Home Assistant Podcast

Director-turned-vanlifer Mike from the YouTube channel SmartyVan shows how he turned a bare Mercedes Sprinter into a fully automated, off‑grid smart RV powered by Home Assistant and ESPHome. We cover DC power realities, alternator charging vs solar, Starlink on the move, Bluetooth presence, wired vs Zigbee sensors and PoE cameras with Frigate. Perfect for vanlife, RV, and tiny home builders.

Watch this episode on YouTube
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA227

Support the Podcast
Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.
https://homeassistant.fm/patreon

Share your story
We 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.

Chapters
00:00:00 - Intro, sponsors, Mike arrives
00:05:00 - From Sprinter shell to smart RV
00:10:00 - Power: solar, alternator, efficiency
00:16:00 - Home Assistant in a DC world
00:22:00 - Pi 4, microSD, backups
00:28:00 - Internet, Starlink, offline logic
00:35:32 - Van automations that matter
00:41:00 - Service mode and shop visits
00:47:00 - Presence without motion sensors
00:53:00 - OBD-II, WICAN, vehicle data
00:59:00 - Wired sensors vs Zigbee
01:05:00 - Cameras, Frigate, PoE control
01:09:00 - What’s next and where to find

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 so no fiddling with router settings, dynamic DNS, or YAML.

Zooz
If 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 https://thesmartesthouse.com

Notion
Notion is an AI-powered, connected workspace for teams. Notion brings all your notes, docs, and projects into one space that just works. Try Custom Agents now at https://notion.com/homeassistant

Products Discussed
Google Coral USB TPU accelerator: https://amzn.to/4cNVot1
Aqara contact sensors: https://amzn.to/4utywFk

Hosts
Phil Hawthorne
Website
Smart Home Products
Twitter: @philhawthorne
Bluesky: @philhawthorne.com
Buy Phil a Coffee

Rohan Karamandi
Website
Smart Home Products
Twitter: @rohank9
Buy Rohan a Coffee

This episodes contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on one of them and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We’re diving into Kaden’s cat-first smart home: Reolink + Frigate for pet detection, PetLibro feeders, and a Litter-Robot 4 all tied together with Home Assistant and LLM-generated dashboards.

Watch this episode on YouTube
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA226

Support the Podcast
Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.
https://homeassistant.fm/patreon

Share your story
We 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.

Chapters
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:35 From HomeBridge to Home Assistant
00:07:20 Cat cams and Frigate detection
00:12:45 Smart feeders and litter box
00:16:40 Human presence and privacy
00:20:50 Garage automation journey
00:24:42 State models and sponsor break
00:30:50 Wall tablet dashboards
00:36:27 Water monitoring with RTL-SDR
00:40:32 Energy tracking and panel CTs
00:44:52 Cutting server power draw
00:48:06 WLED beats Govee cloud
00:51:00 BLE proxies and neighbors
00:54:00 On-call alerts and alarms
00:56:20 Wrap-up and links

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 so no fiddling with router settings, dynamic DNS, or YAML.

Zooz
If 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 https://thesmartesthouse.com

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Products Discussed
PetLibro automatic feeder: https://amzn.to/4bh3Nnj
PetLibro water fountain: https://amzn.to/4aIDjLs
Whisker Litter-Robot 4: https://amzn.to/4ch47DI
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 Plus: https://amzn.to/4rVv0lm
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti: https://amzn.to/4tZ8Nod
Google Coral AI Accelerator (referenced): https://amzn.to/4r44S6E
Home Assistant Connect ZWA2 radio (ad): https://amzn.to/47jdYp3

Hosts
Phil Hawthorne
Website
Smart Home Products
Twitter: @philhawthorne
Bluesky: @philhawthorne.com
Buy Phil a Coffee

Rohan Karamandi
Website
Smart Home Products
Twitter: @rohank9
Buy Rohan a Coffee

This episode contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on one of them and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Phil and Rohan go deep on practical AI for Home Assistant. We cover LLM Vision for doorbell and perimeter alerts, HACS add‑ons like AI Agent and AI Suggester, and using GitHub Copilot to generate YAML automations. Rohan shares his Ollama + LiteLLM routing setup and why private cloud models might beat pay‑per‑token APIs. Phil battles OpenClaw (aka MoltBot/Claude Bot) to control lights via MCP

Watch this episode on YouTube
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA225

Support the Podcast
Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.
https://homeassistant.fm/patreon

Share your story
We 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.

Chapters
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:02 - Rohan’s AI stack today
00:09:00 - HA’s built-in AI + Copilot
00:18:00 - HACS: AI Agent & Suggester
00:26:24 - LLM Vision in practice
00:37:00 - OpenClaw, MCP, and gotchas
00:47:00 - Do we need agents? Use cases
00:51:00 - Costs, feedback, and outro

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 so no fiddling with router settings, dynamic DNS, or YAML.

Zooz
If 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 https://thesmartesthouse.com

Products Discussed
Reolink AI Security Cameras: https://amzn.to/3OwwLH2

Hosts
Phil Hawthorne
Website
Smart Home Products
Twitter: @philhawthorne
Bluesky: @philhawthorne.com
Buy Phil a Coffee

Rohan Karamandi
Website
Smart Home Products
Twitter: @rohank9
Buy Rohan a Coffee

This episode contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on one of them and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Breaking down Home Assistant 2026.3: map vacuum rooms to Areas for voice control, set HA as your default Android assistant with wake word support, SendSpin multi-room updates, Python 3.14 performance gains, and new integrations for Ghost, Proxmox, SwitchBot AI Art Frame, Trane HVAC, and NYC MTA.
Mailbag: NFC dash buttons, Aqara FP300 presence tips, bed sensors, and listener automations for pets and babies.

Watch this episode on YouTube
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA224

Support the Podcast
Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.
https://homeassistant.fm/patreon

Share your story
We 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.

Chapters
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:40 - News: Partners, Event, Merch
00:03:54 - Dark Sky Returns: Acme Weather
00:08:02 - Mailbag: AI, Accessibility, Pets
00:12:56 - Gear Talk: Aqara, NFC, Bed Sensors
00:19:09 - 2026.3 Release Overview
00:21:56 - Vacuum Room-to-Area Mapping
00:27:42 - App & Voice: Python, Dashboards, Assist
00:32:15 - SendSpin Sync & Visuals
00:36:30 - Matter, Docker, AI, Energy
00:41:30 - Devices & Integration Highlights
00:44:24 - New Integrations Roundup
00:51:48 - Breaking Changes To Note
00:55:30 - Wrap-Up & What’s Next

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 so no fiddling with router settings, dynamic DNS, or YAML.

Zooz
If 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 https://thesmartesthouse.com

Products Discussed
HEIMAN smoke and CO alarms (Matter over Thread): https://amzn.to/4smRtrv
Open Home Foundation merch (hat, hoodie): https://store.openhomefoundation.org/
Neakasa M1 automatic litter box: https://amzn.to/3NdtiNd
Petlibro RFID pet feeders: https://amzn.to/4se0XFo
Owlet Dream Sock: https://amzn.to/4b0kHFI
Samsung Frame TV: https://amzn.to/3N40VAW
SwitchBot AI Art Frame (color e‑ink): https://amzn.to/4u0qLXr

Hosts
Phil Hawthorne
Website
Smart Home Products
Twitter: @philhawthorne
Bluesky: @philhawthorne.com
Buy Phil a Coffee

Rohan Karamandi
Website
Smart Home Products
Twitter: @rohank9
Buy Rohan a Coffee

This episode contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on one of them and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Andrew joins Phil and Rohan to share how he outgrew Apple HomeKit and built a powerful multi-user smart home in Home Assistant. We cover presence detection with ESP32s and sensors, ditching MyQ for a Meross garage opener, Yale smart locks, bathroom humidity fan automations, and fun ESPN sports goal alerts.

Watch this episode on YouTube
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA223

Support the Podcast
Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.
https://homeassistant.fm/patreon

Share your story
We 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.

Chapters
00:00:00 - Welcome, Sponsors, Intro
00:02:00 - Andrew’s Tech Beginnings
00:05:00 - From Apple Home to HA
00:08:00 - Breaking HomeKit Limitations
00:11:00 - Hardware: Pi to Proxmox
00:14:00 - Backups, Restores, Cleanup
00:16:30 - Multi-User Automation Challenges
00:19:00 - Presence Without Phone Tracking
00:22:00 - Buttons, Switches, Voice Balance
00:25:00 - ESP32 Presence And Motion
00:29:00 - Bathroom Humidity Fan Logic
00:33:00 - Sensor Health & Batteries
00:36:00 - Lighting Philosophy & Accents
00:39:00 - WLED, TV Backlights, Aesthetics
00:41:30 - Goals For The Year, Wrap-Up

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 so no fiddling with router settings, dynamic DNS, or YAML.

Zooz
If 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 https://thesmartesthouse.com

Notion
Notion is an AI-powered, connected workspace for teams. Notion brings all your notes, docs, and projects into one space that just works. Try Custom Agents now at https://notion.com/homeassistant

Products Discussed
Meross Smart Garage Door Opener (with reed sensor): https://amzn.to/4ratgV5
Third Reality Smart Switch (Toggle/rocker add-on): https://amzn.to/4kupS4S
Aqara Temperature & Humidity Sensor: https://amzn.to/4twysV1
Philips Hue Dimmer Switch: https://amzn.to/3MskUZN
Philips Hue Lightstrips: https://amzn.to/465QhA5
Govee Floor Lamp: https://amzn.to/4rfMRDv

Hosts
Phil Hawthorne
Website
Smart Home Products
Twitter: @philhawthorne
Bluesky: @philhawthorne.com
Buy Phil a Coffee

Rohan Karamandi
Website
Smart Home Products
Twitter: @rohank9
Buy Rohan a Coffee

This episode contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on one of them and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy