Tools to Make a Home Smarter

The problem, in plain words: “I want to make my home smarter by automating devices, improving connectivity, and enabling remote control and monitoring.”

Home Assistant fits best, with 1 more that fits too.

You want a smarter, more connected home that can automate devices and let you remotely control and monitor them reliably.

Updated September 2026.

What fits

1/2 home automation platform

Home Assistantstrong · 86

It’s an open-source home automation platform that supports 1000+ devices and emphasizes local control with powerful automations—well-aligned with automating and centralizing device management, while avoiding cloud-dependency concerns.

Best for: Building a broad smart-home automation setup that brings many device types under one local-first controller.

2/2 smart home hub app

Google Homestrong · 78

It positions itself as a central control app for smart-home devices and automations, letting you set up and manage compatible devices together rather than juggling separate vendor apps—directly supporting remote control and monitoring through one interface.

Best for: Coordinating multiple Nest/Chromecast and compatible devices from one place with automations.

Partly fits

MyControllerpartial · 67

It’s a self-hosted, local-first automation and sensor controller designed to reduce cloud single points of failure, but it’s more of a DIY automation controller than a complete consumer-ready remote monitoring experience.

Won’t cover: It focuses on local, self-hosted control rather than clearly promising a simple remote monitoring experience for everyday home users.

Jeedompartial · 65

Jeedom is cloudless optional and built to manage many protocols via a plugin ecosystem, which fits device automation and centralization; remote access isn’t emphasized in the provided info.

Won’t cover: It emphasizes cloudless, multiprotocol automation, but remote control/monitoring is not clearly the headline promise in the supplied description.

SmartHomeNGpartial · 62

It’s explicitly a multi-protocol integration platform with plugin architecture and self-hosting orientation, aligned with automating across many device ecosystems; remote control/monitoring isn’t directly stated.

Won’t cover: It’s positioned as a self-hosted integration platform, not specifically as an easy remote monitoring and control app.

HomeGeniepartial · 61

HomeGenie is described as a cloud-independent, local-first automation ecosystem with local AI and device control, which maps well to automation and connectivity resilience; remote monitoring/control isn’t explicitly highlighted.

Won’t cover: It stresses local-first control and privacy, while remote monitoring and access from anywhere isn’t the main stated promise.

Questions

What's the best tool to Make a Home Smarter?

Home Assistant is the strongest match — It’s an open-source home automation platform that supports 1000+ devices and emphasizes local control with powerful automations—well-aligned with automating and centralizing device management, while avoiding cloud-dependency concerns.

Is there a tool that fully solves this?

2 products match this closely.

What won't these tools cover?

It focuses on local, self-hosted control rather than clearly promising a simple remote monitoring experience for everyday home users. · It emphasizes cloudless, multiprotocol automation, but remote control/monitoring is not clearly the headline promise in the supplied description. · It’s positioned as a self-hosted integration platform, not specifically as an easy remote monitoring and control app. · It stresses local-first control and privacy, while remote monitoring and access from anywhere isn’t the main stated promise.

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Matched by Matchbox. Nothing here is sponsored and payment never affects ranking. Products link to their listings; some are auto-extracted and not yet maker-verified.