Hack your old Google Home Mini into a Home Assistant-ready offline smart speaker with this DIY kit

• The MiciMike Home Mini Drop-In PCB kit is made to replace the internals of the Google Home Mini, making it a Home Assistant-compatible offline speaker.
• The kit also allows the speaker to be used with cloud-based services like ChatGPT.
• You can get a kit for $85. They’re expected to ship in October.

The first-generation Google Home Mini is nearly a decade old at this point, and with so many in circulation, there’s a decent chance you might have one sitting around unused. If you’re looking for something to do with a spare, an upcoming crowdfunded kit will let you swap the Home Mini’s guts to make it a fully local smart speaker that can control your gadgets without any data leaving your home.

The MiciMike Home Mini Drop-In PCB is made to install inside your existing first-generation Google Home Mini without much technical knowhow: there’s no soldering involved, and the kit comes with step-by-step instructions that include photos. The project has crushed its funding goal on Crowd Supply, having raised nearly $20,000 (to its initial goal of $8,000), with units expected to ship this year.