https://antsmarthomes.com/blog/ Notes on smart home technology from the engineers who install it. en-GB https://antsmarthomes.com/blog/mcp-and-what-it-means-for-a-house.html https://antsmarthomes.com/blog/mcp-and-what-it-means-for-a-house.html Sat, 22 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 The Model Context Protocol gives an AI assistant a described, permissioned way to operate real systems. That is a bigger deal for home automation than it sounds. https://antsmarthomes.com/blog/voice-assistants-that-do-not-need-the-cloud.html https://antsmarthomes.com/blog/voice-assistants-that-do-not-need-the-cloud.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Local speech recognition and language models are now good enough for a house. What that changes, and where voice is still the wrong interface. https://antsmarthomes.com/blog/what-ai-actually-does-in-a-house.html https://antsmarthomes.com/blog/what-ai-actually-does-in-a-house.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Stripping the marketing out of it. Four things machine learning genuinely changes about living in an automated home, and several it does not. https://antsmarthomes.com/blog/home-assistant-in-a-real-house.html https://antsmarthomes.com/blog/home-assistant-in-a-real-house.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 It is the most capable home automation platform available and it is free. Neither of those facts makes it the right answer for every house. https://antsmarthomes.com/blog/matter-honestly-assessed.html https://antsmarthomes.com/blog/matter-honestly-assessed.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000 The interoperability standard did not fail, and it did not deliver what the announcements promised. Here is what it means on a real project. https://antsmarthomes.com/blog/your-doorbell-is-on-the-same-network.html https://antsmarthomes.com/blog/your-doorbell-is-on-the-same-network.html Tue, 19 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Most smart homes are one compromised device away from a bad afternoon. Segmentation is unglamorous, cheap, and the single highest-value thing you can do. https://antsmarthomes.com/blog/designing-a-unifi-network-for-a-large-house.html https://antsmarthomes.com/blog/designing-a-unifi-network-for-a-large-house.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Where the defaults are fine, where they will bite you, and the handful of decisions that determine whether the Wi-Fi is still good in five years.