This blog started in September 1996. 27 years on, the time has come to make a change.
Almost 3 decades after I began my home automation journey, I’ve found my smart home nirvana. It was a long and winding road, and it’s been filled with great experiences, not least the many friendships made along the way.
Regular readers will have noticed a reduction in the volume of posts though, especially since we finished our Automated Home 2.0 self-build project in 2020. My spare time has largely been taken up on another project (on electric vehicles) over the last few years and It would be a great shame to let Automated Home fizzle out. So I am delighted to say that I have reached an agreement to see the blog continue.
Please welcome the new owner Marty, as he takes over the site. The next post will be from him, laying out his plans for the future.
Thank you to everyone that helped me with Automated Home over the years, and especially to all the readers, your loyalty and support always meant a great deal to me.
Signing off
Mark
Thanks for all of your content over the yeara Mark. I am jsut doing first for for my Loxone install but still mulling over some options. Are there any things you wish you had done with Loxone?
Cheers
Ian
Awwwww! Mark, thank you for the last 27 years. It was thanks to you, that I started on my very modest Home Automation journey! It was great, meeting and making friends, with all the Guru’s. I have always remained in awe with your knowledge and your journey!
Instead of saying Good Bye, I would like to say Au Renoir Mark! And All The Very Best In the Future!
And Welcome Marty.
I look forward to continue to receiving emails and posts.
Wow! Well there’s a post I never thought I’d read! A warm welcome to Marty but a huge thank you to you Mark for all that you’ve done to further the home automation cause over the years – can’t quite believe it’s been 27. It’s almost unbelievable to think of what we called automation back then compared to the plethora of choices we face today and Automated Home continues to steer us through those.
@automate glad you found your nirvana, I am still building mine and the journey takes many twists and turns. As we have seen it’s a fast paced space and one than constantly changes, that is both a benefit and a risk.
I have enjoyed being both a reader of your journey and making the odd contributions. I know the EV challenge in NI has been a big beast to wrestle with but it is improving and the need for change more obvious as a result your efforts. Keep up the good work. I am glad you managed to find a successor.
@Marty Good luck with the blog and let’s see what the next 27 years holds!
Hi Mark, very best of luck with your future endeavours, I am not sure whether to thank you or not, you cost me a bloody fortune after I stumbled on this site looking for some bathroom speakers.for my new build. Well worth every penny though, so it’s definitely a thankyou. Thoroughly enjoyed, and learnt a lot via this site
Marty, you have some boots to fill,.the best of luck to you too.
Crikey, Mark! That’s the end to quite an era. It’s been quite the journey, even if we have lost a few friends along the way. Congratulations on having made it this far.
Looking forward to seeing where Marty goes with it.
What’s happening with the Forums, which are currently offline ??
It’s time for Marty to inform the community what the intention is with the forums. They disappeared without a warning a while back…
Hi Phil, sorry we’re still working on restoring the forums. There was a technical issue with the site migration, I won’t bore you with the details, but we expect to have everything back up and running again within the week, hopefully sooner.
Hi Derek, we had some technical issues with the handover. We’re working to restore the forums as quickly as possible.
Large boots to fill indeed Eamon. I’m hoping I don’t disappoint.
Thanks Mark and yes, here’s to the next 27 years
Want to wish you well Mark. Your posts and the forums have been an inspiration in so many ways for my choices along my own journey in home automation and I’m sure countless others too. I started in the clunky days of X10 and it seems so long ago. Your new home looks amazing and has given me yet more questions as I move into my own new home and reset my home automation ideas.
Will you be keeping the Instagram or will that also be transferring over?
Thanks
Phil
Hi Phil, Mark will be keeping the existing Instagram and I’ll be starting a new account.