Bear Stone Smart Home Documentation

Be sure to ⭐ my configuration repo so you can keep up to date on any daily progress!

Legacy gear catalog and inspiration hub. This doc preserves older hardware references, affiliate links, and blog/video write-ups for anyone browsing the full history of the Bear Stone Smart Home. For the current configuration and actively maintained gear list, start at the main README and config index below.

Repo overview | Config index | Packages | YouTube | Blog
Looking for the latest gear tied to live automations? See the gear table in README.md and config/README.md.

How to use this legacy guide

Treat this as a historical reference and inspiration board. Some items are retired; others are still running but have newer counterparts in the main READMEs.
Blog posts and videos are linked where they were originally documented so you can see the build notes and why certain choices were made.
If you pick up any hardware here, cross-check entity names and automations in config/ before wiring it into your setup.

Power & network backbone

Gear	Why it mattered	Buy / Deep dive
APC Back-UPS (450VA/600VA)	Keeps routers, hubs, and HA online during blips.	Buy
Tesla Powerwall 2	Whole-home backup + load shedding during outages.	Blog
Unifi AC Pro APs	Reliable Wi‑Fi + presence tracking across the house.	Buy
Netgear 16-port switch	Wired backbone feeding hubs, cameras, and HA host.	Buy

Voice, buttons, and presence

Gear	What it drove	Buy / Deep dive
Echo Dot / Echo / Tap	Voice input for modes, guest toggles, and whole-home music.	Buy
Amazon Dash Button	Repurposed as quick-action triggers (office lamp, scenes).	Buy
Circle by Disney	Legacy parental controls + device discovery alerts.	Buy
Last Message trigger	Alexa “repeat last notification” helper.	Package
August smart lock	Front-door lock control + presence-aware routines.	Buy · Video

Lighting, LEDs, and ambience

Gear	What it drove	Buy / Watch
Flux/LED strip controller	Exterior monthly color scenes + holiday palettes.	Buy · Scenes
Hue Lightstrip	TV backlights + media-aware accent lighting.	Buy
Etekcity 433MHz outlets	Accent lighting relays + printer power control.	Buy
Holiday lighting routines	Color changes by holiday; motion/garage overrides.	Blog · Video

Garage, vehicles, and power

Gear	What it drove	Buy / Deep dive
Garadget	MQTT garage control + reflection monitoring + safety alerts.	Buy · Blog
JuiceBox Pro 40 EVSE	Managed EV charging (amps watchdog + notifications).	Buy
Tesla Model Y	Presence, charging stats, and outage/load automation.	Blog
Garage entry helper	Lights + safety cues when doors open/close.	Automation

Water, weather, and safety

Gear	What it drove	Buy / Deep dive
Phyn Plus smart shutoff	Leak detection + auto valve close with critical alerts.	Buy · Blog
Blitzortung lightning sensor	Strike alerts with snooze + presence-aware notifications.	Blog
Pi-hole on Pi Zero	Network-wide DNS/ad blocking with daily stats.	Blog

Media, cameras, and dashboards

Gear	What it drove	Buy / Deep dive
Roku	Media presence for lighting/scenes and announcements.	Buy
Samsung/Fire TV	Theater scenes and backlight coordination.	Buy
Synology NVR 1218	Camera recording with HA-integrated views.	Buy · Video
Floorplan + Lovelace dashboards	Visual status of sensors, cameras, and rooms.	Diagram