Homebridge is the ‘one ring’ for home automation

Over the last three or four years, home automation has become a really big deal. Much of the coverage you read talks abut the “smart home” – a house where various appliances such as lighting, window coverings and heating and cooling are controlled using a variety of sensors and apps. But the reality of creating a smart home is far harder than many people realise. Not all devices will interoperate because there’s turf war in progress. Amazon, Apple and Google have all established their own standards for managing the integration of different components. But there may be a way to get the different warring factions to play together. It’s called Homebridge.

Using my home office as a smarthome experiment

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had a chance to rearrange my office and set up a reading nook to create a productivity and relaxation haven. But I can’t help injecting a little bit of tech into all that so I’ve also used this as an opportunity to create a microcosm of a smart home in this one room. That lets me play with some neat gear without disturbing the rest of the home. Here’s what I’m using and the lessons I’m learning.