If I had to build a complete smart home from scratch in 2026, this is every product I’d buy – from the Apple TV 4K hub to Aqara locks, UniFi networking, and Lutron Caséta lighting. I break down the Aqara U400, W200 thermostat, and G400 doorbell trio, why the UniFi Cloud Gateway Fiber beats Eero for scalable Wi-Fi, and a lesser-known Lutron dimmable lamp plug worth adding to any room. Whether you’re moving into a new house or upgrading piece by piece, this HomeKit-focused setup – with HomePods, Sonos, and UniFi Protect cameras – shows why systems that scale beat chasing universal Matter compatibility.
🎞️ *Watch More*
Aqara W200
Aqara G400
Nuki Keypad
My dream Ubiquiti rack setup
🛍️ *Go Shopping*
My Ubiquiti picks
My favorite smart home tech at Best Buy
💌 *Sunday Scene Newsletter*
It’s just 3 Apple or smart home things worth your attention.
➕ *Subscribe*
📸 *Instagram*
🧵 *Threads*
*Chapters*
00:00 Intro
00:44 Systems That Scale
01:30 Aqara Trio: U400, W200 & G400
02:20 For Renters: Nuki Deadbolt
02:52 Wi-Fi & Networking: Eero
03:30 UniFi Cloud Gateway Fiber
04:21 Casual Cameras: Aqara G100
05:00 Advanced Cameras: UniFi Protect
05:38 Smart Lighting: Lutron Caséta
06:22 Lutron Lamp Dimmer Plug
06:48 The Hub: Apple TV 4K
07:58 Audio: HomePod & Sonos
💼 *Details*
– Some links in this description are affiliate links and might support the channel at no additional cost to you
– This video and all of Eric Welander’s channel is a production of E. Welander, LLC
This is a great video, still pretty disappointed in what Apple is doing though.
Apple Home is trash. I’ve used it. It was a huge PITA. Home Assistant is the way to go!!
Cach day 10 phup em co goi $30 us dollar toi anh qua paypal,em ko biet anh co nhan duoc ko?
Great video. As I was watching it hit me of how my needs didn’t change in some instances, it was the devices that did or didn’t change. Cases in point are Ring and MyQ. I liked my Ring stuff initially but once they were acquired by Amazon I knew they’d never natively integrate with Apple Home. Using Homebridge works reasonably well but it still had drop offs. I finally bit the bullet and went full Aqara except for the Ring alarm base station. Then we have the evil MyQ. I have used and installed Chamberlain garage door openers for decades because they were quality products but what they did with MyQ was pure greed when they already commanded the larger portion of the market. The fact that they went full on in preventing Apple Home integration, even disabling the ability to use workarounds was incredible! If and when my current opener bites the dust, Chamberlain won’t be an option.
Nice video (with one caveat). Thanks.
One thing you didn’t cover which really surprised me because it’s often the first use case for someone setting up a smart home for is, while discussing lighting you did mention switches (I use Lutron but the way), you didn’t talk at all about smart bulbs. Firstly there is the question of whether to use them at all or whether to use smart relays to switch existing dumb bulbs, but for people who do decide to go the smart bulb route they’re very likely to almost immediately encounter one of the fiercest debates in the smart home world – to Hue or not to Hue – i.e. either “it’s worth paying the premium because they “just work” and are the safe choice for peace of mind” or “they’re a massively over-priced ripoff and there is loads of stuff that is just as good or better out there at a fraction of the price”.
As a parting random observation, I still wish that Apple had been brave and bought Sonos when Sonos was at the height of messing up its app and alienating its customers. I suspect that Apple could have made a deal at quite a decent price if it had picked its moment and since Sonos has now pretty much recovered from that bad spell I’m sure it could also have recovered under Apple’s ownership. Had that happened those of us deep into the Apple ecosystem would almost certainly have one heck of a lot more audio options to choose from (soundbars, subwoofers, higher-end HomePod etc).