More private, more intelligent.

 Well, maybe more intelligent, check this out.

A Google Home Mini v2 getting a brain transplant. 

Using the Onju Voice GitHub project, which provides instructions for acquiring the board (PCB Way) and code, you can repurpose all of the hardware (mic, speaker, buttons) and use Whisper API (OpenAI) for the brains.

My goal is to point it to Gemini Pro with a bit of additional tweaking.

For me, it's not about asking for poetry or innacurate world knowledge from a static LLM, the magic is trying it into Home Assistant - where I can with full local execution voice enable everything that's connected, which is extensive:

Washer/Dryer, Garage, Skylights, Alarm, Lights, Stereo, Ventilation, Heat Pump, Xbox, Cameras, Well Pump, Garden watering, House battery, Car battery. 

I'm not a prepper, but being able to survive connectivity issues should be a core requirement beyond the privacy implications. No small part why I elect to self-generate most of my power, water, and to some degree food. Seriously, I'm not a prepper, this is just the result of many small, easy choices along the way. 

Matt Watt Tech is one of several great YouTube channels that covers Home Assistant & shows the process of both swapping out the hardware and configuring the firmware & software. 

The great part is that with ESPHome in Home Assistant, the only coding required is via config files, and ESPHome can update these boards alongside my fleet of Lolin D1s.

Wish me luck, I have a couple more ideas brewing.