Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In today’s video, we’re diving into the secret weapon of the Home Assistant Voice Panel (VPE) — the Grove port! This tiny connector unlocks a world of plug-and-play sensors, displays, and modules that can expand your smart home without any soldering or fuss. I’ll show you how to add sensors like the AHT20 and SGP30 using ESPHome, how to take control of your VPE, and how to go even further with internal GPIO headers and 3D printed enclosures. This is how you turn your VPE into a sensor-packed smart hub!
Let’s get into it 👇
📚 RESOURCES
🙏 Huge thanks to PCBWay for sponsoring this video!
Want to make your own custom PCBs or 3D printed enclosures for projects like this?
Check out PCBWay here ➜ PCBWay.com
The printers featured in the video are all available directly from Bambu Labs over at :
uk.store.bambulab.com/collections/3d-printer
My GitHub with code examples: github.com/MarkWattTech/MarkWattTech-Tutorials
Home Assistant VPE: home-assistant.io/voice
VPE Grove Port : support.nabucasa.com/hc/en-us/articles/25938245892765-Connecting-a-sensor-to-the-Grove-port
Grove Header Pin Reference: support.nabucasa.com/hc/en-us/articles/25938342327581-About-the-internal-GPIO-pins
⌚ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Introduction
00:25 - What is the Grove Port?
02:45 - Take control of the VPE (ESPHome)
03:26 - Adding our first sensor
04:11 - Access the Grove Port
5:19 - More than one sensor?
05:51 - Adding a second sensor (SGP30)
07:24 - Adding a non i2C device?
08:15 - The Enclosure
08:40 - Todays Video Sponsor PCBWay
09:00 - Future enclosure designs and ideas for my VPE
09:34 - Summary and Outro
📺 RELATED VIDEOS
DIY Smart Desk Controller with ESPHome: youtu.be/jZzNDveuDVY
🔽 CONNECT WITH ME
Discord: discord.gg/DAG2yf7Ev3
X: https://x.com/MarkWattTech
Facebook: facebook.com/MarkWattTech
Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/2963936147172102
TikTok: tiktok.com/@markwatt94
Instagram: instagram.com/MarkWattTech
Reddit: reddit.com/r/MarkWattTech
Mastodon: fosstodon.org/@MarkWattTech
🙏 REQUEST A VIDEO
https://forms.gle/zYpyd8gJBttYN7J17
🔔 SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE
youtube.com/markwatttech?sub_confirmation=1
🙌 SUPPORT THE CHANNEL
If you enjoyed this, hit that LIKE button! You can also support me directly here:
► Become a Patreon Member: patreon.com/markwatttech
► YouTube Channel Member: youtube.com/channel/UCQRm_z7seHnGsBiWDNEWr6A/join
► PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/markwatttech
► Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/MarkWattTech
► Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/markwatttech
► My Amazon Store: amazon.co.uk/shop/markwatttech
🎵 Track Info:
Title: All That
Composer: Benjamin Tissot
Licensed to: MarkWattTech
Available at: bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/all-that-chill-hop
#markwatttech #homeassistant #vpe #esphome #groveport #smarthome #techhacks #iot #diyprojects
In today’s video, we’re diving into the secret weapon of the Home Assistant Voice Panel (VPE) — the Grove port! This tiny connector unlocks a world of plug-and-play sensors, displays, and modules that can expand your smart home without any soldering or fuss. I’ll show you how to add sensors like the AHT20 and SGP30 using ESPHome, how to take control of your VPE, and how to go even further with internal GPIO headers and 3D printed enclosures. This is how you turn your VPE into a sensor-packed smart hub!
Let’s get into it 👇
📚 RESOURCES
🙏 Huge thanks to PCBWay for sponsoring this video!
Want to make your own custom PCBs or 3D printed enclosures for projects like this?
Check out PCBWay here ➜ PCBWay.com
The printers featured in the video are all available directly from Bambu Labs over at :
uk.store.bambulab.com/collections/3d-printer
My GitHub with code examples: github.com/MarkWattTech/MarkWattTech-Tutorials
Home Assistant VPE: home-assistant.io/voice
VPE Grove Port : support.nabucasa.com/hc/en-us/articles/25938245892765-Connecting-a-sensor-to-the-Grove-port
Grove Header Pin Reference: support.nabucasa.com/hc/en-us/articles/25938342327581-About-the-internal-GPIO-pins
⌚ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Introduction
00:25 - What is the Grove Port?
02:45 - Take control of the VPE (ESPHome)
03:26 - Adding our first sensor
04:11 - Access the Grove Port
5:19 - More than one sensor?
05:51 - Adding a second sensor (SGP30)
07:24 - Adding a non i2C device?
08:15 - The Enclosure
08:40 - Todays Video Sponsor PCBWay
09:00 - Future enclosure designs and ideas for my VPE
09:34 - Summary and Outro
📺 RELATED VIDEOS
DIY Smart Desk Controller with ESPHome: youtu.be/jZzNDveuDVY
🔽 CONNECT WITH ME
Discord: discord.gg/DAG2yf7Ev3
X: https://x.com/MarkWattTech
Facebook: facebook.com/MarkWattTech
Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/2963936147172102
TikTok: tiktok.com/@markwatt94
Instagram: instagram.com/MarkWattTech
Reddit: reddit.com/r/MarkWattTech
Mastodon: fosstodon.org/@MarkWattTech
🙏 REQUEST A VIDEO
https://forms.gle/zYpyd8gJBttYN7J17
🔔 SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE
youtube.com/markwatttech?sub_confirmation=1
🙌 SUPPORT THE CHANNEL
If you enjoyed this, hit that LIKE button! You can also support me directly here:
► Become a Patreon Member: patreon.com/markwatttech
► YouTube Channel Member: youtube.com/channel/UCQRm_z7seHnGsBiWDNEWr6A/join
► PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/markwatttech
► Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/MarkWattTech
► Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/markwatttech
► My Amazon Store: amazon.co.uk/shop/markwatttech
🎵 Track Info:
Title: All That
Composer: Benjamin Tissot
Licensed to: MarkWattTech
Available at: bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/all-that-chill-hop
#markwatttech #homeassistant #vpe #esphome #groveport #smarthome #techhacks #iot #diyprojects
