I heard about Home Assistant home automation project before: open source, integrates with everything… But it wasn’t until I replaced my HVAC system recently that I decided to see what it can do. And it is great!

Installation

Home Assistant documentation describes a number of ways to install it.

Dedicated Hardware - not the one

One approach is to use dedicated Raspberry Pi-based hardware, and the purpose-built units offered for sale look great; this is probably the best way for those who do not have a home server; I do though, and prefer to run Home Assistant on it - along with other things.

Docker Containers - not the one

One way to run Home Assistant on a machine not dedicated to it is to use Docker containers; this installation method is called Home Assistant Container. Setting up Home Assistant this way is simple enough - here is the docker-compose.yaml:

version: '3'
services:
  homeassistant:
    restart: unless-stopped
    container_name: homeassistant
    image: "ghcr.io/home-assistant/home-assistant:stable"
    privileged: true
    network_mode: host
    volumes:
      - /home/homeassistant/config:/config
      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
      - /run/dbus:/run/dbus:ro

One issue with this approach is that there is no one-click updates: new image needs to be pulled explicitly with a Docker command; another is - no access to add-ons: each add-on needs to be installed manually using a separate docker-compose.yaml

Here, for example, is one for Z-Wave:

version: '3.7'
services:
  zwave-js-ui:
    container_name: zwave-js-ui
    image: zwavejs/zwave-js-ui:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    tty: true
    stop_signal: SIGINT
    environment:
      - SESSION_SECRET=...
      - ZWAVEJS_EXTERNAL_CONFIG=/usr/src/app/store/.config-db
    networks:
      - zwave
    devices:
      # Do not use /dev/ttyUSBX serial devices,
      # as those mappings can change over time.
      # Instead, use the /dev/serial/by-id/X serial device for your Z-Wave stick.
      - '/dev/serial/by-id/...:/dev/zwave'
    volumes:
      - '/home/homeassistant/zwave-js-ui/config:/usr/src/app/store:Z'
    ports:
      - '8091:8091' # port for web interface
      - '3000:3000' # port for Z-Wave JS websocket server
networks:
  zwave:

(Instead of the UI-less minimalist image https://hub.docker.com/r/kpine/zwave-js-server, I went with the official image that also has a very nice UI: https://github.com/zwave-js/zwave-js-ui/blob/master/docker/docker-compose.yml. Note: zwave-js-ui used to be called jwavejsmqtt; some instructions still use the old name…)

With zwave-js-ui now running on port 8091, I followed instructions:

  • in Settings / Home Assistant, enabled “WS Server”
  • kept MQTT discovery disabled
  • disabled MQTT gateway
  • used circular arrows icons to generate random keys (S2_Unauthenticated etc.)

It looks like I do not need to do anything about Home Assistant Z-Wave add-on; on the Home Assistant side, I added Z-Wave integration with the default web-socket settings - and that’s it!

Appealing to the control freaks who love doing everything themselves, this approach quickly becomes inconvenient - one needs to hand-craft or find a working docker-compose.yaml file for each add-on, and then manually update them all. For those who value convenience, better approach is to let Home Assistant itself take care of the add-on management and updates: it does use Docker internally, and provides UI for managing the add-ons and updating everything. This means - install Home Assistant OS.

So, I want to run Home Assistant OS on a dedicated machine without dedicating my home server to it and without any additional hardware. This means - virtual machines!

Virtual Machine - the one

Manual

One approach is to create Home Assistant virtual machine using virt-manager.

For it to be accessible from other machines on my network (including my phone), I need a special network setup; see “Network” in virtual machines. In the following, network interface set up for this purpose is named “mac0”.

Official instructions for installing Home Assistant in a virtual machine:

  • wget the KVM (.qcow2) image from the list to /home/homeassistant;
  • uncompress resulting file with: unxz haos_ova-13.1.qcow2.xz;
  • In virt-manager: create a new virtual machine;
  • “Import existing disk image”: browse to the downloaded and uncompressed image;
  • “Generic or unknown OS. Usage is not recommended.”;
  • RAM: 8192 megabytes, 4 CPUs;
  • “Customize configuration before install.”;
  • “Network selection: Macvtap device.”: mac0
  • Overview / Firmware / UEFI x86_64: /usr/share/edk2/ovmf/OVMF_CODE.fd
  • Add Hardware / Channel: device type “unix”; org.qemu.guest_agent.0
  • “Begin Installation”

For the various USB dongles (Z-Wave, Zigbee, RTL) to be visible to the Home Assistant inside the virtual machine, they need to be added in “Add Hardware” of the virt-manager.

(Bluetooth controller did not work for me though, which is fine really; see https://www.reddit.com/r/VFIO/comments/wbsqy1/how_to_fix_onboard_intel_bluetooth_error_code_10/)

ProxMox

Just as running Home Assistant in a virtual machine is more convenient than managing its components manually, it is more convenient to run virtual machines using proxmox than setting them up manually:

  • ProxMox takes care of the network setup that exposes the virtual machines to the local network using a bridge
  • there are community scripts that automate setting up virtual machines, including one for the Home Assistant
  • ProxMox exposes a web-based management UI, so there is no need to run virt-manager UI over SSH

Add-Ons and Integrations

With Home Assistant installed in a virtual machine, adding add-ons is trivial. I use:

Integrations I use:

  • ESPHome
  • MQTT
  • Viessmann ViCare
  • Z-wave
  • Zigbee Home Automation

    Home Assistant Cloud and Backups

    Just as it is more convenient to let Home Assistant OS manage itself than configure and update each add-on manually, it is more convenient to pay a little bit to Nabu Casa than setting up remote access manually.

Home Assistant Cloud can be configured to use a custom domain too!

Home Assistant Cloud supports storage of one backup; instead, I went with the Google Drive Backup Add-On.

Viessmann Boiler

To bring my new a Viessmann’s Vitodens 100-W boiler under the control of Home Assistant, I:

  • installed Viessmann’s ViCare application on my phone;
  • used it to connect the boiler to Viessmann’s cloud over WiFi;
  • followed instructions on the ViCare integration, and it just worked!

A few month later I noticed that there are things that I can do using the ViCare application that I can’t do in Home Assistant. I filed a bug - and it got fixed (thank you, @CFenner!). Now I can switch from ViCare to Home Assistant completely :)

Garage Door Opener

When I replaced my garage door openers in 2015, I wanted to be able to open the doors with my phone - just for fun! But it turned out that I needed some WiFi accessory that wasn’t compatible with my model of the opener or some such…

Over the years, I though about building some Raspberry Pi-based thingy to control the garage door opener, but since I do not really need it, and interfacing with the opener properly did not seem trivial, I did nothing ;)

Recently, I saw a post I added a ratgdo to my garage door, and I don’t know why I waited so long. Turns out, one guy completely solved the garage door opener integration, and how! The product is compatible with any garage door opener and any home automation approach! And it’s completely local: my data doesn’t get shipped to the Garage Door Opener Manufacturer’s cloud! So, I:

  • ordered a ratgdo v2.53i kit for $45 and ratgdo v2.53i holster for $9;
  • got them in a couple of days;
  • flashed the ESPHome firmware recommended for use with Home Assistant;
  • the tool itself added my board to my Home Assistant;
  • in Home Assistant’s settings, set “Allow the device to perform Home Assistant actions”;
  • powered down my garage door opener;
  • moved wires for the door button and obstruction sensors from the opener to the ratgo;
  • connected ratgo to the opener using supplied three-wire harness;
  • powered ratgo up with the supplied USB brick and cable;
  • powered the opener back up - and it just worked!

I am not sure how the sales of this little device can possibly fund continuous improvements to both hardware and firmware and research involved, especially since one needs to be a little bit of a geek to buy it…

I am in awe: one person developed and continues to improve a solution that completely covers this application area ;)

Professionally done labor of love - way to go!!

Z-Wave

From the list of Z-Wave controllers Home Assistant supports](https://www.home-assistant.io/docs/z-wave/controllers/), I picked “Zooz 800 Series Z-Wave Long Range S2 USB Stick ZST39 LR” ($37 on Amazon).

In the zwave-js-ui, my Z-Wave USB stick reports firmware version v1.40 and SDK version v7.22.0, which seem fine. ZOOZ firmware page has the latest firmware; ZOOZ firmware update instructions caution against updating the firmware using Home Assistant itself.

Thermostat

I have a Honeywell T6 Pro model TH6210U2001 thermostat; it does not have remote capabilities, so I can not integrate it with Home Assistant, but it turns out that other models in the Honeywell T6 Pro lineup do work with Home Assistant, and I do not need to re-wire anything, since all T6 models have the same mounting plate!

Bitten by the “local control, no cloud accounts” bug, I rejected WiFi models TH6220WF2006/U and TH6320WF2003/U, which require a Honeywell Cloud account, and settled on Z-Wave model TH6320ZW2003-U ($128 on Amazon).

Thermostat replacement went without a hitch, and I was able to add it to Z-Wave controller even though the my Z-Wave stick is plugged into a server in the attic,two floors above the thermostat with a few walls in-between - beautiful!

Zigbee

I bought Sonoff Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus-E Gateway ($33 on Amazon). Integrating it into Home Assistant turned out to be much simpler than the official instructions for ZHA (Zigbee Home Automation) make it sound: I plugged the dongle into the machine where Home Assistant is running and restarted the Home Assistant; it discovered the dongle, and when I agreed to integrate it, everything got configured automatically!

I also bought a Sonoff Zigbee Indoor Temperature and Humidity Sensor, SNZB-02D LCD ($20 on Amazon). Told ZHA to add a new device, pressed the pairing button on the device for 5 seconds - and that was it!

RTL 433

I have a little LCD device with three additional sensors that send data to the screen. Turns out, there is a library that handles the protocols such devices use: rtl_433! Of course, to decode the messages the sensors transmit, we first need to receive them using an RTL-SDR USB dongle.

Receiver/decoder can be run stand-alone, but does not have to when used in Home Assistant:

  • add the RTL-SDR USB dongle to the virtual machine running Home Assistant
  • Home Assistant | Settings | People | Add Person mqtt with password mqtt
  • add Mosquitto Broker add-on
  • start the add-on
  • add MQTT integration with the Mosquitto broker
  • add rtl_433_next add-on

Using File Editor (Configurator) add-on, create /config/rtl_433/config file with:

output      mqtt://homeassistant:1883,user=mqtt,pass=mqtt
protocol    20
convert     si

Only the protocol my devices use is enabled; limiting protocols processed to prevent appearance of tire pressure sensor devices from cars passing by ;)

  • configure the file into the add-on
  • start the add-on
  • add rtl_433 MQTT Auto Discovery (next)https://github.com/pbkhrv/rtl_433-hass-addons/tree/main/rtl_433_mqtt_autodiscovery-next add-on
  • configure it: host homeassistant, user mqtt, password mqtt
  • start the add-on
  • add MQTT Explorer add-on
  • configure the connection to homeassistant:1883,user=mqtt,pass=mqtt
  • start the add-on

TODO

https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/zwave_js/#how-do-i-switch-between-the-official-z-wave-js-add-on-and-the-z-wave-js-ui-add-on

https://www.home-assistant.io/dashboards/sections/#creating-a-sections-view

Can I replace my Honeywell HumidiPRO H6062 with something compatible with Home Assistant?

https://samakroyd.com/2024/09/25/home-assistant-weve-done-smart-home-what-about-smart-garden/

https://itead.cc/product/sonoff-zigbee-human-presence-sensor/

https://1projectaweek.com/blog/2023/8/7/rtl433-home-assistant-and-cheap-flood-sensors-oh-my

Integrate with ProxMox