Home Assistant, ESPHome, and smart home news
Get your latest smart home news right here. Covering everything from Home Assistant and ESPHome to smart homes in general, these articles will keep you on the cutting edge. As open-source projects both Home Assistant and ESPHome are continually being improved and new features are added at a rapid pace. Sometimes even I find it hard to keep up. My goal with these articles is not to replicate any changelogs or blog posts but to pick out the most relevant stories and share them with you, the Home Assistant enthusiast.
Do you have a recommendation for me? Do not hesitate to contact me using my form. While I can’t guarantee to cover everything, I will do my best to, at the very least, reply.
Home Assistant Guide now has a newsletter (and is more accessible)
Home Assistant Guide now has a more accessible design and finally, there is also a newsletter for you to sign up to.
The best alternatives to Logitech Harmony universal remotes
The Logitech Harmony remotes have been discontinued. Find out why this happened and what the alternatives to the Logitech Harmony are.
Home Assistant goes mainstream as it is featured on Linus Tech Tips
Linus ‘Linus Tech Tips’ Sebastian recently featured the open-source home automation software Home Assistant in one of LTT’s YouTube videos.
Osram is shutting down the Lightify service for good
The servers needed for Osram Lightify will be shut down next summer. Find out what this means for you and what the alternatives are.
Debugging Home Assistant automations will soon be much easier
The upcoming Home Assistant Core release for the month of April (2021.4) will make finding errors in your automations much easier.
Do not update Yeelight devices or the app
Confusion is currently reigning over Yeelight devices and their ability to be controlled locally by Home Assistant.
ITEAD releases a $7 Zigbee 3.0 USB dongle
ITEAD, otherwise known for their Sonoff line of devices, has just release a $6.99 Zigbee 3.0 dongle.
Bugs get squashed and ESPHome gains support for new displays
In ESPHome Version 1.16.0, the focus seems to be on displays: You will have six new options for your next project.
Home Assistant 2021.2 replaces OpenZWave with Z-Wave JS
Home Assistant Core 2021.2 brings with it a major change for those invested in the Z-Wave ecosystem, a few new Home Assistant integrations, more web interface setups, and one service has been lost.
The Home Assistant app is getting Wear OS support
The most recent update to the Home Assistant Android app is laying the groundwork for you to be able to control Home Assistant, from Wear OS.
Home Assistant OS finally supports the 8 GB Raspberry Pi 4 Model B
Home Assistant OS Release 5 officially supports the 8 GB Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. It can now power your smart home without relying on workarounds.