Home Assistant's $69 Box Keeps Old Gear Alive (and Apple HomeView)
Blue Brain Tech Brief · Nov 13, 2026 · 5:51
Blue Brain Tech Brief · Nov 13, 2026 · 5:51
Listen in the Podli app 🎧
Follow your favourite podcasts, listen offline and in the car with CarPlay and Android Auto, and always pick up where you left off. Free to try.
Home Assistant just put out a $69 box whose whole job is to keep the gear you already own working. Then Apple's HomeView smart display, which only becomes yours when it sees your face, and Google letting outside AI agents write the automations in your house.
Prices: Home Assistant Connect AUX-2 $69 US / €59 (no Canadian price; Apollo Automation ships to Canada). Apple HomeView $299 US / $429 CAD.
Sources:
Home Assistant Connect AUX-2 (price, specs, retailers, Zigbee FAQ): https://www.home-assistant.io/connect/aux-2/
Apple HomeView (US): https://www.apple.com/apple-homeview/
Apple HomeView (Canada): https://www.apple.com/ca/apple-homeview/
Google Home release notes, Nov 11, 2026 (Home MCP automations): https://support.google.com/googlehome/answer/15962877
Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/RLAVwaNlio8
Got something wrong? Tell me: hello@bluebraintech.ca
Music made with Suno.
Episodes: Blue Brain Tech Brief
