You don't need an electrician, a computer science degree, or a massive budget. A modern smart home runs on wireless devices, a small hub, and free software. This guide walks you through every step: picking the right system, choosing devices, installing everything, and setting up automations that actually make your life easier.
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Smart home technology has matured dramatically in the last two years. Here's what changed:
The universal smart home standard finally works. Devices from Apple, Google, Amazon, IKEA, and hundreds of other brands all speak the same language. Buy any Matter device and it works with any hub. No more ecosystem lock-in.
A Zigbee smart bulb costs under 10 euros. Motion sensors are 8 euros. A full smart home hub is under 100 euros. Five years ago, outfitting a single room cost more than outfitting an entire house does today.
Google is shutting down Google Assistant in March 2026. Amazon keeps adding subscriptions to Alexa. Insteon, Wink, and Wemo already shut down. Local smart home systems like Home Assistant don't depend on any company's servers.
Home Assistant auto-discovers devices on your network, has a visual automation editor, and comes with a mobile app for iOS and Android. The days of editing YAML files to turn on a light are over (unless you want to).
The biggest misconception about smart homes: they're expensive. Here's what it actually costs in 2026, comparing DIY with a professional installation service.
| Component | DIY Cost | Professional Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Smart home hub | €80 - €100 | €150 - €300 (incl. setup) |
| Zigbee coordinator | €25 - €35 | Included in service |
| Smart lighting (5 bulbs) | €40 - €75 | €100 - €200 |
| Motion sensors (3) | €24 - €45 | €60 - €120 |
| Smart plugs (3) | €30 - €45 | €60 - €100 |
| Temperature/humidity sensors (2) | €16 - €24 | €40 - €60 |
| Labor/installation | €0 (your time) | €200 - €500 |
| Total | €215 - €324 | €610 - €1,280 |
Prices based on European retail averages as of early 2026. DIY uses budget-friendly Zigbee devices (IKEA, Aqara, Sonoff). Professional costs vary widely by region and installer.
Starter Setup
€150
Hub + coordinator + 3 smart bulbs + 1 sensor. One room, basic automations.
Sweet Spot
€300
Hub + coordinator + 8 bulbs + 3 sensors + 3 smart plugs. Living room, bedroom, kitchen.
Full House
€600+
Everything above + thermostat + cameras + smart lock + blinds + energy monitoring.
Your hub is the brain of your smart home. It connects all your devices and runs your automations. Here are your best options in 2026:
Best Overall
Purpose-built box from the Home Assistant team. Plug in power and Ethernet, boot up, done. No technical setup needed. Runs Home Assistant OS with full add-on support, automatic updates, and backups.
Price: ~€99 | Best for: Beginners and most people
Full Green review →Best Performance
A tiny fanless computer with 4x the power of a Raspberry Pi. Great for larger homes, camera AI processing, and running multiple services alongside Home Assistant.
Price: ~€130 - €180 | Best for: Power users, cameras
Mini PC guide →Best Budget
The classic choice. Affordable, well-documented, huge community. Pair it with an NVMe SSD hat for reliable storage. Handles 50+ devices without breaking a sweat.
Price: ~€80 (4GB) | Best for: Budget builds, tinkerers
Pi setup guide →Already Own a NAS?
If you already have a NAS running at home, you can run Home Assistant as a Docker container or VM on it. No extra hardware needed. Just repurpose what you have.
Price: €0 (already own it) | Best for: NAS owners
Synology guide →Smart devices talk to your hub using wireless protocols. You don't need to become an expert, but knowing the basics helps you buy the right devices.
| Protocol | Range | Battery Life | Needs Hub? | Best For | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zigbee | 10-20m (mesh) | 1-3 years | Yes (€25 dongle) | Sensors, lights, switches | Top pick |
| Z-Wave | 30m+ (mesh) | 2-5 years | Yes (€35 stick) | Locks, thermostats | Premium choice |
| Wi-Fi | Router range | N/A (mains) | No | Plugs, cameras | Easy start |
| Matter/Thread | Thread mesh | 1-3 years | Thread border router | New devices | Future standard |
Our recommendation for 2026
Start with Zigbee. It has the widest device selection, the best battery life, and the most affordable devices. Get a SkyConnect or Sonoff ZBDongle-E coordinator and you're set. Add Matter devices as they become available. Both protocols work side by side.
You don't need to buy everything at once. Here are the best devices in each category for a Home Assistant installation, sorted by value.
IKEA TRADFRI bulbs
Zigbee, €8-12 each. Best budget option.
Philips Hue
Zigbee, €20-40 each. Best color quality.
Innr bulbs
Zigbee, €12-18 each. Great Hue alternative.
Aqara Motion Sensor P2
Zigbee, €18. Fast, reliable, 5-year battery.
Aqara Door/Window Sensor
Zigbee, €10. Tiny, sticks anywhere.
Aqara Temp/Humidity Sensor
Zigbee, €12. Tracks climate per room.
IKEA TRETAKT
Zigbee, €10. No energy monitoring but dirt cheap.
Sonoff S26R2 ZB
Zigbee, €12. Compact, with energy monitoring.
Shelly Plug S
Wi-Fi, €18. Energy monitoring, no hub needed.
Shelly TRV
Wi-Fi, €45. Per-room heating control.
tado Smart Thermostat
€80-130. Works with most heating systems.
Zigbee TRVs (Moes, SONOFF)
Zigbee, €25-35. Budget per-room option.
For detailed recommendations in every category, check our Starter Kit Guide.
Don't try to automate everything at once. Start with one room, get it working, then expand. Here's what to install where.
Key automation: Lights dim to 40% at sunset. TV area lighting activates when you sit down. Everything turns off when the room is empty for 15 minutes.
Key automation: Lights gradually warm and dim from 9 PM. Blinds open slowly at your alarm time. Nightlight activates if motion is detected after midnight.
Key automation: Coffee machine turns on 5 minutes before your morning alarm. Under-cabinet lights activate on motion. Water leak triggers an immediate phone notification.
Key automation: Hallway light turns on when the door opens after dark. "Away" mode arms when everyone leaves. Welcome scene activates when the first person comes home.
Key automation: Dim red nightlight on motion between midnight and 6 AM. Exhaust fan turns on when humidity spikes above 70% and off when it normalizes.
Key automation: Garden lights on at sunset, off at 23:00. Security flood light on motion after dark. Sprinklers skip watering if rain is forecast.
Here's a realistic schedule to go from zero to a working smart home in one weekend. No rush, no stress.
Should you do it yourself or hire someone? Honest answer: most people are better off doing it themselves.
Best for: Anyone who can follow instructions and isn't afraid to Google things.
Best for: People who need electrical work or have large commercial installations.
The HomeShift approach: DIY with guidance
Not sure which devices will work with your setup? Run our free device scan. You'll get a personalized compatibility report showing exactly what works, what needs a workaround, and what to replace. It's like having a smart home consultant, without the €500 fee.
Start with 5-10 devices in one or two rooms. Get those working perfectly before expanding. Every device you add is a device you need to troubleshoot if something goes wrong.
Pick one primary protocol (we recommend Zigbee) and stick with it for most devices. Every protocol you add is another coordinator, another potential point of failure, and more complexity. Wi-Fi devices are fine alongside Zigbee since they don't need extra hardware.
SD cards wear out fast with Home Assistant's constant database writes. Use an SSD or NVMe drive. If you're on a Raspberry Pi, get an NVMe hat or USB-to-SSD adapter. This single change prevents 90% of "my system crashed" issues.
Before you add a single device, set up automatic backups. It takes 5 minutes. When (not if) something goes wrong, you'll be back up and running in minutes instead of rebuilding everything from scratch. Our backup guide has you covered.
"Light 1", "Switch 2", "Sensor 3" will haunt you when you have 30+ devices. Use descriptive names from the start: "Kitchen Ceiling Light", "Bathroom Motion Sensor", "Front Door Contact". Your future self will thank you.
USB 3.0 generates interference on the 2.4 GHz band that Zigbee uses. Use a USB extension cable (50 cm is enough) to move your Zigbee dongle away from USB 3.0 ports, your hub, and your Wi-Fi router. This fixes most "devices keep dropping" issues.
Your partner doesn't want the lights to change color based on the weather. Start with automations that solve real problems: lights that turn off when rooms are empty, heating that adjusts when you leave, notifications for water leaks. Get buy-in from everyone in the household before automating their spaces.
There are plenty of smart home platforms. Here's why we recommend Home Assistant for new installations.
Lights, locks, cameras, thermostats, speakers, vacuums, cars, washing machines. If it's smart, Home Assistant probably supports it. One app for your entire house.
Everything runs on your local network. Internet goes down? Your smart home keeps working. No cloud dependency means no outages, no subscription fees, and no company can shut it down.
Home Assistant is open source. No monthly fees, no premium tiers, no features hidden behind a paywall. The optional Nabu Casa subscription (€5/mo) supports development and adds easy remote access, but it's not required.
No voice recordings sent to Amazon. No usage patterns sold to advertisers. No cameras streaming to someone else's servers. Your data stays on your hardware, in your home.
Google Assistant is shutting down. Alexa keeps adding subscriptions. Home Assistant has been growing for 10+ years and is maintained by a massive open-source community. It supports Matter, Thread, Zigbee, Z-Wave, and whatever comes next.
Over 500,000 active installations worldwide. Active forums, subreddit, Discord, and YouTube community. Whatever problem you run into, someone has already solved it and posted the answer.
Want to compare platforms? See our Best Smart Home Hub comparison.
Not sure which of your existing devices work with Home Assistant? Run our free scan. In under 5 minutes, you'll know exactly what's compatible, what needs a workaround, and what to buy next.
Want a detailed, personalized migration report? Reports start at just €19.
A basic DIY smart home installation costs between 150 and 300 euros. That covers a hub (Home Assistant Green at 99 euros or a Raspberry Pi 5 at 80 euros), a Zigbee coordinator (30 euros), and a few smart devices like bulbs and sensors. A professional installation service typically charges 500 to 2,000 euros depending on scope. Going the DIY route saves you 70 to 80 percent.
Yes. Modern smart home platforms like Home Assistant have visual setup wizards, auto-discovery for most devices, and no coding required for basic automations. If you can set up a Wi-Fi router, you can install a smart home. Start with plug-and-play devices like smart plugs and bulbs, then add more complex devices as you get comfortable.
A basic setup with a hub, a few lights, and simple automations takes about 2 to 4 hours. A full-house installation with 20 to 30 devices, including sensors, cameras, and climate control, typically takes a weekend. Most people spread it out over a few weekends, adding rooms one at a time.
Home Assistant is the most capable option for 2026. It supports over 2,800 integrations, runs locally without cloud dependency, has no subscription fees, and works with every major protocol (Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, Thread, Wi-Fi). For people who want zero setup effort, Apple Home or Samsung SmartThings are simpler but far more limited.
Usually not. Most smart home devices are wireless (Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth). Smart bulbs screw into existing sockets, sensors stick to walls with adhesive, and smart plugs go into existing outlets. The only scenarios that might need wiring are smart light switches (replacing dumb switches, which uses existing wiring) and PoE cameras (which need an Ethernet cable run).
For most setups, DIY is the better choice. You save 500 to 1,500 euros, learn how your system works (important for troubleshooting), and can expand at your own pace. Consider hiring a professional only if you need new electrical wiring, want a large camera system with cable runs, or genuinely have zero interest in learning the technology.
It depends on your setup. Cloud-based systems like Google Home and Alexa stop working without internet. Local systems like Home Assistant keep running because everything processes on your local network. Zigbee and Z-Wave devices communicate directly with your hub, so lights, sensors, and automations all continue working normally.
You should absolutely add devices gradually. Start with one room or one use case (like lighting or climate), get comfortable, then expand. Most smart home enthusiasts build their setup over months or years. There is no benefit to installing everything at once, and doing it gradually lets you learn what works best for your household.
Compare OS, Docker, Supervised, and Core. Step-by-step for each method.
Best first devices, hub comparison, and a weekend setup timeline.
Ideas and YAML for lighting, climate, security, and presence.
Why local control matters and how to build a fully offline setup.
Coordinators, ZHA vs Z2M, best devices, and mesh tips.
Automatic backups, Google Drive, Docker scripts, and the 3-2-1 rule.