Switching from Alexa to the ESP32-S3-Box-3: My Experience

I recently bought an ESP32-S3-Box-3, a not-so-cheap device with an “easy-to-remember” name. My goal is to use it as a local voice assistant for my Home Assistant, replacing my Alexa. I want to activate it with a wake word, give voice commands that it understands and executes locally, and receive voice responses, all without relying on cloud services.

Concerns and Hopes

My main concern is the local-only feature. Past attempts with similar devices like the M5 Atom Echo and a Raspberry Pi were slow and buggy. However, with the ESP32-S3-Box-3 and the new on-device wake word feature I hope everything to work better.

I said that this device is not cheap, but you can check it’s current prices in AliExpress below (these are affiliate links where I will receive a small commission from your purchases with no additional cost for you):

• ESP32-S3-BOX-3 Links:
  • https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DDLX0wb
  • https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DmCXJqf 

Prefer Watching Over Reading?

If you prefer watching a tutorial, check out my video on the same topic! The video walks you through the entire setup process step-by-step, making it easier to follow along. The link to the video is below.

Getting Started

I’ll follow the official ESP32-S3-Box Voice Assistant guide from the home-assistant.io website. Here are the prerequisites:

• Home Assistant 2023.12 or later
• Home Assistant Cloud subscription from Nabu Casa or manually configured Assist Pipeline
• Wi-Fi password
• Chrome or Edge browser (I’ll use Chrome)
• One of the ESP32-S3-Box variants and a USB-C cable

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Unboxing the ESP32-S3-Box-3

The box of ESP32-S-Box-3 includes:

• The ESP32-S3-Box-3 display with touch screen
• 4 different docking stations where you can mount the display (Dock, Sensor, Bread, Bracket)
• USB-C to USB-A cable (I also have a USB-C to USB-C cable)
• Jumper wires and a mini board
• Stickers

Setting Up

1. Connecting the Device: I used Chrome to open the setup page. Safari didn’t work for this step. I connected the device to my laptop using a USB-C cable.
2. Installing the Voice Assistant: I clicked the “Connect” button in Chrome, selected my device, and followed the prompts to install the voice assistant software. The device restarted, and I connected it to my Wi-Fi network.
3. Adding to Home Assistant: I added the ESP32-S3-Box-3 to my Home Assistant. This involved specifying my Home Assistant IP and port. The device was successfully added and recognized.

Configuring Voice Assistant

I followed these steps available in details in my video and in the official creating a local pipeline instructions:

1. Installing Add-Ons: I installed three Home Assistant add-ons:

• Whisper (speech-to-text) – LINK
• Piper (text-to-speech) – LINK
• openWakeWord (wake word detection) – LINK

1. Setting Up Assist Pipeline: In Home Assistant, I created a new pipeline named “ESP32-S3-Box-3” (you can name it however you wish). I configured it to use Whisper for speech-to-text, Piper for text-to-speech, and Open Wake Word for wake word detection. I chose “Okay Nabu” as the wake word.
2. Testing the Setup: I tested the wake word and basic commands. Initially, there were some issues, but after rebooting the device, it responded to commands like turning on a smart light and changing its color.

Free Home Assistant Webinar

Setting up the ESP32-S3-Box-3 as a local voice assistant took some effort, but it was rewarding. The device now responds (almost every time :-0 ) to commands and controls my smart home locally, just as I wanted. I believe this functionality will become better and better over time and this is a good start.

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