Home Assistant 2025.12: Labs, Smarter Automations, Real‑Time Energy and Frenck

We’re closing out the final Home Assistant release for 2025 with Frenck and a massive Home Assistant 2025.12. Home Assistant Labs, purpose‑specific triggers and conditions, a smarter automation UI, real‑time power flows in Energy, Android Auto/Widgets improvements, tons of new integrations, and more. Plus hardware talk: ZBT2, Zigbee 4, and Matter.js joining the Open Home Foundation.Watch this episode on YouTubehttps://homeassistant.fm/HA213Support the PodcastGet early-access to episodes and an ad-free feed by supporting our Patreon.https://homeassistant.fm/patreonShare your storyWe wouldn't be able to do this podcast without community members and home automation enthusiasts sharing their stories. To register your interest to come share your home automation journey, head over to homeassistant.fm and click share your story.Chapters00:00:00 Welcome00:03:30 Frenck’s streaming cadence and creator burnout00:06:45 Moving houses: keep or strip the smart home?00:10:46 EV charger dilemma & e‑waste perspective00:12:50 2025 recap: guests, sponsors, community00:15:50 Home Assistant ZBT-2 launch, Zigbee 4 headlines, migrations00:19:10 Open Home Foundation structure & focus areas00:22:59 Matter.js joins OHF and why it matters00:24:59 Arduino policy changes & the ESPHome angle00:25:34 2025.12 overview and Labs introduction00:26:44 Home Assistant Labs: opt‑in previews, backups, feedback00:31:55 Purpose‑specific triggers & conditions explained00:40:50 New automation UI: target‑first and context‑aware01:03:17 Home dashboard upgrades & the new For You sidebar01:13:21 Energy dashboard: live power flows and water devices01:19:40 Android: Add to Widgets & Android Auto favorites01:23:13 ESPHome entity IDs standardized for new devices01:24:17 Pet tech: Tuya litter boxes and assorted updates01:25:10 OpenAI model update, SQL templates, UI card tweaks01:27:49 New integrations roundup (Hue BLE, Victron BLE, more)01:32:18 Template helper deprecation, repairs, migration path01:35:38 Integration removals: Domino’s & Hive alarm changes01:36:54 32‑bit/supervised deprecation & migration guidance01:40:25 CES plans, upcoming episodesThis episode was made possible thanks to our sponsorsHome Assistant Cloud by Nabu CasaEasily connect to Google and Amazon voice assistants for a small monthly fee that also supports the Home Assistant project. Configuration is via the User Interface so no fiddling with router settings, dynamic DNS, or YAML.ZoozIf you're looking to upgrade your smart home - you can’t go past Zooz! Zooz offers a range of affordable and innovative devices, including water leak sensors, water valve controllers, smart plugs and scene controllers.For the best prices on all Zooz products, head over to https://thesmartesthouse.comProducts DiscussedHome Assistant ZBT2 (Zigbee radio): https://amzn.to/4pLxykTLutron Caseta light switches: https://amzn.to/48rNmSNHostsPhil HawthorneWebsiteSmart Home ProductsTwitter: @philhawthorneBluesky: @philhawthorne.comBuy Phil a CoffeeRohan KaramandiWebsiteSmart Home ProductsTwitter: @rohank9Buy Rohan a CoffeeThis podcast contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on one of them and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy