The Future of Software is Bespoke: I Built My Own Custom Home Automation Stack in a Day

In my spare time today, I threw together a completely custom cloud-hosted home automation stack. It runs an agent on an old Linux laptop that talks natively to exactly what I need: an obscure old pool controller, my unsupported mini-split, and the Nest thermostats.

If you've ever fought with Alexa, Apple Home, or Google Home, you know what a nightmare it is just getting devices to work right.

Eight years ago when I installed the pool and mini-split in the ADU, Mitsubishi had already ditched their Wi-Fi protocol and Pentair stopped shipping their bridge. So I ripped that crap out, swapped in cheap basic hardware and open-source bits. Once I hacked the little controllers into the gear and got them on the network, I just told the AI to scan everything and figure out the integration. It handled the rest.

I tried Home Assistant first but it was too heavy and bloated. Way easier to have the AI build a full custom stack tailored to me.

This is the future of software—bespoke stuff that fits exactly what you want. No need for general-purpose frameworks, protocols, or plugins. Just the bare minimum, fully customizable to whatever I feel like.