- cross-posted to:
- hackernews@lemmy.bestiver.se
- cross-posted to:
- hackernews@lemmy.bestiver.se
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Because of googles enshitification I have stopped using voice to control my home entirely. I invested in many scene remotes and built extensive automations. I’ve come to not miss voice control at all. But here’s to you that want this either for assistive needs or just because. I just need to get a few more local TTS speakers for alerts.
I’ve had my eye on this for a while, haven’t dropped the dough on a PCB order
https://github.com/justLV/onju-voice
A hackable AI home assistant platform using the Google Nest Mini (2nd gen) form factor, consisting of:
a custom PCB designed to be a drop-in replacement to the original, using the ESP32-S3 for audio processing
a server for handling the transcription, response generation and Text-to-Speech from multiple devices on the same network
I’m so excited for this! I was able to make an order. Homeassistant is making such a difference here. I was a Mycroft supporter and it’s so great that since they’ve gone away we’ve still got hardware in this space. This hardware makes so much sense too, I hope the voice train keeps rolling!
I followed mycroft for years. It was a bit of a mess. I was sad to see it kinda die.
Same here :(
holds hat to chest Rest in peace good Mycroft
I love that the wakeword is still one of the best we have, my kid will ask me one day why we say “hey Mycroft” and I’ll tell him “it all started with a raspberry pi and a Kickstarter”
my kid will ask me one day why we say “hey Mycroft” and I’ll tell him “it all started with a raspberry pi and a Kickstarter”
😍
I wish I could repurpose my Home Minis to use this. Google butchered those entirely over time, so now they’re practically collecting dust, when I dont use them as an occasional room speaker
Somebody else linked this mobo replacement for the home minis, haven’t looked very closely at it yet myself: https://github.com/justLV/onju-voice
I feel the same but in 2026 and with echo flex.
Ordered. I’m am so excited for this as it seems it could replace my only use case for Google Home / Nest voice.
Neat! I hope we can add on a speaker, we use ours for playing audio
if you want to use it as a media player, connect a speaker to the included 3.5mm headphone jack and control it with software like Music Assistant.
God idk how I missed that, but thank you
It works well.
I have done the same thing with custom hardware, ESPHome, and routed the output to my old Yamaha AV receiver with an IR blaster in the device for auto source switching and volume control.
I can’t wait for music assistant to integrate Spotify connect because right now you can only play saved playlist/albums or some recent music, no browsing.
A media player component plus microphone plus voice assistant.
Are there difference between this and a 13$ M5 Atom Echo?
Yes
Point given for accuracy of response.
Like…?
Edit: I’ve bought the M5 some months ago but I haven’t had the time to play around with it, should I buy this one and forget about the M5?
I have 2 of the Atoms; they’re janky and need to be reset often, it doesn’t pick up your voice very well, and you can barely hear the responses. 2/7
Thanks. Other 2 devices that I’ve bought out of excitement that will keep taking dust :( I’ll try the “voice” and let’s hope that I’ll have time to set it up! 🙈
I set up the Atom and it isn’t great at picking up voice commands. It also seems to have trouble with stability.
Yeah the mic and speaker on the atom are OK if you are within 2 feet, beyond that they aren’t any good. This looks good
Thanks
No POE = Deal breaker for me
Although it’s a very promising start. Looks great.
What’s POE, precious?
Power over Ethernet
Deploy ‘em, mesh ‘em, stick ‘em in your room
PO-E-yo?
You could always use a POE splitter. I know it’s not the same but it’s better than yet another wall wort.
It’s USB-C, there are POE adapters. It’s low wattage using an esp32, you could absolutely use a USB c poe splitter for this.
It doesn’t even have Ethernet, how could it have poe? Also poe is just stupidly expensive for what it is.
Exactly. No Ethernet + no POE. That’s my point. WiFi only is a big no-no for me.
Ahh I see, I was thinking you already had POE ran somewhere and didn’t have other power options there.
Is the whole stack open source or do we have to buy their hardware or license their software?
Their device does look very slick, but I’d like to hack my own system together!
It’s all OSS.
Even better - it’s using ESPHome, which is part of the Home Assistant stack.
ESPHome works from a YAML config file, which ESPHome uses to build firmware images which can be installed OTA (or USB of you must)
Only 2.4GHz WiFi?
Why would it need 5GHz? At most it needs to do two audio streams, which aren’t going to need lots of bandwidth
Interference. Especially in apartment complexes, the 2.4Ghz band is busy, causing a lot of packet drops and random disconnects.
I’ve eliminated 2.4GHz wifi in the house for this reason.
The only downside is, I really need to get a couple more WAPs installed.HA has been dead handy when I occasionally need to use an old device, as I can flip the second radio on from a dashboard.
Nice! Been holding off on HA voice stuff, waiting for a more plug and play solution, so I’ve been watching this pretty closely. Managed to get one ordered before they (presumably) go out of stock in the UK. Hoping it arrives soon so I can tinker during the break!
Good news indeed
That pretty sweet. The previous open source voice control solution I’d seen (Mycroft?) was like 400 bucks per device.
Might have to grab a mini PC and replace some of this Alexa shit which gets progressively worse since they announced a premium version.
I just need shit to do what it’s told, not try to sell me things.
I look forward to getting my hands on one of these! Just need to work out where to put it in the house first.
And possibly waiting for a POE version. But that’s a nit-pick.
Is it possible to test this out using a phone or PC? I really like the idea of local voice assist.
I mean…kinda?
Why the flying fuck does everyone seem to use voice assistants and AI bullshit. I don’t need to waste five seconds to get a bullshit response and to repeat myself when I don’t get the wrong answer or to switch the light in the room next to me when I can make ten steps
For turning on lights and starting and stopping a Heatpump, voice assistants are awesome.
Turning on and off lights and setting timers is what most people use Alexa for. And a certain number use it for music too.
Most people don’t use any of the “assistant” or “ai” features these smart speakers have.
I’ve found it difficult to find other uses. But these ones are great.
For turning on lights and starting and stopping a Heatpump, voice assistants are awesome.
Oh, leave me alone…
A smart home should know by itself when to turn the lights on for me, and without me needing to tell it every single time.
I want voice assistant when it is able to fetch me another beer (and then it has to go either to the fridge or down in the basement)
This is exactly right. It’s like “hey Google” or “hey Siri” for setting a reminder on your phone, but it’s for your house to dim all the lights or whatever.
Lots of technology used to do a very limited number of things, but convenient things nonetheless.
Why the flying fuck would anyone want a home automation system that isn’t voice controlled?
I don’t want a voice assistant controlled by Google, Amazon, or Apple… but I value it so much I’m willing to compromise until there’s a better option. This is a huge step in the right direction.
I setup my voice activated lights when my daughter was an infant. It was great being able to sit in a chair and rock her to sleep and be able to say “Google, it’s nap time” and have the lights properly adjust, and the fan turn on. I also use it in my office when I have a video call to adjust the lights so my camera looks better. I can also lock my door, adjust my HVAC, and play music without needing to stop doing whatever I’m busy with.
People with disabilities would like a word with you.
Voice assistants have been great in my experience for smart home stuff. Dunno about ai bullshit
Few examples:
Come home in the evening with a bunch of groceries: “turn on the lights” is handy. I don’t see great and yet I’m irresponsible and will walk into a dark house with way too many bags in my hands
Cooking: again, hands busy. Change lighting, set timers, play music, etc
General laziness: sitting on the couch and decide to watch a movie, set a scene for optimal lighting. Granted this one is easily handled by using phone or just standing up, but voice is easier
Solid mic choice and placement avoids the repeat myself issue, for the most part. Can be an issue mainly during cooking tasks where there can be a lot of environmental noise and loud music playing. But worth the occasional snag, imo
I get it. I never use my Google home mini for answering anything other than, “what’s the weather outside” and “where is my phone”.
Honestly, if this can do those two things, my home mini can finally get recycled.
