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Home Assistant Podcast

Home Assistant Podcast

Written by: HK Media
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Join hosts Phil Hawthorne and Rohan Karamandi as they explore the newest Home Assistant releases and the latest Home Automation news. Featuring guests who use or contribute to Home Assistant, the podcast aims to inspire new ways to make your home smarter.

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Episodes
  • How Will Automates His Parents' Pool from 2,000 Miles Away and a Period UK Home

    How Will Automates His Parents' Pool from 2,000 Miles Away and a Period UK Home
    Feb 17 2026
    Will joins Phil and Rohan to share how he tamed a period UK home and a remote Canary Islands vacation property with Home Assistant, ESPHome, and Zigbee. We dive into DIY pool chemistry control, fridge monitoring with a ‘strawtenna’, tactile dashboards, AI‑assisted heating, and why Shelly is everywhereWatch this episode on YouTubeShow notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA222Special Thanks to Today's GuestWill Osborne-KennedyWebsiteSupport the PodcastGet early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.https://homeassistant.fm/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 Welcome00:03:30 Will’s origin story and tinkering00:08:30 Finding Home Assistant and ESPHome00:12:00 Hot tub and pool control projects00:17:00 Remote Canary Islands setup00:22:00 Zigbee vs Wi‑Fi in old homes00:27:00 Antennas and fridge sensor hacks00:32:00 Dashboards and tactile panels00:37:00 AI and heating optimizations00:42:00 Remote access: fiber and TailScale00:46:00 Multi‑site management and ideas00:50:00 Favorite automations and LLM Vision00:56:00 Home lab, IPTV, and Channels DVR01:00:00 2026 goals: energy, irrigation, WLED01:05:00 Shelly scripts and local‑first01:07:00 Community vendorsThis 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 https://thesmartesthouse.comClean My MacGet Tidy Today! Get 7 days free and use our code ASSISTANT for 20% offhttps://clnmy.com/ASSISTANTProducts DiscussedShelly Bluetooth button/tile: https://amzn.to/4bJcvvyOrbit B‑Hyve irrigation controller: https://amzn.to/4bJcvvyHDHomeRun TV tuner: https://amzn.to/4klnoFUPhilips Hue Outdoor Motion Sensor: https://amzn.to/4cf3r1pHostsPhil HawthorneWebsiteSmart Home ProductsTwitter: @philhawthorneBluesky: @philhawthorne.comBuy Phil a CoffeeRohan KaramandiWebsiteSmart Home ProductsTwitter: @rohank9Buy Rohan a CoffeeThis 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
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Hiding Smart Tech in a 1950s Home: Mike’s Home Assistant Journey

    Hiding Smart Tech in a 1950s Home: Mike’s Home Assistant Journey
    Feb 10 2026
    Mike joins Phil and Rohan to share how he hides smart tech in a 1953 mid‑century home so it looks analog but works like magic. Plus: Roborock tricks, leak sensors that turn rooms blue, HomePod TTS vs Sonos ducking, Samsung Frame art‑mode headaches, and running full HA OS in a VMware Fusion VM on a Mac mini.Watch this episode on YouTubeShow notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA221Support the PodcastGet early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.https://homeassistant.fm/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 Welcome00:03:00 Lighting gateway and Hue hack00:05:30 Sneaking tech and dance reveal00:08:00 From HomeKit/HomeBridge to HA00:10:30 Dashboards and camera setup00:12:30 Bulbs vs switches in 50s home00:14:30 Bathroom fan and comforts00:16:30 Homelab and Zigbee backbone00:19:00 LLMs and announcements00:21:30 Laundry alerts and Mac lab00:25:30 Presence sensing strategy00:28:00 Leak sensors and water safety00:31:00 Light signals around the home00:33:00 Roborock automations and hacks00:40:30 Bedroom presence routines00:43:00 Bayesian sensors and design00:49:50 Time Machine and Frame TV00:54:30 Pool fountain control00:56:30 Power and crawlspace cabling00:59:10 Party trick and outroThis 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 https://thesmartesthouse.comProducts DiscussedPhilips Hue bulbs and lightstrips: https://amzn.to/4k7paurAqara T2 wall switch: https://amzn.to/4jUTZm1Samsung The Frame TV (43"): https://amzn.to/4t5mTnrZigbee main water shutoff valve (generic): https://amzn.to/4aURldjAqara water leak sensors: https://amzn.to/3Nest6AAqara door/window sensors: https://amzn.to/49hmu9BThird Reality sensors: https://amzn.to/455ZR5FEcobee thermostat with room sensors: https://amzn.to/4t4XYjOBond Bridge (ceiling fan RF hub): https://amzn.to/3YAbHBmAqara roller shade controllers: https://amzn.to/3O8ihwILevel Lock: https://amzn.to/3ZcU3UgSwitchBot Lock (with keypad/fingerprint accessory): https://amzn.to/4a55H92HostsPhil HawthorneWebsiteSmart Home ProductsTwitter: @philhawthorneBluesky: @philhawthorne.comBuy Phil a CoffeeRohan KaramandiWebsiteSmart Home ProductsTwitter: @rohank9Buy Rohan a CoffeeThis 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
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Home Assistant 2026.2: New Home Dashboard, Apps & our CES2026 wrap

    Home Assistant 2026.2: New Home Dashboard, Apps & our CES2026 wrap
    Feb 4 2026

    We break down Home Assistant 2026.2: the Home Dashboard is now default, the new Command‑K command palette, a dedicated Matter dashboard, and add‑ons renamed to Apps. Plus: CES 2026 highlights, the Open Home Foundation device database and a Google Home outage.


    Watch this episode on YouTube

    Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA220



    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

    00:03:00 CES Highlights and Shoutouts

    00:06:00 Device Database and Open Home

    00:11:30 Cloud Outage and Local Control

    00:13:50 Listener Feedback and Tips

    00:21:20 2026.2 Release Overview

    00:23:20 Home Dashboard Becomes Default

    00:26:45 Command Palette and Shortcuts

    00:29:40 Matter Dashboard and Apps Rename

    00:32:40 Automations, Cards, and Buttons

    00:37:10 Music Assistant, Media, Sponsor Break

    00:41:10 New Integrations Roundup

    00:46:25 Breaking Changes: Groups, Tuya

    00:49:38 Closing Thoughts and Predictions


    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



    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



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