12 Best Open Source Home Automation Tools for Your Dream Smart Home
Are you a tech lover and have you turned your home into a tech-friendly workspace?
Even if you want to build a futuristic living space that reminds you of the Jetsons, you’re in for a treat.
In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the best open source home automation tools you can use to keep your smart devices running smoothly.
Now you may be wondering what are home automation tools. Think about it, you have a smart fan, light bulb and lock in your home. All these smart devices come with their own set of apps. More such devices means more apps on your phone. That sounds like a lot to take if you ask me.
Well, this is where home automation tools come in handy. It’s software that integrates all these devices under one roof, so you can control multiple devices from one place.
Most of these tools use Wi-Fi to connect to the tools and can be controlled from miles away.
Why choose an open source automation tool
There are very clear reasons why to choose an open source automation tool over closed source (proprietary software).
An open source tool is widely preferred because it allows you to customize all the software to your liking since you have access to the source code.
Also read: Smart home gadgets that will improve your lifestyle
It also gives you other additional benefits, such as:
- Economical
- Shared maintenance services
- Ability to design a customized experience
- Maybe better security
- Increased efficiency
domestic helper
Now that we know our reasons, let’s move on to the list that will allow you to improve the smart devices in your home.
Featured in The Verge, Product Hunt, and other media outlets, Home Assistant can be a great choice as an open source automation tool. It is compatible with Mac, Android, Linux, Windows, Odroid, Asus Tinkerboard and even Raspberry Pi.
The interface is intuitive and works with more than 1,000 different smart home companies. You can enhance your experience with extensions such as DNS blocker, NodeRed or Spotify Connect.
One of the best things about Home Assistant is that it stores data locally and doesn’t use a cloud server. With so much stuff in store, I highly recommend checking this one out because it might just be what you’re looking for.
Frigate
If you’re currently paranoid about a random camera security system, you need to get your hands on the Frigate right now.
Why? Here are some of the many reasons:
- It helps monitor the camera using locally processed artificial intelligence
- Effectively reduces false positive results
- You can customize notifications by zone
- Stay up to date with detailed reports
- It integrates well with home assistant and other smart devices
In case of any doubt, you can view the dynamic real-time video report to confirm the safety.
openHAB
One of the strongest options to consider, openHAB is robust and has a huge user base for the right reasons. You can easily integrate it with more than 2,000 smart devices from major companies.
Their automation program is designed so intuitively that even a person with basic technical skills can easily operate it. At any time you can take advantage of their strong and huge community base which is always active and sharing various tips and tricks for your benefit.
Calaos
Calaos is a GPLv3 (Free Software Project) tool that gives you full control over your home automation.
It helps you create the best experience for your home by:
- Make sure the lights are dimmed, the shutters are closed and the relaxing music is ready to welcome you home after a long hard day
- It allows you to control your music from anywhere in your home
- Help create and save different scenarios with one click
You can use the existing tools or simply install the Calaos installer to set up advanced features. In addition, it comes with excellent hardware support that will give you a truly comfortable life.
Domoticz
For those who are new to the world of technology, Domoticz is a great choice for you. It is suitable for beginners and gives you full control at your fingertips. You can install the software from their official website and get started right away.
You will get step-by-step instructions on how to download, install and start using it right on their website. There is also a part of the source code from which you can download, modify and customize exactly the way you want.
You can also visit the always active community page to see what other users are up to.
Jeedom
Innovate home automation with Jeedom, a tool that gives you full access with transparency and longevity.
Some of the many features of this tool include:
- It supports multiple protocols such as ZigBee, Modbus, EnOcean and others
- Add-on compatibility
- Confidential and autonomous support
- Various personalization options
It also comes with powerful home automation gateways in the form of two models – Jeed Altas and Jeed Altas Pro. They have a great support team that you can turn to when you need to get your questions resolved.
ioBroker
ioBroker is a free tool that works on the IoT platform. It provides comprehensive support for home automation with more than 500 possible integrations. You can customize or just use their existing graphical interfaces which are visually stunning.
ioBroker works best with Windows, Mac, OSX, Raspberry Pi and ARM operating systems.
Whether it’s a thermostat, lighting or a shade, you can be sure that this software is compatible with almost everything under your roof.
It provides up-to-date reports to check on a home map available in the software interface, so you can always stay up-to-date with your smart products.
Smarthomatic
An outstanding open source home automation system, Smarthomatic is simple yet packed with all the features you need. It adheres to a clean and “easy to use” interface without a lot of fancy elements, so you won’t have any trouble navigating.
This tool is AES encrypted for secure communication and protection from potential attackers.
Smarthomatic does its best to let you know when your plant needs water. It also regulates humidity, turns off the hob when you forget about it and helps with other tasks without much work.
Knot-RED
Compared to other automation tools, Node-RED is an open source, low development software that helps you empower your living space. It has a browser-based editor that makes it easy to combine streams with one click.
Node-RED is built on Node.js which is a non-blocking model and is completely event-driven. You can also easily import and export codes as you see fit. Moreover, this software works both locally and in the cloud.
In addition, you can also save codes, templates and features for reuse.
homeGenie
HomeGenie is a customizable, scalable and portable tool that works like a charm on Linux, Raspberry AI, Windows, Mac and any other ARMS based computer.
It has features that are rich but very simple. include:
- Real-time data processing
- Extended crontabs
- Compatibility with many widgets
- Direct access to GPIO, I2C, SPI and serial ports
- Support for major programs such as C#, JavaScript and Python
This great home automation tool is easy to implement in minutes to get it up and running anywhere.
Homebridge
Controlling your smart devices is seamless with Homebridge. It comes with voice integration, allowing you to control your devices with voice commands via Siri.
The software is also compatible with the Apple Watch, which I believe is a major deal maker.
The interface is clean and gives you clear instructions on what you want to do on the dashboard.
Homebridge can be integrated with many plugins that can be searched directly on the website.
Freedom
Freedomotic works on an open IoT development platform. It is open source and very friendly to the masses, even people who are not tech savvy.
This software is used and loved not only by individuals, but also by companies. If you are a business owner, it can help you create smart environments for conscious retail and marketing.
Here are some of the many features of this tool:
- A permanent unique ID to help identify things nearby
- Many plugins support feature enhancements
- Automatic detection mode to find objects in the environment in real time
- Monitors and updates all status changes in the environment
- Multilingual and multiuser support
- Extremely secure and built with user priorities in mind
It allows configuration and testing of software in advance. You can download the latest version and try the features first hand.
last words
There’s no doubt that home automation is a wonderful technology we’re blessed with, but managing it can prove daunting. Thanks to the use of the tools mentioned above, the whole process becomes much simpler and less complicated.
What’s more, you have full control over them, all thanks to their open source nature.
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