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6 posts
← all postsBack Up Home Assistant Before It's Too Late - a Step-by-Step Recovery Strategy
A complete Home Assistant backup strategy: automatic backups, off-device storage, encryption key handling and the restore test that tells you the truth about whether you have a backup at all.
Holak Scale v2.1p - private. Maturity of everyday AI use
12 maturity levels of everyday AI use - home, learning, finance, smart home, life organization. The private version of the Holak Scale, parallel to the enterprise track.
Zigbee in Home Assistant 2026: ZHA, Z2M Add-on, or Z2M on a Separate Server?
Three real-world Zigbee deployments in HA: built-in ZHA, Zigbee2MQTT as an add-on, and Z2M+MQTT on a separate host. Failure isolation, MQTT attack surface, multi-coordinator, PoE coordinators.
HACS in Home Assistant OS - why, when it's worth it, and how to install it step by step
Why HACS belongs in Home Assistant OS, what to watch out for, how to install it step by step, and what to enable first - an honest walkthrough.
Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Z-Wave or Thread with Matter? A practical 2026 pick
Four protocols, one decision. When Wi-Fi is enough, when Zigbee still wins, who actually needs Z-Wave, and what Matter-over-Thread really changes.
Getting Started with Home Assistant in 2026
A complete beginner's guide - from choosing hardware to your first automation.