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Release 4.4.0

· 3 min read
Klaas Schoute
Klaas Schoute
Founder of Glow

Version 4.4.0 of the Home Assistant Glow is here 🌟! The highlight of this release is the Glow Basic variant, a firmware for setups without LED hardware, alongside improved GitHub Actions workflows and a refreshed documentation experience.

Glow Basic Variant​

Based on a community request, this release introduces Glow Basic: a firmware variant without LED support. For setups where the Glow sits in a closed meter cabinet or where the LED hardware simply isn't wired up, there was no clean way to run the firmware without unnecessary LED-related log entries. Glow Basic solves that.

  • Lighter firmware: No LED components are included, resulting in a smaller and simpler build
  • Separate device identity: Shows up as Glow Basic in Home Assistant, making it easy to distinguish from the standard variant
  • Same core functionality: Pulse meter, energy tracking, OTA updates, and web server all work the same

Available for all three supported boards: ESP32, ESP32-C3, and ESP8266.

Choosing Your Variant​

The Getting Started page now features an interactive firmware selector to pick between Standard and Basic before flashing your device.

Firmware Selector

Improved Build & Deploy Workflows​

The GitHub Actions workflows have been updated to support both firmware variants through a matrix build strategy:

  • Matrix builds: Each pull request and release now builds firmware for all device and variant combinations in parallel
  • Organized artifacts: Build artifacts follow a clear naming scheme (build-glow-standard-esp32, build-glow-basic-esp32c3, etc.)
  • PR download table: Pull request comments now include a table with download links for both variants, making it easy to test firmware from any PR

Documentation Improvements​

The getting started guide received a visual overhaul:

  • Step badges: Each step now has a numbered badge for clearer visual guidance
  • Firmware selector component: An interactive radio button card to choose between Standard and Basic before connecting
  • Tabbed connection options: Step 3 now uses tabs to present the different connection methods (auto-discovery vs manual configuration)

Getting Started

Upgrading to 4.4.0​

There are several ways to update your Glow to the latest version:

  • Via Home Assistant: If your Glow is connected to Home Assistant, you'll receive an update notification automatically. Simply click update from the device page — the easiest option.
  • Via the Web Interface (OTA): Download the correct firmware binary from the Firmware Updates page, open the Glow's web interface, and upload it via the OTA Update section.
  • Via USB: Head to the Getting Started page, select your variant, and flash via USB.
Switching variants

You can switch from Standard to Basic (or vice versa) by simply flashing the other variant. Your Wi-Fi credentials and Home Assistant connection will be preserved.

Wrap up​

This release makes the Home Assistant Glow more accessible by offering a basic variant for builds without LED hardware, while improving the development workflow and documentation along the way.

If you would like to support the project, you can do so through GitHub sponsors or Ko-fi. If you have any questions, you can ask them via the discussions, and if you encounter problems with the Home Assistant Glow, you can indicate this in the issues.

./Klaas

ko-fi