Is H9me Assistant recommended?

Submitted ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨Trilogy3452@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨selfhosted@lemmy.world⁩

I’m planning to build several WiFi connected devices for home automation: an AC remote control and air quality sensors. These devices would send data and be controlled through a local server. I’m considering two approaches: running custom software on a server PC (hardware to be determined) or integrating with Home Assistant’s protocols and purchasing their hardware. Would using Home Assistant be excessive for this use case?

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AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
In terms of software, yes. But HA can be run on nearly anything—there’s no need to but their hardware to use it.

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- i_am_not_a_robot@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Just be careful with SD cards if you’re using SBCs. Home Assistant does a lot of writing and if your SD card can’t handle repeated writes you may suddenly lose everything. Keep backups to another device and have a replacement SD card ready if extended downtime is going to be a problem for you.
  
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  - unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Booting from USB drives has worked well for me
    
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  - CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    You can connect an SSD to these boards and boot from that instead of an SD card. Definitely the way to go especially considering SSDs dont really cost more than SD cards.
    
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  - 4am@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Always run mine in a VM along with everything else, no need for special hardware.
    
    Get yourself a PoE Zigbee and/or Z-wave receiver and you are good to go, can even live migrate HA if you are fancy
    
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- roofuskit@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Adding to this, I recommend a used mini PC. There’s lots of cheap used office hardware out there on eBay that is more powerful, more serviceable, and more flexible than the hardware they sell or a raspberry pi.
  
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  - dan@upvote.au ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Companies are throwing away old hardware (like 8th/9th gen Core i5) that’s perfect for running Home Assistant. See if there’s an e-waste recycler near you - they might let you buy an old system for a nominal fee.
    
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  - Goodlucksil@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    While there are some problems with used minipcs (notably drivers), i don’t think they are relevant if it is only going to be used as a Home Assistant
    
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tofu@lemmy.nocturnal.garden ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
If you aren’t locked in yet, I’d recommend against WiFi devices. Check Zigbee or similar. It won’t clutter your LAN and is independent. You usually need some kind of central station for that but it’s worth it imho.

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- mangaskahn@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  The exception here would be ESP32 devices. These have been some of the most reliable devices in my home and the most versatile, no Internet access required. Zigbee works well, but runs in the same frequency space as wifi and Bluetooth. Matter and thread are the new hotness and run in that space too. They all work well together, but something to consider. Z Wave is in a separate frequency space, but is a less open protocol. I have at least a few of all of these and they all play nice. Consider your priorities and choose what’s best for your application.
  
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  - ego@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Seconding esp devices. Especially running open source firmware (I used tasmota, there is also esphome and probably others) super reliable and much lower risk of spyware.
    
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- Sibbo@sopuli.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  ZigBee base stations are like 20€ or so if you get a simple usb dongle
  
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- Trilogy3452@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Will do. Is it more for security purposes? Reliability?
  
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  - tofu@lemmy.nocturnal.garden ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Both! Connecting Iot devices to your LAN is a security risk, since they sometimes carry malware. Many DDOS these days are performed by smart bulbs or the like. May even sniff in your network. Of course you can firewall them, but why bother with wifi at all then? Zigbee is pretty reliable and works even if your router goes down (you probably can’t access Home Assistant Web interface anymore, but zigbee light switches etc will still trigger zigbee bulbs, zigbee thermeters will still report their sensor values etc).
    
    I’m a Zigbee user so I use that in the examples but I’m sure the other options are fine as well.
    
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  - ClownStatue@piefed.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Most wi-fi smart devices use cheap components and will often drop off the network for seemingly no reason. As long as you do some basic planning, Zigbee and Z-Wave are pretty solid. There are some folks here who will say one or both of these technologies are on their way out because Matter & Thread. I’m not sure I agree with them, but even so, HA supports Matter, so… when Thread devices become as ubiquitous as Zigbee & Z-Wave devices, you can replace them as they die.
    
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  - 4am@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    Most WiFi devices these days are cloud-based, at least on the American market.
    
    If you can find a Zigbee or Z-Wave (or the up-and-coming Thread), those only work locally. The only way to get remote control is to expose HomeAssistant (or a similar hub) to the internet - usually using a VPN from your remote devices into your network.
    
    It’s a bit more upfront work, but no one can track your devices, they’re off grid/much harder to hack remotely, etc.
    
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hendrik@palaver.p3x.de ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
HA isn’t the only option. I think there’s two other open source smarthome solutions out there(?) And you could probably do with just an MQTT broker and a Python script, or something like that…

But HA isn’t a bad choice. They’re doing a phenomenal job. And related projects like ESPHome make it really easy to integrate microcontrollers. And if you want to do more smarthome stuff, it has a plethora of features, integrations…

Extra hardware isn’t absolutely necessary. I have one server at home which does NAS, and I use 4GB if it’s RAM to run a virtual machine with Home Assistant. That’s enough for the entire thing including a bunch of Addons.

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AA5B@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
I’ll also vote to reconsider WiFi. Home Assistant supports a variety of local mesh networks that by default can’t connect to the cloud and whose devices are cheaper and lower power.

I use all three of zwave, Zigbee, and thread; ha works with whatever you need.

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- jaxxed@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Can you comment further on the three mesh networks rhat you use?
  
  I only use zigbee, but would consider branching out
  
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  - AA5B@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    I got into each mesh technology for specific devices. Home Assistant supports them all and they seem to coexist just fine in my use case.
    
    I have a small to medium setup with only a few simple automations and a focus on voice control and scheduling
    
    Preference
    
    Thread - given Apple, Amazon, and Google support and the standardization work, I expect this to be the future. Eventually. But I’m getting impatient. If I’m buying a device, I prefer Thread but usually it’s not yet
    
    z-Wave - my first, and most devices. Basically this was what was most available at local stores when I started. No complaints
    
    Zigbee - by far the biggest selection of simple, cheap sensors. I need to more of those
    
    all too much is WiFi but I try to avoid
    
    But it also helps that my approach is generally switches and outlets. Hard-wired, predictable network, tend to be repeaters. I have comparatively fewer leaf nodes.
    
    So for example a few years back I got a z-wave IR blaster to control a mini-split AC because at the time I mostly used z-wave. I already had a z-wave light switch in the same room, acting as a repeater, so no worries about connectivity. Now I have both z-wave and Zigbee light switches in that room so expect both meshes to be strong for any future devices
    
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muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
you are Apple-centric:homebridge There’s a mix: homebridge You are out of mood stabilizers: arduino and an ESP32

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Shimitar@downonthestreet.eu ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
I would suggest to go with home assistant. I have been running it for couple of years now and I am very happy.

I would also suggest to purchase a Home Assistant Green. While not needed, you can self install on a Pi or a standard pc, it’s a small price to support the project and the Green is a nice solid and super stable piece of hardware, I am very happy with it after using first an old laptop, and then a Pi. The green is a clear upgrade from both.

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CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Yes. If there’s another open source project that has the coverage I’m not aware of it.

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- ricdeh@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  There is also OpenHAB, but I think Home Assistant is the more mature one of the two.
  
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just_another_person@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
HA is definitely the largest adopted. OpenHab is probably more geared for developers, but has a more concise and powerful automation system.

As for hardware to run it on: get a cheap n100 Minipc and be done with it. Uses 6-12W, and it’s going to miles.kore efficient for this use than a regular PC.

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tal@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
I don’t run a home automation system, but if you want an open solution and are willing to do some configuration, my understanding is that the main contenders are OpenHAB and Home Assistant.

I’d also suggest !homeautomation@lemmy.world as a more-specialized resource than !selfhosted@lemmy.world, though I imagine that there’s overlap.

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- Trilogy3452@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Thanks. I thought the already thought out protocols and configurations would make it easier to program the micro controllers to plug in with that rather than building something on my own
  
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  - sobchak@programming.dev ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    It’s been a while since I messed with home automation, but ESPHome was amazing to program ESP microcontrollers (i.e. you most likely wouldn’t have to write any code). You can use ESPHome devices with both Home Assistant and Openhab (using MQTT, IIRC). The last I checked, it was easier to program your own functionality in OpenHAB than Home Assistant.
    
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Canuck@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Before HomeAssistant, OpenHab was the undisputed king. I still like them because they let you remotely access you home without having to subscribe to anything or set up any remote access methods

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- baahb@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  This implies that I am paying to access HA outside my network. I am not. You do not need any kind of subscription to access home assistant externally.
  
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- AA5B@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  I choose to pay for remote access, but it’s for convenience and to support the developers. You are free to configure it yourself in a couple ways (and there is decent documentation) or do without remote access
  
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Jaaaardvark@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
I’ve tried Domoticz when my Pi was too old for HA, before upgrading to HA. It was good enough to control only a few devices.

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Decronym@lemmy.decronym.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:

Fewer Letters More Letters

DNS Domain Name Service/System

HA Home Assistant automation software

~ High Availability

Zigbee Wireless mesh network for low-power devices

[Thread #65 for this comm, first seen 6th Feb 2026, 21:20] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]

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Fewer Letters	More Letters
DNS	Domain Name Service/System
HA	Home Assistant automation software
~	High Availability
Zigbee	Wireless mesh network for low-power devices