Here's how I made my dumb devices smarter to automate them in my smart home
I used smart plugs and IR/RF blaster to turn dumb devices smart and control them with Home Assistant that ran on Raspberry Pi.
Before splurging on new smart home devices, I considered giving several existing devices in my home a second chance. Often deemed dumb devices, lights, TVs, air conditioners, kettles, or chargers require physical switching on. To make my dumb devices smart and talk to a central smart home hub, I chose Home Assistant for that, along with a few accessories for the smart home project.
