News

Zooz just announced a plug-in Z-Wave network extender, based on the new 800 series platform (an overview of Z-Wave Long Range). This battery-backed plug-in module is only an inch in diameter, and can also be used to monitored the status of your power source.

Some technical articles can be found on the Zooz website, or if you're interested in a more detailed description, check out The Smartest House's website, which has the device on sale at an introductory price (but ships with beta firmware).

 

Home Assistant just shared details of its 3rd chapter in its Year of the Voice campaign, and if you're using Android, you'll like this one. The Home Assistant companion app now can be configured as the default assistant on your Android phone, tablet or watch.

It also looks like support for wake words is being worked on.

 

In this post, Daniel B shows how he obtained root access on the popular Amazon Echo Dot devices using a bootrom exploit, opening up potential integration with other home automation solutions (Home Assistant example given).

 

The Hook Up Youtube channel posted a video today about dimmable LED light bulbs, and how they rank. Definitely a must-watch!

Hat-tip to @ano for mentioning this video.

 

Arduino just announced their latest product, the Nano ESP32.

Nano ESP32 packs Wi-Fi®/Bluetooth® connectivity, 8 MB of internal and 16 MB of external flash memory, 512 kB RAM, as well as a USB-C® programming port and RGB LED. It supports 5V USB, 3.3 V operating and 6-12 V range power supply. All in just 45x18 mm!

There are 2 variants. The standard version for $20, and a variant with headers $21.

 

A new major release of Home Assistant has just been announced. 2023.7 includes some interesting changes & improvements:

• Improved ESPHome Bluetooth proxy response time
• Service calls are no longer 1-way, and can be interactive
• Improved performance for Matter networks, and support for climate devices

The list is much larger, but instead of rehashing content, check out the announcement below.