Home Assistant Connect Aux-2 Aims to Make Non-Smart Devices Easier to Connect
Nabu Casa has launched the Home Assistant Connect Aux-2, a $69 multi-function box meant to bring more non-smart devices into a smart home. A hands-on test found it easy to set up and useful.
Source: The Verge
Nabu Casa, the commercial arm of the Open Home Foundation that runs Home Assistant, has released the Aux-2, a small box about the size of a deck of cards. It includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB-A and USB-C ports, an audio jack, a Grove port for sensors, buttons and LEDs, and two RS-232 serial ports. It can act as a Bluetooth proxy, carry a Z-Wave or Zigbee antenna to a better location, control devices such as TVs and solar inverters over serial, and send music to older audio gear through its audio output.
The Aux-2 is built on ESPHome, an open platform for DIY devices, and relies on existing Home Assistant and ESPHome integrations. In a hands-on test, the reviewer found setup simple: firmware could be installed from a browser, and the rest was handled in the Home Assistant interface. Bluetooth proxying took only a few clicks, and the reviewer's Govee temperature sensors then connected through several walls and a fridge. Setting up music playback through Music Assistant took more time, though the reviewer said the whole process took less than half an hour.
Not every feature worked immediately. The reviewer had not yet got Sendspin grouping working across protocols, and serial control remained untested. The reviewer also noted that a cheaper Apollo Cast-1 offers similar casting and Bluetooth proxy features, and that DIY ESP32 boards can do much the same. That, the reviewer argued, is the point of an open ecosystem.
