Home Control Architecture

Purpose

Define the simplest robust architecture for the first wave of home automations.

Design Principle

Use the most native, reliable control layer possible first.

That means: - Apple Home / HomeKit for scene orchestration where available - Sonos for room-based audio playback - Apple Music as content source - No PAM / Cambium integration yet - No unnecessary abstraction before the first automations are proven useful

Current Known Device/Service Layers

Lighting Layer

• IKEA TRADFRI gateway (HomeKit exposed)
• Connected lighting likely includes kitchen + dining room and other house lights

Audio Layer

• Sonos speakers:
• Dining Room
• Bedroom
• Family Room (multiple)
• AirPlay endpoints:
• Living Room
• Dining Room
• Joshua’s Mac mini
• SCOTT’s Mac mini

Compute / Control Layer

• Joshua’s Mac mini
• SCOTT’s Mac mini

Control Ownership

Apple Home / HomeKit should own:

• light scenes
• light schedules
• simple room state automation
• manual scene triggers
• weekday time-based automation if supported cleanly

Sonos should own:

• room audio playback
• room selection
• volume presets
• grouped / ungrouped music behavior

Apple Music should own:

• playlist / album / station source
• content identity

Future automation layer (optional later) should own:

• cross-system logic
• advanced conditions
• state-driven orchestration

For now, do not add this layer.

Scene Model

1. Morning Dining

Type: scheduled weekday routine

Intent: create a reliable family morning cue in the dining area

Actions: - start Beatles Greatest Hits in Dining Room at 7:00 - flash kitchen light at 7:36

Why this belongs in native systems: - timing is fixed - logic is simple - reliability matters more than sophistication

2. Dinner Mode

Type: manual scene

Intent: simplify and beautify dinner

Actions: - all connected lights off except kitchen + dining room - play dinner playlist in dining room only

Why manual: - dinner timing varies - manual trigger reduces false positives

3. Friday Movie Night

Type: manual scene

Intent: quick movie atmosphere

Actions: - all connected lights off - stars remain separate and manually controlled

Why manual: - avoids badly-timed schedule trigger - stars are not integrated

Naming Recommendation

Keep scene names human and obvious.

Recommended scene names

• Morning Dining
• Shoes On
• Dinner Mode
• Movie Night

Alternative vibe names: - Beatles Breakfast - Shoes Time - Supper - Lights Down

But the safer choice is clear names first.

Reliability Rules

1. Avoid over-automation.
2. Prefer manual trigger where timing varies.
3. One scene = one emotional/job outcome.
4. Keep audio routing room-specific unless expansion is intentional.
5. Do not add PAM/Cambium until the household scenes are stable.

Architecture Recommendation

Phase 1 (now)

• implement with native ecosystems
• prove value with 3 routines

Phase 2 (only if needed)

• introduce a richer automation layer if HomeKit / Sonos coordination is too limited
• likely candidate later: Home Assistant

Phase 3 (much later)

• expose house modes to PAM/Cambium as high-level states only
• not direct bulb-by-bulb control

High-Level Future State

If expanded later, home control should be based on modes, not raw device micromanagement.

Examples: - focus_mode - dinner_mode - movie_mode - bedtime_mode - family_transition

Then a home system translates those states into device actions.

That keeps the architecture sane.