We bought a house three years ago, and unfortunately, it wasn’t pre-wired for automation. The only smart devices we have so far are a few Hue bulbs, motion sensors, and lamps, all controlled via the Hue hub and app. However, the issue with the traditional light switches, which cut off the power to the lights, is still a challenge.
I’d like to make some modifications by setting up a Home Assistant (HA) system, and I have the following ideas for the starting point, as well as areas where I need help:
Functions I’d like to implement now or in the near future:
Integrating Light Switches into HA: I’m considering using Shelly devices for this. Do you think they are recommended for this purpose? Which model is better for my needs: Shelly 1 or Shelly 2? Some of the switches are wired as two-way or even three-way switches—can Shelly devices handle this setup?
Garden Water Control: I’ve purchased a RainPoint 2-zone water controller, and it should be compatible with HA. Any tips on how to integrate this?
Security Camera System: I’m planning to set up 1-3 cameras for security purposes. Any recommendations for good camera brands that integrate well with HA?
Smart Lighting: I want to integrate all lamps and lights into HA. Currently, about 50% of our lights are Hue bulbs, and the rest are standard LED bulbs or strips. The total count is around 50 lights and 26 switches, along with 3 motion sensors (I plan to add at least 3 more). Any advice on making this setup work smoothly?
Using HA as a NAS System: I’m considering using the HA system as a NAS for file storage. Does anyone have experience with this, and any hardware or setup suggestions?
Black Friday Offers:
With Black Friday coming up, are there any specific hardware recommendations or deals you’d suggest for the items listed above? (Links to products are much appreciated.)
I would not rely on HA as a NAS system as its more to allow easier setup and cross control of various eco systems for home automation and monitoring. Invest in a proper Qnap, Terramaster or Synology NAS or DIY by installing say TrueNAS or other NAS OS on dedicated hardware.
For light switches you want to look for ones that allow decoupled mode so that you can keep the power on at all times to the lights and bulbs in the setup that need it or if you can can’t find a switch that meets your style and function needs install a relay behind the ones that do.
HUE bulbs and LED strips work via zigbee so you can eliminate the hub an by using a skyconnect or smlight coordinator you can then use either ZHA or Z2MQTT to control them and have them manage firmware updates as they are made available and pushed out to them.
I would recommend investing in both a zigbee dedicated coordinator and a thread boarder router coordinator so you have options, anything else would be working with z-wave so you can add that in later if there are no devices that fit needs on the primary two.
For security cameras, most folks use frigate with a coral APU in a dedicated setup that is pulled into the HA dasboard; my current setup is via my SynologyNAS where I have onvif capable cameras feeding into it then they are pulled into HA for some automatons like my doorbell actions.
For your garden water control, if it has an integration then it should work.
thx a lot for your answers.
Really appreciate it. Do you have some links for the correct hardware to buy. Just curious as the amount of possible devices is so huge and i am not deep enough into it, so would be cool to get some advices to avoid buying overprices or incompatible stuff together.