Nabu Casa - Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition

Home Assistant Voice

Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition is the open-source, privacy-focused voice assistant designed to seamlessly connect to Home Assistant and preview the future of voice today. Its advanced audio processor and dual microphones allow it to hear your commands and control your devices. The tactile controls, injection-molded case, and LED ring give it a premium look, allowing it to blend seamlessly into the home.

FEATURES

• Built for Home Assistant: The first voice hardware designed by the team behind Home Assistant, built from the ground up to work with Home Assistant.
• Preview the future of voice today: Home Assistant is rapidly advancing its open-source, privacy-focused voice assistant for the home. The Preview Edition is designed to help more people get involved in the development and give everyone a sneak peek at the future of voice today.
• The easiest way to get started with Assist: Simply plug it into USB-C power (cable and power supply not included) and it will connect to Home Assistant through an intuitive setup wizard. No assembly required.
• The private voice assistant: Pairing Voice Preview Edition with powerful Home Assistant hardware allows it to operate entirely locally, or offload audio processing to the privacy-focused Home Assistant Cloud. It also includes a hardware mute switch that physically cuts power to the microphones.
• Language support: Assist aims to support more languages than other voice assistants, but it's still a work in progress, and Home Assistant needs your help. Check the supported languages in Home Assistant's Assist documentation.
• Advanced audio processing: Dual microphones and the XMOS audio processor cut out noise to hear your voice clearly.
• Visual and audio feedback: The multicolor LED ring shows when it is listening, volume levels, and more. Get sensor readings, timers, and other feedback through its speaker. Connect an external speaker for media playback via its 3.5mm headphone jack.
• Physical controls: The rotary dial controls volume and LED brightness, while the multifunction button can trigger Assist or be customized in Home Assistant.
• Blends into the home: Its small, discreet design is injection-molded, giving it a premium feel, and its tactile controls provide a high-quality touch experience.
• Expandable: Built on ESPHome, sensors can be added via the included Grove port.
• Fully open and community-driven: The fully open-source software, firmware, and hardware allow you to make it work the way you want. All supported by a community dedicated to customization and feature additions.

Technical Specifications

SoC: ESP32-S3 SoC with 16MB of FLASH storage, 8MB of octal PSRAM

Audio Processing: XMOS XU316

• Echo cancellation
• Stationary noise removal
• Auto gain control

Power / Data: USB-C, 5V DC, 2A

Radios: 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy

Audio Output: 3.5mm stereo headphone jack (⅛”)

Digital to Analog Converter (DAC): TI AIC3202, 48kHz sampling rate

Physical Controls:

• Multifunction button
• Rotary dial for volume and other inputs
• Microphone mute switch (physically cuts power to the microphone)

Microphone & Speaker:

• Internal speaker
• Internal dual-mic array
• Hardware mute switch
• Dedicated I2S lines for audio in and out

Expandability:

• Grove port to connect sensors or other accessories
• Easy to open - no clips, only screws to access internals
• Exposed pads on PCB for modding

Software:

• ESPHome preloaded
• Fully open-source firmware for both the ESP32 and XMOS chip

Requirements:

• Home Assistant already configured on another device
• For fully local speech processing, it is recommended to have a Home Assistant system based on an Intel N100 or higher. Weaker hardware will require a Home Assistant Cloud subscription for optimal speech processing performance.

Language Support: Check Home Assistant Assist documentation for an up-to-date list.

Environmental Conditions for Operation:

• Indoor use only
• Temperature: 0°C to 30°C (32°F to 86°F)
• Humidity: non-condensing
• Keep in a dry, not excessively dusty environment as this can cause damage to the unit

Dimensions and Weight:

• 84x84x21 mm, 96g | with box: 94x94x30 mm, 120g

Materials:

• Enclosure: Injection-molded polycarbonate plastic
• Colors: White and Semi-transparent