I connected my local LLM to Home Assistant through MCP, and now my smart home manages itself
Ayush Pande Apr 11, 2026, 3:30 PM EDT Ayush Pande is a PC hardware and gaming writer. When he's not working on a new article, you can find him with…
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Lossless Scaling does 5 things DLSS and FSR simply can't match
…If I'm playing a game with a proper DLSS 4 transformer-model implementation, that's what I'm reaching for, and FSR 4 on supported AMD hardware is close enough that…
Someone merged SteamOS with NixOS, and the result is the strangest Linux distro I've ever loved
…If you only care about gamescope and controller integration, you can enable just those pieces. If you want the full SteamOS-style flow, including auto-login and session management, that is just…
Intel Quick Sync is the reason I will never buy another Nvidia card for my Jellyfin server
…is why it's called hardware transcoding. Up until a few years ago, this is where graphics cards came into the picture. However, Intel’s integrated GPUs have become far better for…
I built a $15 ESP32 display that lets me monitor my Bambu Lab printer from my desk
…Bambu Lab HACS integration for Home Assistant, I put together a dedicated printer monitor that sits right on my desk. It costs between $10 and $20 in hardware, and it shows me…
Home Assistant's new infrared support turns your smart home into a universal remote
Rich Edmonds Mar 29, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT Richard is the PC Hardware Lead at XDA and has been covering the technology industry for almost two decades. He's been building…
Node-RED unlocks smart home automations that Home Assistant's UI was never designed to handle
Rich Edmonds May 23, 2026, 1:30 PM EDT Richard is the PC Hardware Lead at XDA and has been covering the technology industry for almost two decades. He's been building…
I turned an 8th Gen Intel PC into a retro console, and it surprised me
…Sign in to your XDA account PC hardware has made notable leaps over the past few generations, and many processors now come with fairly capable integrated GPUs (iGPUs). These jumps may have…
Googlebook repeats Pixelbook's biggest mistake, and Gemini won't save it
…integrations with Google Workspace are expected. Custom widgets pull from Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Drive, while Quick Access acts as a bridge between mobile and laptop devices. On the hardware side…
Local LLMs changed how I use Home Assistant, and now my smart devices actually listen
Ayush Pande Apr 23, 2026, 3:30 PM EDT Ayush Pande is a PC hardware and gaming writer. When he's not working on a new article, you can find him with…