Join us as Paul Riley, an engineer with a background in rocket fuel systems, shares his journey into smart home automation. Discover how he leverages Home Assistant to tackle practical "little things" like a demisting mirror and even automate his boat. Paul also discusses his passion for ESPHome, exploring local AI applications, and fostering the next generation of tinkerers in electronics.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha194

Chapters

00:00:14 Guest Introduction: Paul

00:01:39 Paul's Background in Electronics

00:06:05 Career Highlights

00:08:41 Home Automation and Rockets

00:13:57 Current Work and Tech Advancements

00:18:35 Paul's Personal Home Automation Projects

00:27:21 Introduction to Smart Gadgets

00:28:32 Home Automation Innovations

00:31:00 Gadget Enthusiast's Collection

00:39:00 AI in Daily Life

00:41:33 AI and Automation

00:47:36 Smart Home Automations

00:52:05 Challenges of Automation on a Boat

00:53:15 Voltage Converter Setup

00:53:46 Pros and Cons of Thermostats

00:55:41 Voice Control Devices

00:57:05 Cloud Systems and Security

00:59:06 Getting Started: Electronics & Home Assistant

Support the Podcast

Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

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.

So for the best prices on all Zooz products, head over to 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

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

Support the Podcast

Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

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.

So for the best prices on all Zooz products, head over to 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

Home Assistant 2025.7 is here, with a much-requested feature, the ability for Voice PE to ask you questions. Rohan and Phil discuss the possibilities and break down some other new features that have been packed into this release

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha192

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:08 Home Assistant Voice Chapter 10

00:04:25 Community Feedback

00:05:56 Smoke Detector Options

00:11:21 Home Assistant 2025.7 Updates

00:21:29 Integration Subentities

00:25:35 UI Improvements and Features

00:29:01 Home Assistant Configuration

00:30:20 AI and OpenAI Discussions

00:32:08 API Integrations and Experiments

00:34:08 Samsung and Smart Home Integrations

00:38:24 New Integrations and Features

00:41:03 Breaking Changes

00:42:03 Plex Media Server Discussion

00:46:33 Conclusion and Upcoming Episodes

Support the Podcast

Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

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.

So for the best prices on all Zooz products, head over to 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

Justin and Trevor from Apollo Automation stop by to share their journey of turning a hobby project into a thriving customer-focussed home automation manufacturer

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha191

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:02 Apollo Automation's Origin

00:02:02 Company Growth and Operations

00:02:23 In-house Manufacturing and Distribution

00:02:55 Community-driven Development

00:03:11 Unique Product Insights and Development

00:04:03 Branding and Logo Evolution

00:05:51 Interactive Community Engagement

00:10:21 Working with Home Assistant Program

00:12:35 Product Line and Hardware Design

00:20:13 Current and Upcoming Products

00:23:20 Favorite Products and Future Plans

00:26:21 Introduction to Integration Protocols

00:26:48 ESP Chip and Compatibility

00:27:41 Challenges with Matter and Future Plans

00:30:42 Open Source Sustainability and Modularity

00:35:10 Home Automation Personal Experiences

00:38:51 Tariffs and Manufacturing Challenges

00:44:00 3D Printing and Product Evolution

00:52:59 Ozone Sensor Features

00:53:12 3D Printing Options and Accessibility

00:53:30 Meeting at CES

00:54:00 Passion and Dedication of Founders

00:54:40 Home Assistant's Growth and Significance

00:55:32 Self-Hosting and Privacy Advocacy

00:55:48 Open Source Contributions

01:01:34 Future Product Development

Support the Podcast

Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

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.

So for the best prices on all Zooz products, head over to thesmartesthouse.com

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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

Rohan and Phil chat with Andrej, a passionate Home Assistant user with some truly creative automations—from a relationship point system to a cat doorbell! He’s also developing PokyPow, an ESP-based device that lets you control your PC with Home Assistant.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha190

Chapters

00:00:35 Guest Introduction: Andrej

00:00:47 Andrej's Journey with Home Assistant

00:01:34 Introducing PokyPow

00:02:27 Building and Challenges of PokyPow

00:03:18 Prototype to Production

00:04:30 Launching on Crowd Supply

00:21:30 Smart Home Experiences

00:26:10 Voice Control and Automations

00:31:22 Home Assistant Automation

00:36:20 CO2 Monitoring and Air Quality

00:43:20 Automation with Scale

00:47:40 Home Automation Future Plans

Support the Podcast

Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

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.

So for the best prices on all Zooz products, head over to 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

Pete Borchers is one-third of the Technical Difficulties Podcast, host of the DIY Smart Home Guy YouTube channel, and he doesn’t think Home Assistant is the bees-knees. Rohan and Phil try to see Pete’s point-of-view and to point him towards to right path

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha189

Chapters

00:01:02 Guest Introduction: Pete

00:02:10 Discussion on Smart Home Devices

00:04:12 Content Creation and YouTube Journey

00:07:25 Smart Locks Discussion

00:16:19 Home Assistant Experience

00:24:59 Video Concepts Introduction

00:26:01 Automation with Node-RED

00:27:08 Comparing Hubitat, Homey Pro, and Home Assistant

00:27:48 Homey Pro Preferences

00:28:33 Community in Home Automation

00:29:38 Z-Wave and Wi-Fi Devices

00:33:12 Proprietary Systems and Acquisitions

00:34:27 LG's Investment and Integration

00:38:45 Matter Protocol and Interoperability

00:39:15 Future of Streaming Services

00:42:44 AI in Home Automation

00:45:33 Smart Home Stories

00:49:44 Project Introduction

00:49:46 Water Valve Project

00:50:08 Automated Door Opener

00:50:40 Pico Remote and Automation

00:51:34 Govi Lights and Sync

00:52:18 Motion and Vibration Sensors

00:54:35 Smart Homes and AI

00:56:21 Technical Difficulties

00:57:30 Conclusion

Support the Podcast

Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

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.

So for the best prices on all Zooz products, head over to 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

While the Home Assistant core team are off to Dublin for the Open Home Foundation summit, Rohan and Phil are breaking down the 2025.6 release that will ship a week later. Meanwhile we discuss some self-hosted apps we love, and the IKEA and Sonos breakup.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha188

Chapters

00:00:04 Introduction

00:01:00 Open Home Summit 2025

00:01:56 Community Day Recap

00:03:07 Mailbag

00:05:07 Podcast Feedback

00:06:15 Sonos and IKEA Collaboration Ends

00:10:11 Home Assistant Installation Updates

00:14:18 Bluetooth and ZigBee Updates

00:17:44 Ikea Desk and Automation Discussion

00:22:25 Home Assistant 2025.6 Updates

00:23:53 Customization and Sidebar Features

00:25:59 Sonos Multizone Playback

00:26:29 ESPHome

00:28:49 Improved Shelly Devices

00:29:13 Smart Things & Integration Updates

00:32:42 Amazon Device Integration

00:36:23 Image App Integration

00:45:21 Breaking Changes Changes

00:46:38 2025.6 Release Recap

Support the Podcast

Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

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.

So for the best prices on all Zooz products, head over to 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

We’re back with another vendors episode, this time talking with Agnes from Zooz about the evolution of Zooz, and the challenges being a smart home company

Watch the full episode on YouTube

https://hasspodcast.io/ha187

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:15 Background and Evolution of Zooz

00:03:49 Certifications and Challenges in Manufacturing

00:06:43 Z-Wave Standards and Certification

00:13:11 International Support and Market Strategy

00:18:23 Impact of Tariffs and Supply Chain Considerations

00:22:45 Upcoming Products and Innovations

00:26:56 Integration with Home Assistant

00:30:03 Partnerships and Works With Program

00:31:05 Integration Challenges and Improvements

00:35:43 Smart Home Technology and Personal Insights

00:42:24 AI and Smart Home Automation

00:48:21 Design Process and Matter Discussion

00:57:41 Introduction to Quality Integration

00:57:46 Ring Alarm App Features

00:58:14 Importance of Z-Wave Standardization

00:58:39 Alarm.com Integration

00:58:59 Focus on User Experience

00:59:53 Home Assistant's Reach

01:00:36 Benefits of Z-Wave Long Range

01:02:02 Tips for Z-Wave Beginners

01:04:03 Understanding Z-Wave Security

01:06:10 Firmware Updates in Z-Wave

Support the Podcast

Get early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.

Support Rohan and Phil on Patreon

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.

So for the best prices on all Zooz products, head over to 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