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The original was posted on /r/homeassistant by /u/MorimotoK on 2025-06-24 15:16:02+00:00.

I know a lot of people have struggled with the voice PE’s so I thought I’d share my experience now that they’re working a lot better for me:

• Usefulness: I’ve been adding functions slowly, but most of these work just fine:
  • Weather: Using a blueprint, it works great but is a little wordy
  • Calendar: Works ok, still working on anything past “What’s my schedule today”
  • Tasks: Also works fine, but you have to specify the name of the list you are referring to each time.
  • Home control: Usually bypasses the LLM, so it’s really fast.
  • General knowledge and recognition accuracy: Also works (passed my “What is fukujinzuke?” test). I speak English without a significant accent.
  • Speed: I’m using a local LLM (Qwen 2.5 14b). It ranges in speed from 2 - 8 seconds unless it’s a device command. Those are pretty much instant.
• Wake word and recognition: This works very well within about 9 feet / 3 meters with it set to “Moderately sensitive”. So it works great on my bathroom counter, desk, and bedside table. It is not great for across-the-room conversations.
• Continued conversation: Now that the PE automatically starts listening if its response ends in a question, I can continue my conversation without saying “Hey Nabu” over and over.
• Hardware: This is a preview unit, but it’s really good considering the resources that were available. My main issue with it is the speaker. I’d gladly pay more for a better speaker.

TLDR: It works really well for a conversation in the morning while I’m getting ready and controlling my devices. Overall, much better and more private than my google homes. Feel free to AMA.