Choosing hardware for HA

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1

I really like the idea of Home Assistant and have been researching about the possibilities quite some time now.
But the more I research, the more questions and problems come up.

As I am still in the planning phase, I’d like to make calculated decisions before committing to chosen IoT standard(s) and starting to invest money into hardware.
It seems like the hardest choice is to find the correct and just about best ecosystem.

  1. What are the minimum system requirements and recommended system requirements?
    I know the HA core system doesn’t need much at all but it’s capabilities are ever increasing with added resource requirements?

  2. Is a Raspberry really the best platform and somewhat future proof to run HA on?
    It seems definitely most widely used for it but when are the limitations of hardware gonna show up? If I add x number of video fees, some cpu intensive components, etc…

  3. Is a intel x86 cpu based laptop better platform compared to pi3 arm platform?
    Or the raw processing power isn’t so important and it’s more about cores, 64bit, RAM, etc?

  4. What wireless standard shows greatest potential right now?
    Z-wave devices have great selection but for now I’m leaning rather towards Zigbee.
    It is without expensive license fees and the rumored compatibility with Thread feels more future proof.
    But the downside is the choice of devices are quite small compared to competitors.

2

In regards to question (4), what is your main objective?

For lighting, Zigbee is pretty good, although I am not a fan of hubs, so LIFX bulbs are the way to go for me.
For sensors, MQTT over wifi has been the most reliable in my experience.

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3

I would define my goal as “teach myself the possibilities of available hardware and maybe gain some benefits from home automation”.

So I mainly would just like to explore the platform which in some distant coming years would pave the way to truly smart home.

Because of that, I really don’t like the propriety hubs and closed standards which would bind me with specific ecosystem right now.

4

Personally, I feel like Z-Wave and Zigbee while promising standards are not going to be the future of wireless standards for automation. It comes down to the fact that they require extra infrastructure, whereas with a WiFi based solution the infrastructures is already ubiquitous. Recently I have been toying around with ESP8266 modules and MQTT and I would highly recommend you try it out too, assuming you are familiar with programming/soldering.

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5

I’m quite eager to start with WiFi based devices because they have low entry price point and as you said, infrastructure is already in place.
For example, the Xiaomi WiFi enabled “smart” devices are quite irresistible because of that…

But the underlying error with WiFi based platform is the absence of mesh networking. From there comes the already crowded wireless specter, excessively big power needs for battery operated devices etc.

Therefore purposely for “smart” networking designed standards feel more wiser to use in a long run.

[quote=“markflorkowski, post:4, topic:1361”]
Recently I have been toying around with ESP8266 modules and MQTT and I would highly recommend you try it out too, assuming you are familiar with programming/soldering.
[/quote] Thanks for recommendation, I’m definitely marking this option for later. My first goal is to set up HA and some COTS devices before I go full DIY way.

6

Regarding the lack of mesh networking, I completely agree, which is part of why I see a big future for LiFi, but the issue of the crowded spectrum is not entirely avoided by Zigbee and Z-Wave as they also operate on the 2.4Ghz spectrum, and can cause interference.

7

I’d strongly urge you to jump in & try some automation, cheaply first. Pick a few things that you want to try, set a budget and then implement them. It is clear over your lifetime you will likely see the rise & fall of different technologies (I started with x10) not to mention you likely will change homes at some point too! I like the Raspberry as a hub because it is small, inexpensive and easily re purposed if it doesn’t suit your needs for a Hub.

I’ve segmented my video feeds by building a small network of MotionEyeOS raspberry pi cameras mostly as a proof of concept. I probably will replace/ upgrade some of these with dedicated security cameras. What I found is I’m not so concerned with high quality streaming video but rather with high quality JPEG Photos. I don’t need to watch the Pool boy cleaning in detail, I just want a couple of photos so I know who was there, when. I also appreciate the local SD card storage approach. You could take all my computers and cameras but even the smartest of criminals would give up trying to retrieve the raspberrys from my attic space so I’ll still have your picture!

Calvin

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8

To echo what @markflorkowski says above, check out mysensors.org, I’m using the Sensebender as temperature and humidity nodes (with NRF2401 wireless modules) and an ethernet MQTT gateway, these are a great easy way to get into building your own quite easily.

9

Hi
I am quite new to HA but i am learning new things every day.
So just sharing some of the resources that i find useful
If you will like to have a play with ESP8266 and MQTT here is a good tutorial:.
I learn from that Chanel how to connect the ESP and use mqtt and if you have questions he always responded.
another one is

Enjoy buiding

10

I know this thread is old but I want to correct one misstatement by @markflorkowski above. ZigBee operates in the 2.4ghz spectrum, while Z-Wave operates in the 900mhz spectrum. If you are in an area of heavy 2.4ghz saturation you may or may not see better performance with Z-Wave Plus compared to ZigBee.