I turned an old Android phone into a DIY smart home hub — here’s how it works

Building a cost-effective, entry-level smart home is an experiment that should come with careful planning and an emphasis on simplicity. Overengineering can cause frustration, particularly when your devices suddenly turn on or off out of nowhere, leaving you confused with a screen full of buttons and no idea where to tap.

I only put my setup together with an IR blaster, two Android phones (you only need one if you don’t want a DIY home hub), a smart plug, and a couple of apps. Before configuring anything, I anticipated the project might become convoluted rather than convenient, so optimizing the control interface and day-to-day interactions was my priority throughout.