I Built a $15 Smart Home Controller (and Why...

In my previous post I wrote about how my washing machine and dryer pick their own schedule based on energy prices. That post was about the concept — a Homey app that finds the cheapest window to run your appliances. What I didn't mention was the thing on the kitchen wall that makes it actually usable. Because here's the truth about smart home automation: if the only way to interact with it is through an app on your phone, it won't survive contact with your household. The Problem With Apps I call