Home Assistant Connect Aux-2 puts several smart-home tools in one box
A $69 box about the size of a deck of cards, the Home Assistant Connect Aux-2 combines Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB, audio and serial connections. In testing over a couple of days, it proved useful and easy to set up, offering several ways to connect devices to a Home Assistant system.
Nabu Casa, the commercial arm of the Open Home Foundation, which runs Home Assistant, has launched the Aux-2 as part of the platform’s push to become more user-friendly. The device can bridge Bluetooth products into a Home Assistant setup, while its USB port can take a Nabu Casa Z-Wave or Zigbee antenna if the hub is poorly positioned.
The Aux-2 can also control TVs, AV receivers and solar inverters through its serial ports. Its audio jack can connect an amplifier or powered speakers, allowing older audio equipment to stream music. The device includes 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB-A and USB-C, a digital/analog audio jack, a Grove port for peripherals such as sensors, buttons and LEDs, and two RS-232 serial ports. Ethernet supports PoE; the rear panel also has a reset switch and USB-C port. A warning sticker cautions users not to use the serial ports unless they know what they are doing.
The device is based on ESPHome, an open platform for building DIY smart-home products with inexpensive, flexible ESP boards. Its functions use existing Home Assistant and ESPHome integrations.
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