Brink Home Automations

20/08/2026

De buienradar integraties werken blijkbaar nog steeds, die heb ik al even niet meer gezien!

Voor deze en meer (Nederlandse) weer integratie voorbeeld code voor op je Home Assistant dashboard kijk ook eens op https://vdbrink.github.io/homeassistant/homeassistant_dashboard_weather_nl

30/07/2026

Do you ever remember that it was bin day only after the collection truck has already passed and your bin is still full?

I made a LED strip reminder. Every evening, my home automation checks the waste-collection schedule and lights up a Zigbee LED strip in the color of the bin that needs to be put outside the next day.

It use Home Assistant Afvalbeheer integration.
On my phone and living-room dashboard, I can also see the upcoming collection days and countdowns.

Read all about these projects and integrations at

My Home Automation LED strip reminds me which trash bin needs to be put outside tomorrow by lighting up in its matching color.

23/06/2026

The final result of my dream setup: a large standing desk (200 × 80 cm) and a 49" ultrawide monitor.

I used walnut, black, and green accents to create a clean, minimalist workspace. The cats fully approve of it too.

What do you think?

I documented the process of converting a bedroom into an office, including how I used AI to design the space before bringing it to life. Read more about it here: https://vdbrink.github.io/desk/

23/06/2026

The final result of my dream setup: a large standing desk (200 × 80 cm) and a 49" ultrawide monitor.

I used walnut, black, and green accents to create a clean, minimalist workspace. The cats fully approve of it too.

What do you think?

I documented the process of converting a bedroom into an office, including how I used AI to design the space before bringing it to life. Read more about it here: https://vdbrink.github.io/desk/

18/06/2026

Do you also have smart home sensors that drain CR2032 coin cells too fast?
It's possible to replace the CR2032 coin cell with two AA batteries.

Read more about how this is possible at

Replace a CR2032 coin cell with two AA batteries for a much longer life span.

15/06/2026

I designed and realized my new dream home office desk setup with the help of AI.

More details about this project at https://vdbrink.github.io/desk/

18/05/2026

Smart and stylish full-color notification light based on smart home events that blends in on my desk.

It can be used for:
* CO2 level too high
* Meeting starts
* Focus time
* Ai needs user input
etc..

Read the full article how this works at: https://vdbrink.github.io/projects/smart_notification_light

18/05/2026

I built a smart and stylish full-color notification light that changes color based on different states in my home automation. I wanted a way to get notified, but I didn't want a regular lamp, just something that blend in on my desk.

I use it when the CO2 level in my office is too high, but it can be used for all kinds of notifications.

Read the full article here:

Home automations: Home Assistant, ESPHome, Node-RED and more.

13/05/2026

Which weather forecast dashboard integration do you use right now, and what does it look like? Or did you create a custom one with AI?

Over the past years, I have tried several HACS integrations that show the forecast for the upcoming days, I like the ones which includes the expected temperature, rain, wind, and current weather data.

Are you also looking for some inspiration? You can check out my blog page with the examples I tested myself, including copy-paste YAML code examples:

Home automations: Home Assistant, ESPHome, Node-RED and more.

10/05/2026

Indoor air quality matters more than most people realize. High CO2 levels can cause fatigue, headaches, feeling uncomfortable, and reduced concentration.

Around my home I use multiple CO2 sensors to keep track of these values.
These separate sensors are not cheap that make the commercial prize also not cheap.
By this fact and it's fun to create your own sensors I decided to test this by creating my own CO2 sensors. It's running this way already for a few years now.
With just a good CO2 sensor, an ESP board and ESPHome it quite easy to create, in a few steps, this sensor. For this project I use the SenseAir S8 sensor.

You can read the full implementation how to create this yourself, and with multiple Home Assistant dashboard YAML examples to make it theses invisible values visible!

Read more on:

Create your own ESPHome CO2 sensor based on the SenseAir S8 sensor for Home Assistant