← Smart audio
Bose
Bose Home Speaker 500
- Cloud integration
- Cloud required
- Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth
Prices verified November 2026
Our verdict
A 2018-era Bose speaker with Alexa and AirPlay 2 and a distinctive wide stereo sound. It still sounds good, but it is ageing, only groups with other Bose smart speakers, and has no Home Assistant integration to speak of, so treat it as a standalone music speaker.
What can Home Assistant control on the Bose Home Speaker 500?
No first-party Home Assistant integration was verified for this Bose speaker. It supports AirPlay 2, so HA can in principle send audio to it through Music Assistant or an AirPlay-capable media player, but there are no native speaker entities for volume, grouping or status.
Specs
| voice | Amazon Alexa, eight-microphone array |
|---|---|
| airplay | AirPlay 2 |
| connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
How does the Bose Home Speaker 500 compare?
| Product | From | Protocol | Local control | Integration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bose Home Speaker 500 (this product) | £293.99 | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Cloud | Cloud |
| Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) | £79.99 | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Cloud | HACS |
| Amazon Echo Pop | £61.9 | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | Cloud | HACS |
| Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd gen) | £233.99 | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee | Cloud | HACS |
Frequently asked questions
- Does the Bose Home Speaker 500 work with Home Assistant locally?
- Partly. The Bose Home Speaker 500 connects to Home Assistant through the manufacturer's cloud integration, which relies on the Bose cloud. It works in Home Assistant, but commands go via the internet and stop working during an outage of your connection or the Bose service.
- Which protocol does the Bose Home Speaker 500 use, and do I need a hub?
- The Bose Home Speaker 500 uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. To pair it with Home Assistant you need no hub — it joins your Wi-Fi network directly; or a Bluetooth adapter on your Home Assistant host or an ESPHome Bluetooth proxy. Bose's own hub is not required when you integrate through the manufacturer's cloud integration.
- How much does the Bose Home Speaker 500 cost in the UK?
- The lowest price we have listed for the Bose Home Speaker 500 is £293.99 at Amazon UK. Prices were last checked in November 2026 and change often, so confirm on the retailer's page before buying.
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