Options to integrate DIY smart device into Google Home?

I'm thinking about making a couple devices for myself from scratch, and I want to know the options I have to add them to Google Home.

The first one is already kinda working, it's an old Android tablet that I use as a clock. The only "smart" thing about it is dimming the backlight at night, and I can already do that with voice commands and IFTTT. But I'd like to add a simple toggle in Google Home UI.

The second one is just in the planning phase, and it's an IR controller for the air conditioner unit. My current plan is to use ESP32, but if other (similarly priced) hardware is more appropriate please also point me in that direction. The goal is again to add it as a device to Google Home UI, being able to control and display basic stuff aircon needs — temperature, mode, speed.

What are my options for integrating stuff into home assistant? I have a pretty much spare arm board to be used as a "bridge", and in general I'm considering all options from paid and simple to free and fully DIY (I imagine I can interact with Google's API directly or something)

Submitted by mukintaras

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