Devices
Hardware index
Every model referenced by a published recipe, with the protocol it speaks and the role it plays. Nothing here is sponsored or affiliate-linked.
matter
Application layer over Thread or Wi-Fi; the only protocol here that reports a real cover position and a settable current.
| Model | Link | Role in this chain |
|---|---|---|
| Bidirectional grid meter (CT clamp or the inverter's own meter) | wired | Provides the signed grid power value; a one-directional meter cannot tell export from import. — Divert solar surplus to the hot water cylinder instead of exporting at 4 ¢ |
| Chain window actuator (24 V) with a Matter module | wired | 24 V chain actuator, wired because a battery unit would need charging on exactly the nights it is needed. — Night cooling purge that pulls in cool air only when it helps |
| CO₂ sensor with NDIR measurement | wired | NDIR, not eCO₂ from a VOC estimate; a bedroom purge decision based on estimated CO₂ will open the window when it should not. — Night cooling purge that pulls in cool air only when it helps |
| Inovelli White Series 2-1 Dimmer | wired | Matter-over-Thread dimmer on the hall circuit; keeps a local binding so the wall switch still works with the hub down. — Arrival warm-light handoff on the hall mmWave |
| Matter smart relay with power metering (e.g. Shelly or equivalent) | wired | Switches and measures the immersion load; the measurement is what closes the control loop. — Divert solar surplus to the hot water cylinder instead of exporting at 4 ¢ |
| Somfy Sonesse 30 with a Matter bridge | wired | Mains-powered blind motor; Matter gives a real position percentage rather than the timed-press approximation that RF-only motors use. — Lux-adaptive blinds that hold 300 lx on the desk, not a fixed percentage |
thread
Fast reporting and long battery life, but a border router per floor or handoffs stall for seconds.
| Model | Link | Role in this chain |
|---|---|---|
| Eve Motion (Thread) | wireless | Zone A and C sensors; battery powered, Thread router-capable so they also strengthen the mesh. — Room-following light that tracks you along the corridor |
| Thread border router (HomePod mini or SkyConnect) | wired | Single border router for the corridor mesh; a second one is kept as a cold spare because Thread partition merges are the usual cause of 2–3 s handoff stalls. — Room-following light that tracks you along the corridor |
zigbee
Cheapest sensors, mains-powered routers in every room. Weak at holding very low dim levels on cheap drivers.
| Model | Link | Role in this chain |
|---|---|---|
| Aqara T1 illuminance sensor | wireless | Desk-height lux sensor aimed at the ceiling to read reflected light rather than direct sun. — Lux-adaptive blinds that hold 300 lx on the desk, not a fixed percentage |
| Cylinder temperature probe on a 1 m immersion pocket | wireless | Strapped to the cylinder's pocket, not the pipe, so it reads stored water rather than flow temperature. — Divert solar surplus to the hot water cylinder instead of exporting at 4 ¢ |
| Home/away presence (aggregate) | wireless | Only the aggregate home/away boolean is used, so the audit cannot infer who is in which room at night. — Nightly phantom-load audit that finds the 38 W you forgot about |
| Metering plugs with 0.1 W resolution | wireless | Resolution matters: a 1 W resolution plug cannot distinguish a 0.4 W phantom from zero, and most of the interesting findings are between 0.5 W and 5 W. — Nightly phantom-load audit that finds the 38 W you forgot about |
| Second humidity sensor in the hallway (reference) | wireless | Absolute humidity only makes sense as a difference; the hallway sensor is what turns a weather change into a no-op. — Bathroom fan that runs until the humidity gradient flattens |
| Sonoff SNZB-04P door contact | wireless | Front door contact that supplies the departure-direction clue. — Departure standby sweep with a 12-device check list |
| Sonoff ZBMINI-L2 in the fan isolator switch | wired | Switches the fan's permanent live; the isolator switch above the door stays functional for a person standing on a chair. — Bathroom fan that runs until the humidity gradient flattens |
| Third Reality Smart Plug Gen 2 (Zigbee) | wireless | Power monitoring plugs on the TV, desk and printer shelf; the sweep uses their reported wattage to confirm the device really went off. — Departure standby sweep with a 12-device check list |
| VELUX-style exterior lux probe (any Zigbee illuminance sensor) | wireless | North-facing outdoor lux reference used to decide whether it is genuinely dark outside. — Arrival warm-light handoff on the hall mmWave |
| Weather station with rain detection | wireless | Rain flag plus outdoor temperature from the same mast so the two readings are consistent. — Night cooling purge that pulls in cool air only when it helps |
| Whole-house energy meter | wired | Provides the total that the individual plugs are reconciled against; the gap is the un-metered load. — Nightly phantom-load audit that finds the 38 W you forgot about |
| Window contact (any reed sensor) | wireless | Blocks the loop while the window is open, when the blind would hit the frame. — Lux-adaptive blinds that hold 300 lx on the desk, not a fixed percentage |
| Zigbee coordinator with mains-powered routers (e.g. a Zigbee smart plug per room) | wired | A mains-powered router in every room keeps the sweep from timing out on the far end of the house. — Departure standby sweep with a 12-device check list |
| Zigbee humidity sensor with 0.1 % RH resolution | wireless | Must report at least every 60 s; a 5-minute reporting interval cannot resolve a humidity gradient. — Bathroom fan that runs until the humidity gradient flattens |
| Zigbee leak pucks with a local buzzer | wireless | Battery-powered pucks under each wet appliance; the local buzzer matters because it works even if the hub is down. — Leak-triggered main shutoff with a 4 litre flow threshold |
zwave
Used here where range and confirmation matter: garden runs, valves, radiator heads, alarm hardware.
| Model | Link | Role in this chain |
|---|---|---|
| Fail-secure smart lock with a mechanical override | wired | Must unlock on power loss or on command; a lock that fails locked would trap people in a fire. — Smoke and CO alarm: egress lighting, unlock, and silencing the HVAC |
| Fibaro Dimmer 2 (or Z-Wave module) for the bollard group | wired | Provides the trailing-edge dimming the 2700 K bollards need at low levels. — Twilight path lighting keyed to sun elevation, not a clock |
| Garage door controller with a local radio | wired | Opens on command even with the internet down, since the automation never leaves the LAN. — Smoke and CO alarm: egress lighting, unlock, and silencing the HVAC |
| Power-monitoring module on the transformer circuit | wired | Confirms the circuit is actually drawing current, which is how the automation detects a tripped breaker rather than assuming success. — Twilight path lighting keyed to sun elevation, not a clock |
| Whole-house ultrasonic flow meter | wired | Non-invasive clamp-on sensor; gives litres per minute at 0.1 L resolution, which is what the 4 L/min threshold needs. — Leak-triggered main shutoff with a 4 litre flow threshold |
| Z-Wave interconnected smoke and CO alarms | wired | Mains-powered with battery backup and a Z-Wave radio; the interconnect wire is what makes all of them sound, not the smart layer. — Smoke and CO alarm: egress lighting, unlock, and silencing the HVAC |
| Z-Wave motorised ball valve (1") | wired | Mains-powered actuator with position feedback; a spring-return valve without feedback would leave you guessing whether it actually closed. — Leak-triggered main shutoff with a 4 litre flow threshold |
| Zooz ZEN71 relay in a weatherproof box | wired | Switches the low-voltage transformer's mains side; Z-Wave 800 series has enough range to reach the garage from the back of the garden. — Twilight path lighting keyed to sun elevation, not a clock |
wifi
Reserved for devices that need bandwidth or a vendor API: cameras, chargers, weather feeds, inverters.
| Model | Link | Role in this chain |
|---|---|---|
| Aqara FP2 | wireless |
Zone B (mid-corridor) mmWave sensor, used because a still person in the doorway must not drop the light. — Room-following light that tracks you along the corridor 60 GHz mmWave presence sensor, ceiling corner mount, 3 s debounce configured in the vendor app. — Arrival warm-light handoff on the hall mmWave |