My Home Assistant Setup

Introduction

This page provides a detailed overview of the hardware and software I use to power my smart home. I’ll cover my Raspberry Pi-based hardware setup, the key software add-ons and integrations, the automations I use and some key tips to enhance the security of a typical Home Assistant setup.

Hardware

• Raspberry Pi 4 (4GB RAM) – The brain of my Home Assistant setup.
• Cooling & Power - 3D printed case with some aluminium heatsinks + Raspberry Pi official USB-C power supply.
• Storage: HP x911w SSD USB 3.2 Stick – Provides better performance and reliability than an SD card.

Addons

Custom:

• HACS (Home Assistant Community Store): Essential for installing custom integrations and themes.
• Omada Software Controller: Manages TP-Link Omada network devices.
• Cloudflared: Secure remote access to Home Assistant via Cloudflare tunnels.

Default:

• Visual Studio Code - Built-in editor for managing Home Assistant configuration.
• Advanced SSH & Web Terminal - Provides full SSH access for troubleshooting and automation.

Integrations

Custom:

• NHC2: Integration for Niko Home Control II domotica system.
• Jablotron Cloud: Connects Jablotron security systems.
• Home Assistant Electrolux Status: Integration for AEG Dryer and Washing machine.
• ConnectLife: Integration for Pelgrim Dishwasher.
• Power Flow Card Plus: Easy to understand and visualized way of displaying the current Power Distribution coming from and to different sources.

Default:

• Renson for Renson Endura ventilation unit
• Philips Hue for Lights
• Bose SoundTouch for Audio controll
• Shelly for Power monitoring
• IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) for HP LaserJet Pro
• WLED for LED controll
• MyUplink for NIBE Heatpump
• SMA Solar for Solar power monitoring

Automations

• Trigger “Everything Off” – When the Jablotron alarm is armed, turns off all Niko Home Control lights and smart outlets by calling the “Everything Off” action using the NHC2 AddOn.

Security & Optimization Tips

• Assign your devices with a static IP or use DHCP address reservation
• Implement GEO restrictions in Cloudflare for your Tunnel
• Enable Two-Factor Auth for HomeAssitant login
• Configure automated backups for HomeAssistant and the Omada Controller
• Store your backups on a different location and not the storage of you HomeAssistant server itself (Use for instance the OneDrive Integration)