Who Ya Gonna Call? A Retrospective Study of Ghosts in a Bayesian Smart Home

Orphaned Entities, Disappearing Light Bulbs, and the Ectoplasmic Burden of Home Automation

Dr. Matthew P. Booth¹ and Penelope Booth²

¹ StrixMCS, Independent Systems Research

² StrixHome Canine Paranormal Research Unit

Abstract

Reports of intelligent-home hauntings have historically relied on eyewitness accounts, unfortunate thermostat placement, and shaky cell phone footage only to be me with vague assurances that “it only happens when I am alone.” We examine a two-bedroom Home Assistant installation of StrixHome to determine whether apparent domestic spectral activity is better explained by supernatural agency or software objects that no longer exist. The study uses a retrospective, single-residence design combining owner-reported Spook integration findings (2025–2026), a dated systems inventory (1,687 active-state entities; 63 automations), and incident records of intermittent smart-light availability. We introduce the Spectral Entity Misidentification Protocol (SEMP), under which a “ghost” is operationally defined as an entity identifier repeatedly addressed by an automation despite its absence from the entity registry. The case series includes a deceased weather endpoint, a departed Apple TV, seven medication-log callers addressing a non-existent notifier, and a missing reminder timestamp helper. Separately, the front-door and laundry lights experienced short, documented connectivity gaps, providing an excellent visual imitation of poltergeist behavior without evidence of one. All observed hauntings were compatible with ordinary software or transport mechanisms; zero ectoplasmic packets were independently verified. We conclude that the contemporary smart home can be haunted by its own configuration, and that an exorcism usually begins with a careful read of the YAML.

Keywords: Home Assistant; Spook; ghost detection; orphaned entities; Bayesian occupancy; smart lighting; supernatural null hypothesis

If you enjoyed this paper explaining away extremely real (I’m a total believer) ghosts with boring comp sci explanations…please like, share, and subscribe with your email, our twitter handle (@JABDE6), instagram (@jabde4), bluesky (@jabde) our Facebook group here, or the Journal of Immaterial Science Subreddit, Discord.

Like our content so much you’re still reading? Consider buying one of our books such as Et al. A collection of choice 23 of our jabde papers https://packt.link/at4bw, or BUY OUR NEW BOOK How to Prove Anything of 30 handpicked papers (Please leave a review if ya already bought one!)