A newbie here that needs help

[Nvlass (Nikos)]

Hi there,
I just sign up today but I am reading on the forum almost a month. I am new here and I need help because I am somehow lost.
Everything started when I bought this year a smart thermostat Legrand. Then was setup with Apple home kit.
I would like to make my home smart and before start buying different sensors I would like to study for the home assistant. Is there somewhere a wiki or an address or a YouTube channel but valid sources that I can study?
I am really newbie on this.
Thanks

[jchh (my username is my initials (and my first name isn't John))]

You could try this YouTube tutorial to install HA.

The Home Assistant installation guide for beginners. Step by step tutorial.

And then watch his channel for tips and other tutorials.

Smart Home Junkie

There are other similar channels as well.

[Nvlass (Nikos)]

Thank you a lot
I will start with those …

[WallyR (Wally)]

I like “The Hook Up” and “Dr Zzs”, but HAis probably best learnt by doing some tinkering with your devices and your setup will transmorph when you start to get into it and add more devices.

The Hook Up

DrZzs

[Nvlass (Nikos)]

Thanks for all this info.
Study long hours
Just a quick question before settling up the Home Assistant what sensor should I buy so they are compatible with my Apple home kit and later with HA?
I am looking for the Sonoff temperature and humidity sensors but I don’t know if I need to setup something different
Do I need another hub?
From where you guys buy the hardware? eBay or Amazon? I am located in Greece.

Thanks

[jchh (my username is my initials (and my first name isn't John))]

I’m in the UK and typically buy from Amazon, but (I understand) you can get better deals on Aliexpress.

My devices are mainly Philips Hue and Aqara. Both use hubs and both will work in HomeKit and Homeassistant.

However, you can replace these hubs with a single Sonoff 3.0 USB stick which works for both (and many others) in HA. The way you do it is to have your devices linked to HA and then use an integration in HA to ‘share’ those devices with HomeKit.

edit: added last sentence.

[Nvlass (Nikos)]

Thanks
Which smart plugs do you recommend. What is the preferred one to this community?
It will be nice to measure also the energy consumption. I see some are doing it but some other not.

[jchh (my username is my initials (and my first name isn't John))]

Well, mine are Philips Hue but they don’t monitor power. They are not the cheapest but they have been rock solid over many years.

Perhaps others can jump in with alternatives.