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Home Assistant

Rivendica

Home Assistant is open source home automation software for running and automating smart devices on your own hardware, with local control, privacy, and a visual automation editor.

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Overview

Home Assistant is open source home automation software for managing and automating smart devices on your own hardware. It is designed around local control and privacy, with the system running at home so your automations and device data can keep working when the internet is down.

The platform can run on Home Assistant Green, a Raspberry Pi, a mini PC, a server, or a virtual machine. It supports a visual automation workflow, customizable dashboards, voice control through Assist, and a large integration catalog that spans thousands of brands and categories.

Features

Broad device and service integration

Connects with over a thousand devices and services, and can automatically scan your network for known devices to help you get them set up.

Visual automation builder

Lets you build automations in a visual editor and choose triggers and actions from devices and services already known to Home Assistant.

Customizable dashboards

Provides customizable dashboards with drag-and-drop editing and card types for viewing data and controlling devices on mobile or desktop.

Voice control with Assist

Includes Assist, a voice assistant that supports natural-language control, AI conversations, and use on phones, tablets, smartwatches, and telephones.

Local-first data handling

Keeps smart home data local on your home hardware and processes it locally, with cloud fallback only when needed.

Companion mobile apps

Supports companion apps for iOS, Android, and wearables, including notifications and location-based presence detection.

Common use cases

  • Home automations

    Set up routines like turning lights on at sunset, pausing music when a call comes in, or reacting to sensors and device states without writing code.

  • Self-hosted smart home control

    Use the installation options to match your setup, whether you want a plug-and-play Home Assistant Green, a Raspberry Pi build, or an existing server or VM.

  • Centralized home dashboards

    Build a home control center with dashboards on mobile or desktop to view status, manage devices, and organize information in one place.

  • Voice and mobile control

    Use Assist and the companion apps for voice commands, notifications, and location-based presence detection across phones, tablets, wearables, and other devices.

  • Extending the home setup

    Add common home utilities such as ad blocking, third-party automation tools, or media control through the app ecosystem supported on Home Assistant OS.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Runs on your own hardware, which keeps data at home and helps the system continue operating when the internet is down.
  • Offers a visual automation editor, making common automations possible without coding.
  • Supports a large integration ecosystem, including thousands of brands and more than a hundred categories.
  • Provides customizable dashboards for both mobile and desktop use.
  • Includes official companion apps and a voice assistant for day-to-day control.

Cons

  • The pricing page is unavailable, so the product’s commercial model is not clearly shown on the site content provided.
  • Some integrations, such as Thread and Z-Wave, are not supported out of the box on Home Assistant Container installations.

FAQ

What do I need to run Home Assistant?

Home Assistant runs on your own hardware, with options including Home Assistant Green, a Raspberry Pi, a mini PC, a server, or a virtual machine. The installation page says Home Assistant OS is the recommended installation type for most users.

How long does setup take?

The installation page says the easiest way to get started is with Home Assistant Green, a plug-and-play hub that is ready to use in about 15 minutes.

Do I need to code automations?

Home Assistant uses a visual automation editor, so you can build automations without coding. The documentation also recommends blueprint automations for beginners.

Does Home Assistant rely on the cloud?

Home Assistant keeps data local and communicates with devices locally when possible. It can fall back to cloud data if there is no other option.

What kinds of devices does it work with?

The integrations page says Home Assistant supports thousands of brands across more than a hundred categories, including Z-Wave, Zigbee, Matter, and Thread.

Quick Facts

Category
Home automation
Platform
Own hardware, Raspberry Pi, mini PC, server, VM
Control model
Local-first with cloud fallback when needed
Integrations
Thousands of brands across 100+ categories
Automation workflow
Visual editor and blueprints
Source domain
home-assistant.io