Home Assistant OS 18.4 fixes VLAN, Bluetooth, boot and USB regressions while adding signed metadata to help users verify downloaded images.
Home Assistant OS 18.4 is a maintenance release focused on fixing regressions and tightening security. According to Tweakers, the update is based on Buildroot 2025.02.19 and brings the Linux kernel for most supported platforms up to version 6.18.58. The project says the release is intended for all users, with particular attention on issues that affected the previous 18.3 build.
The most notable fixes address networking and hardware compatibility. Home Assistant says VLAN support on Realtek adapters has been restored, alongside Bluetooth functionality for RTL8761B adapters that had stopped working with kernel 6.18.45. The release also resolves several boot and USB storage problems. In parallel, Docker, containerd, Go and Buildroot have all been updated with security fixes, while the new CA certificate bundle drops trust in the eMudhra root certificates linked to compromised intermediates.
Home Assistant OS 18.4 also changes how release images are published. Tweakers notes that downloads now ship with SHA256SUMS and a signed metadata bundle, SHA256SUMS.sigstore.json, which can be checked with Cosign to confirm that an image came from Home Assistant and has not been altered. The update therefore combines routine bug fixes with a clearer verification path for users who want stronger assurance about the integrity of the software they install.
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