Home Assistant: HA-ppy to Help

Home Assistant 2026.5: Native RF Support, Serial Proxies & The Open Roadmap

In this episode, Anna and Jan dive into the May 2026 release of Home Assistant. True to its title, “We’re on the same frequency now,” version 2026.5 brings a long-awaited feature to the heart of the Open Home: native support for Radio Frequency (RF). We explore how this release bridges the gap between "old" hardware and modern automation, making your smart home more sustainable and versatile than ever. * RF as a First-Class Citizen: Following last month's Infrared update, Home Assistant now officially supports Radio Frequency. We explain how you can use ESPHome or Broadlink (RM4 Pro) as transmitters to control "dumb" devices like motorized blinds, ceiling fans, and Honeywell string lights. * Serial Ports Over the Network: A game-changer for advanced users. Learn how ESPHome serial proxies allow you to connect smart meters or AV receivers to Home Assistant even if they are floors away from your server. * The Maintenance Dashboard: Say goodbye to "silent" sensor deaths. The new built-in dashboard automatically tracks battery levels across your entire home and highlights what needs replacing. * Natural Language Automations: "Labs" gets a major upgrade with duration support. We discuss how to build intuitive automations like "If the garage door is open for 30 minutes, send a notification." * The Open Roadmap: Fresh from the State of the Open Home 2026 in Utrecht, we talk about Home Assistant’s new public roadmap and how every user—not just developers—can help shape the future of the platform. * Redesigned UI & Smarter Tools: A fresh look for robot vacuums and lawn mowers (including "Clean by Area"), the new Shortcut Card, and a massive overhaul of the templating documentation with context-aware autocomplete in the code editor. Also in this episode: 12 new integrations (including Victron GX and Denon RS232), GPT-5.5 support in OpenAI Conversation, and crucial breaking changes regarding Person/Device Tracker triggers and Ring doorbells. Host Note: Always remember to create a backup before upgrading and read the full breaking changes list in the official release notes! Highlights of this Release: