Notes from the workshop.
Writing on process automation for small businesses: how we map work, connect systems, and keep them running — plus the occasional technical deep-dive from our own tooling.
Plain language where possible, real detail where it matters.
Nabu Casa remote access: authentication and alternatives
How Nabu Casa exposes a Home Assistant login, what its security controls provide, and how to compare other access options.
Using Wiki.js for small-business process documentation
Compare Wiki.js and SharePoint, plan hosting and maintenance, and start documenting one process your team depends on.
Collecting customer feedback with Formbricks
How we adapted a coffee shop feedback form with question logic, response reporting and a plan for analysing the results.
Using Metabase to review coffee shop customer feedback
How a feedback form, database and Metabase dashboard helped a coffee shop owner inspect customer responses.
Find and compare devices with the Smart Home Index
Use the Smart Home Index to filter devices by features, power options and compatibility, then compare your shortlist.
Frigate NVR Setup: AI-Powered Home Security
Ditch Ring's cloud storage for Frigate, a local NVR with AI object detection. Keep your footage private, eliminate latency, and maintain security even when the internet goes down.
TrueNAS for content creators: storage and maintenance
How TrueNAS and ZFS fit a media workflow, with the capacity, recovery and maintenance decisions to plan before installation.
Choosing Unraid storage for a media workflow
Consider Unraid arrays, cache pools, applications and hardware against your media workflow and recovery requirements.
Smart home support for independent living
Practical uses for lighting, reminders and home controls, with the limits, privacy and support needs to consider.
Reducing wasted energy with smart home automations
Use lighting, heating and presence sensors for specific energy-saving tasks, then measure whether the changes help.
The July 2024 CrowdStrike outage and recovery
What caused the July 2024 CrowdStrike outage, the recovery steps for affected Windows machines and the lessons for IT teams.
Send Reolink doorbell notifications with Home Assistant
Connect a Reolink PoE doorbell to Home Assistant and send a phone notification with the camera feed when the button is pressed.
Build a Home Assistant automation for a finished 3D print
Send a watch notification when a 3D print finishes, then switch off an extractor fan after a delay.
Home Assistant: devices, automations and local control
An introduction to connecting devices, building useful automations and understanding the limits of local smart home control.
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