I want to use this project as part of Smart Automation service I’d like to provide perhaps. can I custom brand this? What do I need to do make this happen?
Thanks!
I have no idea what you are trying to ask. Home Assistant is open source and each user has different needs and wants for home automation. If your asking how you can make money by setting it up for other people in their homes as a bespoke service then yes it is possible but the business idea is not scalable.
To add to this you would be fighting for a small market share that is diminishing day by day as the industry becomes plug and play more or less.
1 Like
Thanks! Thats exactly what I was asking.
I get the industry is becoming more plug-n-play and we are still a ways off having the ability to manage multiple vendor sources from a single app which I love about the home-assistant approach. I’m still exploring this and definitely a newbie here!
What is your plan when it comes to devices?
Are you going to sell only local controlled devices?
Because anything else will be a major pain.
Even something as simple as adding even a Google home can cause issues because of API changes.
There are multiple threads about this topic and most say that HA with all updates can cause issues.
2 Likes
For Right now, starting with one version of HA and a setup with some devices like Ikea, NEST and ring. If I can stabilize that, then that’ll be the set of hardware to install.
This is something I’m considering for low-income senior living so its easier to keep an eye out for them at a low cost and not really for money-making but rather community service effort on my part to test.
@Hellis81 Do you think this is an unwise / unscalable idea? Whats the best way to stabilize and produce an environment? Thank you for your support.
Local devices only, z-wave, ZigBee or flashed wifi.
Don’t ever allow updates.
But that also means your product becomes “old” fast.
Have a look in the other threads, it will give you more information.
1 Like
good points to consider! Thank you for the pointers!
are you one of the originators of the project? or a major contributor (i see that in your attributions).
Thank you.
is there a way to Direct message you?
I’m not a note worthy person in HA.
I have far less knowledge of HA than what is needed to be good at it.
But PMs is possible. Not that I have much more to add than what I have already said.
Thanks 
How do I PM?
I have also thought about this, hence why i have started my home automation to see how i can offer a service and to learn what i need to do. I have come to the conclusion that it is not worth the cost of doing as it is not scaleable and the tech is constantly changing.
There is a lot to consider
you need API licenses for commercial use from many provider tuya, google, amazon, apple
you need to code in yaml, python, Linx, and a few others, not to mention flashing hardware
troubleshooting things gone wrong with instances from updates, integration updates, or entity dropouts.
you will need plumbers, electricians, and builders,
you need insurances
certification
I currently have Ikea, nest thermostat, nest protect and ring all in my integration working stable,
it took a long time from knowing nothing to be able to do it myself.
If it’s for low-cost living nest and ring products are expensive and ring you need a subscription for advanced features. You dont need HA to run these natively on a computer or mobile.
Not to mention that you need wifi for some products and if that goes down you are left with no heating or lights or so on unless you make it local on a private network.
Can I ask you a question? have you ever owned your own business? how much working capital do you think you need? do you have a business case for gaining access to capital, corporation tax in the UK is going up to 25% in the next few years? minimum wage increase in April 2022 along with national insurance and pension contribution increases, how will you afford all of this plus the products you will need to stock. What is your USP? what are you doing differently from your competiors? What will your role be in the company, are you going to bring the funding and hire the people?
I asking you all this because it seems like you don’t have a plan yet, without a plan why are you asking about branding, you need a solid foundation to build a brand.
I own several businesses I sold one in march 2021 and am retired at 37. I have the time to mess around on Home assistant. The people you need to hire to customize HA as a bespoke service have PHDs and work for companies like Google and Microsoft. anything less can hurt your business due to efficiency, most companies that do home automation have their own in house software, which is expensive and time-consuming to build.
If you are serious about this get a plan together first, understand what you need and what you can do yourself.
examples
I wish you all the best and that it’s successful for you, if you need to know how to set up any of the nest products, Zigbee and ring, reach out im happy to help.
1 Like
Agreed… And it’s not just HA, I wouldn’t use SmartThings or Wink (eek) or Vera, or HomeSeer either.
When someone PAYS to have a system installed or if Life Safety is involved (senior living) suddenly there are stakes and liability issues. As much as I love home automation and I love how it’s being democratized and slowly mainstream - it’s NOWHERE near bulletproof enough to provide a service on. The systems that ARE good enough for that cost tens of thousands of US dollars to install and require service contracts to maintain - and the end user usually isn’t even ALLOWED into the system at any meaningful level. cough Control-4 cough
That’s simply because to provide the reliability and quality to provide that service without being sued into utter oblivion, (and dealing with senior living - it WILL happen) you need that level of control - you build it yourself from the bottom up.
1 Like
I am interested in this myself and are seriously looking into this.
It doesnt need to be bleeding edge. Just needs stability. Limit the options, limit the devices to what I can ensure will be stable.
Hi Tejas,
how long did it take you to get your set up working? Does PM work for you here? Please let me know!
Thanks,
Prashant