Home automation has always been my main goal. I've been working with some electronic devices as you mentioned. For those interested, Sparkfun has "The Thing": h

Home automation has always been my main goal. I've been working with some electronic devices as you mentioned. For those interested, Sparkfun has "The Thing": https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13231 https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13231 which is a good way to get into the ESP8266. I've also tried using Raspberry Pis, which works pretty well but are still too big with the battery to go carry around a building. I'm hoping to try the Pi Zero in the future with a small LiPo battery.