AI Life / Assistants / Smart Speakers
The Voice Preview Edition is a small open-source speaker from the Home Assistant team. It is not a standalone smart speaker. It is a microphone, a button and a dial that talks to your Home Assistant server, which can process your voice entirely inside your house. It is the closest thing on the market to a private Alexa, with homework attached.
I have not owned the Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition. This review is built from the maker’s published specs and independent reviews, linked below. For more picks, see the Smart Speakers hub .
How to use it: setup, how the AI works and what it works with, in How to use Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition .
Key specs
| Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition | |
|---|---|
| Size and weight | 84 x 84 x 21 mm, 96 g |
| Chip | ESP32-S3, 16 MB flash, 8 MB PSRAM |
| Audio processing | XMOS XU316: echo cancellation, noise removal, auto gain |
| Mics | Dual-mic array, hardware mute switch |
| Audio out | Internal speaker, 3.5 mm stereo jack with dedicated DAC |
| Radios | 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Power | USB-C, 5 V 2 A; cable and adapter not included |
| Software | ESPHome, open firmware |
| Requires | A Home Assistant server |
Sources: Home Assistant Voice PE , Home Assistant blog , Nabu Casa support , Matter Alpha , Homesteader Labs .
What reviewers like
- Real privacy options. You can keep every word inside your house, and the mute switch physically cuts power to the mics.
- The mics are better than expected. Matter Alpha found it heard a normal speaking voice reliably in a small room.
- It is open. Firmware is open source, there is a Grove port for sensors, and the case opens with screws.
What to watch for
- Local speed depends on your server. Matter Alpha saw 5 to 10 second responses running fully local on a Home Assistant Green.
- It is home control first. The fast local option, Speech-to-Phrase, only understands set home-control phrases, per Home Assistant.
- The speaker is for feedback, not music. Use the 3.5 mm jack for anything you want to listen to.
Who should buy it
Buy it if you already run Home Assistant and want a voice control that does not report to Amazon, Google or Apple. Skip it if you want a speaker that answers trivia, plays music well and works out of the box. This is a project, not an appliance.
Three ways to run it
Home Assistant offers three speech setups, per its product page and Homesteader Labs:
- Focused local (Speech-to-Phrase). Fully offline and fast even on modest hardware, but it only knows phrases built from your own device names. “Turn off the kitchen lights” works. A shopping list request does not.
- Full local (Whisper). Understands open speech, all offline, but needs real horsepower. Home Assistant recommends at least an Intel N100 class processor.
- Home Assistant Cloud. Speech goes to Nabu Casa’s cloud for processing, which makes it fast and accurate on any hardware. Matter Alpha found responses became prompt once it switched. Your audio leaves the house in this mode.
What you need before it arrives
A running Home Assistant install, an admin login, and a USB-C power supply and cable, since neither is in the box, per Nabu Casa. If you do not run Home Assistant yet, budget time to set that up first; the speaker is the easy part.
Why it is called a Preview
Home Assistant describes the goal as matching and then surpassing big-tech assistants. It is not there yet on general questions or music. It is already good at what it was built for: private, fast control of the devices you own.
Listening on a smart speaker? Amazon offers an Audible free trial for audiobooks; check Amazon for the current terms.
Alternatives
- Apple HomePod mini 2. The most private of the big assistants, with real sound, if you use iPhone.
- Sonos with Sonos Voice Control. Local-leaning music voice control, no smart home brain.
- Echo Dot. Cheaper and easier, with the privacy trade I describe in my Echo review.
Is the Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition on sale for Black Friday?
It is one of the products I am watching this season. I do not list sale prices here because they change by the hour and differ by color, bundle and store. Compare against the price you see in the weeks before the sale, and check whether a bundle adds things you will not use.
Our take
AI Score note: research-based, not hands-on. The best privacy option on this page, if you are willing to set it up and run a server. This is my editorial read of published reviews, not a rating.
Check today’s price before you buy: See the Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition at Home Assistant .
Compare
See Replace Alexa with a local voice assistant , or browse the Black Friday smart home and smart speaker deals .