We have been in the New Year 2020 for a while now, but it is never too late to look back at 2019. The last year was a very good year for our community. Some fun numbers and facts:
- Published 155 articles
- Reached over 750 followers on Facebook
- Had 1000 visitors daily
- Experimented with a NUC to test with ESXI and virtual machines in combination with smart home applications
- Last but not least: Made a personal switch from Domoticz to Home Assistant as a main smart home system.
We couldn’t have done it without you. So thanks for the tips, likes, shares, content, criticism and being part of the community!
Contents
What’s next in 2020.
There are some very interesting things happening in the world of Smart Home systems. The overall trend is that the main players are becoming more mature. For example Home Assistant first required at least a bachelors degree in Computer Sciences to be able to properly install, configure and keep it running. Nowadays, it becomes more and more user friendly because of the additions of wizards, many updates and the fact that advanced configuring through YAML files seems to go more into the background.
More smart home ecosystems and additional equipment are released, which will impact the price and available functionality. Intiatives like Tuya and Zigbee2MQTT will make it easier to integrate the different devices like lamps, switches and power plugs into your smart home system. Regarding the communication protocols, we expect Zigbee to become more popular thanks to the brands that use this protocol (e.g. Xiaomi, Ikea and Philips). One of the main competitors is planned to become become an open-source. This definitely will boost its usability and options for integrations.
The big players like Apple, Google and other big companies still really want to be in your house and therefore will work together to come with a new standard.
So 2020 will be the year Smart Homes and Home Automation Platforms will take another big leap to become available for everyone, at lower prices, more widely available and not only for nerds and techies like us.
Gadget reviews in 2020
In 2020 we continue our products reviews! We will keep looking for the best gadgets and bargains around the globe. Of course everything from Yeelight and Xiaomi. But also new interesting products ranges: makita look a like/compatible power tools, personal care appliances? Will a Raspberry 4B, 4 Zero, 5 or alternative be released? Or would it be a next generation of 3D printers or Smart Watches? How will the trade wars influence China shopping? How will the brand Xiaomi further expand, with more brick and mortar stores in Europe? Regardless of the development, we will follow the trends and keep you informed!
What kind of articles can we expect in the first quarter of 2020?
- Zigbee2mqtt 1.8 and 1.9 etc. Development still continues.
- Jimm and other Dutch developers are working on themes/templates for Home Assistant and will be releasing them soon on Github. This means you can have HASS looks like Homekit but with more advanced options.
- Rflink (the open-source 433/868 gateway) will release a new version.
- The different e-Commerce platforms: Banggood vs Gearbest vs aliExpress: which is the cheapest and most reliable?
- Top items to buy for your lover on Valentines day.
- Top reasons to start with a Smart(er) home.
- Looking back at Home assistant after a year as daily driver in my house.
- ESXI and alternatives like Proxmox, Hyper v or others.
- Ever thought about a virtual Synology NAS?
- The future of Domoticz (and the new Domoticz website)
We are working hard on the new content. If you miss something in the list: a big development in Home Automation world, another Smart Home system that beats both Domoticz and Home Assistant, please let us know.
