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A smart home on your own: 6 things to fit without an electrician

Leak sensor, smoke detector, radiator head, temperature sensor, motion sensor and smart plug. What you can do, what not to touch and what it costs.

May 12, 2026 · NextTek

Short answer: start a smart home with things that run on batteries or plug into a socket. Leak sensor, smoke detector, radiator thermostat, temperature sensor, motion sensor and smart plug. No electrician needed, and the first steps fit into one Saturday.

First decide where it all comes together

Cheap sensors each want their own app. After a month there are five on the phone, and none knows about the others. Pick one hub straight away: Home Assistant, Apple Home, Google Home or one brand's gateway. How to choose is in the post about Matter and Apple HomeView.

Six things you can fit yourself

Put down a water leak sensor

Under the dishwasher, the washing machine, the water heater and the sink trap, which is where leaks usually start. IKEA KLIPPBOK costs €9.99 and beeps by itself. With a hub you get a message even when you are out. In a block of flats it saves the neighbour's ceiling too.

Fit a smoke detector on the ceiling

This is not a smart-home extra, it is a requirement. Since 2020 a flat needs at least one smoke detector and a private house one on every floor (Fire Safety Regulations, point 119). Buy one marked EN 14604 and fit it on the ceiling, at least 0.5 m from the wall, as VUGD advises. A smart detector also sends a message to your phone.

Swap the radiator head

A smart thermostat head screws on in place of the normal one. The Sonoff TRVZB costs €25.57 at sonoff.lv and needs a Zigbee hub. Cooler in the bedroom at night, less in an empty flat by day. But if the radiator has no thermostatic valve, there is nowhere to put the head. In a building with heat cost allocators, the bill also depends on how the building splits heat — see the post on heat meters.

Add a temperature and humidity sensor

In the bathroom and the bedroom. If humidity stays high for long, mould starts in the corners. The sensor shows it in time, so you can air the room more or turn on a fan.

Stick a motion sensor in the hall

Hall, pantry, shed. At night a dim light comes on and you do not grope for the switch. In a living room where you sit still, a presence sensor works better — the difference is in this post.

Plug in a smart plug with metering

Find out what the old freezer or tumble dryer really draws. The plug can also switch a lamp on a schedule. For a heater or oil radiator, check the maximum load on the box and do not run it through an extension lead.

What not to do yourself

Anything behind a switch plate or in the panel: relays, electric underfloor heating thermostats, water heater or boiler control, gate motors. That is 230 V, and a mistake means sparks, not just an app that does not work. The Fire Safety Regulations require wiring to be checked every 10 years, by a specialist. Where exactly the line is, see the post about Sonoff and Zigbee.

When to call for help

If you want the heating to follow your day rather than a clock, one radiator head will not be the end of it. You need the boiler or heat pump, the underfloor heating and the sensors working together. NextTek puts that together in heating and climate control.

Sources: Fire Safety Regulations, VUGD, IKEA Latvia (KLIPPBOK), sonoff.lv (TRVZB). Prices checked in October 2026.

Common questions

Where should I start a smart home?

With a water leak sensor and a smoke detector. They are cheap, go on without tools and guard against the biggest trouble. Then move on to heating and lighting.

Do I need a hub?

For battery sensors almost always: a Zigbee hub or a Thread border router. Wi‑Fi plugs need no hub, but they often work only through the maker's cloud.

Can I mix IKEA and Sonoff?

Yes, but not in one app without a shared hub. IKEA's new devices run on Thread, Sonoff on Zigbee. Home Assistant can hold both in one place.

May I fit a smart thermostat in a flat with central heating?

You can usually swap the head on an existing thermostatic valve yourself. If there is no valve or it must be changed, that is heating system work to agree with the building manager.

Does a radiator thermostat really save money?

It does when rooms are empty part of the day and you actually lower the temperature. In a building with heat cost allocators, the bill also depends on how the building splits heat.

Is a smart plug fine for a heater?

Only if the plug's maximum load is higher than the heater's power. Compare both numbers on the boxes and do not plug the heater into an extension lead.

Where does the water leak sensor go?

On the floor under the dishwasher, the washing machine, the water heater and the sink trap. Where water runs first, not in the middle of the room.

Which smoke detector is required?

A standalone smoke detector marked EN 14604. At least one in a flat, one on every floor of a house. A smart one is fine if it also beeps loudly itself, not just sends a message.

Want this in your home?

Tell us what you have now. We will answer with a next step, not a catalogue.