Welcome to ChrisHansenTech—where smart home innovation, practical automation, and real-world tech solutions come together.

I’m Chris, a software developer, team leader, and lifelong tech enthusiast based in West Fargo, North Dakota (USA). By day, I lead development teams building point of sale systems. Outside of work, I focus on Home Assistant, DIY smart home projects, and solving the kinds of problems that don’t have clean, out-of-the-box solutions.

Technology is more than my profession—it’s how I solve real problems, whether that’s integrating unsupported devices, automating daily routines, or improving systems I rely on every day.

Why ChrisHansenTech?

What started as a personal blog has grown into a resource for people who want practical, working solutions—not just ideas. Most of what I share comes from real setups in my own home or lessons learned from professional experience.

Whether you’re optimizing your smart home, connecting systems that weren’t meant to work together, or trying to understand how something actually works under the hood, the goal is simple: make technology more useful.

I also bring in Stoicism and leadership principles where they fit. Clear thinking, discipline, and good systems apply just as much to people as they do to code and automation.

How to Use This Site

Most topics are covered in both written and video form:

• Start with the video if you want a quick overview or to see the result in action
• Use the blog for full setup steps, YAML examples, and deeper explanations

Both are designed to work together so you can choose the level of detail you need.

What You’ll Find Here

• Smart home automation using Home Assistant
• Integrations that go beyond what’s officially supported
• Real-world projects and builds
• Practical debugging and problem-solving
• Tech leadership and development insights
• Stoic principles applied to tech and daily work

Video Content

I also create YouTube videos to complement the blog—focused on demos, walkthroughs, and showing how things actually work in practice. The goal isn’t to replace the written guides, but to make them easier to understand and faster to explore.

If you prefer seeing things in action first, the videos are a good place to start.

Final Thoughts

This site is built for people who like figuring things out, improving systems, and making technology work better in real life.

If that sounds like you, you’re in the right place.