Who it is for
This is for someone who already has a few lights, plugs, or speakers and is tired of a different app for each brand. Home Assistant runs in the house, so a dead internet connection does not have to mean a dead light switch. It is a rabbit hole. Start with one lamp. Add radios and dashboards later. If you want a sealed remote you never open, a bought hub is less work. If you want one place that can see more than one brand, start here.
Source tutorial: your home automation SUCKS!!.
Parts list
- A Raspberry Pi 5 or Raspberry Pi 4 with at least 2 GB of RAM. That is the floor in the official install guide: https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/raspberrypi/.
- The official power supply for that board. The same guide says a computer USB port is not enough, and that some phone chargers will not deliver what they claim.
- A microSD card of at least 32 GB, Application Class 2 if you can see the A2 mark on the label. The guide asks for that class because small reads and writes are constant.
- An Ethernet cable for the install. Wi-Fi can be added later. The guide says Ethernet is more reliable and is required for installation.
- A case for the Pi, and a mini switch if you need a port.
- A Zigbee USB stick only after the hub itself is up and you have a device that is not already on Wi-Fi. Do not buy it for day one.
Steps
- On a computer, install Raspberry Pi Imager: https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/.
- Choose Other specific-purpose OS, then Home automation, then Home Assistant, then the image that matches a Pi 4 or a Pi 5. Choose the card. Write it. The clicks are written out at https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/raspberrypi/. If Imager is not available for your computer, that page has direct image links. Copy the link from the page. Do not reuse an old filename from a blog.
- Put the card in the Pi. Plug in Ethernet, on the same network as the computer you will use, with a path to the internet. Then connect power.
- Wait. On a Pi 4 or 5 the guide says the page should be up within about a minute, and that you should suspect the card if it is still missing after five minutes. In a browser, open homeassistant.local. If that name fails, try homeassistant.local:8123, or http:// and the Pi's address, port 8123. The guide explains those fallbacks.
- Create the owner account on that page. Set the home location only if you want sun-based automations. Skip anything you do not recognize.
- Add one integration for a device you already own. Settings, then Devices and services. Confirm you can turn that one device on and off. Stop there for the day. Continue with the Onboarding link on the Raspberry Pi install page rather than a copied image URL from an old post.
Caution
Do not forward port 8123 from the router to the Pi, and use the official power supply so the card is not left half-written.
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