Tag
Patterns
Recurring lessons from debugging systems of every kind, including the uncomfortable number of times the symptom is not the problem.
From the archive
7 entries here.
Emporia: Energy Monitoring In HomeSeer
What started with a few smart plugs turned into a two-way energy manager, a cloud API deep dive, and an unfinished hunt for local control.
Software
Shared Plugin Architecture: Thirteen Faces, One Product
How a growing plugin family became a deliberately designed suite
Media
Plex: Teaching HomeSeer Who’s Watching What
Turning media sessions into durable, useful automation
Media
Roku: Simple Protocol, Complicated Reality
Local control, silent firmware changes, discovery traps, and the limitation that grew into something bigger
Lighting
Hubspace: Following the Breadcrumbs
Reverse-engineering an undocumented platform without pretending guesses are facts
Sensor
Sleep Number: When the Mattress Joins the Automation System
Turning presence, comfort settings, and bedtime routines into useful automation
Home automation
Wemo Plugin: After the Cloud: Bringing Wemo Back to Life
Local control, provisioning, and a second life for perfectly good hardware