Overview of Extreme smart home makeover (The VergeCast)
This episode is a room-by-room smart-home design session: host David Pierce walks through his new (mostly empty) house with Verge staffer Jen Toohey, who recommends practical, future‑proof smart-home gear and architecture. They balance wants (voice control, energy savings, kid‑ and pet‑friendly safety) against constraints David set (no indoor cameras, iPhone + Android household, no major remodeling, willing to DIY small installs, will use up to two voice ecosystems). The conversation prioritizes lighting, sensors, energy monitoring and a path toward Home Assistant + Matter for reliability and local control.
Key takeaways / design principles
- Non‑negotiable rules set by the homeowner:
- No cameras inside the house.
- Household is mixed (iPhone + Android) — everything must work across both.
- Willing to adopt up to two assistant ecosystems (Jen recommends Alexa first).
- No major remodeling or professional-only installs; light electrical DIY is fine.
- Invest in devices that are future‑proof and energy‑aware (Matter support, energy monitoring).
- Start with lighting and basic sensors (motion, contact, leak) — those give immediate value.
- Consider Home Assistant for local, reliable automation as the system grows; start with Alexa for voice and easy onboarding, then “graduate” to Home Assistant for advanced rules and sensor integrations.
- Physical controls (“buttons”) matter — they make the system usable for guests, kids, and people who don’t want voice or phone control.
Room-by-room summary and recommendations
Kitchen
- Goals: screen for recipes & entertainment, easy voice control, energy-awareness, and a better fridge.
- Recommended devices and ideas:
- Echo Show (Echo Show 8/11) for counter/video recipes, shopping lists and kitchen voice interactions. If camera is a dealbreaker, use an Echo Dot Max or Echo Dot instead.
- Replace fridge with a Matter‑enabled model (Bosch 100‑series was recommended) to start future energy‑management integrations and use Home Connect features (expiry reminders, diagnostics).
- Consider a countertop nugget‑ice maker (GE Profile) if you want novelty/entertaining value.
- Coffee: Bosch built‑in/800‑series countertop coffee machine (grind + milk frother + app/voice features) is a high‑end option; Thermomix (TM6/TM7) recommended as a general‑purpose cooking gadget (not a connected ecosystem device, but very useful).
- Big, useful countertop gadgets (smart air fryer / drawer‑style models) if you have room — connectivity is often just for recipe convenience.
Living room
- Goals: central, reliable voice control; good scene & circadian lighting; physical controls.
- Recommended devices and ideas:
- Lighting: Use Philips Hue smart bulbs (you already have Hue) for tunable white + color; consider upgrading to the newer Hue Bridge Pro for extra features (motion sensing).
- For switches: if you want bulbs + switches to cooperate, use Inovelli smart switches with “smart bulb mode” (they preserve bulb connectivity when toggled). Lutron Caseta is very reliable but less compatible with bulb modes and Matter.
- Smart button(s): inexpensive Matter/Thread buttons (IKEA announced new controls) make a big difference for quick, non‑voice control. “Buttons make the smart home sing.”
- TV: pick an ecosystem‑friendly streamer (David leans Alexa/Fire TV compatibility). Consider TV‑sync ambient lighting (Nanoleaf/Hue) for a den or basement; less compelling in a primary living room for some people.
Bedrooms (master + kids)
- Goals: simpler setup for sleep comfort, bedside controls, child‑friendly wake routines.
- Recommended devices and ideas:
- Master bedroom: focus on sleep — bedside Hue wake/sleep lamp (a Hue bedside lamp was recommended) to replace alarms; air purifier + air‑quality sensor for better sleep; bedside charging stand (Belkin Boost Charge as an example) and use phone standby mode.
- Kids’ rooms: Echo Dot Kids for limited, supervised Alexa experiences (kid mode locks down functions); Echo Glow or similar color light for “red/green” wake rules (red = stay in bed, green = okay to get up). Smart lights for night routines.
- Avoid over‑engineering bedrooms if you don’t spend much time there; aim for simple, reliable automations.
Basement (office / media den)
- Goals: turn a dark cave into an attractive, usable workspace + TV room.
- Recommended devices and ideas:
- Ambient wall/ceiling panels (Nanoleaf or Hue “skylight” style panels) to simulate daylight and provide scenes for recording vs leisure.
- Add floor/indirect lamps and smart bulbs for layered lighting; TV‑sync lighting here makes sense for immersive media.
- Consider a smart lever/lock for the basement door (Yale / Aqara style lever locks with keypad / fingerprint / phone unlock) so you can securely lock/unlock remotely — important if door opens onto stairs and kids are around.
- Smart button(s) near desk to switch modes (recording vs TV).
Backyard / exterior
- Goals: avoid killing plants, simple outdoor lighting for dining, basic automation.
- Recommended devices and ideas:
- Soil/moisture sensors (connected via Home Assistant) so you get specific watering alerts. This is a niche category — options vary and often require Home Assistant integrations.
- Smart hose or irrigation controller (Eve Aqua recommended as an example) — can be combined with soil moisture sensors to automate watering.
- Smart outdoor/ Edison‑style patio lights: Philips Hue & Nanoleaf have outdoor lines; LIFX/Govee also make good outdoor smart lights. Prefer Matter‑compatible options for future interoperability.
Infrastructure and “connective tissue”
- Voice assistant: start with Alexa (David is familiar with it); use Echo Shows/Dots for voice & screens. Expect to run Alexa + one other system at most.
- Matter & Thread: aim to buy Matter‑capable devices where possible (future‑proofing and cross‑ecosystem compatibility).
- Home Assistant: recommended as the local automation backbone once the house gets bigger. Benefits:
- Local control, faster and more reliable automations.
- Better handling of diverse sensors (Zigbee, Z‑Wave, Thread) and advanced automation (energy dashboards, sensor rules).
- Good for integrating niche items (soil sensors, hobby devices).
- Start with Alexa and smart lighting, then add Home Assistant via a Home Assistant Green or a DIY instance when you need advanced automation.
- Sensors to prioritize: motion sensors, contact sensors (doors/pantry), leak detectors (under sinks, laundry), and energy‑monitoring smart plugs (Eve Energy, IKEA plug with energy monitoring). Put leak sensors near appliances and under sinks.
- Smart switches vs smart bulbs:
- Smart switches (Lutron Caseta or Inovelli) are great for whole‑home reliability. Use Inovelli if you want bulb compatibility (smart‑bulb mode).
- Smart bulbs are needed for tunable white and color scenes (circadian lighting).
Standout product mentions from the episode (as discussed)
- Voice & displays: Amazon Echo Show (kitchen), Echo Dot / Echo Dot Kids, Echo Glow (kids’ wake light).
- Lighting: Philips Hue bulbs & Hue Bridge (Hue Bridge Pro suggested), Hue bedside lamp (wake/sleep lamp), Nanoleaf panels, Nanoleaf/Nanoleaf outdoor lights, LIFX, Govee.
- Appliances: Bosch (Matter‑enabled) fridge (Bosch 100 series), Bosch 800‑series coffee machine (expensive/high‑end), GE Profile Nugget Ice Maker, Thermomix (TM6/TM7) — gadget cook‑appliance.
- Switches & controls: Lutron Caseta, Inovelli smart switches (smart‑bulb mode), IKEA Matter/Thread smart buttons (inexpensive controls).
- Sensors & garden: Eve Aqua (smart hose timer), soil moisture sensors / multi‑sensors (niche devices that integrate with Home Assistant), Eve Energy and smart plugs with energy monitoring.
- Home automation platform: Home Assistant (Home Assistant Green recommended).
- Fans: Big Ass Fans (for rooms where you want serious airflow and energy savings).
(Transcript included a few model/brand pronunciations that may have been garbled — consult the Verge episode post for the exact retail models Jen linked.)
Action items / a suggested rollout plan
- Start with lighting: standardize on Philips Hue (bulbs + a Bridge) and/or a mix of Hue + Matter devices. Replace living‑room cans with tunable bulbs and add a Hue bedside lamp.
- Put an Echo Show in the kitchen for recipes and a few Echo Dots (kids, basement).
- Add critical sensors: leak detectors (kitchen, laundry), motion sensors for entry & living areas, contact sensors on important doors. Start using energy‑monitoring smart plugs for expensive devices.
- Replace the fridge with a Matter‑enabled model (Bosch recommended) as a first major appliance upgrade for future energy management.
- Gradually introduce Home Assistant (Home Assistant Green) once first wave of devices is installed — use it for reliable sensor‑based automations and consolidating niche integrations (soil sensors, irrigation).
- Backyard: deploy soil moisture sensors + Eve Aqua (hose timer) and add outdoor patio lights; automate watering based on moisture data.
- Iterate: add buttons, more automation rules and small gadgets as use cases appear. Monitor what fails or annoys the household (e.g., switches that break bulb control) and adjust.
Notable quotes & insights
- “Buttons just make the smart home sing.” — physical controls make smart homes usable for everyone.
- “Buy the things that make your home react to you, not that require you to control them constantly.” — goal is set‑and‑forget reliable automations.
- Prioritize sensors and energy monitoring early — they give utility beyond “cool gadgets” (leak detection, energy dashboards, automated watering).
If you want the curated shopping list Jen built during the episode, The Verge post for this episode will have the full product links and model numbers (they said they’ll post the products and links in the show notes).