Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition: Local vs Cloud Smart Home Voice Control

Published at : 23 Dec 2025

Review of Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition, voice control hardware for your smart home. I'll explain what it is, how to set it up, what it can and cannot do, compare local voice vs. cloud LLM conversation agents, and offer tips to optimize your experience with it.

🍿 WATCH NEXT
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfKQZkv5PtxqwA3YlkcxGVYrIUzAsdzb3

⭐ FEATURED TECH
Home Assistant Voice Preview Edition: https://www.home-assistant.io/voice-pe/
Beelink S12 Pro Mini PC: https://amzn.to/49WrA9U

🔗 LINKS
Video article: https://www.michaelsleen.com/ha-voice-pe/
Tech I use: https://www.michaelsleen.com/tech/
Merch and downloads: https://shop.michaelsleen.com/

👏 BECOME A MEMBER
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPW1UJ2F7Ch7XHfzhYqyX-A/join
Fourthwall: https://shop.michaelsleen.com/supporters/sign_in
Patreon: https://patreon.com/michaelsleen
Support Me on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/michaelsleen

🎬 FILMING GEAR
Camera (Talking Head) - Sony Alpha 6700: https://amzn.to/4iFfJRy
Camera (Top Down) - Sony Alpha ZVE-10: https://amzn.to/4gsnNn6
Camera (B-Roll) - iPhone 15 Pro Max: https://amzn.to/4gJQrQw
Mic (Wired) - Rode VideoMic GO II: https://amzn.to/3vnpgc1
Mic (Wireless) - Hollyland Lark M2: https://amzn.to/3wlbmYF
Teleprompter - Elgato Prompter: https://amzn.to/41PDssa
Light (Key) - RALENO LED Soft Light: https://amzn.to/48v3Ho6
Light (Fill) - VIJIM VL120: https://amzn.to/3P3KNwF
Tripod - Peak Design Travel Tripod (Carbon Fiber): https://amzn.to/3vExGfi
Mobile Tripod - Peak Design Mobile Tripod: https://amzn.to/48zoIOI
Gimbal - Hohem iSteady M6 Gimbal for Smartphone - https://amzn.to/3Wqi0r6
Gimbal - Hohem AI Tracking Sensor - https://amzn.to/3y85bYv
Field Monitor - Osee T5+ 5.5-Inch: https://amzn.to/4iA2Qbw

👤 ABOUT ME
Hi, I'm Michael Leen, a digital content creator. I have worked in big tech and smart home, and am a lifelong tech enthusiast. I produce YouTube content weekly showing how tech can make you more productive – saving you time and money, and making your home more comfortable and secure.

🎵 MUSIC CREDIT
Song: Up Above by Pyrosion https://soundcloud.com/pyrosion
Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/mikXltmStnc

📘 CHAPTERS
00:00 - Introduction
01:18 - Unboxing
03:29 - Setup
09:21 - Testing overview
10:56 - Testing with a cloud LLM
16:34 - Testing with local voice
19:50 - Test results
22:45 - Tips
25:16 - Final thoughts
26:25 - Outtakes

ℹ️ AFFILIATE LINKS
When you make a purchase using the links I provide, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.