Exploratory conversation. Not a fixed product package.

Smart environments

Who this is for

Homeowners and small properties that want automation without surrendering everything to a single consumer cloud.

Problem

Devices don’t talk; DIY setups get brittle; privacy and maintainability suffer when architecture is an afterthought.

Positive proposition

We design, build, and operate vendor-neutral, privacy-minded smart environments, typically Home Assistant-centred, with local control where it matters, documented cloud dependencies where they remain, and architecture you can operate. These are installations we build and operate. This site is not a client delivery portfolio.

What we do

Local-first Home Assistant design and build on dedicated on-prem hardware (containerised, Postgres-backed). Cloud only where a device requires it.

Vendor-neutral integration: Zigbee/ZHA, Somfy/Overkiz local API, Nest/Blink where kept, mixed Tuya/Aqara/SONOFF/Hue ecosystems. Open coordinators, not a single vendor hub.

Custom integration engineering (ZHA quirks, ESPHome, upstream contributions).

Presence and occupancy (mmWave / ESPHome) driving lighting, climate, and privacy automations.

Voice and everyday control (minimal, deliberate Alexa exposure; Home Assistant Voice; household dashboards).

Ongoing operations (runbooks, session logs, remote support).

AI-assisted home operations as emerging and exploratory only.

NucBox (hardened on-prem host)

The on-prem home server (NucBox-class mini-PC) we use for installations we build and operate. We do not sell this hardware and we do not have an OEM partnership.

Encrypted disk with TPM unlock

Tailscale-only administration

No inbound ports

Encrypted nightly backups mirrored off-site

Containerised Home Assistant and Postgres

Security

Local-first control, with every kept cloud dependency documented.

Privacy-respecting cameras: Frigate, presence-gated recording, and network controls so footage stays local.

Home network resilience: DNS, reverse proxy and TLS on the LAN, mesh Wi-Fi, Tailscale remote access, ISP/Starlink monitoring, off-site backups.

Hardened host bootstrap as on the NucBox card (encrypted disk, Tailscale-only admin, no inbound ports, encrypted off-site backups).

Not a certified alarm, medical, or life-safety installer.

Public engineering artefacts

Hands-on Home Assistant, Zigbee, and ESPHome work since 2024.

What a first conversation covers

Goals and constraints (privacy, local-first preference, household users, existing kit).

Boundary map: what must stay local. Life-safety and alarm limits we will not overclaim.

A non-binding architecture sketch and staged scope if a project were to proceed.

An honest fit check, including when DIY or another specialist is the better next step.

Example outputs (only if we continue under a separate agreement)

Architecture notes; integration plan; configured system in agreed scope; automation packages; owner runbook.

Deeper project documentation will come later.

Boundaries

Vendor-neutral: we do not exist to push a single OEM.
Not a claim of certified alarm, medical, or life-safety installer status.
We do not publish a portfolio of completed client Home Assistant deployments on this site.
We do not claim Matter, Thread, Z-Wave, or LoRaWAN support.
Trip and Move demonstrate product engineering. They do not prove smart-environment consulting delivery.
No pricing or fixed outcomes from a first email.