Top 20 Automated Home Posts of the Year 2017

The end of another year and a chance to look back at what you found most interesting on Automated Home over the last 12 months.

Top 20

2017 brought with it the first anniversary for both our Solar Array and Electric Car along with the cold hard figures to back up the dream. Renewables and EVs are the future and I would encourage you all to consider these technologies for 2018.

Kicking off our top 20 is an inexpensive PIR light bulb that was one of your most purchased items this year (check out the top 5 at the bottom of this post). It’s been one of the most inexpensive, but best little upgrades the Automated Home has had.

Loxone is one of our favourite smart home systems, and that’s not because they are our title sponsor. The system gets more attractive every year that passes. You seem to think so too, giving them 3 entries in the top 20. At #19 Loxone’s new LED light range that supports their innovate Tree technology got you excited and at #17 their top 10 smart home tips proved popular too. And at #11 Loxone Tree appeared again with the Nano DI switch range.

Our AmpliFi review made it to #16, with this easy to setup whole house mesh Wi-Fi system. Another of our favourite purchases this year was the #15 entry, the WD My Passport Wireless Pro. It provided superb service on our holidays, providing all our media whilst paying for itself by sharing out a scarily expensive Wi-Fi account on board a big ship to all our families devices.

Qubino’s tiny Z-Wave Plus RGBW dimmer made to #13 and renewables hit the top 10 with the brilliant Tesla Powerwall 2 article from Mikes Gear at #08.

At #14 our smart home incompatibility frustration boiled to the surface once again this year. Z-Wave were magnanimous enough to reply and their interesting post made it all the way to #07.

You still love a smart home hack as proved by the amazingly inexpensive and popular Sonoff WiFi Smart Switch at #05. The new Vemmio Z-Wave Plus system arriving in the UK just missed out on the top 3.

Your most read post last year was our review of the Sky Q system. Unfortunately the box didn’t even last 12 months though so it made it to the top 3 this year for very different reasons!

Part 1 of Mark Boyle’s great review series on the new Wiser smart home heating control system from Drayton made it to #02 despite only being posted in the last quarter.

But your number one most popular post for 2017 was the brand new Homey Smart Home Hub. It certainly caught your imagination with its impressive list of onboard hardware including Z-Wave, ZigBee, WiFi, BLE, IR, 433 & 868 MHz.

Here’s your top 20 in full. Many thanks again to all the loyal readers, contributors and brands that have supported us over the last 12 months. Happy New Year to you all.

20. Useful Gadget of the Week: Inexpensive PIR LED Bulb Airing Cupboard Upgrade

19. Loxone Announce Range of New LED Lighting Plus 24V Dimmer with Tree Technology

18. EZVIZ is New UK Smarthome System from Hikvision

17. Video: Loxone’s Top 10 Tips For a Self Build Smart Home

16. AmpliFi Brings Fast Friendly App Controlled Whole House Mesh WiFi

15. WD My Passport Wireless Pro is 4TB Traveling Plex Server + Camera Backup

14. Z-Wave Controller Compatibility Frustrations Grow as Dealer Vents

13. Qubino’s Tiny Z-Wave Plus RGBW Smart Home Dimmer

12. Video: Brilliant Control is Cool New Smart Home Touchscreen Wall Mount Controller

11. Loxone Nano DI Tree Brings Switch Freedom to Your Smart Home

10. Video: Ikea Introduces New TRÅDFRI ZigBee Based Smart Home Lighting Range

09. Yeti Integrates Control of Your Smart Home in a Single App

08. Tesla Powerwall 2 Domestic Solar Battery Installation – Photos & Details

07. Right to Reply: Z-Wave Responds to Controller Compatibility Controversy

06. New Yale Conexis L1 Smart Door Lock

05. Video: Sonoff WiFi Smart Switch for Alexa, MQTT & Nest Control for Under £10

04. New Vemmio Z-Wave Plus System Enters UK Smart Home Market

03. Tech Frustration: Sky Q Nuked Inside 12 Months

02. Drayton Wiser Smart Heating Controls Review Part 1 – Step by Step Installation

01. UK Launch for Homey Smart Home Hub With Z-Wave, ZigBee, WiFi, BLE, IR, 433 & 868 MHz

BONUS: Top 5 Most Purchased Items

As ever thank you all for buying through our Amazon affiliate store. It’s an easy and free way for you to support the site and we really appreciate it. Here are the top 5 most bought items through our links for 2017.

No products found.