I’m currently a Vera3 (and before that MisterHouse!) user and I recently received a Pine64+ with the IOT package (Zwave, bluetooth). I received it with OpenHab already installed, but after doing a bit of reading, I’ve decided to give HASS a try first. I see that a lot of the things that I’ve gotten used to on Vera (Envisalink, LimitlessLED, etc) are supported, plus some stuff I’m really excited about.
My question is - does anyone have an OS recommendation for my Pine64? I don’t know much about Linux and usually install by following directions, so I’m not really clear on what I’m looking for. There are lots of OS choices on the Pine64 wiki.
I imagine that I should be concerned that the OpenHAB build says that Zwave is not yet supported. (seriously? sigh.) I guess that means I should look at a Zwave stick?
Or am I going to have a lot less heartache if I just go with a RaspberryPi?
Any push in the right direction is really appreciated!
I am not familiar with the Pine64 hardware, but a quick look shows that it supports Ubuntu and Debian flavors - both should work fine with Home Assistant (I am using Ubuntu on a Beebox). That being said, a Pi running Raspbian Jessie is also an outstanding choice. If you want to use the Pine, you will be able to use an OS that works well with Home Assistant.
Not sure about your ZWave support question - does Pine64 have it built in or something? In any case, the standard ways of using ZWave with HA are:
Buy a zwave stick for $30 or so (works great)
Integrate with an existing hub that has ZWave built in such as Wink or Smart Things (less good IMO, although a lot of folks do this with great results)
The IOT package for the Pine64+ included a zwave daughter-board-type thing.
But I imagine that if I use a USB zwave stick, it’ll present in a way that should work with Ubuntu on the Pine64.
When the Pine64 wiki says “zwave not working”, I don’t really know what that means (they’re not specific), but I imagine that to be a driver-type issue.
I ordered a Pi3, so I’ll try with the Pine64 first and fall back if I get frustrated. Since I know that I may rely on help from others, it’s prob best if I follow the usual path.
Makes sense - my guess would be that the ZWave daughter board has patchy support and you are better off with a more mainstream ZWave stick. So, I would think that Pine + ZWave stick + Ubuntu or Debian would work well, Pi + ZWave stick is also an awesome choice - you seem to be moving in the right direction and we will help where we can.
FWIW I have the Aeotec Zwave Gen 5 Stick and it works flawlessly.
