homeassistant

I've had my eye on this for a while, haven't dropped the dough on a PCB order

https://github.com/justLV/onju-voice

A hackable AI home assistant platform using the Google Nest Mini (2nd gen) form factor, consisting of:

a custom PCB designed to be a drop-in replacement to the original, using the ESP32-S3 for audio processing

a server for handling the transcription, response generation and Text-to-Speech from multiple devices on the same network

I followed mycroft for years. It was a bit of a mess. I was sad to see it kinda die.

Somebody else linked this mobo replacement for the home minis, haven't looked very closely at it yet myself: https://github.com/justLV/onju-voice

It's USB-C, there are POE adapters. It's low wattage using an esp32, you could absolutely use a USB c poe splitter for this.

You could always use a POE splitter. I know it’s not the same but it’s better than yet another wall wort.

What's POE, precious?

It doesn't even have Ethernet, how could it have poe? Also poe is just stupidly expensive for what it is.

European retailers seem to be better stocked

if you want to use it as a media player, connect a speaker to the included 3.5mm headphone jack and control it with software like Music Assistant.

Yes

Yeah the mic and speaker on the atom are OK if you are within 2 feet, beyond that they aren't any good. This looks good

It’s all OSS.

Even better - it's using ESPHome, which is part of the Home Assistant stack.

ESPHome works from a YAML config file, which ESPHome uses to build firmware images which can be installed OTA (or USB of you must)

Why would it need 5GHz? At most it needs to do two audio streams, which aren't going to need lots of bandwidth

For turning on lights and starting and stopping a Heatpump, voice assistants are awesome.

Turning on and off lights and setting timers is what most people use Alexa for. And a certain number use it for music too.

Most people don’t use any of the “assistant” or “ai” features these smart speakers have.

I’ve found it difficult to find other uses. But these ones are great.

Why the flying fuck would anyone want a home automation system that isn't voice controlled?

I don't want a voice assistant controlled by Google, Amazon, or Apple... but I value it so much I'm willing to compromise until there's a better option. This is a huge step in the right direction.

I setup my voice activated lights when my daughter was an infant. It was great being able to sit in a chair and rock her to sleep and be able to say "Google, it's nap time" and have the lights properly adjust, and the fan turn on. I also use it in my office when I have a video call to adjust the lights so my camera looks better. I can also lock my door, adjust my HVAC, and play music without needing to stop doing whatever I'm busy with.

People with disabilities would like a word with you.

Voice assistants have been great in my experience for smart home stuff. Dunno about ai bullshit

Few examples:

Come home in the evening with a bunch of groceries: “turn on the lights” is handy. I don’t see great and yet I’m irresponsible and will walk into a dark house with way too many bags in my hands

Cooking: again, hands busy. Change lighting, set timers, play music, etc

General laziness: sitting on the couch and decide to watch a movie, set a scene for optimal lighting. Granted this one is easily handled by using phone or just standing up, but voice is easier

Solid mic choice and placement avoids the repeat myself issue, for the most part. Can be an issue mainly during cooking tasks where there can be a lot of environmental noise and loud music playing. But worth the occasional snag, imo

I get it. I never use my Google home mini for answering anything other than, "what's the weather outside" and "where is my phone".

Honestly, if this can do those two things, my home mini can finally get recycled.