Nabu Casa · Niche / specialty
Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition
Wi-Fi · no local API · about $60
local-onlyno cloud lock-in
Protocols
Wi-Fi
1.5 W
Idle power
$60
List price
~100
Devices (est.)
Specifications
| Category | Niche / specialty |
|---|---|
| Protocols | Wi-Fi |
| Cloud dependency | no cloud lock-in |
| Local API | no local API |
| Voice assistants | local (Whisper/Rhasspy) |
| Open source | fully open-source |
| Directly supported devices (est.) | ~100 |
| Idle power draw | ~1.5 W |
| Update outlook | actively maintained |
| List price (Amazon.com, Q2/2026) | about $60 |
Best for: Privacy-firstBest for: Tech enthusiast / tinkerer
Setup & gotchas
🗣️ Local intent recognition performs best with a reasonably powerful HA host, weak hosts add noticeable latency.
Editorial take
Our hands-on read — the specs above are the sourced facts.
Strengths
- + Fully local voice assistant that keeps audio off the cloud
- + Open hardware and ESPHome-based firmware, fully hackable
- + Designed to pair directly with a Home Assistant server
Trade-offs
- − Requires a Home Assistant instance to do anything useful
- − Local speech recognition is less polished than big-cloud assistants
- − It is a voice satellite, not a protocol hub
Related hubs
Frequently asked questions
Does the Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition require the cloud?
No. The Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition runs local-only — no local API, no vendor account is required for core automations.
Which protocols and voice assistants does the Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition support?
Protocols: Wi-Fi. Voice: local (Whisper/Rhasspy). It directly supports an estimated 100 devices/brands.
How much does the Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition cost and how much power does it use?
List price is about $60 (Amazon.com market observation, Q2/2026 — actual prices fluctuate). Idle power draw is roughly 1.5 W.
Source & last checked
- Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition page: home-assistant.io/voice-pe/ ↗
- Sources last checked: 2026-07-20 · Prices: Amazon.com market observation, Q2/2026
- Idle-power and device-count figures are vendor-claimed or community-measured estimates. Prices fluctuate. Details without warranty — check the current manufacturer spec sheet before buying.