Updated

Nabu Casa, the commercial arm of the Open Home Foundation, has launched the $69 Home Assistant Connect Aux-2, a multi-function box for bringing non-smart devices into smart homes, The Verge reported on November 11, 2026. The Verge's reviewer tested the device for several days and found it useful and surprisingly easy to set up. The Aux-2 is about the size of a deck of cards and has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB-A and USB-C ports, an audio jack, a Grove port for sensors, buttons and LEDs, and two RS-232 serial ports. It can bridge Bluetooth devices, host a Z-Wave or Zigbee antenna, control devices such as TVs, AV receivers and solar inverters over serial, and stream music to amplifiers or powered speakers. It is built on ESPHome and uses existing Home Assistant integrations. The launch is part of Home Assistant's effort to become more user-friendly. The reviewer used the box as a Bluetooth proxy for Govee hygrometers in a garage fridge, which then kept their connection through three walls and a fridge. Setting up audio, including buying an amplifier and installing Music Assistant, took less than half an hour. The reviewer had not yet got speaker grouping through Sendspin working, and had not tested the serial control.