Joseph Zikusooka ~ Zik

A Linux software engineer specializing in open source technologies | Very experienced in building and configuring UNIX/Linux systems and servers. Passionate about developing software applications and hardware for the smart home | Currently serving as the CEO of Jambula Labs and the project leader at JambulaTV, a smart home automation and entertainment platform - https://jambulatv.com | This blog focuses on the following areas: Linux How-Tos and Tutorials ::: IT Security News ::: Free and Libre Open Source Software ::: Smart Home Software ::: Digital Innovations in East Africa https://mastodon.social/@jzik | https://github.com/zikusooka

Month: May 2025

An Alternative Way to Install Home Assistant Core

By Joseph ZikusookaPosted on Posted in Apps, Code, Linux, Tools

Hass-Core-Installer Version 2025.5.1 Released

Official support for installing Home Assistant Core, Supervised, and some other methods will soon end (see announcement). If you still want to run Home Assistant Core on your own hardware, I have good news!

I’ve released a new and improved version of hass-core-installer. This tool makes it easy to install Home Assistant Core on many types of systems, including ARM64 devices like Raspberry Pi 5.

You can try it now by visiting the GitHub page.

Why Use Hass-Core-Installer?

  • Works on Many Systems: Supports most system types, especially ARM64.
  • Works Offline: You can install Home Assistant Core even without an internet connection.
  • Future-Proof: Keeps working even after official support ends.
  • For Power Users: Best for people who already know how to set up Home Assistant.

What’s New in Version 2025.5.1?

  1. Upgrade Home Assistant to the latest version
    Updated Home Assistant Core to the latest version of 2025.5.1
  2. Faster Installs with uv:
    The installer now uses uv, a new and very fast Python package manager. This means Home Assistant installs faster and package problems are easier to fix.
    (Learn more about uv here).
  3. Supports More Python Versions:
    You can now use different versions of Python. By default, it uses Python 3.13.3.
  4. Better Troubleshooting:
    Improved tests and logging help you find and fix problems more easily.

How to Get Started

  1. Go to the hass-core-installer GitHub page.
  2. Follow the instructions to download and use the tool.

If you’re an experienced Home Assistant user and want to keep running it your way, give hass-core-installer a try! Your feedback and suggestions are welcome on GitHub.

Easily Toggle Audio Between Multiple Streams with My Updated PipeWire based Tool

By Joseph ZikusookaPosted on Posted in Tips

I have updated a tool that I find very useful, especially when watching or listening to multiple streams at the same time. For example, I often have Live TV, podcasts, or music playing on my Linux PC. Sometimes, I want to quickly switch which stream I hear without stopping the others.

With this tool, you too can now easily cycle through all your active media apps (like VLC, MPV, or FFPLAY) and mute or unmute them so that only one is audible at a time. The other streams keep playing in the background, but you won’t hear them until you toggle to them.

This is perfect for following several live TV channels during news hour or switching between music and podcasts without missing anything.

If you use GNOME, you can even set a keyboard shortcut to make switching super fast!

I’m still working on improving this tool, so if you have any suggestions or find any bugs, please let me know. You can check out the project and download it from my GitHub repository.

https://github.com/zikusooka/toggle-pw-volumes

Enjoy, and happy streaming!

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