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homeautomation:home_assistant [2025/04/17 07:53] – [Where to run Home Assistant] willyhomeautomation:home_assistant [2025/06/04 08:43] (current) – [Install Home Assistant] willy
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 ==== Which Home Assistant edition? ==== ==== Which Home Assistant edition? ====
  
-Home Assistant comes in different flavours and so called  __editions__.+Home Assistant comes in different flavours and so called  __editions__ and it can be installed in three different ways: 
 +  * Dedicated hardware. Best solution! 
 +  * Virtual Machine, like using dedicated hardware but on shared hardware. 
 +  * Docker container, but it does not support direct Add-On integration (there are workarounds)
  
-There are three ways: +The Virtual Machine approach can be useful if you don't have or don't want to use dedicated hardware, but it comes with the downside of requiring USB pass-trough for hardware devices like ZigBee/Z-Wave, modbus or similar devices.
-  * Dedicated hardware +
-  * Virtual Machine +
-  * Docker container +
- +
-The docker container approach has some limitations, like being unable to manage add-ons, which is quite limiting. The Virtual Machine approach can be useful if you don't have or don't want to use dedicated hardware, but it comes with the downside or requiring USB pass-trough for hardware devices like ZigBee/Z-Wave, modbus or similar devices.+
  
 I choose to use dedicated hardware because i want my smart home to be independent from my home-server services. In a way, the smart home needs to be operative even if/when my home IT services are down or the internet is not working. I choose to use dedicated hardware because i want my smart home to be independent from my home-server services. In a way, the smart home needs to be operative even if/when my home IT services are down or the internet is not working.
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 The green is a fully functional hardware with small form factor ready to plug & run. The yellow is quite similar, but you provide yourself a Raspberry Pi4 CPU board. The green is a fully functional hardware with small form factor ready to plug & run. The yellow is quite similar, but you provide yourself a Raspberry Pi4 CPU board.
  
-I choose to self-host Home Assistant on my own hardware. At first i picked an oldish laptop to leverage the low-power conusmption, and the relevant installation instructions can be found [[homeautomation:uefipc|here]]. After some months, after having issues with the laptop battery i decided to switch to an even lower consumpion OrangePi 3B ARM device, the installation instructions can be found [[homeautomation:opi3b|here]].+I did three different installations over time, and here is why: 
 +  * I started with an old repurposed laptop (see [[homeautomation:uefipc|here]]), but failing hardware and noisy fan where downsides. 
 +  * Then i purchased an Orange Pi 3B (see [[homeautomation:opi3b|here]]) and leveraged that for a while, but requiring manual updates to the OS was annoying. 
 +  * At last, i purchased a Home Assistant Green (see [[homeautomation:green|here)]], both to support the project and get the best full stack support out of it. And i have been really happy so far.
  
 As requirements, i can recoment the following: As requirements, i can recoment the following:
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 You can place this computer in a strategic point in your house, to maximize the ZigBee or Z-Wave rage and signal distribution. You can start anywhere, and then move it if needed, this is specially easy on a laptop where you don't have to power it down. You can place this computer in a strategic point in your house, to maximize the ZigBee or Z-Wave rage and signal distribution. You can start anywhere, and then move it if needed, this is specially easy on a laptop where you don't have to power it down.
 +
 +==== Install Home Assistant ====
 +
 +Follow the [[homeautomation:green|C.1) HA: setup Home Assistant Green]], [[homeautomation:opi3b|C.1) HA: setup an OrangePi 3B]] or the [[homeautomation:uefipc|C.2) HA on a standard PC]] pages.
 +
 +
 +==== Setup Home Assistant ====
 +
 +The initial setup is described in detail [[https://www.home-assistant.io/getting-started/onboarding/|on these pages]], you should follow it carefully to get started.
 +
 +Some notes:
 +  * Choose a static IP
 +  * Choose a nice hostname (ex: //ha.mydoimain.com//)
 +
 +Then you should plug-in your protocol dongles, for example your ZigBee coordinator and set those up as well. See the dedicated pages.
 +
 +At this point you can start designing your rooms and areas. I suggest you define at this point all the floors and rooms that you have, so adding devices, lights and switches will be easier later on.
 +
 +You will want to install the File Editor extension, and sooner or later you will need to edit your **configuration.yaml** file by hand.
 +