It uses Rhasspy under the covers, and automatically imports lights, switches, fans, etc and sets up sentences and intents for you. After initial setup, it can be used without an active internet connection.
All you need is some container knowledge, an extra Pi, and a good speakerphone (like a Jabra Speak 410) to get going.
Disclosure: I am the main author of Home Intent.
I'd primarily like to be able to turn on/off a few specific switches, set a few specific scenes and ideally play a few playlists (squeezebox integrated with home assistant). Would creating scripts in HA and then calling them from Hi be the way to go for customising without building custom components?
If this works well I'll be keen to add a few cheap pis plus ps3 eye cameras around the house.
As far as multiple instances, I've been working on satellite images. So you could have on base on a pi 3/4 (or potentially even a server) and then use some pi 0's connected to mics placed wherever else.
So stay tuned!
My family back home is hooked on Google Home but sister agreed to switch off for the kids - but her requirement is to be able to control Spotify via voice.
Given I set aside enough of my time to help them out and figure out appropriate hardware, do you think it's worth a shot with HI?
But, if you wanted to write some python to directly play some pre-defined playlists (it currently can't do open speech transcription), you could definitely make that happen with Home Intent!
It supports custom components, so any integration is technically possible: https://homeintent.io/reference/developer/example-component/
I tried to design the interface to be easy to understand what sentences trigger what functions, and not have to write a lot of boiler code.
Hope this helps!
The Spotify part I'm assuming I will figure out - was more curious as to how your experience with voice control has been, if it performs well enough to be practical.