{"id":4856,"date":"2026-01-08T14:41:48","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T14:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/?p=4856"},"modified":"2026-01-08T14:43:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T14:43:07","slug":"looking-back-to-year-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/08\/looking-back-to-year-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking back to year 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Another year has circled the sun, and looking back,&nbsp;<strong>2025 wasn&#8217;t just another year of incremental updates\u2014it was a year of transformation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If I had to summarize the last 12 months, I\u2019d call it the year my &#8220;Smart Home&#8221; finally graduated to an &#8220;Intelligent Home.&#8221; 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\u2019s dive into the retrospective!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Local Control Revolution: Voice &amp; AI<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The absolute highlight of 2025 was finally severing the link with Google Assistant. I went &#8220;all in&#8221; on privacy and speed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/27\/home-assistant-setting-up-home-assistant-voice-pe-and-using-it-in-native-language\/\">deploying&nbsp;<strong>Home Assistant Voice PE<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I didn&#8217;t stop at simple commands. I integrated a&nbsp;<strong>Local LLM<\/strong>&nbsp;running on an&nbsp;<strong>RTX 3060 12GB<\/strong>&nbsp;using the&nbsp;<strong>Qwen 2.5:7b model<\/strong>. The result? It has been nothing short of game-changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>True Natural Language:<\/strong>&nbsp;No more robotic catchphrases. I speak naturally to my home in my native language, and it just&nbsp;<em>understands<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Music Maestro:<\/strong>&nbsp;By adding&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.music-assistant.io\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Music Assistant<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;and <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/music-assistant\/voice-support\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">an LLM blueprint<\/a>, I can now request any track on any speaker in the house effortlessly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the sci-fi dream I\u2019ve been chasing\u2014private, responsive, and genuinely smart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"702\" height=\"453\" src=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/home_assistant_voice_pe_okay_nabu-e1740657445461.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/home_assistant_voice_pe_okay_nabu-e1740657445461.jpg 702w, https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/home_assistant_voice_pe_okay_nabu-e1740657445461-300x194.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Reviewed Devices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>My test bench was busy this year! I explored how hardware is evolving to be smaller, smarter, and more specific to our needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>SwitchBot:<\/strong>&nbsp;They knocked it out of the park with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/15\/review-switchbot-air-purifier-table-a-smart-device-that-does-not-need-to-be-hidden\/\">Air Purifier Table<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/14\/review-switchbot-k10-pro-combo-very-powerful-cordless-vacuum-with-a-tiny-side-kick-included\/\">K10+ Pro Combo Robot Vacuum<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/19\/guest-review-switchbot-roller-shade-adjustable-easy-to-install\/\">Roller Shades<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/28\/review-switchbot-hub-3-more-than-a-hub-its-your-smart-home-control-panel\/\">the Hub 3<\/a>, and their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/04\/switchbot-video-doorbell-review-a-great-idea-with-room-to-grow\/\">Video Doorbell<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Seeed Studios:<\/strong>&nbsp;I got my hands on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seeedstudio.com\/reTerminal-E1001-p-6534.html?sensecap_affiliate=XfIKHZY&amp;referring_service=link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reTerminal e1001<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seeedstudio.com\/reTerminal-E1002-p-6533.html?sensecap_affiliate=XfIKHZY&amp;referring_service=link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">e1002<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Security:<\/strong>&nbsp;I looked at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/10\/review-annke-fcd800-180-4k-powerhouse-with-a-few-quirks\/\">Annke\u2019s 180-degree camera<\/a> and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/17\/sannce-nvr-n98pbd-camera-i91ft-review-budget-price-baffling-software\/\">full NVR Kit from Sannce<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Going the Extra Mile:<\/strong>&nbsp;For the&nbsp;<strong>Seeed Studio reTerminals<\/strong>&nbsp;(both the eInk and colored versions), a standard review didn&#8217;t feel like the way t ogo. I saw so much potential there that I wrote&nbsp;<strong>custom Home Assistant interpretable software<\/strong>&nbsp;for them (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/27\/turn-your-home-into-a-wireless-digital-canvas-with-home-assistant-esphome-introducing-eink-art-gallery\/\">eInk art gallery<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/01\/home-assistant-using-seeed-studio-reterminal-e1001-as-home-assistant-dashboard\/\">Home Assistant dashboard<\/a>). It was a deep dive, but proving they were the perfect HA companions was worth the effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"753\" src=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PXL_20251004_081605145.PORTRAIT.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4636\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PXL_20251004_081605145.PORTRAIT.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PXL_20251004_081605145.PORTRAIT-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PXL_20251004_081605145.PORTRAIT-768x578.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Living with the Tech: House Upgrades<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond the reviews, my own home got som &#8220;Quality of Life&#8221; upgrades. These are the unsung heroes\u2014the devices that run silently in the background to make my life smoother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Network &amp; Infrastructure:<\/strong>&nbsp;I replaced the Summer Home Raspberry Pi 4 with a fully functional&nbsp;<strong>Mini PC running Proxmox<\/strong>&nbsp;(virtualizing ZWaveJS), and upgraded my Unifi G4 Dome to a&nbsp;<strong>G5 Bullet<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lighting &amp; Power:<\/strong>\u00a0I added a\u00a0<strong>Philips Pro Hub with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/09\/powering-philips-hue-hub-with-poe\/\">PoE kit<\/a><\/strong>, and a dedicated SwitchBot smart plug for my daughter\u2019s bed decoration lights.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Monitoring:<\/strong>&nbsp;I installed an&nbsp;<strong>Aqara ZigBee plug<\/strong>&nbsp;to monitor my Gaming PC&#8217;s thirst for power, SwitchBot thermometers for the summer home exterior, and several flower care sensors to finally keep the plants happy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Creator Mode: Open Source &amp; Software<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>2025 was a massive year for me in terms of open-source contributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>AIO Energy Management:<\/strong>&nbsp;I poured a lot of love into this integration. Users can now schedule devices to utilize flexible energy prices better than ever before\u2014saving money automatically.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>eInk Art Gallery:<\/strong>&nbsp;Toward the end of the year, I released this add-on for colored eInk displays. It was a fascinating experiment in&nbsp;<strong>AI-assisted coding<\/strong>, proving that I can build beautiful things faster with the right tools.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"980\" height=\"738\" src=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/PXL_20251223_111136000.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4810\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/PXL_20251223_111136000.jpg 980w, https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/PXL_20251223_111136000-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/PXL_20251223_111136000-768x578.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Blog &amp; Community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The numbers tell a story of stability and loyalty. The blog is holding steady with an&nbsp;<strong>AU30 of about 8,000<\/strong> average&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>19 new posts<\/strong> from me and few guest writers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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:&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/author\/tappi-k\/\">Kimmo<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;(welcome back!) and&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/author\/mihail\/\">Mihail<\/a><\/strong>, who joined to write some brilliant pieces on energy saving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"386\" src=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-08-at-8.21.24-1024x386.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4875\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-08-at-8.21.24-1024x386.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-08-at-8.21.24-300x113.png 300w, https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-08-at-8.21.24-768x290.png 768w, https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-08-at-8.21.24-1536x580.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-08-at-8.21.24-2048x773.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-08-at-8.21.24-1920x724.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s Next for 2026?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Software Goals:<\/strong>&nbsp;I am committed to delivering major updates to my open-source projects. The long-awaited&nbsp;<strong>solar power optimization<\/strong>&nbsp;for the AIO Energy Management integration is at the top of my list &#8211; hopefully I have time and inspiration to actually implement it this year!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Big Focus:<\/strong>&nbsp;It\u2019s undeniable\u2014<strong>AI is the future.<\/strong>&nbsp;This year, I will focus heavily on leveraging the AI hype to create tangible, practical benefits for my Smart Home.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is to a smarter, more automated 2026!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Another year has circled the sun, and looking back,&nbsp;2025 wasn&#8217;t just another year of incremental updates\u2014it was a year of transformation. If I had to&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[469,422,242,468,7,472,349,8,471,470],"class_list":["post-4856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-469","tag-ai","tag-blog","tag-blogging","tag-home-assistant","tag-open-source","tag-retrospective","tag-smart-home","tag-software","tag-year-2025","has-post-thumbnail-archive"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2025_retrospective.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Toni","author_link":"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/author\/topsy\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4856"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4878,"href":"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4856\/revisions\/4878"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.creatingsmarthome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}