Director-turned-vanlifer Mike from the YouTube channel SmartyVan shows how he turned a bare Mercedes Sprinter into a fully automated, off‑grid smart RV powered by Home Assistant and ESPHome. We cover DC power realities, alternator charging vs solar, Starlink on the move, Bluetooth presence, wired vs Zigbee sensors and PoE cameras with Frigate. Perfect for vanlife, RV, and tiny home builders.

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Show notes for this episode are available at https://homeassistant.fm/HA227

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Chapters

00:00:00 - Intro, sponsors, Mike arrives

00:05:00 - From Sprinter shell to smart RV

00:10:00 - Power: solar, alternator, efficiency

00:16:00 - Home Assistant in a DC world

00:22:00 - Pi 4, microSD, backups

00:28:00 - Internet, Starlink, offline logic

00:35:32 - Van automations that matter

00:41:00 - Service mode and shop visits

00:47:00 - Presence without motion sensors

00:53:00 - OBD-II, WICAN, vehicle data

00:59:00 - Wired sensors vs Zigbee

01:05:00 - Cameras, Frigate, PoE control

01:09:00 - What’s next and where to find

This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors

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Products Discussed

Google Coral USB TPU accelerator: https://amzn.to/4cNVot1

Aqara contact sensors: https://amzn.to/4utywFk

Hosts

Phil Hawthorne

Website

Smart Home Products

Twitter: @philhawthorne

Bluesky: @philhawthorne.com

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Rohan Karamandi

Website

Smart Home Products

Twitter: @rohank9

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