Home Assistant OS installation on a Chromebox is reliable but is not as tested as the NUC installation. Because it is a budget-friendly option it gives automators a low-cost means of getting started with Home Assistant.
I. Enable Chromebox Developer Mode
- Remove the write-protect screw
- Attach a keyboard, mouse, monitor, and power cable
- While inserting a pin and keeping the Recovery Button pressed, press the power button
- Once a white screen is displayed remove the pin (It will say “Chrome OS is missing or damaged”)
- Type Ctrl+D and then briefly reinsert the pin (The screen will black out for 2 or 3 seconds and then display “OS verification is Off”)
- Do not touch anything (it will now boot into and display the developer mode)
- Continue with Step II
II. Install Custom UEFI Firmware
- Connect to the internet using a Wi-Fi network or an ethernet cable Do Not Log In
- Press Ctrl+Alt+F2 and allow the shell terminal to load
- Type:
chronos - Type:
cd; curl -LO mrchromebox.tech/firmware-util.sh && sudo bash firmware-util.sh - At the options menu, select: Install/update: Custom UEFI Firmware (the firmware will now be flashed)
- When back at the options menu: Exit, and Power Off
III. Prepare a USB Flash Drive using a PC
- Download the latest Ubuntu LTS image file and flash it onto a USB drive (16GB or larger) using Rufus or Balena Etcher. If it’s an option, maximize or allow up to 16GB of persistent storage.
- Shut down the PC and boot from the USB Drive using the Try Ubuntu option
- Once Ubuntu is running, connect to the internet
- Open a terminal and install the necessary software:
a.sudo add-apt-repository universe
b.sudo apt install libfuse2 - Close the terminal and use Firefox to download:
a. The latest Home Assistant OS Generic x86-64 image from the Home Assistant website. (The same or similar to: haos_generic-x86-64-9.5.img.xz)
b. Balena Etcher for Linux x64 - Right-click on the Balena Etcher file and select properties. In permissions enable: Allow executing file as a program
- Power down Ubuntu (the flash drive is ready)
IV. Install the Home Assistant OS
- Insert the flash drive into the Chromebox and power on
- When the bunny logo displays, press Esc to open the boot manager
- In the boot manager, remove all other boot options, and in the boot menu, boot from the USB drive
- Run Ubuntu using the Try Ubuntu option
- Once Ubuntu is running, run Balena Etcher by double-clicking on its file
- Using Balena Etcher, flash the Home Assistant file to the System Drive
- The flash process usually completes perfectly, however, an error will usually be indicated or the system will (appear to) freeze up. Do not be alarmed, allow a few more minutes and then power down, removing the flash drive.
- Power on, and within a few minutes “Home Assistant” will be displayed in large letters at the top of the screen. Success.
V. Begin using Home Assistant
- Set up your box in its desired location, connecting its power adapter and connecting to the internet via an ethernet cable
- Press the power button. Within 15 to 20 minutes you will be able to configure Home Assistant via the local webpage: homeassistant.local:8123