Home Assistant

Home Assistant is a home automation platform running on Python 3. It is able to track and control all devices at home and offer a platform for automated control. Open source home automation that puts local control and privacy first. Powered by a worldwide community of tinkerers and DIY enthusiasts. Perfect to run on a Raspberry Pi or a local server.

SUGGESTED HARDWARE

We will need a few things to get started with installing Home Assistant. For best performance, we suggest the latest Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+. Links below are linking to Amazon US. If you’re not in the US, you should be able to find these items in web stores in your country.

• Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ + Power Supply (at least 2.5A)
• Micro SD Card. Get one that is Class 10 as they are more reliable. Size 32 GB or bigger recommended.
• SD Card reader. Part of most laptops, and also available as standalone USB sticks (the brand doesn’t matter, just pick the cheapest)
• Ethernet cable (optional, Hass.io can work with WiFi as well
• A USB-Stick (optional, allows for unattended configuration)

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

• Download the Hass.io image for your device
• Download Etcher to write the image to an SD card
• Text Editor like Visual Studio Code

INSTALLING HASS.IO

• Put the SD card in your SD card reader.
• Open Etcher, select the Hass.io image and flash it to the SD card.
• WiFi setup only: Format a USB-Stick with name CONFIG and copy one of the examples to the file network/hassos-wifi.
• Unmount the SD card and remove it from your SD card reader.
• Insert the SD card into your Raspberry Pi 3. If you are going to use an Ethernet cable, connect that too.
• Connect your Raspberry Pi to the power supply, so it turns on.

The Raspberry Pi will now boot up, connect to the Internet and download the latest version of Home Assistant, which will take about 20 minutes.

Home Assistant will be available at http://hassio.local:8123. Shortly after the download has started, a simple preparation status page will be available at this URL.
Point your browser there. The page refreshes automatically, and Home Assistant will be shown when the download is complete.

Features:

• Observe: Home Assistant will track the state of all the devices in your home, so you don’t have to.
• Control: Control all your devices from a single, mobile-friendly, interface. Home Assistant allows you to control all your devices without storing any of your data in the cloud. We like to keep your privacy private.
• Automate: Set up advanced rules to control devices and bring your home alive.

Do you want to …

• have the lights turn on when the sun sets and you are home?
• have the lights turn on when anyone comes home and it is dark?
• dim the lights when you start watching a movie on your Chromecast?
• receive a message when the lights turn on while you are not at home?

RELEASES

The usual release cycle is two weeks. Every other weekend will a new release of Home Assistant be available. There is no fix day or time when the release will happen because that depends on the person who is finishing the release. It can already be Monday at your location. If there was no announcement made in the previous release notes or on another communication channel then the release will happen.