Since I’m getting more and more familiar with Home Assistant, I’m considering adding speakers to more rooms.
I’d like them all to be google “castable” and play them separately or synced together.
If these are mono speakers, I may consider 2 per room to have them in a stereo setup. Why are most “smart speakers” mono anyway, I personally think this is pretty stupid rather than smart
I’d rather not add another ecosystem like Sonos or Amazon. E.g. Would I be able to google cast with home Assistant to a “stereo paired” set of Ikea Symfonisk speakers without needing the Sonos app?
No online voice assistant included. I’ll look into any of the off line alternatives in the future
Not too expensive, around 100 euro per speaker is fine.
A setup with chromecast audios and bookshelf/monitor speakers seems a more logical scenario to me.
Would 1 & 2 be possible straight from Home Assistant?
I’m a regular Chromecast user so I can share my thoughts.
This is possible on Chromecast and doesn’t involve Home Assistant. You can use the Google Home app to create speaker groups. You can include one speaker in multiple groups (like a ‘downstairs’ and ‘everywhere’ group) and still be able to select playback to an individual speaker or speaker group. You can’t do this in Sonos without unpairing the speaker group first. Home Assistant automatically detects Chromecast speakers and groups if autodiscovery is enabled.
You can pair speakers as stereo speakers by changing the speaker’s settings in the Google Home app. I found it not too useful because of the high number of power cables to connect. Better to use a good speaker or soundbar with Chromecast. You cannot change speaker settings in HA–only in Google Home app.
Now you’re using ‘google cast’ as a general term, which you should be careful about. You can’t mix Chromecast speakers with Sonos speaker without expecting problems. Don’t expect synchronized music when mixing platforms. Ikea speakers are Sonos speakers first and wouldn’t work with Chromecast speaker. However, Sonos API is pretty good and you can perform some functions in HA (like pairing/unpairing speaker groups) instead of using the Sonos app. Depending on the music app you use, you could cast to Sonos speakers without using the Sonos app. Spotify works, but that is all I tested. I don’t think Plex works with Sonos multi-room audio, but I could be wrong.
There are definitely affordable speakers in every ecosystem except Apple, but you will need to choose one for best compatibility.
Chromecast Audios are no longer sold, so your stock is dependent on eBay. One downside to CAs is that you need a way to turn on your stereo receiver or speakers when music starts playing. I’m lucky that I have an old network-connected receiver that is supported by HA, so I have it turn on automatically when HA detects the CA playing. You could also use an IR transmitter like Logitech Harmony or Broadlink RM devices to turn on an old receiver.
Thanks a lot!! I think I’ll start with a set of bookshelf/monitor speakers, Chomecast Audio and smart plug to turn on/off the speakers. Get some experience and decide how to grow from there.
No problem. Just FYI that Chromecast is the least reliable platform, but has the most compatibility with apps. There may be times when you try casting to a speaker, and it requires more than one attempt, or force-closing an app.
