Using the Wrong Words On Porpoise

I’ve been battling Matter over Thread… and I finally figured out why nothing would pair properly.
Let’s just say the fix was not what I expected.

New video drops soon — full setup, failures, fixes, and the one setting that changed everything.

Stay tuned 👀
https://youtu.be/YBSbHrUGh1I

1 week ago | [YT] | 0

Using the Wrong Words On Porpoise

Three fresh Home Assistant Tips are rolling out this week — quick, practical, and perfect for tightening up your automations without breaking anything… hopefully.

And if the tech gods are kind to me this week, I’m planning a long-form video on Thursday diving deeper into building a reliable, self-healing smart home setup.

Stay tuned — and wish me luck avoiding any more “learning opportunities.”


P.S. The Dashboard part two is still being worked on - I finished it but it doesn't work as I hoped so its being re made

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 2

Using the Wrong Words On Porpoise

🛠️ Smart Home Automations Simplified | Start Your Setup Today

Want to automate your home without touching a single line of YAML?
In this video, I walk you through the latest way to build automations and scripts in Home Assistant — using trigger IDs, choose actions, and real-world examples like button-controlled lights 💡🔘

✅ No coding required
✅ Real demo with button + plug + light
✅ Tips on scripts, triggers, and conditions
✅ How to use choose blocks and trigger IDs
✅ Why you don’t need YAML anymore

Whether you're just starting your smart home journey or want to clean up your setup, this guide will help you build smarter, faster, and cleaner automations.

#SmartHome #HomeAssistant #AutomationTips #NoYAML #SmartDevices #TechTutorial #HomeAutomation #DIYTech

1 month ago | [YT] | 2

Using the Wrong Words On Porpoise

Only one video from me this week — and for good reason. December really threw the side‑quests at me.
- 23rd: Cataract operation
- 24th: My PC decided to celebrate Christmas by blowing its motherboard
- 27th: I escaped for a week away

Back to normal soon. Thanks for sticking around — 2026 content is going to be fun.

1 month ago | [YT] | 2

Using the Wrong Words On Porpoise

🎄 Merry Christmas, everyone! 🎄
Hope you're all having a brilliant festive break — mince pies, LEDs, and zero YAML errors.

Today’s new video is all about moving Zigbee2MQTT to a new server without losing your devices, your sanity, or your coordinator’s mysterious IEEE address. If you’ve ever wanted to improve performance, relocate your dongle to the centre of the house, or stop Home Assistant reboots from nuking your Zigbee network, this one’s for you.

In the video, I walk through:

How to safely shut down both Zigbee2MQTT instances

Setting up Samba on Ubuntu for easy file transfers

Which config files actually matter (and which don’t)

Copying your database, state, and configuration the right way

Avoiding coordinator ID chaos

Restarting everything without breaking your network

If you’re migrating 50+ devices, this guide will save you hours. If you’ve only got two… well, it still saves you a headache.

🎥 Watch the full video here:
https://youtu.be/V9tEW36A4RI

Thanks for all your support this year — the comments, the questions, the chaos, and the laughs.
Have an amazing Christmas, and I’ll see you in the next one! 🎅✨

1 month ago | [YT] | 0

Using the Wrong Words On Porpoise

Two Videos this week Tuesday's is a short, that would be great if you could share
I have been more annoyed by a solar panel advert in the UK - I may have rewritten it to advertise me and not been very serious about it

Thursdays is something exciting to do with Zigbee!

2 months ago | [YT] | 2

Using the Wrong Words On Porpoise

🐾 New Video Alert! 🐾 Ever wanted to access your Home Assistant config files directly from your computer — and upload custom images to personalize your dashboards?

In Tomorrows(2nd Dec) tutorial, I show you how to install the Samba Share add-on in Home Assistant, set up secure access, and upload a photo of our new rescue sausage dog, Albi 🐶, as a dashboard background.

✅ What you’ll learn:

Installing Samba Share in Home Assistant

Accessing config.yaml via Windows Explorer

Uploading images to the www folder

Using custom backgrounds in your dashboard

🎥 Watch now: https://youtu.be/ucBJyDCuERs 📬 Join my mailing list for weekly tips: www.onporpoise.co.uk/keepintouch/

If you’ve got a smart home setup (or a mischievous dog), this one’s for you.

#HomeAssistant #SmartHomeDIY #SambaShare #ConfigFiles #DashboardDesign #SausageDog #Automation

2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 0

Using the Wrong Words On Porpoise

Slightly different video today - My phone died - just stopped working.
So I chose a new one - definitely in wrong words style!
Video drops at 12:30 - Have a watch and tell me what you think ?
https://youtu.be/iIIultMv360
Vote below

2 months ago | [YT] | 0

Using the Wrong Words On Porpoise

🚨 NEW VIDEO DROPPING THURSDAY 🚨 I'm rebuilding my entire smart home from scratch — and here's the twist: 💥 I only have £1000 to do it. 💥

From automations to dashboards, sensors to security — I'm pushing every pound to the limit. Can I pull off a full smart home rebuild on a budget? Subscribe and hit the bell 🔔 so you don’t miss it!

🛠️ #SmartHomeChallenge 💸 #£1000Rebuild 📅 Thursday — don’t miss it!

If you could start again with your smart home would you rebuild

3 months ago | [YT] | 2

Using the Wrong Words On Porpoise

🚨 Never Lose a Zigbee Device Again! 🚨

Launching tomorrow at 12:30 🕧 — your smart home fix is here.

Struggling with Zigbee devices dropping off your network, ghosting Home Assistant, or refusing to respond? This video is your ultimate guide to stabilizing your Zigbee mesh using Zigbee2MQTT.

✅ What you'll learn:

Diagnose signal issues (even through banana-thick walls 🍌)

Use Zigbee2MQTT’s dashboard + network map to track device health

Push last seen + link quality into Home Assistant

Create template helpers + stale device badges

Automate alerts when devices go offline

Apply mesh strategies that actually work

Whether you're a Home Assistant pro or just getting started, this tutorial will help you build a resilient Zigbee setup that just works.

🔗 Join the mailing list for all the code snippets + markdown templates: onporpoise.co.uk/keepintouch

📺 Subscribe so you don’t miss it: www.youtube.com/channel/UC2Ap...

#Zigbee2MQTT #HomeAssistant #SmartHome #Automation #IoT #ZigbeeFix

3 months ago | [YT] | 1