About Me
The setup, the obsession, and why I started writing it all down.
Hi, I’m Brad Andrews
I’m an IT professional and managed services provider based in Canada — a small town outside London. By day I run ManagePoint Technologies, helping businesses with their IT infrastructure. By night (and weekends) I’m knee-deep in Home Assistant YAML, Proxmox VMs, and Z-Wave mesh topology.
My home has been a continuous experiment in automation since I first discovered Home Assistant. What started as a few smart switches has grown into a fully integrated system covering lighting, climate, security, audio, presence detection, electric vehicle charging, and an AI-powered voice assistant I built myself.
I started SmartHomeSecrets.ca because I kept finding that the guides I needed either didn’t exist or assumed too much. I wanted a place where someone brand new and someone who’s been doing this for years could both find something useful.
The Setup at a Glance
- Proxmox home server
- Home Assistant OS (VM)
- Synology DS1817+ NAS
- UniFi UDM Pro + USW-Pro-48-PoE
- UniFi cameras (indoor/outdoor)
- Z-Wave mesh (GE, HomeSeer, Inovelli switches + locks)
- Sonos (Arc, Arc Ultra, Era 100, Beam)
- Tesla Model 3 + Wall Connector Gen 3
- Nest Learning Thermostat & Protect
Why SmartHomeSecrets.ca?
The name comes from the feeling I had when I first discovered what Home Assistant could actually do. I’d been let in on something most people don’t know about. Smart homes don’t have to be locked inside a corporate ecosystem. You can own your data, run everything locally, and build something genuinely impressive with off-the-shelf hardware. That’s the secret. And I’m here to share it so you can build it too.
Get in touch
Have a question about my setup, want to request a guide, or interested in a consultation? I’d love to hear from you.