Field notes
Build logs from the barn.
What we installed, what broke, and the fix that actually worked. Pulled straight from the Home Assistant logs.
Photo: Barn Images / Unsplash
I Lost 14 Smart Bulbs in One Night. Here's What Actually Happened.
Half our Zigbee lights went 'unavailable' at 12:17 a.m. The cause wasn't bad bulbs. It was how our mesh was built.
October 20, 2026Calibrate Your Light Sensors Before You Trust Them
Our 'only turn on when dark' automations were guessing. Five minutes of history graphs fixed it, plus a winter sun gotcha nobody warns you about.