Home Assistant Podcast

Home Assistant 2025.7 is here, with a much-requested feature, the ability for Voice PE to ask you questions. Rohan and Phil discuss the possibilities and break down some other new features that have been packed into this release

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha192

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:08 Home Assistant Voice Chapter 10

00:04:25 Community Feedback

00:05:56 Smoke Detector Options

00:11:21 Home Assistant 2025.7 Updates

00:21:29 Integration Subentities

00:25:35 UI Improvements and Features

00:29:01 Home Assistant Configuration

Justin and Trevor from Apollo Automation stop by to share their journey of turning a hobby project into a thriving customer-focussed home automation manufacturer

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha191

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:02 Apollo Automation's Origin

00:02:02 Company Growth and Operations

00:02:23 In-house Manufacturing and Distribution

00:02:55 Community-driven Development

00:03:11 Unique Product Insights and Development

00:04:03 Branding and Logo Evolution

00:05:51 Interactive Community Engagement

00:10:21 Working with Home Assistant Program

00:12:35 Product...

Rohan and Phil chat with Andrej, a passionate Home Assistant user with some truly creative automations—from a relationship point system to a cat doorbell! He’s also developing PokyPow, an ESP-based device that lets you control your PC with Home Assistant.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha190

Chapters

00:00:35 Guest Introduction: Andrej

00:00:47 Andrej's Journey with Home Assistant

00:01:34 Introducing PokyPow

00:02:27 Building and Challenges of PokyPow

00:03:18 Prototype to Production

00:04:30 Launching on Crowd Supply

Pete Borchers is one-third of the Technical Difficulties Podcast, host of the DIY Smart Home Guy YouTube channel, and he doesn’t think Home Assistant is the bees-knees. Rohan and Phil try to see Pete’s point-of-view and to point him towards to right path

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha189

Chapters

00:01:02 Guest Introduction: Pete

00:02:10 Discussion on Smart Home Devices

00:04:12 Content Creation and YouTube Journey

00:07:25 Smart Locks Discussion

00:16:19 Home Assistant Experience

00:24:59 Vide...

While the Home Assistant core team are off to Dublin for the Open Home Foundation summit, Rohan and Phil are breaking down the 2025.6 release that will ship a week later. Meanwhile we discuss some self-hosted apps we love, and the IKEA and Sonos breakup.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha188

Chapters

00:00:04 Introduction

00:01:00 Open Home Summit 2025

00:01:56 Community Day Recap

00:03:07 Mailbag

00:05:07 Podcast Feedback

00:06:15 Sonos and IKEA Collaboration Ends

00:10:11 Home Assistant Installation...

We’re back with another vendors episode, this time talking with Agnes from Zooz about the evolution of Zooz, and the challenges being a smart home company

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha187

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:15 Background and Evolution of Zooz

00:03:49 Certifications and Challenges in Manufacturing

00:06:43 Z-Wave Standards and Certification

00:13:11 International Support and Market Strategy

00:18:23 Impact of Tariffs and Supply Chain Considerations

00:22:45 Upcoming Products and Innovations

00:26:56 Integration with Ho...

Alfredo shares his journey into home automation, explaining how his exploration aligned with his personal values of privacy, choice, and sustainability, which he found mirrored in Home Assistant's philosophy

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha186

Chapters

00:00:51 Alfredo's Journey into Home Automation

00:01:59 Building the Ultimate Smart Home

00:02:10 Challenges in Home Automation with Electricians

00:06:27 Teaching and Sharing Home Assistant

00:13:15 Building a Home Lab and Home Assistant Philosophy

00:17:27 Importance of Privacy and Data Control<...

We’re kicking off our new Vendor series of episodes, and first up are Connor and Tez who are making a business of installing Home Assistant for their customers

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha185

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction

00:00:48 Jimmy's Journey into Digital Creation

00:01:43 Discussion on CES and Content Creation

00:02:25 The Beginnings of Smart Home Adventures

00:04:00 Jimmy's Transition from TikTok to YouTube

00:13:23 Jimmy's Smart Home Evolution and Insights

00:16:42 Discussion on Home As...

A new Areas dashboard type lands in 2024.5. Meanwhile we’ve got some announcements about the podcast to share

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha184

Chapters

00:02:18 Open Home Foundation Transition

00:05:17 Leadership and Organizational Changes

00:06:52 Non-profit Status and Challenges

00:11:41 Commercial Partnerships and Growth

00:22:35 Community Survey Insights

00:26:43 Z-Wave Certification and Bug Fixing

00:27:07 Building Relationships with Big Brands

00:27:34 Home Assistant Certification and Reliability

00:28:25 Community Interaction and Automation

00:29:20 De...

We’re kicking off our new Vendor series of episodes, and first up are Connor and Tez who are making a business of installing Home Assistant for their customers

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha183

Chapters

00:01:05 Background and Challenges

00:02:02 Finding Home Assistant

00:03:53 Development and Expansion

00:13:47 Client Onboarding and Integration

00:23:11 Practical Challenges and Aesthetic Considerations

00:24:36 Smart Home Technologies and Sensors

00:32:00 Client Consultations

00:34:45 Hardware Recommendations and Remote Support

...

We talk with Bob who is using Home Assistant to automate and secure his RV, as well as helping his disabled son

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha182

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction

00:00:54 Bob's Journey with Home Assistant

00:01:40 Efficient Home Automation for Families

00:24:43 Exploring Advanced Automation Systems

00:25:50 Safety in Home Automation

00:33:35 RV Home Automation Challenges

00:50:12 Integrating Node-RED with OpenHAB and MQTT

00:50:32 Lighting Solutions with WLED

00:54:08 Innovation with 3D...

We’re kicking off our new creators special episodes by talking to one of the best out there, Travis from the YouTube channel digiblurDIY. 

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha181

digiblurDIY on YouTube

digiblur.com

Chapters

00:00:00 Guest Introduction: Travis aka DigiBlur

00:01:32 Travis' Journey into Home Automation

00:03:10 Challenges and Achievements

00:04:05 ESPHome and Tasmota

00:08:54 Sponsorships and Content Creation

00:19:45 Family Involvement and Outro Stories

00:20:51 Inspiration and...

A new Areas dashboard type lands in 2025.4. Meanwhile we’ve got some announcements about the podcast to share

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha180

Chapters

00:00:58 Upcoming State of the Open Home

00:02:49 Matter Certification and Open Home Innovations

00:06:06 Motion Blinds and Community Day

00:07:22 Podcast Updates and New Sponsor

00:10:23 SwitchBot Integration Update

00:11:56 Home Assistant 2025.4 Release Highlights

00:12:18 Voice Support Enhancements

00:19:10 New Areas Dashboard

00:24:51 Backup Sensors and UI Breadcrumbs

Jeroen is a software developer from The Netherlands with a passion for saving money by saving energy. In this episode Jeroen shares his energy dashboard and e-ink calendar display.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha179

Support the Podcast

Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors

Home Assistant Cloud by Nabu Casa

Rohan and Phil are here to break down the 2025.3 release, which brings more dashboard improvements, and discuss the latest “voice chapter” update. Meanwhile SmartThings collaborates with Home Assistant to ensure their integration keeps working for Home Assistant users'

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha178

Chapters

00:00:16 Welcome and Introduction

00:00:59 Excitement for Speech-to-Phrase

00:03:15 Hive API Changes and Updates

00:05:01 Dashboard and UI Enhancements

00:07:43 Tile Card and UI Improvements

00:13:20 OpenAI and Streaming Capabilities

00:18:52 Smar...

See what happens when a tech-savvy teacher turned police officer dives deep into the world of Home Assistant. Phil and Rohan chat with Damien about his automation setup, the coolest integrations he's built, and how he's making his home truly intelligent.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha177

Support the Podcast

Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

This episode was...

2025.2 is here with a bunch of new updates to the backups feature, and the Home Assistant voice assistant gets some long awaited new skills. Meanwhile Rohan and Phil discuss a new office occupancy sensor from Logitech, and an issue with HACS

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha176

Support the Podcast

Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors<...

Rohan and Phil go to CES 2025 in Las Vegas. In this episode they give an outline of some of the things they experienced from an open source and Home Assistant perspective.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha175

Support the Podcast

Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors

Home Assistant Cloud by Nabu Casa

...

Gavin from the Home Tech Podcast stops by to talk about his smart home journey with Home Assistant. From automating the pool to soil sensors and cameras, Gavin has tackled a lot

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha174

Support the Podcast

Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors

Home...

2025 is here and Home Assistant is kicking it off with a new cloud-ready backup solution, and a bunch of updates that have been making peoples heads scratch for a while

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha173

Support the Podcast

Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors

Home Assistant Cloud...

You may not know her, but you have most likely seen or read her work. Missy is the social media and community manager for Nabu Casa, and a home assistant user. 

Chapters

00:00:52 - Meet Missy

00:01:28 - Role of Community Manager

00:02:09 - Nabucasa Developments

00:03:02 - Community Engagement

00:06:46 - Discord Restructuring

00:13:18 - Social Media Management

00:15:58 - Reddit Influence

00:17:54 - Home Automation Projects

00:22:36 - RoboVac Insights

00:25:03 - Office Automation Challenges

00:26:53 - Family and Cleaning Routine

For the final release episode of 2024, Frenck decides to turn the microphone and questions back on to Rohan and Phil

Chapters

00:00:17 - Introduction

00:01:51 - Origin of the Home Assistant Podcast

00:03:18 - Changes and Evolution of the Podcast

00:06:10 - Motivations and Inspirations

00:11:28 - Phil and Rohan's Smart Home Experiences

00:22:30 - Future Smart Home Technologies

00:25:24 - Introduction to Home Automation

00:25:30 - Energy and Sustainability Discussion

00:26:24 - The Influence of Podcast on Smart Homes

00:28:02...

For the final release of the year, Frenck is here to reflect on the year and his recent GitHub Universe experience. 

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha170

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors

Home Assistant Cloud by Nabu Casa

Easily connect to Google and Amazon voice assistants for a small monthly fee that also supports the Home Assistant project. Configuration is via the User Interface s...

Tim is starting out with his Home Assistant journey like many of us did, in a rental with limited options for changing fixtures.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha169

Support the Podcast

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

Patreon supporters get access to an ad-free feed and early episode drops!

Chapters

00:00:15 Introduction

00:00:50 Meet Tim

00:01:07 Home Automation Beginnings

00:03:13 Challenges in Home Automation

00:05:33 Zigbee and IKEA...

Section dashboard layouts are now official. LG comes to the party creating an official LG ThinQ integration. Phil and Rohan discuss the modern cord cutter dilemma

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha168

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors

Home Assistant Cloud by Nabu Casa

Easily connect to Google and Amazon voice assistants for a small monthly fee that also supports the Home Assistant project. Configuration is via the...

Learn how Benjamin is using AI integrations with Home Assistant to help organise and manage some of those mundane tasks we all have to do

Timestamps:

Grant is a South African tech enthusiast and content creator, who joins Rohan and Phil to discuss his joy of using Home Assistant in his smart home

Chapters

00:01:23 - Background in Tech and Smart Homes

00:02:04 - Discussion on Home Assistant Setups

00:04:12 - Synology and NAS Performance

00:05:27 - Exploring Efficient Tech Solutions

00:11:21 - Innovative South African Technology Solutions

00:17:14 - Load Shedding Solutions Using Smart Technologies

00:22:09 - Utilizing ESPHome and Bluetooth for Smart Homes

00:25:40 - Introduction to...

In this episode 2024.10 of the Home Assistant Podcast, hosts Rohan Karamandi and Phil Hawthorne discuss many exciting updates which extend from YAML updates to Tesla Fleet and EV integration. From new Matter integration surprises to advanced dashboard customization features, this episode breaks down the key improvements you’ll want to implement in your home setup. Phil shares his hands-on experience with a Matter presence sensor, while Rohan discusses the latest support for button and valve entities, smart devices, and more. Whether you’re a seasoned automation enthusiast or just getting started, this episode offers plenty of insights to help you...

In this episode of the Home Assistant Podcast, hosts Rohan Karamandi and Phil Hawthorne are joined by Nick Dawson, a ski instructor, mountain guide, and passionate home automation enthusiast. The conversation takes a deep dive into Nick's unique approach to home automation, particularly how he integrates smart technology into his life both on and off the ski slopes. From automating his morning routine to ensuring his dog's safety while he's away, Nick's insights provide a wealth of practical advice for those looking to enhance their home automation setups.

Nick Dawson shares his journey of balancing a dual l...

In this episode of the Home Assistant Podcast, hosts Phil Hawthorne and Rohan Karamandi, discuss the recent appointment of Paulus on the Z-Wave Alliance board, and dive into the improvements with HACS 2.0 and energy management discrepancies.

The hosts also highlight innovative use cases for technologies like LoRa and the integration of Claude LLM into Home Assistant. This episode is packed with insights, technical discussions, and a few fun anecdotes about their personal experiences with home automation setups.

Key Takeaways:

In this episode of the Home Assistant Podcast, hosts Rohan Karamandi and Phil Hawthorne have a fascinating discussion with Nir Lavi, an enthusiast and active contributor to the home automation community. The conversation delves deep into Nir’s journey with home automation, focusing on the practical aspects and challenges of integrating advanced smart technologies into everyday life.

Nir shares his experiences, from early experimentation with home automation to the sophisticated systems he uses today. The discussion covers a wide range of topics including lighting, security, energy management, and redundancy in smart home setups. Nir’s insights provide valu...

In this episode of the Home Assistant Podcast, hosts Phil Hawthorne and Rohan Karamandi provide the latest updates and features of Home Assistant version 2024.8 and more! They discuss various topics, including the discontinuation of Telstra TV and Nike's self-lacing shoes, environmental concerns related to e-waste, and notable updates in the Home Assistant ecosystem, including new local LLM integrations, updates to the Home Assistant Yellow and Green devices, and enhancements to the user interface.

Key Highlights:

In this episode of the Home Assistant Podcast, Rohan Karamandi and Phil Hawthorne have an engaging conversation with Jason Shearer, a long-time listener and an engineering leader in the technology industry.

Jason shares his fascinating journey from experimenting with home automation in his first condo to integrating advanced technologies into his current home. His expertise spans various domains, including lighting, irrigation, security, and energy management.

Jason's story is filled with intriguing projects, such as transitioning from SmartThings to Home Assistant, automating a sit-stand desk, and creating elaborate holiday light displays using individually addressable LEDs.

2024.7, Year of the voice chapter 7, and an amazing ESPHome update are just some of the goodies released Rohan and Phil break down.

Chapters

00:44 ESPHome Update Entities

05:16 Year of the voice chapter 7

18:49 2204.7

20:11 Home Assistant Roadmap

29:05 20247 Continued

For complete show notes and more information about the topics discussed in this episode, be sure to check the notes at

https://hasspodcast.io/ha159

Watch this episode on YouTube

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

<...

Florian from The Netherlands joins Rohan and Phil to break down his smart home journey, and some of the decisions made when designing his families smart home.

Chapters

00:56 Getting started with Home Assistant

12:23 Design Considerations for a smart home

17:00 Protocols in the smart home

19:17 100 Devices on Zigbee

27:40 Home Assistant Hardware

29:27 Favourite Automations

34:03 Outdoor Irrigation

40:24 Other Life Automations

44:51 Room Presence

48:47 Future plans for automations

50:51 Automating Solar Consumption Output

58:40 Dashboards and UI <...

From digital photo frames, irrigation and (almost) his children, Daniel has automated a lot with Home Assistant and ESPHome

Chapters

01:04 LLM AI Support for Home Assistant

09:52 Assust Room Awareness

10:58 Section Layout Control

13:28 Blueprint Collapsible Sections

14:23 Grouping Actions

17:04 Matter Matters

18:24 Disabling Expired Login Tokens in 20246

21:16 Tag Entities

23:14 Teslemetry

26:56 New Integrations

33:25 Azure Data Explorer

37:42 Backward-incompatible Changes

48:05 A subscription price for Alexa

For complete show notes...

From digital photo frames, irrigation and (almost) his children, Daniel has automated a lot with Home Assistant and ESPHome

Chapters

01:03 Getting started with Home Automation

02:51 Building a smart home

09:36 Partner Acceptance Rules for a Smart House

12:15 Smart Home Module Life Cycles

16:27 ESPHome

22:08 Water and Energy Monitoring

30:45 Irrigation

45:56 Reolink Cameras

54:01 Favourite Automations

58:02 Netgear Meural

01:13:03 Driving Automations

01:19:44 Home Assistant Hardware

For complete show notes and more information...

The State of the Open Home live stream had some big announcements for Home Assistant and its future. Frenck fills in for Rohan to go behind the scenes and break down the announcements, and the latest Home Assistant release

Chapters

01:10 State of the Open Home

03:47 New Owner of Home Assistant

05:40 Home Assistant Foundation

10:56 How many homes use Home Assistant

13:35 Home Assistant Hardware Updates

17:18 Cloud New Features

18:04 Home Assistant Longterm New Features

22:53 2024.5 New Features

50:20 20245 New Integrations

Kurt from Belgium loves everything to do with technology. So there’s little surprise as Kurt shares with us all the ways he is using Home Assistant to make his life smarter

Chapters

02:05 Getting started with Home Automation

10:10 Smart Locks

14:35 Solving the smart home for non tech people

15:53 Driving Automations

20:40 AI for the smart home

24:13 Favourite Automations

28:36 Sleep Detection

31:35 Phil's Zwave Network Offline

37:47 Robot Vacuums

42:33 Presence Detection

45:13 Powering Automations

48:29 Car Lo...

2024.4 lands with a much requested feature - an ability to organise our automations, scripts and devices. Rohan and Phil break down the 2024.4 release and the Voice Assistant community content winners

Chapters

00:00 Intro

00:47 State of the Open Home

02:06 Voice Assistant Community Awards

10:03 2024.4

29:52 Maps and Webpage Dashboards

32:15 Section Layout

33:51 Related Items

34:41 Repairs and Spook

37:18 Matter Controllers

39:21 Opening Doors

43:24 New Integrations

45:21 Breaking Changes

47:21 Shoutouts

For complete...