The Brief
A family of five had just finished renovating a beachfront villa on a Palm frond. The property had everything except a system to actually use it. AV remotes were in three rooms. The pool, garden and outdoor kitchen had no audio. Blinds across 18 windows were manual. Three different security cameras ran on three different apps.
The owner asked for one platform that would let her run the whole villa from her phone, with zones that extended out to the pool deck and a control panel in the kitchen for her housekeeper.
The Build
Home Assistant Yellow as the brain
We installed Home Assistant Yellow in the network closet with a redundant power supply. Every system in the villa now reports to it: AC, lighting, blinds, AV, cameras, gates and the irrigation controller.
Lutron RadioRA 3 for lighting and shading
96 lighting circuits across the villa, all on Lutron dimmers and keypads. Engraved scene buttons by every entrance say what they do — Arrival, Movie, Goodnight, Pool Day. The 18 motorized blinds run on Sivoia QS, programmed to track the sun and close on the west-facing rooms by 2pm.
Sonos in 11 zones
In-ceiling Sonos Architectural speakers in the kitchen, living, dining, master, two kids' rooms and master bath. Outdoor weatherproof speakers cover the pool, terrace and outdoor kitchen. The owner can group the whole villa for a party or send different music to her teens.
Aqara sensor mesh
Motion, door and water leak sensors throughout. The basement irrigation room has water sensors tied to the main shutoff. Front gate cameras with Aqara doorbell, Frigate-based local recording, and notifications routed only when a person is detected.
The Outcome
- Total scope: AED 285,000 over 14 days of installation, plus 4 days of programming and family training.
- One system, one app. The owner runs lights, climate, blinds, music, gates and cameras from her phone or any of three wall tablets.
- Outdoor automation. The pool plays music when anyone walks onto the deck. Pool lights ramp up at sunset.
- Housekeeper-friendly. A simple kitchen panel has the four scenes she needs and nothing else.
- No vendor lock-in. Every layer is open. The family can add devices themselves whenever they want.
This project is part of our Palm Jumeirah area guide and showcases our approach to whole-home automation.