I am brand new to this community. Just joined yesterday actually. After convincing myself that I did in fact want to move forward with a smart & automated home, I was convinced and sold on getting a Samsung SmartThings hub. By chance, I was redirected (YouTube algorithms) and saw a bunch of videos about openHAB. I thought it was brilliant to have an open source community. As I began watching a bunch of videos on it, I figured I would give it a shot. I figured why not. I know it will be a challenge and a steep learning curve but ultimately I would have more control. Thankfully, I found someone else mention Home Assistant. I was instantly intrigued and started doing more research and NOW I am sold on HA. This has brought me to creating this topic.
We are currently in escrow for our first home. Only about 2 weeks away from getting the keys if everything works out! I will finally be able to do just about anything I want with walls and what is inside of them! One of the first things I did was order a new smart lock system running on Z-Wave. I have a a lengthy list of devices I want to integrate but I am going to take it a little slow. I would like to do a Raspberry Pi build (hence posting this in the Hass.io forum).
So two paragraphs later…comes my question(s). I know I can be a little long winded. Bare with me though, I need your brain power.
If I get the Raspberry Pi (BTW is there an abbreviated way of communicating that in these forums?) components needed to install HA on it and sync it with my new lock (not installed on the door); how difficult would it be to simple “plug-n-play” in the new home the day I get the keys and install my new lock? I will be using the same IP and router in the new home so my network framework won’t change (other than probably my IP address). Even if a little code needs to be modified, I am curious about how easy is it to pick up and move an home automated system to a new location?
My logic is to order what I need now so that I can begin the setup and learning how to get started with this system. After I have figured it out, I could then simply plug it into our new home and be off and running? Will it work as easily as it seems in my brain? Or am I setting myself up for failure. All wisdom and criticism are welcome! I appreciate the time you have spent reading this IF you made it this far.
@DavidFW1960 Thank you kindly for the concise response. Much more efficient than my question!
Here is another question for you…if you are up to it. What if I purchase some lights that I know where they would be installed in the new home. Let’s say I am using a cheap lamp for testing these but know I will be installing in the master bedroom. Could I basically do the same thing by programming that light (give it a ID, function, etc.) and do all the coding ahead of time so then all I would need to do is label it correctly and simply screw it in when we get into the new home? I hope my question made sense.
@HarmlessSaucer I was looking at getting a few different lights to be honest. I really like the LIFX lights for some of my nicer lamps and ideas I have in mind. Then some basic lights for say the bathrooms, entry lights, etc. I would like some bells and whistles on some of the lights and others to basically just turn on and off depending on the rules I set. I was also thinking of adding some LED strips to accentuate various areas of the home. I do not like the price on those LIFX lights though. I imagine I would be paying for performance and reliability. If you have any recommendations, I would certainly be grateful to see what you had in mind.
Also…I was curious if anyone knows where I could find a dynamic document or page that lists the most up to date hardware to purchase so that I can get started (Raspberry Pi, Z-Wave USB dongle, etc). I have created an Amazon shopping list from various YT videos I have watched but that’s about it. I was wondering if the HA community has an official topic started or something pinned somewhere with the most reliable components to purchase.
I think for just getting started I would recommend just getting yourself hold of a RPi-3 and an SD card to use with Hass.io.
With choosing the devices, I’m not sure how much help I can be. It sounds from your initial post that you are int he US, and I’m in the UK, so our options are a little different.
However, I would say what I have learned is this: Do your research, watch YouTube videos and decide what you want out of the whole experience. Home Assistant is great to be able to allow you to control devices, but heck a ÂŁ49 Echo Dot and a couple of cheap light switches do the same thing these days!
The real power of Home Assistant comes when you start using it as your central hub. I’ve found the more things I get integrated into it, the more powerful and genuinely useful it becomes. I have some really basic automations right now, but when an SD card died on my RasPi (due in part to my cock-up!) me and my other half very quickly realised how much we’d come to rely on it!
Also, back up your SD card when you get to a setup you really like
Look at LimitlessLED lights - much nicer price wise. Also if you are using Hassio, make sure you keep regular snapshots of your setup so you can easily restore.
With the SD Card, I’m using a Samsung EVO Plus 32gb and it has been perfect. Make sure you get a genuine one - lots of fakes around.
@HarmlessSaucer Fantastic advice. I am looking for a long term solution to keep building on. Eventually, I am looking at adding touchscreen panels in several areas of the home to basically control everything from the lights to the alarm system, cameras, automated rules when I turn on the media center, and the list goes on. I just know I have a VERY steep learning curve but that excites me a bit. I want the flexibility of going with HA. I already have the RasPi (thank you for the abbreviation sample BTW) and the other necessary components in my shopping cart. Hopefully everything arrives soon so I can start playing and ignore the packing I need to get done.
@DavidFW1960 Thank you for the suggestion! I will be sure to check them out in a minute. I have several spare EVO 32gb cards laying around on my computer desk! I less thing to buy! Any particular format that is required to function with the HA install and RasPi?
Thank you! On the LimitLess website now. WOW! Quite a bit cheaper indeed! I need to figure out how many lights the bridge can power though. It appears from their infographic that the bridge can only control 4 lights. Each bridge plugs into an ethernet port on the modem? I will research it some more. But $177 for 12 lights!!! Only $14.75 per light. That’s amazing.
@DavidFW1960 I am attempting to order on their site now. I am assuming the bridge comes with each bulb then? Because I see no option to add a bridge in their store. Also, it appears that the United States is not on their country list so I cannot proceed with my order. That’s too bad.
Ok. I did not understand which item was the correct item to order. I found the bridge. They have a version 1 ($17) & 2 ($36). I am not certain what benefit version 2 would get me but I still cannot order through their antiquated cart system because the U.S. is not an available option. Thanks again for your help @DavidFW1960. I am really excited and looking forward to learning about this process. It will be a great sense of pride showing off my home automation and not having to give Samsung or Wink all the credit. This will be something I have created with the help of a good community. It is certainly appreciated to see your efforts and those of others I have been seeing in multiple threads throughout the forum. Have a wonderful weekend.
@DavidFW1960 It looks like the same product can be found on Amazon under the name MiLight. All of their product line is there and most is available for Prime shipping. I will give it a shot.
