Post apocalyptic movies depict a world were there is no internet, no electric grid, water is not always safe to drink and even more trivial aspects like lighting or communication can never be taken for granted.

You don’t need to go to the future or wait for the zombies to come, just go to a rural area around where you live and you’ll realize we are designing smart home technology for a very specific set of assumptions: Permanent connection to the internet, a smartphone and un-interrupted electric service.

I’m not proposing to cut the cord from the internet, go back to punchcards or operate everything on solar (although that would be super cool). Instead, I want to turn those “Must haves” into “Nice to haves”. Instead of trying to connect that lamp to the internet, let’s focus on things that are more important like: Reusability, Stand Alone capabilities, Simplicity and Cost. The how to get there is the Mission of this Blog.

Zombie Home Manifest

A Zombie Home uses technology to solve real problems, automate boring tasks and provide useful insight but:

A Zombie Home should not depend on smart phones to be operated.

A Zombie Home should not depend on Cloud Services or permanent Internet connection to work.

A Zombie Home should not depend on an electric grid to work.

The technology that makes a Zombie Home gadget work should be 100% salvageable to be used in another gadget.

The skill to setup a zombie home should be equivalent to the skills to connect any other home appliance.

Zombie gadgets should take advantage of old and latest technology without committing to any in particular.

But more important than anything: It should be affordable. Not only affluent people have problems that can be solved in a smart way with technology.