Home Assistant Podcast

• The Reluctant Home Assistant Guy: From Hue Chaos to Hour‑of‑Power Wins

  Chris joins Phil and Rohan to share a brutally honest smart home journey: starting with Philips Hue, hitting limits with multiple bridges, battling MyQ and RatGDO, and landing real energy savings with Home Assistant.Watch this episode on YouTubehttps://hasspodcast.io/ha207Support the PodcastGet early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.Support Rohan and Phil on PatreonShare your storyWe wouldn't be able to do this podcast without community members and home automation enthusiasts sharing their stories. To register your interest to come share your home automation journey, head over to homeassistant.fm and click share your story.Chapters00:00 Welcome01:03 Meet Chris: the ‘reluctant Home Assistant guy’ (NZ/Canada background)03:00 Hue as the gateway: GU10s, COVID mood lights, buying a house04:39 Discovering Home Assistant; cost shocks and smart switch vs smart bulb decisions06:30 Legal wiring quirks in NZ and scoring bulk Hue downlights08:00 Hue motion/presence, bridge device limits, and Pro Bridge API exposure09:50 Upgrade cadence, iOS/MacOS betas, and why Shelly bodies didn’t fit12:00 Daily frustrations: a random red light, Roomba fails, Alexa vs Siri14:36 Garage/gate saga: MyQ, RatGDO struggles, Grandstream Wi‑Fi, Meross HomeKit fix20:00 Adaptive Lighting: Hue app vs HA integration; mixed CCT bulbs going ‘red’26:00 Three points of failure; behavior change, the cleaners’ switch, and one non‑motion room31:40 Protocol choices: Wi‑Fi vs Zigbee vs Z‑Wave; Matter/Thread pain in practice36:40 Energy saving wins: free ‘hour of power’, Bosch Home Connect, Hue Tap + TTS47:06 Simple scenes that matter: spa lighting that won’t trigger floods51:00 Biggest surprises, time sink, and the idea of HA consultants53:40 Advice for newcomers: hobby vs lifestyle; draw the line56:00 Dashboards: new layouts, family tabs, activity timelines, and to‑dosThis episode was made possible thanks to our sponsorsHome Assistant Cloud by Nabu CasaEasily 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 so no fiddling with router settings, dynamic DNS, or YAML.ZoozIf you're looking to upgrade your smart home - you can’t go past Zooz! Zooz offers a range of affordable and innovative devices, including water leak sensors, water valve controllers, smart plugs and scene controllers.For the best prices on all Zooz products, head over to thesmartesthouse.comHostsPhil HawthorneWebsiteSmart Home ProductsTwitter: @philhawthorneBluesky: @philhawthorne.comBuy Phil a CoffeeRohan KaramandiWebsiteSmart Home ProductsTwitter: @rohank9Buy Rohan a CoffeeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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• AirGradient: From Thai Wildfires to Open Source Hardware feat Achim Haug

  Discover the origins of AirGradient, which began as a volunteer project in Northern Thailand during the harsh "burning season" of 2019. Learn how this effort evolved into a company focused on providing open source air quality hardware, measuring critical metrics like PM 2.5 and CO2 to safeguard classroomsWatch this episode on YouTubehttps://hasspodcast.io/ha206Support the PodcastGet early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.Support Rohan and Phil on PatreonShare your storyWe wouldn't be able to do this podcast without community members and home automation enthusiasts sharing their stories. To register your interest to come share your home automation journey, head over to homeassistant.fm and click share your story.Chapters00:00 Welcome01:04 Meet Achim: From Siemens to Thailand and a Wildfire Crisis03:20 Burning Season 2019: The School That Sparked AirGradient07:50 DIY to Open Hardware: Arduino, ESP32, PM2.5 + CO2, and Dashboards12:24 Values: Repairability, Ownership, and CC BY‑SA Licensing16:40 Global Takeoff: Hacker News, Jeff Geerling, and the Kit Era20:16 ESPHome vs Native: Building the Official Home Assistant Integration32:26 Works with Home Assistant Platinum: Local‑First and Privacy by Default36:40 Open Culture, Community, and Academia: Why Sharing Pays Back41:45 UNICEF Laos: ML Air‑Quality Forecasts + Open Map Integration44:55 Roadmap: Larger Displays, Portable Monitors, and More Pollutants46:27 Safeguarding the Mission: Foundation Plan (Switzerland)49:45 Achim’s Home Assistant Setup: Z‑Wave, ESPHome, Geofencing56:16 Real‑World Use Cases: Factories, Schools, and Ventilation Control01:01:58 Accuracy Matters: Calibration, Pitfalls, and Transparent Limits01:05:19 Wrap‑Up and Where to BuyThis episode was made possible thanks to our sponsorsHome Assistant Cloud by Nabu CasaEasily 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 so no fiddling with router settings, dynamic DNS, or YAML.ZoozIf you're looking to upgrade your smart home - you can’t go past Zooz! Zooz offers a range of affordable and innovative devices, including water leak sensors, water valve controllers, smart plugs and scene controllers.For the best prices on all Zooz products, head over to thesmartesthouse.comHostsPhil HawthorneWebsiteSmart Home ProductsTwitter: @philhawthorneBluesky: @philhawthorne.comBuy Phil a CoffeeRohan KaramandiWebsiteSmart Home ProductsTwitter: @rohank9Buy Rohan a CoffeeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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• Philips Hue's New Bridge and the Cat Automation Problem with Josh Burg

  We're joined by psychologist Josh Burg, who shares his unique journey from Google Home to a fully local Home Assistant setup. We get to see how he’s using some of the new Philips Hue zone capabilities to make his home smarterWatch this episode on YouTubehttps://hasspodcast.io/ha205Support the PodcastGet early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.Support Rohan and Phil on PatreonShare your storyWe wouldn't be able to do this podcast without community members and home automation enthusiasts sharing their stories. To register your interest to come share your home automation journey, head over to homeassistant.fm and click share your story.Chapters00:00:00 Introduction00:01:09 Introducing Josh00:01:15 Josh's Location and Weather00:02:41 Journey into Home Automation00:03:40 Networking Challenges00:06:14 Switching to Unify Networking Gear00:09:10 Home Assistant Setup00:13:16 Smart Home Integrations and Projects00:17:25 Lighting Automation00:27:20 Introduction and New Gadget Excitement00:27:30 Home Assistant Update00:27:52 Motion Aware Technology00:28:38 Setup Challenges00:29:39 Community Involvement00:30:37 Sensitivity and Testing00:31:36 Performance Comparisons00:31:55 Hardware and Ecosystem00:38:05 Hue Light Scenes00:47:22 Randomized Notifications00:51:45 AI Integration00:53:49 Google Home Issues00:54:26 Apple Ecosystem00:54:35 Home Integration and Nest00:56:22 Network Concerns00:57:10 Privacy and Data Traffic00:58:06 Local vs. Cloud Hosting01:01:55 Community Support01:06:17 Open Source Development01:07:10 Supportive Communities01:09:11 Conclusion and FarewellThis episode was made possible thanks to our sponsorsHome Assistant Cloud by Nabu CasaEasily 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 so no fiddling with router settings, dynamic DNS, or YAML.ZoozIf you're looking to upgrade your smart home - you can’t go past Zooz! Zooz offers a range of affordable and innovative devices, including water leak sensors, water valve controllers, smart plugs and scene controllers.For the best prices on all Zooz products, head over to thesmartesthouse.comHostsPhil HawthorneWebsiteSmart Home ProductsTwitter: @philhawthorneBluesky: @philhawthorne.comBuy Phil a CoffeeRohan KaramandiWebsiteSmart Home ProductsTwitter: @rohank9Buy Rohan a CoffeeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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• Voice goes bilingual with Home Assistant 2025.10

  Rohan and Phil are breaking down the 2025.10 release, which includes bilingual support for assistants. Meanwhile Sonos finds a new partner, and we answer some listener questionsWatch this episode on YouTubehttps://hasspodcast.io/ha204Support the PodcastGet early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.Support Rohan and Phil on PatreonShare your storyWe wouldn't be able to do this podcast without community members and home automation enthusiasts sharing their stories. To register your interest to come share your home automation journey, head over to homeassistant.fm and click share your story.Chapters00:00:00 Introduction00:00:59 Discussion on 2025.10 Release00:01:25 Automation Editor Updates00:03:51 AI Image Generation Service00:06:05 Dashboard Entity Suggestions00:11:39 Voice Assistant Updates00:12:05 AccuWeather and Reolink Features00:22:51 Media Player Panel Update00:24:31 Matter and Logbook Updates00:25:28 Philips Hue Motion Updates00:27:14 LG ThinQ and Litter Robot Enhancements00:29:39 Lutron Caseta Multi-tap Actions00:33:24 Shelly and SwitchBot Updates00:57:20 Notification Customization00:57:42 Using Emojis for Alerts00:58:35 Testing LLM Vision for Driveway Gates00:59:22 Memory Feature in LLM Vision01:00:10 Discussion on Breaking Changes01:00:38 Shoutout to Home Assistant Cards01:01:11 Philips Hue and Sonos Partnership01:02:33 ConclusionThis episode was made possible thanks to our sponsorsHome Assistant Cloud by Nabu CasaEasily 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 so no fiddling with router settings, dynamic DNS, or YAML.ZoozIf you're looking to upgrade your smart home - you can’t go past Zooz! Zooz offers a range of affordable and innovative devices, including water leak sensors, water valve controllers, smart plugs and scene controllers.For the best prices on all Zooz products, head over to thesmartesthouse.comHostsPhil HawthorneWebsiteSmart Home ProductsTwitter: @philhawthorneBluesky: @philhawthorne.comBuy Phil a CoffeeRohan KaramandiWebsiteSmart Home ProductsTwitter: @rohank9Buy Rohan a CoffeeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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• Beyond the Bulb: Gimmy Chu Talks Nanoleaf, Smart Homes & Community Integration

  Phil and Rohan talk to Gimmy Chu, CEO of Nanoleaf, about the Nanoleaf smart lighting ecosystem, their open API vision, and how Nanoleaf got its start in the world of innovative lighting technology.Watch the full episode on YouTubehttps://hasspodcast.io/ha203Chapters00:00:00 Introduction00:02:27 Home Assistant and IoT00:06:43 AI and IoT Integration00:11:31 Challenges in IoT Development00:17:54 Open Source and Future of Nanoleaf00:22:42 Nanoleaf Origin Story00:27:35 Introduction of Nanoleaf Product00:27:48 Development of Energy Efficient Light Bulb00:28:33 Launch and Success on Kickstarter00:28:44 Rebranding to Nanoleaf00:29:33 Impact of COVID on Home Décor00:32:41 Home Automation and Product Testing00:42:32 Challenges in Commercial Lighting00:45:13 Development of Lighting Effects and Orchestrator App00:51:39 Future Products and Expansion00:56:02 Challenges with Matter Over Thread00:56:37 Current Solutions with Nanoleaf00:57:39 Issues with Matter Adoption00:58:45 Future of Matter and Thread01:01:12 Personal Experiences with MatterSupport the PodcastGet early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.Support Rohan and Phil on PatreonThis episode was made possible thanks to our sponsorsHome Assistant Cloud by Nabu CasaEasily 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 so no fiddling with router settings, dynamic DNS, or YAML.ZoozIf you're looking to upgrade your smart home - you can’t go past Zooz! Zooz offers a range of affordable and innovative devices, including water leak sensors, water valve controllers, smart plugs and scene controllers.So for the best prices on all Zooz products, head over to thesmartesthouse.comHostsPhil HawthorneWebsiteSmart Home ProductsTwitter: @philhawthorneBluesky: @philhawthorne.comBuy Phil a CoffeeRohan KaramandiWebsiteSmart Home ProductsTwitter: @rohank9Buy Rohan a CoffeeAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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