VocaLounge

3 posts3 participants0 posts today

Andreas BullingWhile looking for new hardware for our home server (a 19'' mini rack server is very tempting...), I just came across project <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/minirack" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#minirack</a>10" rack server builds using a mix of off-the-shelf commercial and <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/diy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#diy</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/3dprinted" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#3dprinted</a> mounts, panels, frontplates etc.Looks interesting (and the mini racks are also rather cute). Maybe interesting to some of you.<a href="https://github.com/geerlingguy/mini-rack" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://github.com/geerlingguy/mini-rack</a> <a href="https://mini-rack.jeffgeerling.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://mini-rack.jeffgeerling.com/</a><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/homeautomation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#homeautomation</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/smarthome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#smarthome</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/rackserver" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#rackserver</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/homelab" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#homelab</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/raspberrypi" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#raspberrypi</a>

Paco Hope #resistWelp. Time to look into the open source opportunities for voice assistants to hook up to <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/HomeAssistant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HomeAssistant</a>. <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/HomeAutomation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HomeAutomation</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/SmartHome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SmartHome</a><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/everything-you-say-to-your-echo-will-be-sent-to-amazon-starting-on-march-28/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/everything-you-say-to-your-echo-will-be-sent-to-amazon-starting-on-march-28/</a>

Home AssistantThe 2025.3 release live stream was last week - if you missed what's new, we've got you covered! 👏🏻Take 1 min 20 seconds to catch up on the latest dashboard improvements 👉🏻 <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/JutW-QBrDYY" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://youtube.com/shorts/JutW-QBrDYY</a>Prefer reading to watching? Click here 👇🏼<a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/HomeAutomation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HomeAutomation</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/SmartHome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SmartHome</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/Release" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Release</a> <a href="https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/03/05/release-20253/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/03/05/release-20253/</a>

Home AssistantWe're Matter certified!! 🎉We've been ahead of the game with Matter implementation, and we're excited to announce both Home Assistant and the Open Home Foundation Matter Server are officially certified by the CSA. 😌What does this mean for you? Find out on our blog 👇🏼<a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/SmartHome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SmartHome</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/HomeAutomation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HomeAutomation</a> <a href="https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/03/10/matter-certification/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/03/10/matter-certification/</a>

Aral BalkanToday I learned that the alarm system that came with our house – a very popular one here in Ireland – can be disarmed via Siri. The default command?“Hey, Siri, disarm.”I shit you not.<a href="https://mastodon.ar.al/tags/security" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#security</a> <a href="https://mastodon.ar.al/tags/smartHome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#smartHome</a> <a href="https://mastodon.ar.al/tags/youGottaBeFuckingKiddingMe" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#youGottaBeFuckingKiddingMe</a> <a href="https://mastodon.ar.al/tags/siri" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#siri</a> <a href="https://mastodon.ar.al/tags/openSesame" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#openSesame</a>

Home AssistantMissed last week's live stream and didn't catch up with the blog? Don't stress, we got you covered! 😌Catch up on what's new in 2025.2 in just a minute and 20 seconds! 👇🏼If you want to read what's changed instead, click here: <a href="https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/02/05/release-20252/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/02/05/release-20252/</a><a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/SmartHome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SmartHome</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/HomeAutomation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HomeAutomation</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/HomeAssistant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HomeAssistant</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/Release" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Release</a>

Franck Nijhof🔋 Testing the HomeWizard Plug-In Battery with Home AssistantThis new device claims to be a plug-and-play home battery that should work with Home Assistant—just install it yourself, no electrician required. But does it actually work as promised?I unbox it, set it up, and put it to the test! Watch here: <a href="https://youtu.be/WOxB-d-ofj4" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/WOxB-d-ofj4</a><a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/HomeWizard" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HomeWizard</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/HomeAssistant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HomeAssistant</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/SmartHome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SmartHome</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/HomeBattery" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HomeBattery</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/Environment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Environment</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/Energy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Energy</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/SolarPanels" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SolarPanels</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/Sustainability" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Sustainability</a> <a href="https://youtu.be/WOxB-d-ofj4" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/WOxB-d-ofj4</a>

Home AssistantIt's <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/DataPrivacyDay2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DataPrivacyDay2025</a>! 🔐 A core value of ours is Privacy, we believe it's important that you - and only you - control your data. Here's how we help:💾 We're local-first - it's your data not the cloud's 📊 Analytics are opt-in - we only see what you share 👀 <a href="https://analytics.home-assistant.io/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://analytics.home-assistant.io/</a><a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/HomeAssistant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HomeAssistant</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/SmartHome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SmartHome</a>

Free Software FoundationSo-called <a href="https://hostux.social/tags/SmartHome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SmartHome</a> products are not even smart enough to be interoperable. With free software, you can tailor the software to your needs instead of having to watch out for 'works with' badges and the acceptance of certification of other producers by proprietary software companies like <a href="https://hostux.social/tags/Apple" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Apple</a>, <a href="https://hostux.social/tags/Google" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Google</a>, or <a href="https://hostux.social/tags/Samsung" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Samsung</a>.

robI am—and have been for a while—going through the process of <a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/demeta" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#demeta</a> and <a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/degoogle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#degoogle</a> my life as much as I can. For reasons too numerous to mention, but you‘ll be able to think of the main ones. An appraisal, so far…<a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/Meta" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Meta</a>✅ Stopped using <a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/Facebook" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Facebook</a> years ago but have finally deleted all posts, photos, likes, follows, and interactions I ever had on there (going back to 2007). Batch delete was hardly “batch” so this was laborious (and I know delete isn't really delete but it felt good to see stuff disappear!)✅ Deleted all of my photos from <a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/Instagram" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Instagram</a>. Now I just use <a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/Pixelfed" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Pixelfed</a>. On my phone, I use the <a href="https://mastodon.social/@impressia" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@impressia</a> app. The next step is to run my own, single-user instance on a <a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/RaspberryPi" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#RaspberryPi</a> at home (as I do with Mastodon) and get off pixelfed.social❌ <a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/WhatsApp" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WhatsApp</a> is tricky. I'm in groups where I know I have no chance of converting everyone to an alternative platform. Cutting myself off from the herd (of IRL friends) isn't an option. Will reluctantly live with this for the time being.✅ Don’t use Messenger; never used Threads.<a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/Google" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Google</a>✅ Switched from Google to <a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/DuckDuckGo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DuckDuckGo</a> for search on all devices. Deleted search history in Google account.✅ Migrated mail and calendar from Google to <a href="https://mastodon.social/@fastmail" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@fastmail</a>. I was briefly considering either self-hosting with <a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/Citadel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Citadel</a> or using <a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/iCloud" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#iCloud</a> Mail, but Fastmail was the better option for me. Very pleased so far; thanks to <a href="https://social.lol/@tekphloyd" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@tekphloyd</a> for sending me in the right direction!✅ Switched from Google Authenticator to <a href="https://fosstodon.org/@ente" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@ente</a> Auth for <a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/2FA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#2FA</a>✅ Switched from Google Maps to Apple Maps.✅ No longer using Google Analytics on any personal sites; currently trialling <a href="https://mastodon.social/@Matomo" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@Matomo</a> which is <a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/FOSS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FOSS</a> and self-hosted.✅ No longer using Google Fonts on any personal sites.✅ Removed Google’s Gboard as the software keyboard on iPhone; now using the Grammarly keyboard.✅ Deleted a bunch of old Gmail accounts that hadn't been used in ages. Now using masked email addresses, so don't need these kinds of accounts now.✅ Don’t use Chrome, only Safari.✅ iOS since the beginning of smartphones; never used Android.✅ Already using iCloud+ for photo library sync and any file cloud storage/mirroring; no need for Google Photos or Drive.✅ Still old school MS Word/Excel for me, so don't use Google Docs.❌ I don't upload video but I do watch a lot on <a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/YouTube" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#YouTube</a> and—as with WhatsApp—I‘m not willing to cut myself off; no current viable alternative.❌ My <a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/SmartHome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SmartHome</a> setup has quite a lot of Google: home wifi mesh and voice assistant, plus <a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/Nest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Nest</a> cameras, doorbell, and thermostat. Hmm. TBD.…✅ And of course I left the bird site in the great migration of Nov ‘22 and came here. As of 2024, I’m self-hosted so my data physically lives in my home office on a <a href="https://rstokes.uk/tags/RPi" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#RPi</a> with full and incremental backups running to an external disk. Planning to upgrade from SD card to SSD in 2025.Happy with my progress so far! 👍N.B. I have my reasons for not completely deleting some of the above accounts; they will remain dormant.

Andreas BullingHas anyone of you built one of these ESP32-based <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/weathercloud" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#weathercloud</a> weather stations?I am tempted... 😉Or does the <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/smarthome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#smarthome</a> bubble here know of an even better solution? Ideally DIY/open source, no cloud requirement, and ESP-based?But a commercial weather station I would also consider if it can be used without cloud and integrates with <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/homeassistant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#homeassistant</a>.<a href="https://www.instructables.com/ESP32-Weathercloud-Weather-Station/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.instructables.com/ESP32-Weathercloud-Weather-Station/</a>

Home AssistantStop ✋🏻 what you're doing and take 5 minutes to use Home Assistant's new automatic backup tool to set up offsite and encrypted backups to keep your smart home running securely and smoothly.Learn how with our latest blog post 👇🏼<a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/HomeAssistant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HomeAssistant</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/SmartHome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SmartHome</a> <a href="https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/01/03/3-2-1-backup/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/01/03/3-2-1-backup/</a>

Andreas BullingAnother <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/homeassistant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#homeassistant</a> integration that I can most highly recommend is <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/espresence" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#espresence</a> <a href="https://github.com/ESPresense/ESPresense" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://github.com/ESPresense/ESPresense</a>"An ESP32 based node for gathering indoor positioning and transmitting to mqtt"<a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/homeassistant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#homeassistant</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/smarthome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#smarthome</a>

Ethan ShollyMerry early <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/Christmas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Christmas</a> to me... Ordered the new <a href="https://fosstodon.org/@homeassistant" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@homeassistant</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/voice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#voice</a> hardware the day it was announced and it arrived this morning after originally having been scheduled for delivery on the 28th.I've never been much of a <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/hardware" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#hardware</a> reviewer, but I'll report back here with my findings!<a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/smarthome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#smarthome</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/homeautomation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#homeautomation</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/selfhost" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#selfhost</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/selfhosted" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#selfhosted</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/selfhosting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#selfhosting</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/foss" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#foss</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/opensource" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#opensource</a>

LinuxiacMeet Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition – a private, open-source voice assistant designed for your home, offering sleek hardware and great customization. <a href="https://linuxiac.com/home-assistant-launches-new-voice-assistant-hardware/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://linuxiac.com/home-assistant-launches-new-voice-assistant-hardware/</a><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/homeassistant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#homeassistant</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/homeautomation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#homeautomation</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/smarthome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#smarthome</a>

WinbuzzerNabu Casa's new Home Assistant Voice device offers a high level of privacy-focused smart home control. <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/HomeAssistant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HomeAssistant</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/VoiceAssistant" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#VoiceAssistant</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SmartHome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SmartHome</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Privacy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Privacy</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/OpenSource" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#OpenSource</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/NabuCasa" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NabuCasa</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/HomeAutomation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#HomeAutomation</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/IoT" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#IoT</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/DIY" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DIY</a> <a href="https://winbuzzer.com/2024/12/20/home-assistant-launches-a-privacy-focused-voice-assistant-device-xcxwbn/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://winbuzzer.com/2024/12/20/home-assistant-launches-a-privacy-focused-voice-assistant-device-xcxwbn/</a>

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