garage, entry door lock
2. Room Names
Keep them short, lowercase, and without spaces:
kitchen, living, dining, bath1, bath2, bedroom1, hall, garage, garden
3. Device Type Codes
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| lt | Light (lighting) |
| sw | Switch |
| sns | Sensor (generic) |
| mmwave | mmWave presence |
| pir | PIR motion sensor |
| door | Door contact sensor |
| window | Window contact |
| blind | Blind/shade |
| lock | Lock |
| climate | Climate/thermostat |
| plug | Smart plug/outlet |
| cam | Camera |
| siren | Siren/alarm |
| media | Audio/visual device |
4. Numbering
ceiling1, ceiling2, scene1, scene2
For multiple floors or buildings, add a prefix:
main.kitchen.lt.ceiling1
guest.bedroom1.sns.pir1
5. Keep It Clean
- Use lowercase and dots – no spaces or special characters.
- Avoid manufacturer or model names in the device name (put those in your inventory).
- For mobile devices, use mobile or portable instead of a room name.
Pro tip:
If you have a large installation, create a small “prefix dictionary” (e.g., lt = light, sns = sensor, sw = switch) and keep it in your documentation.
Consistent naming makes automation rules easier to build, device searches faster, and troubleshooting far less painful.
What naming convention are you using in your smart home? Have you found any shortcuts or tricks to make it even easier?
Always remember: “If your car is smarter than your home… you’re driving into the future while living in the past” 
