Looking back to year 2025
Another year has circled the sun, and looking back, 2025 wasn’t just another year of incremental updates—it was a year of transformation.
If I had to summarize the last 12 months, I’d call it the year my “Smart Home” finally graduated to an “Intelligent Home.” From cutting the cord with big-tech voice assistants to writing custom code with AI, I pushed the boundaries of what a DIY setup can achieve. Let’s dive into the retrospective!
The Local Control Revolution: Voice & AI
The absolute highlight of 2025 was finally severing the link with Google Assistant. I went “all in” on privacy and speed by deploying Home Assistant Voice PE.
But I didn’t stop at simple commands. I integrated a Local LLM running on an RTX 3060 12GB using the Qwen 2.5:7b model. The result? It has been nothing short of game-changing.
- True Natural Language: No more robotic catchphrases. I speak naturally to my home in my native language, and it just understands.
- Music Maestro: By adding Music Assistant and an LLM blueprint, I can now request any track on any speaker in the house effortlessly.
This is the sci-fi dream I’ve been chasing—private, responsive, and genuinely smart.
New Reviewed Devices
My test bench was busy this year! I explored how hardware is evolving to be smaller, smarter, and more specific to our needs.
- SwitchBot: They knocked it out of the park with the Air Purifier Table, the K10+ Pro Combo Robot Vacuum, Roller Shades, the Hub 3, and their Video Doorbell.
- Seeed Studios: I got my hands on the reTerminal e1001 and e1002.
- Security: I looked at Annke’s 180-degree camera and a full NVR Kit from Sannce.
Going the Extra Mile: For the Seeed Studio reTerminals (both the eInk and colored versions), a standard review didn’t feel like the way t ogo. I saw so much potential there that I wrote custom Home Assistant interpretable software for them (eInk art gallery and Home Assistant dashboard). It was a deep dive, but proving they were the perfect HA companions was worth the effort.
Living with the Tech: House Upgrades
Beyond the reviews, my own home got som “Quality of Life” upgrades. These are the unsung heroes—the devices that run silently in the background to make my life smoother.
- Network & Infrastructure: I replaced the Summer Home Raspberry Pi 4 with a fully functional Mini PC running Proxmox (virtualizing ZWaveJS), and upgraded my Unifi G4 Dome to a G5 Bullet.
- Lighting & Power: I added a Philips Pro Hub with the PoE kit, and a dedicated SwitchBot smart plug for my daughter’s bed decoration lights.
- Monitoring: I installed an Aqara ZigBee plug to monitor my Gaming PC’s thirst for power, SwitchBot thermometers for the summer home exterior, and several flower care sensors to finally keep the plants happy.
Creator Mode: Open Source & Software
2025 was a massive year for me in terms of open-source contributions.
- AIO Energy Management: I poured a lot of love into this integration. Users can now schedule devices to utilize flexible energy prices better than ever before—saving money automatically.
- eInk Art Gallery: Toward the end of the year, I released this add-on for colored eInk displays. It was a fascinating experiment in AI-assisted coding, proving that I can build beautiful things faster with the right tools.
The Blog & Community
The numbers tell a story of stability and loyalty. The blog is holding steady with an AU30 of about 8,000 average and 19 new posts from me and few guest writers.
But the real metric is the interaction. The comments, the questions, and the debates have been fantastic. I also want to give a huge shout-out to my guest writers: Kimmo (welcome back!) and Mihail, who joined to write some brilliant pieces on energy saving.
What’s Next for 2026?
I plan to keep the momentum going: writing when inspiration strikes and always prioritizing quality over quantity. I still write the blog as a hobby, so no changes in that sense.
- Software Goals: I am committed to delivering major updates to my open-source projects. The long-awaited solar power optimization for the AIO Energy Management integration is at the top of my list – hopefully I have time and inspiration to actually implement it this year!
- The Big Focus: It’s undeniable—AI is the future. This year, I will focus heavily on leveraging the AI hype to create tangible, practical benefits for my Smart Home.
Here is to a smarter, more automated 2026!
