Home Assistant Podcast

Phil and Rohan tour Patreon supporter Jason’s Home Assistant setup. Discover how he uses UniFi cameras as motion sensors, automatically aims a PTZ camera, and identifies backyard birds with BirdNet.
Watch this episode on YouTube
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA255

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
00:02:52 From X10 to whistle-controlled TVs
00:06:44 Jason’s tech background and home lab
00:11:49 Home Assistant on Proxmox
00:14:34 Lutron, HomeKit, and reliable lighting
00:17:46 The IKEA switches that press themselves
00:20:00 WLED and the Raspberry Pi rack
00:23:45 Monitoring without alert overload
00:26:30 AI agents audit the home lab
00:29:35 Prioritizing alerts and critical devices
00:32:01 Battery reminders and daily briefings
00:34:00 Smart-home protocols
00:36:12 IKEA Matter devices and Aqara sensors
00:38:42 Water leaks, Apple TV, and climate
00:41:11 Meross thermostats and temperature mapping
00:44:47 Meal planning meets home automation
00:47:50 Shopping lists and UniFi cameras
00:50:00 Cameras that aim other cameras
00:53:17 Indoor camera rules and outdoor projects
00:56:51 BirdNet identifies backyard birds
00:59:00 Bird displays and favorite automations
01:01:40 Doorbell messages and TV automations
01:04:00 Jellyfin, Nest Hub, and closing thoughts

This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors
Clean My Mac
Get Tidy Today! Get 7 days free and use our code ASSISTANT for 20% off

Apollo Automation
Apollo Automation are the makers of open source smart home sensors built for the Home Assistant ecosystem. They're an official Open Home Foundation commercial partner and their devices are built with local control, privacy, and reliability in mind, giving you full control and flexibility right out of the box.

Home Assistant Link by Nabu Casa
Easily connect to Google and Amazon voice assistants for a small monthly fee that also supports the Home Assistant project. Sign up for your free trial in your Home Assistant system: https://my.home-assistant.io/redirect/cloud/ or visit https://nabucasa.com

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

Want Phil to help with your smart home?
You’ve heard him troubleshoot Home Assistant on the podcast. Now you can book him to troubleshoot yours. From broken automations and confusing YAML to dashboards, devices, and complete smart home setups: https://smarthomecto.com

Products Discussed
Lutron Caseta light switches: https://amzn.to/48rNmSN
Apollo Automation ESPHome Starter Kit: https://esphome.io/starter-kit/
Products we Recommend

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

Rohan Karamandi
Website
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

A temperature sensor, a smart plug and a baby who wouldn’t sleep started Mayan’s Home Assistant journey. Phil and Rohan explore how that first nursery automation grew into Zigbee heating controls, local white noise, custom lighting and a whole-house dashboard.

Watch this episode on YouTube
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA254

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
00:02:00 — A sleepless baby starts everything
00:05:17 — Smart plugs and temperature sensors
00:08:25 — Tuya reliability and appliance safety
00:11:15 — Heating controls and nursery white noise
00:14:24 — Sonos, Spotify and local playback
00:17:22 — Choosing Zigbee over Wi-Fi
00:19:00 — ESP builds and fireplace fan safety
00:23:00 — Making custom Home Assistant hardware
00:25:20 — Projector lights and movie controls
00:27:28 — Smart-home controls
00:30:00 — Buttons, voice and kitchen tablets
00:33:55 — Night lights that help kids sleep
00:37:00 — Shared calendars on Home Assistant
00:40:00 — Organizing busy family schedules
00:43:26 — Automating a louvered pergola
00:46:30 — Hacking the pergola remote
00:49:40 — Tracking louver position
00:52:40 — DIY trade-offs and remote reliability
00:55:45 — Holiday mode and home security
00:58:40 — Solar hot water and load shifting
01:01:45 — Heat banking and energy choices
01:04:20 — A Frigate-powered AI cat trainer
01:07:30 — The mini PC running everything

This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors
Home Assistant Link by Nabu Casa
Easily connect to Google and Amazon voice assistants for a small monthly fee that also supports the Home Assistant project. Sign up for your free trial in your Home Assistant system: https://my.home-assistant.io/redirect/cloud/ or visit https://nabucasa.com

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

Apollo Automation
Apollo Automation are the makers of open source smart home sensors built for the Home Assistant ecosystem. They're an official Open Home Foundation commercial partner and their devices are built with local control, privacy, and reliability in mind, giving you full control and flexibility right out of the box.

Want Phil to help with your smart home?
You’ve heard him troubleshoot Home Assistant on the podcast. Now you can book him to troubleshoot yours. From broken automations and confusing YAML to dashboards, devices, and complete smart home setups: https://smarthomecto.com

Products we Recommend

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

Rohan Karamandi
Website
Twitter: @rohank9
Buy Rohan a Coffee

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

Phil and Rohan unpack Home Assistant 2026.10, from redesigned maps and easier trigger-based automations to AI setup, Matter devices and Z-Wave network maps. They also discuss reports about LG TV privacy and Shelly’s planned acquisition.

Watch this episode on YouTube
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA253

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 Introduction
00:02:00 Community Day plans
00:04:39 Home Assistant Link replaces Cloud
00:07:29 LG TV privacy concerns
00:16:38 Shelly’s planned acquisition
00:24:01 Critical iPhone notifications
00:26:16 Notification tips and Zooz sponsor
00:28:16 Redesigned and customizable maps
00:30:42 Easier automation trigger conditions
00:34:47 Dashboard visibility and AI tools
00:37:32 Z-Wave maps and YAML improvements
00:40:16 Generators and energy monitoring
00:44:00 Modbus, profiles and timers
00:47:56 Glass-break sensors and security dashboards
00:52:00 Matter updates and Thread plans
00:55:36 Templates, Hue and Z-Wave
00:58:00 UniFi Protect and integration updates
01:01:00 iCloud lists and local vehicle control
01:03:20 New infrared and energy integrations
01:07:18 Solar, messaging and plant integrations
01:10:27 Removed integrations and upgrade advice
01:11:24 Green Button energy data

This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors
Home Assistant Link by Nabu Casa
Easily connect to Google and Amazon voice assistants for a small monthly fee that also supports the Home Assistant project. Sign up for your free trial in your Home Assistant system: https://my.home-assistant.io/redirect/cloud/ or visit https://nabucasa.com

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

Apollo Automation
Apollo Automation are the makers of open source smart home sensors built for the Home Assistant ecosystem. They're an official Open Home Foundation commercial partner and their devices are built with local control, privacy, and reliability in mind, giving you full control and flexibility right out of the box.

Want Phil to help with your smart home?
You’ve heard him troubleshoot Home Assistant on the podcast. Now you can book him to troubleshoot yours. From broken automations and confusing YAML to dashboards, devices, and complete smart home setups: https://smarthomecto.com

Products Discussed
Shelly smart relays/switches: https://amzn.to/4tfoHdE
Home Assistant ZBT2 (Zigbee radio): https://amzn.to/4pLxykT
Products we Recommend

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

Rohan Karamandi
Website
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 are joined by Trey from Tallahassee, Florida, to explore his local-first Home Assistant setup. From an X10 beginning and a MyQ API shutdown to Zigbee migrations, Trey has seen a lot!

Watch this episode on YouTube
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA252

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 Introduction
00:02:00 From X10 to Home Assistant
00:06:00 Zigbee migration and device choices
00:10:00 Smart lighting and cat alerts
00:14:00 Automation philosophy and voice control
00:18:00 Voice assistant TV pausing
00:20:00 Zigbee, Thread and Z-Wave
00:24:00 Batteries and dual Zigbee networks
00:28:00 UniFi networking
00:30:00 Garage and freeze automations
00:34:00 IKEA blinds and local AI
00:38:00 Local LLM voice pipeline
00:42:00 Backups and outdoor camera plans
00:46:00 Indoor cameras and privacy modes
00:50:00 Frigate, recognition and smart locks
00:54:00 Ring keypad and closing

This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors
Home Assistant Link by Nabu Casa
Easily connect to Google and Amazon voice assistants for a small monthly fee that also supports the Home Assistant project. Sign up for your free trial in your Home Assistant system: https://my.home-assistant.io/redirect/cloud/ or visit https://nabucasa.com

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

Apollo Automation
Apollo Automation are the makers of open source smart home sensors built for the Home Assistant ecosystem. They're an official Open Home Foundation commercial partner and their devices are built with local control, privacy, and reliability in mind, giving you full control and flexibility right out of the box.

Want Phil to help with your smart home?
You’ve heard him troubleshoot Home Assistant on the podcast. Now you can book him to troubleshoot yours. From broken automations and confusing YAML to dashboards, devices, and complete smart home setups: https://smarthomecto.com

Products we Recommend

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

Rohan Karamandi
Website
Twitter: @rohank9
Buy Rohan a Coffee

This video 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

Roland joins Phil and Rohan to share how a simple attempt to measure an old fridge's energy use led to a deeply data-driven Home Assistant smart home. Energy monitoring, solar forecasting, home batteries, EV charging, ESPHome, weather data and templates are all used to make his home smarter.

Watch this episode on YouTube
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA251

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
00:02:01 An accidental Home Assistant install
00:06:04 Scaling devices and automations
00:08:04 Solar forecasts and battery control
00:16:46 ESPHome windows and storm protection
00:21:03 Home Assistant at the university
00:26:16 Starting with energy data
00:29:08 Cooling buckets and digital grass
00:34:52 Turning data into automations
00:37:19 Summer-winter heating and cooling
00:43:52 Measuring a new home
00:47:21 Whole-home energy and smart PC
00:52:16 Pool monitoring and house insights
00:59:07 Future projects and stable automation
01:04:26 Updates, reliability and farewell

This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors
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

Apollo Automation
Apollo Automation are the makers of open source smart home sensors built for the Home Assistant ecosystem. They're an official Open Home Foundation commercial partner and their devices are built with local control, privacy, and reliability in mind, giving you full control and flexibility right out of the box.

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. Sign up for your free trial in your Home Assistant system: https://my.home-assistant.io/redirect/cloud/ or visit https://nabucasa.com

Want Phil to help with your smart home?
You’ve heard him troubleshoot Home Assistant on the podcast. Now you can book him to troubleshoot yours. From broken automations and confusing YAML to dashboards, devices, and complete smart home setups: https://smarthomecto.com

Products Discussed
Navimow robotic lawn mower: https://amzn.to/4d7phni
Apollo Automation ESPHome Starter Kit: https://esphome.io/starter-kit/
Apollo Automation Cast 1: https://apolloautomation.com/products/cast-1-audio-casting-device
Shelly smart relays/switches: https://amzn.to/4tfoHdE
Shelly One relay: https://amzn.to/4wUFxj6
Products we Recommend

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

Rohan Karamandi
Website
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