LocalDot Turns Echo Dot Into Home Assistant Device
Crowd Supply launched a campaign for an open-hardware board that replaces the Echo Dot's internal PCB to run Home Assistant voice control.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Consumer Electronics
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Crowd Supply has launched a crowdfunding campaign for LocalDot, an open-hardware board developed by AAElectronics that converts third-generation Amazon Echo Dots into Home Assistant voice devices. AAElectronics plans to publish schematics, PCB layout files, and firmware through a public GitHub repository.
Why it matters
The board lets owners of existing Echo Dot hardware run smart-home voice control locally rather than through Amazon's cloud services. Wake-word detection happens on the device itself, so basic functions can continue without an internet connection.
LocalDot pairs an ESP32-S3 for Wi-Fi and device control with an ESP32-P4 for audio processing, and drives the original speaker through a TAS5805 amplifier. Compatibility is confirmed only for the third-generation Donut and Crumpet variants, and the Echo Dot with Clock version has not been tested.
The players
Crowd Supply
Crowd Supply is a crowdfunding platform that specializes in open-hardware and electronics projects.
AAElectronics
AAElectronics is the developer of the LocalDot board and plans to publish its schematics, layout files, and firmware publicly.
The details
Installation requires opening the Echo Dot enclosure and swapping one board without soldering or modifying the case. The board keeps the original microphones, speaker, buttons, and LEDs, and works with the four-microphone array for beamforming; recognized voice commands are forwarded over the local network to a Home Assistant server.
Timeline
Crowd Supply launched the LocalDot campaign on November 7, 2026.
The Tech Race
LocalDot repurposes Amazon's third-generation Echo Dot hardware, extending a product line built around Alexa cloud services into a self-hosted Home Assistant platform. It positions open-hardware smart-home control against the closed ecosystems that Amazon and rivals rely on.
Owners of compatible third-generation Echo Dots could add local voice control without buying a new speaker, at $50 for one board or $98 for two. Smart-home functions such as timers and notifications can keep working without internet access, as long as the local Home Assistant server and integrations stay online.
The takeaway
Owners of older Echo hardware now have a documented path to keep smart-home control local. Anyone considering the project should confirm their exact Echo Dot variant first, since the Clock version remains untested.
Further reading
Explore more Consumer Electronics coverage for context on smart speakers and home hardware.
Source note: This article includes information reported by LinuxGizmos.
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