Home Assistant On Wheels: We’re going Inside the SmartyVan
Home Assistant Podcast
DC Power Realities: Batteries, Alternator, Solar
Mike outlines power sources, alternator charging, solar limits and the need to conserve watts in a van.
Director-turned-vanlifer Mike from the YouTube channel SmartyVan shows how he turned a bare Mercedes Sprinter into a fully automated, off‑grid smart RV powered by Home Assistant and ESPHome. We cover DC power realities, alternator charging vs solar, Starlink on the move, Bluetooth presence, wired vs Zigbee sensors and PoE cameras with Frigate. Perfect for vanlife, RV, and tiny home builders.
Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA227
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Chapters
00:00:00 - Intro, sponsors, Mike arrives
00:05:00 - From Sprinter shell to smart RV
00:10:00 - Power: solar, alternator, efficiency
00:16:00 - Home Assistant in a DC world
00:22:00 - Pi 4, microSD, backups
00:28:00 - Internet, Starlink, offline logic
00:35:32 - Van automations that matter
00:41:00 - Service mode and shop visits
00:47:00 - Presence without motion sensors
00:53:00 - OBD-II, WICAN, vehicle data
00:59:00 - Wired sensors vs Zigbee
01:05:00 - Cameras, Frigate, PoE control
01:09:00 - What’s next and where to find
This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors
Home Assistant Cloud by Nabu Casa
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Products Discussed
Google Coral USB TPU accelerator: https://amzn.to/4cNVot1
Aqara contact sensors: https://amzn.to/4utywFk
Hosts
Phil Hawthorne
Twitter: @philhawthorne
Bluesky: @philhawthorne.com
Rohan Karamandi
Twitter: @rohank9
This episodes 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.
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