20261007 - Recording of the talk at Devoxx Belgium by Matti Tahvonen
Home automation promises to make life easier. Naturally, I used it to make mine more complicated—and much more fun. In this session, I’ll show how a professional Java developer can turn a Raspberry Pi into a practical automation platform without abandoning familiar tools or disappearing down a Python-shaped rabbit hole.
We’ll tour two of my real projects. A BBQ smoker controller drives micro servos and a fan, reads half a dozen temperature sensors, and warns me when to add more wood or tame the flames. Another home server, located at the jetty, takes time-lapse photos of sunsets, measures the water level, and tells me when conditions are right for fishing—even while I’m away at Devoxx.
Along the way, I’ll cover the parts that usually make people hesitate: project structure, accessing hardware from Java, fast development loops, remote deployment, running services reliably, building mobile-friendly UIs for my iPhone—I want to control my BBQ smoker while fishing 🤓—and accessing those services securely over the internet.
No grand smart-home platform, no Python magic—just pure Java, a Raspberry Pi, sensors, motors, and a healthy willingness to overengineer everyday life.