Cross-platform Smart Home Newsletter (covering OpenHAB, Matter, Zigbee, new devices & much more)"

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TL;DR: Weekly curated newsletter covering smart home news and developments across all platforms. Subscribe at https://smarthomenewsletter.com (issues every Friday).

I know this is a bit awkward: I’m a Home Assistant user, and yes, I created an account specifically to share this. But hear me out!

I recently started The Smart Home Newsletter because I kept missing important developments in the smart home space. The reality is, whether you’re using OpenHAB, Home Assistant, or any other platform, we’re all dealing with the same protocols, standards, and hardware. Matter updates, Zigbee news, new device releases, Thread developments, they affect all of us.

Each week I curate the most relevant news, product launches, and articles from across the smart home industry. It’s platform-agnostic by design because the ecosystem is bigger than any single platform. This week’s issue will, of courese, include the OpenHAB 5.1 release (congratulations on that!).

I’m not here to convert anyone or compare platforms. I just genuinely think there’s value in a newsletter that covers the whole smart home landscape, and I wanted to share it with communities that might find it useful.

You can check it out at https://smarthomenewsletter.com. If it’s not for you, no worries. And mods, if this isn’t appropriate, I understand, even though I read the FAQ and didn’t find anything against this.

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Note to forum users: This post was a bit in a gray area when it comes to spam, but ultimately I decided to approve it because it looks legit, and I think OH users will find it useful. I just don’t want it to be reported as spam repeatedly.

@danieldotnl, thanks for posting (in the right category too :-D).

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Thank you very much, Rich, for approving my post!

And to everyone: all your feedback is very welcome! And if you happen to write smart home or home automation related blog posts, feel free to send me a link to your blog via PM so I can add it to my list of sources to follow.

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This seems like a cool and useful resource. However, I dislike having to go and click each “newsletter” one by one to “browse”. While I understand that it’s great for organisational purposes, it would be a great addition (whilst keeping the current structure too) if one could see all the links in one big chronological list - with dates of each post, bonus points if we could search e.g. “show me all posts mentioning openhab” and/or maybe some form of tagging system.

Also it would be handy to add the dates in front of each newsletter:

2025/12/09 - This Week's Essential Smart Home Reading #11
2025/12/02 - This Week's Essential Smart Home Reading #10
...
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Thanks for sharing your ideas! I already implemented your suggestion to show the date in front of each issue title.

Search by platform or even product is also on my list, but the list is long and time is limited, so have some patience please :slight_smile:

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I tried to subscribe, but I got “We’re unable to process your subscription at this time. Please contact the newsletter author directly.”

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That’s strange, but I did see it coming through! Did you receive an email with a confirmation link (maybe in spam)?

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is confirmed now!

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Great! I’ve sent you and some others the issue that came out yesterday, otherwise you would need to wait for two weeks due to the holiday break.

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Hi everyone,

I’m working on a Jargon Buster (glossary) for the smart home newsletter site and thought I’d get your input on the openHAB entry. The goal is to briefly describe different platforms in a “non-boring” way while staying as fair and accurate as possible.

I’d appreciate your feedback on two things:

  1. Technical accuracy - do you spot any mistakes or outdated information?

  2. Recognition - does this match what you actually experience with openHAB?

Here’s what I have so far:

Short definition: openHAB is the “configure it once, run it forever” open-source smart home platform. Built on Java for rock-solid stability, it uses a structured abstraction model that separates your physical devices from your automation logic - meaning you can swap hardware without rewriting rules.

Long definition: While Home Assistant moves fast and breaks things (in the best way), openHAB takes the opposite approach: stability over speed. Running since 2010 on enterprise-grade Java, it’s built for people who want to configure their smart home once and have it run reliably for a decade. The architecture reflects this - devices are abstracted through a Things → Channels → Items → Rules model that cleanly separates “what hardware exists” from “what my automations do.” Swap your Z-Wave controller for Zigbee? Your rules don’t care.

This abstraction is openHAB’s superpower and its learning curve. You’ll spend more time upfront understanding the model, but the payoff is a system that’s genuinely portable and maintainable. openHAB 5.0 (July 2025) modernized things considerably: full Matter 1.4.1 support with Bridge capabilities, Python 3.11 scripting, and YAML configuration options. It runs on anything with a JVM - Raspberry Pi, Synology NAS, enterprise servers - and stays local by default.

Who’s it for? If you value stability over bleeding-edge features, prefer structured configuration over UI-driven discovery, or need a system that runs on enterprise infrastructure, openHAB delivers. If you want the latest integrations fast and don’t mind occasional breaking changes, Home Assistant is probably your match. Different tools, different philosophies - and the smart home world is better for having both.

Full entry: What is openHAB? | Smart Home Newsletter

I know the Home Assistant comparison might be a bit sensitive, but it’s there to help readers understand different approaches. If it feels unfair to either platform, let me know.

Thanks!

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This is a great start.

Some more ideas to consider:

  • openHAB fully supports UI-driven discovery, configuration and workflow. Some of us use the UI 100% to configure the entire system and to create rules.
  • openHAB supports:
    • A simple web based “If This Then That” style automation - no coding skills needed
    • Blockly drag and drop “programming”
    • For Advanced rule creation, take your pick:
      • Javascript scripting
      • Python scripting
      • Ruby scripting
      • Groovy scripting
      • Scripting can be done using web based UI or file-based system - whichever you prefer.
  • the openHAB Foundation - a non-profit - manages the infrastructure for openHAB (the web site, build servers, market awareness, etc). openHAB itself will never be sold or commercialized - as I understand it.
  • openHAB offers a free cloud connectivity. HA / nabu casa charges a monthly fee.
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Jim, thanks (again) for your detailed feedback. It helped shape the updated definition on the site!