Apollo Automation has been highlighted by Home Assistant as a leading example of community-built, open-source smart home innovation in their year-end Works with Home Assistant certification program recap.
The Home Assistant team published their 2025 Works with Home Assistant Year in Review on December 9th, celebrating a record-breaking year that saw more devices certified in 12 months than in the previous two years combined. In a blog post that highlights the program's commitment to privacy, local control, and sustainability, Apollo Automation was specifically recognized alongside industry leaders.
Why This Recognition Matters for Smart Home Enthusiasts
Works with Home Assistant is the gold standard certification program for smart home devices that prioritize local control, privacy, and seamless integration. Unlike cloud-dependent alternatives, Works with Home Assistant certified devices operate entirely on your local network without requiring cloud subscriptions or sending your data to external servers.
Being featured in Home Assistant's annual recap puts Apollo Automation in elite company, demonstrating our commitment to the open-source smart home community and privacy-focused IoT solutions.
Apollo Automation: Community-Built Innovation
In the "Companies of all sizes" section, Home Assistant specifically called out Apollo Automation:
"Yes, we're thrilled to have major smart home players such as Shelly and Reolink committing to the program, but it's equally important for us to connect with smaller, community-built projects – the start-ups or developers who keep open source at the heart of everything they do, like AirGradient and Apollo Automation."
This recognition highlights what makes Apollo Automation different in the smart home market. While major manufacturers focus on proprietary ecosystems and cloud dependencies, Apollo Automation builds devices that respect user privacy and give you complete control over your data.
Meeting the Home Assistant Team at IFA Berlin 2025
The blog post also featured a photo from IFA Berlin in September 2025, showing Home Assistant team members visiting the Apollo Automation booth. This face-to-face connection demonstrates the collaborative relationship between Apollo Automation and the Home Assistant community, where feedback and innovation flow freely between developers and users.
What Works with Home Assistant Certification Means
The Works with Home Assistant program, now managed by the Open Home Foundation (a non-profit), ensures that certified devices meet strict requirements:
- Local control: No cloud dependencies or subscriptions required
- Privacy-first: Your data stays on your network
- ESPHome and open standards: Built on open-source platforms like ESPHome, Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Matter
- Long-term support: Manufacturers commit to updates and support
- Rigorous testing: Each device undergoes comprehensive testing for seamless Home Assistant integration
Apollo Automation's Commitment to Open Source Smart Home Technology
Every Apollo Automation sensor and device is designed with these principles in mind:
- ESPHome-based firmware: Fully customizable and transparent
- Local processing: All automation happens on your network
- Home Assistant native integration: Seamless setup and control
- Privacy-focused design: No data collection or cloud accounts
- Community-driven: Built with input from the Home Assistant community
Our product lineup includes presence detection sensors, air quality monitors, temperature and humidity sensors, and specialized IoT devices—all designed to work perfectly with Home Assistant and other open-source home automation platforms.
The Affordable Path to Certification
Home Assistant emphasized their commitment to making certification accessible, noting that the annual fee is deliberately kept low at just 500 CHF per partner. This inclusive approach enables smaller manufacturers like Apollo Automation to participate alongside major brands, ensuring the smart home market has diverse options that prioritize user freedom over vendor lock-in.
What This Means for Your Smart Home
If you're building a Home Assistant smart home, Apollo Automation devices offer:
1. Guaranteed compatibility: Works with Home Assistant certification ensures seamless integration
2. Local control: Complete automation without internet dependency
3. Privacy assurance: Your home data never leaves your network
4. ESPHome flexibility: Full customization and control over device behavior
5. Community support: Active forums and user community for troubleshooting and improvements
Looking Forward: The Future of Open Home Technology
Home Assistant's 2025 recap highlighted their focus on Zigbee certification for 2026 and expanding global availability of certified devices. Apollo Automation continues to develop new sensors and expand our product line, all while maintaining our commitment to open-source technology, local control, and privacy-first design.
This recognition from Home Assistant validates what our community has known all along: you don't need to sacrifice privacy or control to have a powerful, automated smart home. With ESPHome, Home Assistant, and manufacturers committed to open standards, the future of smart home technology is local, private, and user-controlled.
Explore Apollo Automation's Works with Home Assistant Devices
Ready to build your privacy-focused smart home? Browse our full catalog of Home Assistant compatible sensors and devices, all designed for local control and powered by ESPHome. Join thousands of users who have chosen open-source smart home technology over cloud-dependent alternatives.
Visit our store to see our complete lineup of ESPHome-based sensors, or check out our integration guides to get started with Home Assistant today.
REFERENCED LINKS:
- Home Assistant 2025 Works with Home Assistant Year in Review: https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/12/09/wwha-2025-recap/
KEYWORDS: Works with Home Assistant, Home Assistant certification, Apollo Automation, ESPHome sensors, local control smart home, privacy-focused IoT, open source home automation, smart home devices, Home Assistant compatible, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, community-built smart home, Open Home Foundation
