Affordable Smart Lighting: Upgrade Your Home on a Budget
▼ Summary
– The author is a senior reporter at The Verge who covers technology and gaming, and this is the 96th edition of the Installer newsletter.
– This week’s newsletter highlights new releases like Hollow Knight: Silksong, Instagram on iPad, and a spinoff for The Office.
– The Drop section features Paulus Schoutsen, founder of Home Assistant, discussing his minimalist phone setup and app preferences, including avoiding social media apps and using AI tools like Claude.
– Paulus shares his current interests, such as using Claude Code with his child, the new Z-Wave antenna for Home Assistant, and watching Foundation on Apple TV+.
– The newsletter includes community recommendations on topics like indie games, music collections, documentaries, and design, and mentions tech announcements from the IFA show.
Transforming your home with smart lighting doesn’t have to drain your wallet. With a growing number of budget-friendly options now available, creating an automated, responsive lighting setup is more accessible than ever. Whether you’re looking to set the mood, improve energy efficiency, or simply add a layer of modern convenience, affordable smart bulbs and systems offer a practical entry point into the world of home automation.
This week’s tech roundup brings exciting updates across several fronts. Hollow Knight: Silksong has finally made an appearance, much to the delight of gaming fans. Instagram has at long last released a dedicated iPad app, and a new spinoff related to The Office is in the works. There’s plenty to explore for those eager to stay on top of the latest trends.
A special feature this week focuses on Paulus Schoutsen, the mind behind the widely-used open-source smart home platform Home Assistant. As president of the Open Home Foundation, his insights into practical, everyday tech use are especially relevant. Recently switching from an iPhone to a Google Pixel, Paulus maintains a minimalist homescreen designed to reduce distractions and enhance productivity.
His setup includes a Smart Stack widget for essential information like battery life, calendar events, and weather, while intentionally avoiding cluttered or ad-driven elements. Notably, he keeps social media apps off his device entirely, opting for web versions to discourage overuse. For browsing, he relies on Arc, which syncs seamlessly with his desktop bookmarks and intelligently opens supported native apps.
When it comes to artificial intelligence, Claude is his current tool of choice, particularly valuing its coding capabilities through Claude Code. For note-taking, he recently migrated to Obsidian, appreciating its open, Markdown-based system that allows for greater flexibility and integration with AI tools. He even uses custom scripts to automate tasks like organizing shopping lists or summarizing meeting notes.
Beyond his homescreen, Paulus is enthusiastic about several interests. He’s deeply engaged with AI, using Claude Code both professionally and for creative projects with his child, like programming a light-responsive pong game. He’s also proud of the recent launch of the Home Assistant Connect ZWA-2, a powerful Z-Wave antenna designed for extensive smart home coverage.
Community recommendations this week include a documentary on the Python programming language, praised for its compelling narrative even among non-developers. Others are rediscovering the joys of offline music with FLAC collections and dedicated MP3 players. Architecture and design videos are also trending, with channels like Archimarathon and Architectural Digest drawing attention for their insightful tours and commentary.
On the entertainment side, a well-received birdwatching documentary and the latest season of Foundation on Apple TV Plus are generating buzz. In music, Static Dress is winning fans with their modern take on post-hardcore, while NTS Radio receives applause for its diverse DJ mixes and user-friendly app.
Wrapping up, the IFA show in Berlin served as a midyear tech showcase, highlighting innovations like stair-climbing robot vacuums, new smart lighting solutions, and advanced party speakers. For those interested, a full roundup of the event’s most notable reveals is available.
(Source: The Verge)
