Hi everyone! I’ve been diving into the world of smart home automation, and I wanted to share a quick tip that might be helpful for others. I recently set up window and door sensors around my home, and I wanted a way to easily monitor their status without constantly checking the UI. So, I decided to have my Google Home Mini announce when a window or door changes state—whether it’s opening, closing, or even transitioning from an unknown state.
Here’s how I did it: I created an automation in Home Assistant that triggers on a state change event. I used the tts.google_translate_say service to have the Google Home announce the change. The message dynamically includes whether the window is opening or closing, which makes it super clear.
One thing I noticed was that sometimes the state would transition from ‘unknown’ to ‘on’, which also triggered the automation. To handle this, I made sure to specify both the ‘from’ and ‘to’ states in the trigger. This ensures that the announcement only happens when there’s a meaningful change.
I’ve attached the blueprint I used for anyone interested in setting this up themselves. It’s been a great way to keep track of my home’s security without having to constantly monitor the dashboard. Plus, it’s a fun way to test out the integration between Home Assistant and Google Home.
If anyone has tips or improvements on this setup, I’d love to hear them! Happy automating! 