Frenck | Home Assistant & Smart Home

Franck Nijhof

Home Assistant powered smart home without the fluff. I lead Home Assistant and dig into what actually matters: device choices, local control, energy, privacy, and real automations that survive Monday morning. Expect audio versions of vlogs, a documented smart-home build, and “Ask Frenck: Unfiltered,” one tough Home Assistant question per episode. Clear takeaways, no hype.

Episodes

  1. 11/01/2025

    Renaming Home Assistant add-ons to apps (here's why)

    I opened an architecture proposal to rename Home Assistant "add-ons" to "apps"; and it's sparked quite the discussion. In this vlog, I explain why this seemingly small change actually matters for newcomers, why "add-ons" creates confusion, and what's happening in the community debate.What do you think? Apps, add-ons, or something else? Let me know!Filmed on my way to GitHub Universe 2025 ✈️ Key points:- Why new users get confused between add-ons and integrations- How "apps" creates a clearer mental model- Zero functional changes, just better naming- Community alternatives being discussed📰 Rather read the blog version? https://frenck.dev/renaming-home-assistant-add-ons-to-apps/🔗 Learn More📎 GitHub Discussion: https://github.com/home-assistant/architecture/discussions/1287(Jump in and share your thoughts!)🔹 Follow me on GitHub: https://github.com/frenck🔗 Links & Resources💡 Read more on my blog: https://frenck.dev📰 Subscribe to my newsletter for exclusive updates: https://frenck.dev/newsletter🛒 Check out my favorite smart home gear: https://www.amazon.com/shop/frenck📱 Follow Me for More Smart Home & Tech Updates!🔹 GitHub: https://github.com/frenck🔹 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/frenck.social🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frenck🔹 X (Twitter): https://x.com/frenck🔹 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frenck🔹 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@frenck.nl🔹 Mastodon: https://fosstodon.org/@frenck

    9 min
  2. Why I'm not streaming anymore (and what I'm doing instead)

    10/13/2025

    Why I'm not streaming anymore (and what I'm doing instead)

    I’m not returning to live streams. Here’s what I’m doing instead and why. Blog with full context: ⁠https://frenck.dev/not-streaming-anymore/⁠ This show is about real smart home results: local control, privacy, reliability, and energy. No fluff. Have a hard Home Assistant question for a future episode? Let me know!

    8 min
  • 2 Episodes

About

Home Assistant powered smart home without the fluff. I lead Home Assistant and dig into what actually matters: device choices, local control, energy, privacy, and real automations that survive Monday morning. Expect audio versions of vlogs, a documented smart-home build, and “Ask Frenck: Unfiltered,” one tough Home Assistant question per episode. Clear takeaways, no hype.

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