#smart-home

A video post shows a robot vacuum parked inside a kitchen island behind a flap door. The builder writes that the door opens according to the cleaning schedule and closes when cleaning is done, using a 12V linear actuator, an LED strip that shows the actuator and robot status, and an ESP32-C3 microcontroller managed in Home Assistant.

The most-upvoted reply jokes about meeting the door with an ankle at 3 a.m.; others warn that it closes fast enough to worry about children, toes and pets. The builder replies that an infrared sensor reopens the door if anything is in its path, that it sends a notification if the flap stays open too long, and that an emergency stop can cut power to the actuator. Others asked for a write-up. About 2,500 upvotes in a 386,000-member community.

A new Home Assistant user posted 14 screenshots of a phone dashboard made in their first week, with an illustrated house, a floor plan that lights up occupied rooms, and panels for devices including a car and an oven. In replies, the poster says Claude designed the dashboard through the regular browser chat (no direct connection to their system), that they wired up the devices themselves, kept passwords and other secrets out of the chat, and stayed within a $20-a-month plan.

The thread splits. Some argue it shows why AI is here to stay, letting a beginner reach in a week what took others years; one of the top replies is surprised there isn't more anti-AI pushback. Others say the design looks good but makes odd choices on closer inspection, and prefer building it themselves with AI only as a helper. About 1,800 upvotes and 500 comments in a 386,000-member community.

HACS, the community store for unofficial Home Assistant integrations, cards and themes, has been merged into Home Assistant's development branch as a built-in component called Marketplace, targeting the 2026.11 release, Matter Alpha reports. Listings stay community-maintained, and installing one shows a warning first. The top reply welcomes it but worries new users will confuse "Marketplace" with official integrations; another says the name sounds like paid add-ons are coming.