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The HovelHack Starter Kit: 3 Things I'd Buy First

If I wiped my house and started over tomorrow, I'd buy these first, in this order. All three run locally in Home Assistant, so nothing breaks when the internet does.

By Andrew · Tested in the HovelHack farmhouse · Updated October 2026

At a glance

Buy first ThirdReality Smart Plug 4.5 / 5 Buy second Aqara Motion Sensor 4.0 / 5 Buy third ThirdReality Zigbee Bulb 4.0 / 5
PWR METERSIDE BTN
FIG. ThirdReality Smart Plug
#1
Buy first

ThirdReality Smart Plug Gen2 (3RSP02028BZ)

4.5 / 5

Gives you your first useful automation on day one (the washer-done alert) and strengthens your Zigbee mesh for everything you add later.

  • Reports watts, amps, and volts, which is enough to tell when an appliance is running
  • Pairs straight into Home Assistant's ZHA, no vendor app or account
  • Chunky body can block the second outlet on some wall plates
Check price at ThirdReality → Amazon →
Read the full review →
PIR FIELDLUX
FIG. Aqara Motion Sensor
#2
Buy second

Aqara Motion Sensor (RTCGQ11LM)

4.0 / 5

Motion lights are the moment your family stops rolling their eyes at the smart home. The built-in light meter stops lights from firing at noon.

  • Fast motion detection for hallway and kitchen lights
  • Built-in illuminance (lux) sensor lets lights skip turning on in daylight
  • The lux reading depends heavily on placement. One of ours can't tell day from night
  • Battery device, so it doesn't strengthen the mesh
Check price at Amazon →
Read the full review →
ZIGBEE RADIOE26
FIG. ThirdReality Zigbee Bulb
#3
Buy third

ThirdReality Zigbee Smart Bulb (3RCB01057Z)

4.0 / 5

Put these in the rooms where motion sensors trigger. They repeat signal, so every one you add makes the network stronger.

  • Pairs directly to Home Assistant with no app or account
  • Works as a Zigbee router, so it relays signal to nearby devices
  • Repeater bulbs on a wall switch become a mesh hole when someone flips it off
  • More expensive than end-device-only bulbs
Check price at ThirdReality → Amazon →
Read the full review →

Side by side

ThirdReality Smart PlugAqara Motion SensorThirdReality Zigbee Bulb
Our score4.54.04.0
Works offline✓ Yes✓ Yes✓ Yes
ProtocolZigbeeZigbeeZigbee
Energy meteringWatts, amps, volts——
Mesh roleRouter (repeats signal)End deviceRouter (repeats signal)
Needs cloudNoNoNo
Vendor app requiredNo—No

Why this order

Most people start with bulbs and end up with a weak mesh, like I did. I lost 14 bulbs in one night because the house was full of bulbs that don’t pass signal along.

Start with an always-on plug instead. It’s the backbone. Add a sensor so something actually happens automatically, then add bulbs that repeat signal where the automations run.

What else you need

  • A Zigbee radio. We use a TI CC2652 USB stick plugged into our Home Assistant box. Put it on a short USB extension cable, away from USB 3 ports and your Wi-Fi router.
  • Home Assistant, running on anything from a mini PC to a small dedicated box. No subscription required.

What to skip

Anything that only works through a company’s cloud. Here’s why we learned that the hard way.

HovelHack may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It never changes the order. How we make money.