Smart homes with many computer-controlled devices are in vogue, with increasing numbers of manufacturers jumping on the bandwagon. Smart light bulbs and individually controllable sockets are no longer the only items available: Air conditioners, washing machines, ovens, and multimedia and alarm systems can also be integrated through smart home apps.

Not all smart homes are created equal: Different specifications (e.g., the Zigbee and Z-Wave standards) render many components from different manufacturers incompatible. Ultimately, you can end up juggling several corresponding matching control devices and apps for the individual end devices.

However, armed with just a Raspberry Pi and ioBroker home automation software [1], you can use components from different manufacturers intelligently, while bundling a wide variety of standards – including legacy WiFi – in a single device. You no longer need several different apps on your smartphone to control each component, and you don't need a high-powered, permanently running, conventional PC to control the devices.

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