{
  "id": 19599426,
  "title": "What Two Forgotten Smart Plugs Taught Me About the Future of Software",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/what-two-forgotten-smart-plugs-taught-me-about-the-future-of-software",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-12T04:36:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/samrat_majumder_3d331c278/what-two-forgotten-smart-plugs-taught-me-about-the-future-of-software-1g5i"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two forgotten Oakter smart plugs, lying in storage, taught the author a valuable lesson about the future of software. When these devices stopped working due to a discontinued service, the author began investigating whether they could be revived. This investigation quickly expanded into a larger project: building a home automation platform called Pebble Home. Pebble Home, built with extensive support from AI coding agents, is designed around the specific devices, rooms, and habits of the author's household. The author's experience with various smart devices, such as Philips and lesser-known brands, as well as different communication protocols, led to the realization that a common control layer is essential for a cohesive smart home experience. Despite the many benefits of local control, the author acknowledges the responsibility that comes with maintaining and securing the controller, its access rules, and its overall maintenance.",
  "summary": "Building Pebble Home with AI coding agents, and wondering how personal software can become. Disclosure: This article was drafted with AI from my firsthand project experience and project records. The cover is an AI-generated illustration; the screenshots show the implemented interface, with demonstration data identified where applicable. A couple of months ago, I rediscovered two old Oakter smart…",
  "key_points": [
    "Two forgotten Oakter smart plugs taught author about software future",
    "Investigation led to Pebble Home home automation platform",
    "AI agents built Pebble Home around specific devices and habits"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The shift toward local control layers offers a way to bypass discontinued cloud services, though it places the burden of security and maintenance directly on the individual user.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}