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.
Note: Although this How-to worked well in Apr '23, you will likely need to adapt, as my final update was in Jan '24. The replies will help with this. Also, please consider documenting your success for future users.
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