# Home Assistant’s Voice Preview Edition: A Privacy-Conscious Smart Speaker for DIY Fans
In a landscape dominated by prominent voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri, Home Assistant has launched its own voice-enabled gadget: the **Voice Preview Edition (VPE)**. With a price tag of $60/€60, this compact and privacy-conscious smart speaker is engineered to integrate effortlessly with Home Assistant’s open-source home automation system. Although it doesn’t possess all the features of its larger tech counterparts, it provides a refreshing choice for those who prioritize customization, security, and autonomy over their smart home environment.
## A Purpose-Driven Smart Speaker
The Voice Preview Edition is not aiming to be an all-encompassing device. Instead, it specializes in what it excels at: managing your smart home devices. By using a wake word—such as the default “Okay Nabu”—you can give commands like “Turn on the living room lights,” “Set the thermostat to 68,” or “Activate TV time.” These commands are processed either through Home Assistant’s private **Nabu Casa cloud** or via your own local server, ensuring that your data remains safe.
In contrast to conventional smart speakers, the VPE intentionally limits its functionalities. It does not respond to general knowledge inquiries, perform metric conversions, or offer weather reports unless you configure it to do so. This focused feature set may resonate with users who have grown weary of voice assistants that overpromise and underdeliver—or those simply seeking a device that prioritizes their privacy.
## Smooth Integration with Current Systems
A notable advantage of the VPE is its capacity to connect with established smart home ecosystems. If you’ve already configured devices in Google Home, Alexa, or Apple HomeKit, you won’t need to start anew. Home Assistant provides robust “bridge” options to link and control devices across various platforms. This positions the VPE as an excellent choice for users wanting to merge their smart home configurations without discarding existing investments.
However, the VPE does necessitate a well-organized smart home setup. Since it depends on user-defined names and aliases for devices, scenes, and automations, you’ll need to make sure that your system is intuitive and easy to recall. This level of customization presents a dual-edged sword: it allows for unmatched flexibility but requires some initial effort.
## A Minimalist Take on Voice Assistance
One of the most noteworthy features of the VPE is its minimalist nature. It does not aspire to be a conversational AI or an omniscient assistant. Instead, it concentrates on executing home automation tasks with accuracy. For users who find traditional voice assistants to be intrusive or overly verbose, this straightforwardness can be quite refreshing.
That said, the VPE does provide the option to connect with AI models like ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini for enhanced functionalities. However, this necessitates further setup and might not offer the same seamless experience as products from larger tech companies.
## Distinct Hardware Design
The VPE is an elegantly designed, unbranded device that easily fits into any home decor. Its small footprint—similar to that of a contemporary Apple TV—makes it simple to position on a shelf, kitchen counter, or entertainment unit. The device includes:
– **Two microphone inputs** for enhanced voice capture.
– An **LED ring** for visual feedback during interactions.
– A central button for manual activation or cancelling responses.
– A **rotating dial wheel** for volume adjustment, providing a satisfying tactile feel.
– A hardware **mute switch** to ensure increased privacy.
– USB-C ports for power and connectivity, along with a stereo headphone/speaker jack.
– A **Grove port** for advanced development and customization options.
These carefully considered design elements render the VPE a versatile and user-friendly device, even though it lacks the sophisticated microphone arrays or high-end materials of its big-tech competitors.
## Voice Recognition Challenges
While the VPE performs commendably in quiet settings, its voice recognition capabilities do not yet match those of Amazon, Google, or Apple devices. This is partly due to the absence of subsidized hardware development, as Home Assistant functions as a non-profit organization. The device’s default wake word, “Okay Nabu,” is the most reliable option, owing to extensive training from the Open Wake Word community.
Nonetheless, the VPE’s firmware and software are actively being developed, and enhancements are anticipated over time. For the moment, users may need to consciously articulate and enunciate clearly, particularly in noisy surroundings.
## A Privacy-Centric Philosophy
One of the most appealing aspects of the VPE is its dedication to privacy. Unlike traditional smart speakers, which often harvest and store user data for advertising or ecosystem entrapment, the VPE processes commands locally or through the Nabu Casa cloud. This makes it a compelling choice for privacy-conscious users who wish to steer clear of the data-collection practices employed by larger tech companies.
Furthermore, the VPE’s constrained functionality
