Home Assistant Podcast

Mostly Automated Media
  • 4.8 (75)
  • Technology
  • Updated Weekly

Join hosts Phil Hawthorne and Rohan Karamandi as they explore the newest Home Assistant releases and the latest Home Automation news. Featuring guests who use or contribute to Home Assistant, the podcast aims to inspire new ways to make your smart home even smarter.

PRODUCER

Ad-free and early access to episodes

$7.99/month or $79.99/year

  1. Sep 22 • Subscriber Early Access

    Roland “Accidentally” Installed Home Assistant, Then Automated Everything

    Roland joins Phil and Rohan to share how a simple attempt to measure an old fridge's energy use led to a deeply data-driven Home Assistant smart home. Energy monitoring, solar forecasting, home batteries, EV charging, ESPHome, weather data and templates are all used to make his home smarter.

    Roland “Accidentally” Installed Home Assistant, Then Automated Everything

  2. Sep 15 • Subscriber Early Access

    Adrian’s High Availability Home Assistant

    How do you make Home Assistant resilient when an update fails or your primary server goes offline? Phil and Rohan talk with Adrian from Western Australia about his dual Home Assistant setup, webhook heartbeat failover, Git-based YAML configuration, and a 12V battery-backed home network.

    Adrian’s High Availability Home Assistant

  3. 5d ago

    Rob went from 15 Apps to One Smart Home With Home Assistant

    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

    Rob went from 15 Apps to One Smart Home With Home Assistant

  4. Sep 1

    Home Assistant 2026.9 improves Modbus integrations, and a better activity history

    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

    Home Assistant 2026.9 improves Modbus integrations, and a better activity history

  5. Aug 18

    Living With Home Assistant: The Other Side of the Smart Home

    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

    Living With Home Assistant: The Other Side of the Smart Home

  6. Aug 11

    Rohan is Packing Up his Smart Home and Starting Over

    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

    Rohan is Packing Up his Smart Home and Starting Over

  7. Aug 5

    Home Assistant 2026.8 says goodbye to 8123, while SmartThings goes behind a paywall

    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

    Home Assistant 2026.8 says goodbye to 8123, while SmartThings goes behind a paywall

  8. Jul 28

    How Eugene Built a .NET Home Assistant Brain for his Smart Home

    Phil and Rohan chat with Eugene about how he built a deeply automated smart home using Home Assistant, Raspberry Pi, Zigbee, Shelly devices, Aqara sensors, and even C#/.NET with NetDaemon. They explore practical automations for alarms, presence, notifications, kid management, and more. Watch this episode on YouTube Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA244 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: Getting Into Automation 00:04:15: Choosing Hardware Wisely 00:06:30: Network Lessons Learned 00:10:30: Current Home Setup 00:15:00: Presence And Notifications 00:20:30: Actionable Alerts 00:27:55: Chores And Screen Time 00:34:20: Morning Summaries 00:39:00: .NET Automations 00:46:50: School Dates 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. Products Discussed Shelly One relay: https://amzn.to/4wUFxj6 CC2531 Zigbee controller: https://amzn.to/3RFhwgS Amazon Echo Dot: https://amzn.to/44DIBUB Aqara contact sensor: https://amzn.to/4vIfUky Aqara passive infrared motion sensor: https://amzn.to/4wWJ3tn 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

    How Eugene Built a .NET Home Assistant Brain for his Smart Home
See All (268)

4.8
out of 5
75 Ratings

About

Join hosts Phil Hawthorne and Rohan Karamandi as they explore the newest Home Assistant releases and the latest Home Automation news. Featuring guests who use or contribute to Home Assistant, the podcast aims to inspire new ways to make your smart home even smarter.

Information

  • Creator
    Mostly Automated Media
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    268
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mostly Automated Media Pty Ltd
  • Show Website
    Home Assistant Podcast
  • Provider
    Mostly Automated Media

You Might Also Like