Ambitious Home Automation Project Powered by Shelly

Overview
Alella Green Tech Charitable Foundation (AGT) is a green technology R&D center, product showcase, and community hub. For one of their projects they showcase how the usage of Shelly products can result in sophisticated smart solution.
This home automation project represents a cutting-edge approach to smart home technology, integrating over 100 Shelly devices, including Shelly Pro 4PM, 2PM, and other models, to control an array of household elements. Located in a large single family home that is part of a rural green tech research center, this system manages lights, motors, air conditioning, curtains, blinds, and various appliances. All wiring is routed to a centralized breaker panel equipped with extensive overcurrent and overvoltage protection, ensuring safety and reliability.
The aim of the project is to create a comprehensive, smart environment where household systems operate seamlessly, enhancing comfort, efficiency, and control. The installation spans the entire home, covering all significant electrical and mechanical systems. Using the power of Shelly’s smart relays, this setup allows for tailored functionality, with real-time adjustments and intelligent inter-device communication to optimize operations.
A key feature is the ability for the system to keep functioning when the Internet is not available but the local area networks is, and when both the internet and the LAN are down. This is thanks to the Shelly device´s built-in scripting feature which allows complex autonomous behavior as well as collaborative functionality according to conditions.
Challenges
Implementing an automation system at this scale presented several challenges:
● Device Management: Coordinating the actions of over 100 devices required a control strategy based on best practices with emphasis on abstraction so that no hard data such as IP addresses or actual command details are stored in the code, but all can be looked up from configuration databases.
● Reliability and Safety: Given the potentially high load and extensive wiring, ensuring safety through overcurrent and overvoltage protection was critical. The system has a star configuration with almost all cabling being led back to the main electrical panel.
● Inter-device Communication: To create a smart home experience, devices needed to communicate efficiently without latency or errors. Shelly provides a large number of alternatives for communications making efficient communications possible.
● Customization: Balancing the default functionalities of Shelly devices with custom automation scripts required detailed planning and programming. Deployment and provisioning are key challenges. A great system allows a high degree of automatic provisioning of new devices.
Solutions / Implementations
To overcome these challenges, a hybrid approach using both native Shelly functionalities and custom Shelly scripts was adopted. Key aspects of the solution include:
● Solution: Shelly’s smart relays were deployed across the home to manage individual systems. Shelly scripts enable inter-device communication and decision-making based on real-time data. Devices can check the internet or access a custom database for additional context before executing actions, adding an extra layer of intelligence. If the internet and/or the LAN are not available, the scripts continue operating in an autonomous fashion.
● Key Feature: Centralized control through a main breaker panel, where extensive overcurrent and overvoltage protection secures all wiring. This centralization simplifies maintenance and monitoring of the system.
● Scale/Implementation: With over 100 devices installed across various parts of the home, the setup allows for control over virtually every aspect of the household environment. Key data is collected by the appropriate Shelly EM monitoring devices. This has proven key when tracking down the reason for faults and unexpected behaviour.
● Products Used: The setup includes Shelly Pro 4PM, EM, 2PM, and other models, each strategically deployed based on the load and function required for each part of the house.

Results
The home automation project has successfully transformed the house into a smart, responsive environment. Key outcomes include:
● Enhanced Convenience: Systems respond to real-time data, automating tasks and reducing the need for manual adjustments.
● Increased Safety: Centralized control with robust protection ensures that the system remains safe under high load and variable voltage conditions.
● Efficiency Gains: Customized scripts and intelligent communication reduce energy usage by optimizing device operation based on current needs.
Conclusion
This project exemplifies the potential of Shelly devices in a comprehensive home automation setup, showing how native functionalities can be augmented through custom scripting for maximum effect. By combining powerful hardware with tailored automation logic, this home stands as a model for ambitious smart home initiatives, showcasing the capabilities of Shelly technology in real-world applications.
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