Dedicated Device (Raspberry Pi)

Overview

Always-on hardware device like an Alexa.

Hardware Options

Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W (~$15)

• Smallest, cheapest
• Built-in WiFi
• Enough for wake word detection
• USB microphone required

Raspberry Pi 4 (~$55)

• More powerful
• Can run Whisper locally
• Better for full voice pipeline

ESP32-S3 (~$10)

• Microcontroller option
• Lower power
• Wake word only, streams to server

Components Needed

• Raspberry Pi (any model)
• USB microphone or I2S mic (ReSpeaker)
• Speaker (USB or 3.5mm)
• Case/enclosure
• Power supply

Software Stack

openWakeWord (wake detection)
    |
    v
Whisper (STT) - local or remote
    |
    v
WebSocket to Nexus
    |
    v
InWorld TTS (speaker output)

Advantages

• Always on, always listening
• No phone battery concerns
• Dedicated hardware
• Can place anywhere (kitchen, office, bedroom)

Setup

1. Flash Raspberry Pi OS Lite
2. Install Python, openWakeWord
3. Configure WiFi/Tailscale
4. Auto-start on boot via systemd
5. Connect to Nexus endpoint