Home Assistant Podcast

Rob joins Phil and Rohan from New Zealand to share how he replaced 15 smart-home apps with Home Assistant. Discover his AI-assisted workflow using VS Code, Claude Code, Codex, Git, YAML documentation, solar optimisation, camera-powered number plate recognition, and a resilient smart-home network.

Watch this episode on YouTube
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA249

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
00:02:00 Escaping the app overload
00:07:00 First automations and Wi-Fi devices
00:10:00 Batteries, presence sensors and vacuums
00:17:00 UniFi network and Home Assistant upgrade
00:20:00 Solar, Modbus and energy optimisation
00:23:00 AI coding workflow with VS Code
00:33:00 OpenCode, MCP and custom workflows
00:37:00 AI documentation and automation intent
00:42:00 Fail-safe smart home design
00:45:00 AI camera gate recognition
00:50:00 Security, modes and alarm integration
00:54:00 Backup power and future projects
01:01:00 Advice for a new setup

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. 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
AirGradient air-quality sensor: https://www.airgradient.com/
Home Assistant Connect ZWA2 (Z‑Wave radio): https://amzn.to/3MfPzsP
Aqara FP300 presence sensor: https://amzn.to/3LpkZ02

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

Home Assistant 2026.9 is here. Maps suffer an unexpected turn of events and easier Modbus integrations arrive. Activity history gets some love. Nabu Casa subscribers can start testing a new and improved speech to text provider via Labs.

Watch this episode on YouTube
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA248

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
00:01:46 Home Assistant map outage
00:05:57 Community Day, Apollo and iOS
00:10:19 Mailbag: locks, pools and moving
00:18:13 AI assistants versus closed ecosystems
00:23:43 Proxmox upgrade compatibility warning
00:29:04 Home Assistant Cloud and Modbus
00:35:04 Dashboard updates
00:38:12 History, accessibility and Matter maps
00:43:39 New integrations and release 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. 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
Apollo Automation ESPHome Starter Kit: https://esphome.io/starter-kit/
Apollo Automation Cast 1: https://apolloautomation.com/products/cast-1-audio-casting-device
Home Assistant Connect ZWA2 (Z‑Wave radio): https://amzn.to/3MfPzsP

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

Sofia lives in a Home Assistant smart home, but she didn’t install it. We’re breaking down what its like on the other side of the fence and how open communication and involvement make for a happier smart home.
Watch this episode on YouTube
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA247

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 Home Assistant origins
00:04:00 Philips Hue beginnings
00:06:30 Building automations together
00:09:00 Sensors and safety alerts
00:12:00 Magic mirror project
00:15:00 Apple Home scenes
00:18:00 Home Assistant usability
00:21:00 Privacy and stability
00:24:30 Voice control and wrap-up

This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors
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

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 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 this link 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

Rohan is moving house! Phil and Rohan dive into the realities of selling a Home Assistant-powered home and moving into a new property. They discuss what smart home gear is worth leaving behind, how to keep a house buyer-friendly, and why removable devices are often the safest choice. Plus, Rohan shares his plan to rebuild his smart home from scratch in a new house with a pool, septic, a generator, and plenty of new automation opportunities.

Watch this episode on YouTube
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA246

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
00:01:45: Moving House Update
00:04:41: Leaving Smart Gear
00:08:51: Selling Smart Homes
00:14:40: Lockbox Troubles
00:17:31: Open House Modes
00:19:59: Preparing The Yard
00:23:43: Packing The Tech
00:25:48: Home Assistant Move
00:28:50: Server Rack Plans
00:31:14: Doorbell And Locks
00:34:09: Irrigation Controller
00:35:19: New House Criteria
00:39:00: Pool And Irrigation
00:43:19: Fresh Home Assistant
00:48:03: New UI Features
00:51:26: Well Septic And Generator
00:55:09: Move Planning Tools

This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors
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.

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

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

Clean My Mac
Get Tidy Today! Get 7 days free and use our code ASSISTANT for 20% off

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 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

Home Assistant 2026.8 is here, we unpack the biggest changes. From port 8123 to port 80 for new Home Assistant OS installs, customizable entity ID formats, moon and vibration automation triggers, and the device-registry separation that may affect merged devices.

Watch this episode on YouTube
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA245

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
00:01:47 - Perth meetup and SmartThings API
00:07:47 - Battery charging and leak sensors
00:14:52 - Port 80 and HTTP settings
00:18:03 - UI wording and entity IDs
00:22:49 - Moon and vibration automations
00:24:23 - Device registry separation
00:30:00 - Template editor
00:32:21 - Dashboards and integration updates
00:36:37 - New Home Assistant integrations
00:44:48 - Breaking changes and upgrade advice
00:46:34 - Rohan's house move
00:48:14 - Proxmox migration and Zigbee
00:51:02 - Z-Wave migration and lock codes
00:55:31 - AI agent automations
00:57:36 - Network troubleshooting with Hermes
00:59:48 - Picture frame project and closing

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. 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
SwitchBot Candle Warmer Lamp: https://amzn.to/45plQEt
Roborock Q10 robot vacuum: https://amzn.to/4fVu105
Harbor Sleep Baby Monitor: https://amzn.to/3Rt73VV

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