Are there Home Assistant installers/contractors/consultants?

Configuration
1

Hello all! I’m planning a major remodel of my house, and my wife and I would like to put in a home automation system while we’re doing it. I’ve been researching online, and Home Assistant seems very appealing to me. Partly because I like the idea of being able to tinker with the system in the future.

However, with everything that needs to get done for the remodel, I don’t think I have the time right now to properly research and select hardware and software and configure everything. Does anyone know if there are professional home automation consultants who work with Home Assistant? I’ve talked to a couple of companies in San Francisco, and so far they only do the proprietary systems, such as Control 4.

I’ve tried using Google to search for things like “home assistant consultant”, and so far I’m not turning up anything. The project being called “Home Assistant” seems to be making it harder to search for. :frowning:

If this isn’t the right forum for such questions, I apologize in advance.

2

Yes. This is correct forum to ask this question.

Most AV company and Integrators will not support this product. They tend to have product/designs that they can comfortably support and most don’t have ability to properly design for such customizable product.

You can post your goals here and depending on needs you may find someone who can do this for you locally. In reality this can all be done remotely in many case if using standard products.

Are you just looking for light control?
What about Full home audio?
Special needs, such as unwired LAN connection to remote location?

EDIT
If given a floorplan and design goal, a full system may be programmed and shipped to you. Only need is install. Electrician may do light switches, while local Integrator or AV tech can install other items.

3

This being an open source project mostly attracts those who approach it as a hobby. You’ll find very few, if any, who base a commercial service around this particular platform.

What we can do here is advise you on things to think about (like running neutrals to light switches), and so on.

4

I’m considering pretty comprehensive automation: lighting, audio, motorized drapes, HVAC, video door bell, and a bit of security.

I agree, I don’t need a local expert. I’m sure my general contractor can arrange the install of all the devices once they’ve been specified.

5

Things like running neutrals to the light switches is definitely the kind of advice I need. I can easily enough switch between a Rasberry PI and an Intel NUC after construction, but it would be a real shame to discover after the drywall is done that I should have had in-wall wiring somewhere I didn’t think about.

Have people written advice guides for doing construction? Searching the forum for construction advice is turning up more about object constructors in code than physical construction advice. :slight_smile:

6

LIGHTING
On/Off/Dim or lots of LED lighting scenes?
What are your thoughts about zwave?
Look at GE model 14294 dimmer and 14291 switch.
Zwave LED controllers are also available

AUDIO
Check this link. I have others Best Lights and Audio fully compatible with Home Assistant

MOTORIZED DRAPES
Pella and others window companies have products for this but this is budget dependant. Also some other products but this likely starts with convo about if this is new or existing window and access. It sounds like all walls coming down possibly?

HVAC
Unfortunately you get stuck in 2 scenario

Scenario 1
You get Variable speed HVAC unit and are required to use their model. In this case there may be 3rd party Integration to HA. In this case you may also find it unnecessary to control since variable speed is so low energy set and forget is easier or only need change with season. Basically just local program. You can use other sensor for detect ON/OFF or temps if desired, same as you may do washer/dryer.

Scenario 2
Standard HVAC. Just get Trane XR524.
Nest is OK but the API and support may change any day. Design home using products whose API is open and guaranteed 20yr min support. This is not important for things like TV or microwave but some things should work next 20yrs without any programming or update needed and work offline(no WAN). This is true for light switches, AC control and security.

VIDEO DOORBELL
Doorbird. Best for gated access
DIY. Just put security camera and send image on doorbell press. I use push notification that show in notification tray

Ring and Nest will eventually fail you or limit you as API changes or product support changes. They are also ugly and do not look part of home. This is also user specific and may work out in your case.

If you have many unknown guest 2way comm may be needed. Doorbird can possibly use SIP for this. Nest and Ring have this but Integration with HA can get hit/miss so expect to use their app for this. If 2way not needed I think you can use security cam at front door to fill this scenario. Especially small home vs large home(7000+ sqft) or gated access where communication to door may be desired since walking there takes much time.

SECURITY
This is complicated.
I installed alarms for years and in past I was strong hardwire everything guy for security. Then I move to home where this was simple too time consuming a demand(concrete walls everywhere and that was smallest issue).
You use standard Ademco units that are everywhere. I believe it has LAN control modules or some other easily integrated method for connection. With this you could hardwire. You’ll need to research product then speak to security pro in area to get system installed. The HA integration after will need.to be planned but should be simple.
I use zwave and actually find it great. I still prefer wiredndoors but this is cosmetic reason but a good installer can recess contacts and remote mount sensor on door/window frame more appealing location.

Raspberry PI/Arduino is option but really could be support nightmare for you.

CAMERAS
You can integrate anything into HA as long as cameras are IP. My only suggestion here is DO NOT ALLOW THEM WAN ACCESS and limit their LAN access which bring up your network.

NETWORK
Not sure what your using now but this may be good.time to review the products and setup

1 Like
7

There should be a mountain of generic ones out there, none of this is Home Assistant specific.

That said, off the top of my head:

  • Run neutrals to every light switch
  • Run power to any point where you’re going to want a wired/powered sensor, motor, etc. By and large 12V should be enough
    • You’ll potentially want more wired/powered sensors than you think
  • Consider running CAT6 network cabling anywhere you’ve got a power socket - IMO at least two network sockets per location
    • CAT6 can also be used for Power over Ethernet (PoE), and you can use that to deliver 5V, 12V and various other voltages
    • CAT6 can also work for a wired alarm system like Konnected, which you could integrate with HA, and now you have all your exterior doors and windows monitored
  • Do you want lights to be on/off or dimmable? IMO dimmable is great at night so you don’t go from darkness to full daylight equivalent just because you want a drink
  • Z-Wave is expensive, but all Z-Wave (Plus) works together. Zigbee is cheap but requires more effort on your part, and it uses the same frequencies as WiFi so some care is required.

Key thing is to take a walk around and think about things like:

  • Would I want a light switch there
  • Would motion sensing here be useful for turning lights on automatically
  • Humidity sensors anywhere you’ve got an extractor fan
  • Light sensors in every room that has a window, so you can turn lights on only when it’s dark enough

Take a dig through the cookbook and people’s setups linked from there, it’ll give you more ideas about the art of the possible.

3 Likes
8

I think Home Assistant lends itself to those who want to do it themselves. So, as others have said, I imagine there are few if any “professional” contractors that work with Home Assistant. Partly because it comes with no warranty, which companies don’t usually like to get behind. But also because it’s INEXPENSIVE, so the margin for profit is much smaller.

That being said, I think almost anyone with some experience in this forum would consider themselves a “professional contractor” if the price is right. Haha.

1 Like
9

Warranty is not necessarily an issue. HA is software. Hardware used carries warranty.
HA is looked at as custom by them. They see hacked together homemade switches and a support nightmare vs the basically ready made solutions by other vendors. HA requires them to think through long term design vs purchase a ready made solution that has be thought through by a vendor.

A properly planned and thought through HA system that is fully warrantied and supported by vendor is possible. The HA Integrator is responsible only for the inter-operation of items consisting of programming and setup. Once working, really you dont need to touch unless new feature desired. This is very hard because HA allows you to automate everything including the Kitchen Sink. This must be resisted to prevent a Hot Mess of confused and impossible operation.

1 Like
10

For remodeling advice (with home automation in mind), I would recommend the /r/Home Automation subreddit for general advice on what wiring to set up. You get some crazy advice but it’s good to learn about all possible options. You should decide what you want

The advice in this post is good, but may not be the best choice since we don’t know your exact wants and needs. Recommendations are a mix between price/free time, convenience, and control/independence. I personally choose convenience and price/free time over control, but some of those choices have come back to haunt me. Here is some general advice I have learned from experience and heard from others to get you started.

  • Lighting: If you don’t want to hire an electrician to install neutral wiring in your home and want to install smart switches on your own, look into installing Lutron Caseta switches. They don’t require neutral wires and the switch size is only slightly bigger than a regular light switch (easier to install). Nearly anyone can install this without risk of burning down their home. The downsides to Lutron Caseta include using a proprietary hub and wireless communication protocol (but it’s very reliable), and limited options for expanding the network (only one repeater allowed). The cost may seem high, but when you buy a switch and Pico remote together for $50-60, you basically have enough parts to replace a 3-way switch.

  • Simple lighting: Not everything in your house needs to be smart. A guest bathroom or closet light switch can be replaced with a Lutron Maestro motion sensing dimmer switch for $30. Their motion sensors work amazingly well in the bathroom, and the dimming effect . For porch lights, you can also get dusk-to-dawn bulbs that will turn on after sunset, and off after sunrise. Works well in my experience.

  • Remodeling: Run CAT6-7 cabling everywhere you can if you don’t know exactly what cables you need in each room. Like others have said, do at least two cables per room. You can convert the cable into an HDMI (though requires $50-100 converter). Run CAT cables to any points where you think you will install an outdoor camera.

  • Wireless standards: Don’t feel like you have to stick to one standard, because that can be costly and may not be as reliable as you think. I use a mix of Z-Wave, Zigbee, and Lutron Caseta and haven’t had issues. I use Zigbee to replace a few light bulbs in rooms where a smart switch isn’t necessary. Z-Wave sounds great on paper, but I have had many problems with pairing motion sensors. Unfortunately, there aren’t many good and new Zigbee sensors, so you will likely have to use Z-Wave. I’m now impartial to Wi-Fi based bulbs since I have a robust wireless network to handle them, and can put them on a segregated network if needed.

  • Network: Invest in a good network router or Wi-Fi mesh system. Since you are remodeling and can route network cables nearly everywhere, invest in good wireless access points that can be powered over ethernet. Ubiquiti Unifi APs are pretty popular to mount on the ceilings. If you plan to install PoE cameras and want to use VLANs, then you need an expensive, gigabit, managed PoE switch. I use Google Wifi points which have been great so far, but you can’t set up a VLAN for your IoT devices.

  • If you have a wired door and motion sensors from a previous alarm system, you can use a Konnected device to re-use those sensors for home automation. I advise against using this with a DIY alarm system unless you only want very basic security.

  • Audio: The most reliable speaker solution will always be running speaker wire from an audio receiver to every room. You don’t have to worry about powering the speakers in each room, but you’re limited on speaker placement. Chromecast is the most supported wireless speaker solution but it is VERY unreliable. I use Chromecast often (it can do multi-room audio with Plex and Spotify, my main apps) and find it starts music 70% of the time. It can be embarrassing when you’re showing off your smart home, and the music fails to start. Amazon Echo and Sonos works well but doesn’t support multi-room audio with Plex and my local music collection. With the affordable Ikea/Sonos speakers coming out, I would try Sonos again, but I didn’t consider it to be the best of the best when I tried the Play:1 speakers.

  • Drapes: Current solutions are expensive, so I skipped this. I’m waiting for Ikea’s smart drapes to be released (in October?) and will decide whether to upgrade.

  • Doorbell: I wanted convenience and ease-of-use, so I went with Nest Hello. My friends love their Nest Hello doorbells because it’s been reliable and the app is quick and easy to use. The downside is no local control of video (a common price to pay for convenience) and being locked into the Google ecosystem. I’m not sure I would recommend Nest again since Google is locking down on APIs.

  • Security: If security is a higher priority than home automation and you want to save money, then Ring Alarm would be a good choice. The monthly monitoring fee is $15/month, and I believe includes camera storage (don’t quote me). Use the Ring Alarm with a few 3rd gen Amazon Echo Dots as glass break sensors, and you have a complete alarm system. It is possible to use the Ring sensors with Home Assistant, though it is an unofficial method and may stop working in the future. The low price of a Ring alarm is an incentive to bring you into the Ring/Amazon ecosystem, which they could then pull a Google on you and lock down their API.

3 Likes
11

Where are you from ?

12

@devastator

13

For drapes you might want to choose the Xiaomi ones. I don’t have any experience with them, but generally speaking Xiaomi makes quite reliable stuff.

An example: https://m.de.aliexpress.com/item/32969140149.html?trace=wwwdetail2mobilesitedetail&gps-id=storeRecommendH5&scm=1007.18500.139671.0&scm_id=1007.18500.139671.0&scm-url=1007.18500.139671.0&pvid=1fd5881c-5793-4b89-b333-ca4b65954998&_t=gps-id:storeRecommendH5,scm-url:1007.18500.139671.0,pvid:1fd5881c-5793-4b89-b333-ca4b65954998&spm=a2g0n.detail-amp.store-card.32969140149&aff_trace_key=&aff_platform=msite&m_page_id=4169amp-7oq40Sq4zHB88OJFeBjAIA1565845540131

14

HomeAssistant hasn’t even reached version 1.0 which is supposed to be a more appealing stable release for most people so it is not stable enough or a finalized product for someone to do this professionally.

There’s still a lot of ongoing changes so you will need to troubleshoot some lights, switches, disconnects, odd behaviors, etc on your own once everything has been setup and running. Even if you don’t update HA, you will still need to troubleshoot something from time to time.

HA it is a community supported platform, just ask around on what you want and you will get an answer.
Gather some requirements, what you’d like to see or have, get ideas from the forums and blogs. Once you have that list you might want then you can ask for help from anyone around here.
You should be able to get going rather quickly on your own and set it up over a weekend once you get ahold of the basics, otherwise call a friend and get him a nice dinner.

I would even think you would have a lot of volunteers to come to your place once you have the hardware and help you set them up, I personally help my friends or push my friends into HA and then give them a hand on setting up their stuff. A dinner is always welcome.

Find HA enthusiasts around your city.

The only thing you need to have to do some proper planning on what hardware and how to set it up is:

  • A floorplan

  • Check the wiring of your light switches to see if they have a neutral cable.

  • Having a good wireless network. Many things will rely on your WiFi, so it must absolutely strong and stable. Also define any further requirements that are on the network like VLANs, Firewalls, NGINX (if you don’t plan on having NabuCasa Cloud), etc before you start setting up anything as all the devices will rely on your network.

15

While you might not be able to find a professional installer you can try to make sure your home is prepped for Home Assistant. There are things any general contractor can do that will allow you to add Home Assistant later.

Everyone’s design and hence opinion is going to be unique and subjective. Here are the things I wish someone told me when I started to make sure I was “future proof”:

  1. Make sure all your switches have Neutral Wire.
  2. Make sure your thermostat has a 5th C-Wire. Typical, thermostat wiring is only 4 wires. I ran 7. 4 Standard Wires, 1 for 24v power (C-Wire) 2 for Whole house humidifier.
  3. Run Network Cables everywhere. You’ll want at least 2 drops in every room. Some rooms like where your TV, and Entertainment equipment will be may require more. Hardwired is better than WiFi (IMO)
  4. If you have a walkway separating walls in a room. Put additional network cables on those walls. You don’t want cables to be a future trip hazard if you re-arrange a room.
  5. Make sure your Network Switches provide power over ethernet (PoE). It’s always easier to run signal than it is to run power. PoE makes that possible.
  6. Network Switches are Loud. Locate them somewhere you won’t hear it. (Basement?)
  7. Avoid Devices that are cloud only. Or use something proprietary that may force you to replace it when the company goes under or decides to discontinue it.
  8. Changing batteries sucks.
  9. I personally favor Z-Wave Plus when given a choice. You should too :slight_smile:
  10. Security Cameras should support ONVIF (and WiFi sucks use PoE Cameras)
  11. Make sure you have a strong WiFi Network that supports 2.4Gz and 5.0GHz and MU-MIMO.
  12. Just because something doesn’t natively work with Home Assistant doesn’t mean you can’t make it work. For example, I retrofitted my hardwired smoke detectors to HA with Kidde SM120X relay.

Problems I wish I could easily solve in my house you might want to think about in yours:

I’d love to put motorized blinds on all my windows. I haven’t found the right solution and changing batteries sucks.

I wish I had run in-wall/in-ceiling speakers and maybe prepped for microphones. I’d love to ditch my Sonos Speakers and Amazon Echos (Maybe MyCroft) for stuff that I can better secure and control.

Good Luck!

2 Likes
16

Actually, I’m a professional installer for open source application. We are using OH, but I don’t thing HA should be any different, so there are probably other which are expert in HA.

After having many stability issues with many known systems, we decided to try open source. It took about 8 mounts to achieve fully configured and stable system, but now we completely rely on the open source.

We are manufacturing our own switches and sensors which support mqtt. after first long stage of manufacturing and configuration, all are working without any problems with the open source application.

We are using fully configured image for our devices as a basic start point, and from there we are doing some adaptations for each client(mostly copy paste and, topics and titles update, and GUI arrangement).

The system is fixed version can’t be updated and none accessible to the client(only by GUI URL). As a result, we can offer the most stable system in the market. Ironically, we are providing less after installation support compare to the alternative.

Also, as a custom-made system, it appears to the clients as more desirable and secured system.

1 Like
17

Interesting, do you rely on OpenZWave?

18

Except HA is constantly changing. If the homeowner doesn’t understand it, it’s not maintainable.

19

Imagine the number of breaking changes to sort out if a customer called up a year later and wanted some new integration added to their 12 month out of date config…

20

Ka-ching…