Stream Assist is a Home Assistant integration that allows users to turn almost any camera and speaker into a local voice assistant, offering privacy and customization benefits over commercial solutions like Alexa or Nest. It uses components like Stream, Assist pipeline, openWakeWord, Whisper, and Piper to process voice commands and control smart home devices.
The author details their transition from Google Home to Home Assistant with a local LLM, highlighting the benefits of increased control, customization, and functionality. They discuss using Home Assistant's 'Okay Nabu' voice control, experimenting with display solutions like tablets and ESP32 devices, and the advantages of integrating a local LLM for more contextual and powerful interactions.
