Smart speakers like the Google Nest Hub or Amazon Echo are convenient, but they come with trade-offs: you sacrifice control, flexibility, and often privacy as well. As I’ve gone down the Home a**istant rabbit hole, I’ve begun to play with more open-source alternatives, starting with the Home a**istant Voice Preview Edition. Once I’d used that particular device, I realized that I didn’t need to rely on commercial hardware anymore. Through the power of ESPHome and amazing hardware like those in the ReSpeaker line and a separate foray with an ESP32-powered display, I discovered how easy it was to build my own open source replacements without the compromises.