Ideas to deploy HA in the house

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Hi guys!

I just got my Pi4 with 8GB of RAM and thinking to put a HA on it.

But I struggle with what I should do with it.

Here is my quick overview:

I have home/business LAB going already. My network is fully segregated by needs, work I do, I have a few IoT’s, lots of wireless phones, laptops, etc. My house is relatively new but doesn’t have any smart lights/bulbs/switches atm.

What should I start with? Perhaps, get some sensors for the smart lights? Then maybe get a robot vacuum that can swipe after the cat with Litter robot (already have it)?

Thanks for the suggestions! :+1:

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Don’t think STUFF think result. What would make your life easier if your house could just…

Work out that scenario then come back for advice on how to make that happen. You will have so much more success if you have a goal in mind first.

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I started with an alarm system at the request of my wife. Which of course was window and door sensors, locks, etc.

We don’t have to do anything regarding locking/unlocking or arming or disarming. It’s all done based on conditions and location.

Additionally I added the lock manager “key master” which simplifies much of the addition of codes to smart locks, auto door re-locking, etc.

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If you intend to drive any automations / behaviour with presence detection then I would start with that.
Trying to implement additional automations without stable reliable presence detection makes life unnecessarily complicated.

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Depends on what you need. For me I started with the house mechanical systems - first monitoring them, then adding supervisory control. My first goal was to get notified if the house lost power and/or temperatures were too low - such that if I’m away in the winter - I’m not coming back to a frozen house.

HVAC:

  • monitor temperature, humidities, gas/oil/power usage
  • control - optimize setpoints using weather forecast

Water

  • water usage, water leak detectors
  • turning water off when leaks are detected or overuse

Electricity

  • whole house power monitoring
  • power outage detection
  • monitoring of large loads
  • generator monitoring

Network

  • monitor switches, routers, cameras, etc,.
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Yes, that’s what I’m coming towards as my first to-do with HA and few sensory projects.

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Ok, those are nice projects to start with. Do I need some Zigbee stick for those? Currently, I don’t have anything other than Pi4 and SD card.

For HVAC stuff, do I also need a smart thermostats etc?

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Yes you need devices. You’ll want to pick a device protocol zwave or zigbee and then start installing a network of sensors, switches, thermostats, etc.

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Do you use both or just one protocol and stick/gateway?

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I use zwave for no other reason than it’s what I started with. Search the forums there are some good discussions on the trade offs. In general less protocols makes a simpler systems as there’s a lot to learn about the protocols - especially when you have a failure - so i wouldn’t want to start with both zwave and zigbee. Some of the decision can be based on where you are located and what devices are available. For example zwave uses a different frequency in EU vs US and not all companies make devices for both.