The author attended a talk on home monitoring and automation tools at Berlin Buzzwords.
They learned about Home Assistant, an open-source home automation system that prioritizes local control and privacy.
Motivated by their desire for a centralized system to manage their smart devices and concerns about privacy, the author decided to invest in Home Assistant.
They describe their current smart home setup and their goals of enhancing privacy and control through adopting an open-source, local-first approach to home automation.