Phil Hawthorne
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philhawthorne.com
Phil Hawthorne
@philhawthorne.com
Web Application Developer, Home Automation Enthusiast. Co-host of the Home Assistant Podcast
New @home-assistant.io podcast episode: NetworkChuck joins me to go from Alexa to Assist voice with a Terry Crews clone, Frigate + Reolink, UniFi + AI for Wi‑Fi, Node‑RED vs n8n, Plex vs Jellyfin, Grocy and mmWave/ESP32 presence, plus local AI vs GPT/Claude.

https://youtu.be/C78rxdwcup4
December 9, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Ugh clearly they didn't learn last time
December 7, 2025 at 11:56 PM
The 2025.12 @home-assistant.io release has a preview of where the automations are heading towards in 2026

Its currently gated behind a labs feature gate, but this snippet from our latest episode with @frenck.social is worth a watch

https://youtu.be/1pHzT4C3l2Y
December 3, 2025 at 2:21 PM
New @home-assistant.io podcast!

I’m joined by Rohan and @frenck.social to discuss 2025.12: Labs, new triggers/conditions, smarter automation UI, real-time Energy flows, Android Auto/Widgets + ZBT2, Zigbee 4, and Matter.js.

This was a big one 🤯

Watch: https://youtu.be/VAY38B57I3k
December 2, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Listening to episode 552 of the hometech.fm #podcast and @gavincampbell.bsky.social thoughts on motion sensors detecting ghosts is real.

When those motion sensors detect presence when you KNOW someone isn't meant to be there can be creepy!

Is it a burglar? A ghost? A spider?
December 1, 2025 at 9:03 PM
The final release of @home-assistant.io is almost here! Rohan and I are live-streaming a recording for the Home Assistant Podcast tomorrow joined by @frenck.social on our Patreon and YouTube channels!

Join us if you're around to see the year out

https://youtube.com/live/99zWGqlBI1g

November 28, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Damn the new @home-assistant.io current power reporting in 2025.12 is making me want to stick energy monitors on even more stuff now!

Seeing how energy is being used in realtime is going to be useful to a lot of homes, especially those that want to shift their energy habits
November 28, 2025 at 12:13 PM
🚀 New @home-assistant.io Podcast episode!

We revisit Courtenay Watson 6 years after her last appearance

She's gone from Pi to Blue, conquered MQTT on the Energy Dashboard, survived Tuya cloud outages & mastered backups!

Watch now: https://youtu.be/eIluyQLBiSA @http://home-assistant.io
November 25, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Inside the Open Home: @rohank9 and I chat with @http://mrdarrengriffin.com, the web dev behind the @home-assistant.io websites!

He talks automation, easter eggs & supporting the Open Home Foundation.

Watch now 👉 https://youtu.be/GcCGxWKKaOk
November 18, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Greg (@http://uslackr.bsky.social) joins Rohan and I to share how he built a full brewery control system using ESPHome + @home-assistant.io: Modbus PID control, temp probes, Bluetooth gravity readings & more.

A must-listen for HA nerds & brewers! 🍺 ▶️ https://youtu.be/jSkGPtO5H7g
November 11, 2025 at 3:00 PM
New @http://home-assistant.io podcast ep is live! 🏡

We talk through everything in 2025.11: the new Automation target picker, dashboard naming, an updated Home view, Energy pie chart & update progress.

🎧 Watch here: https://youtu.be/La3G6prwQx0
November 4, 2025 at 5:30 PM
I've done something I haven't done in over six years 🤯

A new blog post is up: https://philhawthorne.com/testing-the-linknlink-emotion-max-and-pro-with-home-assistant/

I had never heard of these eMotion mmWave sensors before, so decided to test them with @home-assistant.io
November 2, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Reposted by Phil Hawthorne
The Best @home-assistant.io bedside clock is a Hacked Echo Show 5? 🎥👀

youtu.be/bRlWNrB2dDI

In this video I overview keeping or removing FireOS!
I Hacked an Echo Show 5 Into the Best Home Assistant Clock!
YouTube video by Mark Watt Tech
youtu.be
October 31, 2025 at 10:33 PM
🎙️ New @home-assistant.io #SmartHome Podcast episode!

Joined by @geniodiabolico.social.ellijaymakerspace.org.ap.brid.gy , we talk reliable mesh networks, Z-Wave LR for a 100m mailbox sensor, replacing MyQ with RATGDO + ESPHome, and customising a slick e‑ink dashboard.

Watch: youtu.be/usNdToFKqac
October 31, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Chris aka the Reluctant Home Assistant Guy joins Rohan and I to talk Hue chaos, MyQ failings, and finding actual savings with @http://home-assistant.io.

A refreshingly honest look at smart homes from a non-tinkerer’s POV.

🎧 Watch: https://youtu.be/ZqmVNNI9J2U #smarthome #homeassistant
October 23, 2025 at 5:10 PM
This week on the @home-assistant.io podcast, I sat down with Achim Haug of AirGradient to explore how a personal mission during Thailand’s burning season turned into a global open-source air quality solution 🌍🛠️

Full episode: https://youtu.be/q1skkqMJcX0
October 14, 2025 at 3:10 PM
🎙️New Home Assistant Podcast!

Joined by Josh Burg, a psychologist & smart home tinkerer, we explore his journey from Google Home to going fully local with @http://home-assistant.io.

Plus, Philips Hue's new zones & a clever cat problem 🐱

Watch: https://youtu.be/8JgR0tZEVcs #homeautomation
October 7, 2025 at 3:00 PM
🎧 Just dropped a new episode!

We cover @http://home-assistant.io 2025.10 with bilingual voice assistant support, Sonos’ latest partnership, and listener Q&A.

Catch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-_ZfVewIXHo
September 30, 2025 at 6:10 PM
💡 New episode! Rohan and I chat with Nanoleaf CEO Gimmy Chu about Nanoleaf's smart lighting and their open API vision.

Watch now: https://youtu.be/JO5MWKLC4zM

@homeassistant.io #smarthome
September 23, 2025 at 4:20 PM
New @homeassistant.io podcast episode! 🎧

Rohan and I chat with Thomas about building an accessible smart home — from voice assistants to a ChatGPT-powered smart mirror! 💡🤖

Don’t miss this inspiring journey 👉 https://youtu.be/x_aN3eV9alQ

#Accessibility #SmartHome
September 16, 2025 at 4:12 PM
New episode! 🎙️

Rohan and I chat with Tsvi Mostovicz, creator of the @home-assistant.io Jewish calendar component.

Learn how it powers Sabbath-compliant automations & more!

Watch here 👉 https://youtu.be/a7wVI3JHf8Y
September 9, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Whoa! @home-assistant.io has dropped their own Z-Wave radio! 🎉

We also dive into the new 2024.9 release and chat LLM Vision use cases.

Hosted by me and Rohan. Watch now: https://youtu.be/gFCEJNV53XI
September 2, 2025 at 3:10 PM
I just followed the instructions to migrate my Zwave network to the new @home-assistant.io Connect ZWA-2

I'm not in the EU or US, I'm not using the Zwave Addon and...

It worked flawlessly 🤯

WTF is this magic? I was ready to re-pair all 53 devices.

My weekend plans are ruined
August 29, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Curious about Shelly? 🏠 Rohan and I chat with Doug, COO of Shelly USA, about locally-controlled smart home devices and tight integration with @home-assistant.io

🎧 Watch now: https://youtu.be/7NN90KQURRs #HomeAssistant #SmartHome
August 26, 2025 at 6:11 PM
I really love the practical uses people find for their #smarthome automations.

This one from Scott on how he uses @home-assistant.io to prepare for a Queensland fire season is a great example

🎥 https://youtu.be/dLHfPRZlf38
August 20, 2025 at 8:00 PM