Last updated: January 4, 2021
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Top 20 Automated Home Posts of the Year 2020
Last updated: January 4, 2021
Table of Contents
2021 is the 25th Anniversary year of this blog, but where do we start with 2020.
Despite being memorable for all the wrong reasons, it was also the year that we moved into the new Automated Home 2.0. Thanks for the amazing interest in our project, which meant more than half of this years top 20 are posts covering the various aspects of our smart home self build.
Stand Outs
Our Amina invisible speaker setup made it into the top 20 and it was certainly in demand over the Christmas Holidays as the family streamed their own selection of music from their phones.
Interest in Air Quality continues to grow and our review of the Aranet4 made it into this years most read list too.
Our fantastic Siemens smart appliances with Home Connect have had a full workout over the Christmas break #BestTurkeyEver.
They have been a joy to use and we’re now on a 100% Renewable tariff too meaning everything is running on wind and sunshine. Look out for the next post on these appliances soon.
As the first lockdown came we reviewed the affordable Tenda 4G to WiFi Router, a great backup option to have on hand and it made it all the way to number 6 this year.
A special mention has to go to Ubiquiti at number 5 for our amazing network and security camera setup. With 2 entries in the top 20 you were interested to read about this system and there’s more coming in the next few weeks as we finally bring FTTP to the AH2.0.
And of course to Loxone, whose Miniserver is the beating heart at the centre of our fully integrated and comprehensive home automation system installed by Epitome Living.
With 4 entries in this year’s list it’s probably the aspect of the house that I’ve answered most questions on over on our Instagram. Comments like this make it all worthwhile.
Den makes it to the top 3 again, but at Number 2 this year was our write up on our Vent-Axia MVHR system installed by Daily Renewables. Stay tuned for the follow-up post on our Heat Pump coming next week.
Maybe the only good thing to come out of 2020 is the talk of a ‘Green Recovery’. Certainly EV curiosity is mounting and our most read post of 2020 was the one year anniversary follow up to my Tesla Model 3 review entitled – “Why It’s Not As Good As It Was A Year Ago” (click bait, moi? 🙂 ). We became a two EV house hold in 2020 with the petrol car traded in for a 2017 30kWh Leaf. Maybe 2021 will be the year you switch too.
Check out your entire top 20 below. Thank you as always for your support during the last 12 months, wishing you all a Happy New Year – or at the very least, one that’s much better than 2020!
M.
20. Exclusive: Loxone Flush-mounted Presence Sensor 1st Fitted in the Automated Home
19. Automated Home 2.0 – #25 Amina Invisible In-Wall Speakers – Part 1
17. Automated Home 2.0 – #28 We’ve Chosen Siemens Smart Appliances for our Home
16. Review: Aranet4 HOME Wireless Indoor Air Quality Monitor
15. Aurora AOne Smart Home Lighting System Works With SmartThings
14. Loxone Reveal New Audioserver & Stereo Extension
13. Automated Home 2.0 – #23 We’ve Moved In!
12. Automated Home: Product Sources
11. Automated Home 2.0 – #16 The Wiring Has Begun!
10. Automated Home 2.0 – #19 To Burn or Not to Burn?
09. Automated Home 2.0 – #26 This LED Handrail Lights Our Stairs
08. Automated Home 2.0 – #22 How Much Does a Loxone Smart Home System Cost?
07. Automated Home 2.0 – #21 Wall Mounting Our Loxone iPad with PoE Texas Adaptor
06. Review: Tenda 4G680 V2.0 4G LTE Router with WiFi
05. Automated Home 2.0 – #17 Ubiquiti Networking Part 2 – All Our UniFi Hardware Has Arrived!
04. Review: TP-Link Kasa Smart WiFi Power Strip with USB
03. Den Automation Reborn as Den Switches
02. Automated Home 2.0 – #15 The Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery (MVHR) System
01. Tesla UK Model 3 Follow-up: Why It’s Not As Good As It Was A Year Ago
BONUS: Top 20 Products
Here are the top 20 most popular items bought through our Amazon Affiliate store in 2020. This remains the easiest way for you to support this site – many thanks.
01. TP-Link Kasa WiFi Power Strip
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02. Philips Hue Smart Wireless Dimmer Switch
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03. Seneo New Version Dual 2 in 1 Wireless Charger
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04. Auraglow Super Bright Plug in PIR Motion Sensor
[amazon box=”B017SYTCFO”]
05. Silicondust HDHomeRun CONNECT QUATRO
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06. Drayton Wiser Smart Heating Radiator Thermostat
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07. Tenda 4G680 300Mbps 4G Mobile Wi-Fi Router
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08. DSLRKIT Active PoE Splitter Power Over Ethernet
[amazon box=”B01H37XQP8″]
09. Samotech Light Switch Cover for Hue Dimmer
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10. Add-A-Motor D80 Drapery Motor
[amazon box=”B07PSKM8DF”]
11. BG Electrical Double Switched Fast Charging Power Socket
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14. RJ45 Network Adapter + Coaxial TV Antenna Mount
[amazon box=”B07J1J26LW”]
15. Masterplug Brushed Steel Double Switched Socket with USB Outlets
[amazon box=”B00ITWLAA0″]
16. Fibaro Single Switch/HomeKit
[amazon box=”B075QMM15W”]
17. Philips Hue Outdoor Motion Sensor
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19. FIBARO Dimmer 2 Z-Wave Plus Universal Dimming Module
[amazon box=”B012X0I8JY”]
20. Drayton Wiser Smart Thermostat Kit
[amazon box=”B075GSQDZF”]
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