https://chrishansen.tech/ Home Assistant automation, DIY tech, programming, and tech leadership insights from a seasoned Tech Lead. Practical tips to build, lead, and automate smarter. 2026-04-19T08:22:01-05:00 Chris Hansen https://chrishansen.tech/ Jekyll © 2026 Chris Hansen /assets/img/favicons/favicon.ico /assets/img/favicons/favicon-96x96.png 2026-04-18T12:00:00-05:00 2026-04-18T12:00:00-05:00 https://chrishansen.tech/posts/aqara-w200/ Chris Hansen

Hands-on review of the Aqara Thermostat Hub W200, including installation, Matter setup in Home Assistant, what works well, and a few things that still need improvement.

2026-03-13T00:00:00-05:00 2026-03-21T08:24:00-05:00 https://chrishansen.tech/posts/doorbell-mqtt-unifi-full-setup/ Chris Hansen

Learn how to integrate the UniFi G4 Doorbell Pro with Home Assistant using Doorbell MQTT UniFi. Automate animations, sounds, and profiles with MQTT and Docker.

2026-02-21T00:00:00-06:00 2026-03-13T20:00:00-05:00 https://chrishansen.tech/posts/doorbell-mqtt-unifi-release/ Chris Hansen

Doorbell MQTT UniFi is a lightweight C-based service that integrates the UniFi G4 Doorbell Pro with Home Assistant via MQTT. Automate custom animations and sounds locally using profile-based control, asset downloads, and Docker deployment.

2026-01-04T08:00:00-06:00 2026-01-04T08:00:00-06:00 https://chrishansen.tech/posts/moving-homelab-part2/ Chris Hansen

Moving the rest of the homelab into its own VLAN and firewall zone, deleting years of accumulated cruft, and turning a loose collection of services into an intentional, maintainable system.

2025-12-26T08:00:00-06:00 2025-12-26T08:00:00-06:00 https://chrishansen.tech/posts/moving-homelab-part1/ Chris Hansen

Migrating core homelab infrastructure into a dedicated VLAN, defining trust boundaries, and documenting the decisions that make the system understandable and resilient.