Home Assistant's Aux-2 box makes smart home setup simple

Nabu Casa launches Aux-2

Nabu Casa, the commercial side of the Open Home Foundation, just launched the Home Assistant Connect Aux-2, a multi-function box designed to bring more devices into your smart home.

What the Aux-2 costs and contains

The Aux-2 is a sixty-nine dollar box about the size of a deck of cards with two point four gigahertz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB-A, USB-C, digital and analog audio jack, Grove port, and two RS-232…

Aux-2 bridges wireless protocols

It can bridge Bluetooth devices into Home Assistant, plug in a Nabu Casa Z-Wave or Zigbee antenna, control devices via serial connector, and stream music to older audio equipment through its audio jack.

Built on open-source platform

The Aux-2 is based on ESPHome, an open platform for making DIY smart home devices from cheap, flexible ESP boards, and uses existing Home Assistant and ESPHome integrations for all its features.

Reviewer's smart home setup

Nathan Edwards has a Home Assistant install but uses a mix of Google Home, Apple Home, and a few Home Assistant devices. He wanted to monitor his garage fridge temperature and set up in-wall speakers.

Fridge monitoring problem

Edwards set up Aqara temperature sensors via a discontinued Zigbee dongle but they frequently drop connection, chew through coin cell batteries, and have no displays. He also has a cheap Acu-rite hygrometer in the fridge.

Bluetooth hygrometers need proxy

Someone tipped Edwards off to Govee's Bluetooth hygrometers, but he would need a Bluetooth proxy to get them into Home Assistant. That happens to be a feature of the Aux-2.

In-wall speakers stuck in limbo

Edwards has in-wall speakers in his living room he has never used.He considered getting a Wiim Amp, stereo receiver, or cheap Bluetooth amp, but analysis paralysis set in and he did nothing for five years.

Setup was surprisingly easy

Edwards plugged the Aux-2 into his computer via USB-C, downloaded and installed firmware from a browser, added Wi-Fi credentials, then moved it to his media console and completed setup in the Home Assistant interface.

Bluetooth proxy worked immediately

Home Assistant prompted Edwards to install ESPHome, which discovered the Aux-2 and walked him through capabilities.Enabling Bluetooth proxying took a couple of clicks.

Audio setup took longer

Edwards bought an amp and set up Music Assistant, which lives on Home Assistant hardware and can play from Spotify, YouTube Music, local files and more to Sonos, Wiim, AirPlay, Google Cast and others.

Serial control remains untested

Serial control is the most intriguing feature of the Aux-2, but Edwards has not yet had time to test it.

Aux-2 is not unique but is accessible

The Aux-2 does not do anything you could not do with an ESP32 board and accessories.The Apollo Automations Cast-1 costs thirty-five dollars and supports the same features.

“That's the whole point.”

Open design may inspire DIY

Edwards bought a three-pack of ESP32 boards for sixteen dollars three years ago but built nothing. Now that he has used the Aux-2 and dipped his toe into ESPHome waters, maybe he will.