We sit down with Mark Watt from Mark Watt Tech — the high-fiving hero of Home Assistant tutorials — to chat all things smart home, AI, and turning 3D printing into a side hustle.

We dive into how AI is reshaping home automation, the evolution of the Home Assistant project, and Mark’s creative journey from software tinkerer to YouTuber… to running a 3D printing business with his wife! Whether you're deep into ESPHome or just wondering why your Tuya plug still needs the internet, there's something here for every smart home enthusiast.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha193

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction

00:00:13 Meet our Guest - Mark Watt Tech

00:01:43 Creator Calls

00:02:41 Getting Started with YouTube

00:06:02 Home Automation Journey

00:08:18 Home Assistant and Technology

00:11:02 Opinions on Matter

00:17:24 Favorite Home Automation Setups

00:26:50 Piracy and Services

00:28:18 Voice Models and Annoyance

00:29:20 Self-hosting AI

00:30:32 Voice Automation Challenges

00:35:52 YouTube Channel and Personal Projects

00:40:22 Home Automation Advice

00:43:15 Innovative Home Automation Hacks

00:45:21 Creating Content on YouTube

00:47:00 Music Assistant and Voice Assistants

00:51:50 Upcoming Plans and Projects

00:53:38 Introduction and Jealousy

00:53:52 Smart Home Creation

00:54:09 YouTube Break and 3D Printing

00:54:17 3D Printing Business

00:54:44 New YouTube Channel Plans

00:55:11 Waiting for New Printer

00:55:34 Video Content Ideation

00:57:01 Security and AI in Video Feeds

00:58:02 OpenAI Image Processing

00:58:53 YAML Integration Plans

00:59:31 Conclusion and Thanks

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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

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Hosts

Phil Hawthorne

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Twitter: @philhawthorne

Bluesky: @philhawthorne.com

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Rohan Karamandi

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Twitter: @rohank9

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