Install Hass in Proxmox or use Zwave2MQTT?

I have outgrown the RPI for what I need. I recently setup a FreeNAS server where I also setup a VM of Ubuntu Server which is running several apps of mine in Docker. I put Home Assistant in Docker here and started migrating things over from my RPI instance. I am also using this as an opportunity to purge some things and clean up the code on others. I got to the point of moving over my Zwave stick, and that is where I hit a snag. I was unaware that you couldn’t easily pass a USB device to a VM with Bhyve.

I looked into solutions around this and ran across zwave2mqtt. I have an Aotec Zwave stick and it seems I could pull this off. The pro of this being I could put the Zwave stick in a more central location in the house. With that said, I also want to start using Zigbee as well. I looked at the Conbee II and it appears to do both. I’m not sure how I would go about using the Conbee II and setup Zwave2mqtt and zigbee2mqtt using the same stick.

Another option I thought about was to convert my desktop I have in the basement to a Proxmox server. From what I read, you can pass USB in Proxmox a lot easier. I do still use my desktop however and would be sad to see it go, but at the same time, I’ve thought about migrating to just my laptop anyway. They both have the same programs, so there really isn’t a need for my desktop.

I just kinda wanted to get everyone’s thoughts and see if you were in my place, which route would you go? Zwave/Zigbee over IP or MQTT…or Proxmox? If you go the zwave2mqtt route, how do you setup zigbee in the same fashion? If possible, I would like to have a single RPI with maybe the Conbee II doing both over IP.

I use Proxmox in combination with the Conbee II stick. Works really well! To make it easy I used this script by Whiskerz007: https://github.com/whiskerz007/proxmox_hassos_install

Also running HA within a VM on Proxmox.
USB pass though just worked, you can set target by USB port, or hardware ID.

Proxmox has been great for the last few years for me, Easy to use and understand, and it has the ability to be set up in some interesting ways.

Just a data point - zigbee2mqtt does not work with conbee (unless something has changed).

The other option of course is to get rid of freenas and put proxmox on that server.

That isn’t an option since its being used as an actual NAS.

FreeNAS is not the only way to run a NAS, you can do that with proxmox. But there are reasons why you may prefer FreeNAS and that is understood.

1 Like

How do you do that with Proxmox?

Just install debian/ubuntu in a VM and run samba or nfs or whatever server software you want.

Would Proxmox run on a maxed out Pi4? I’m hoping to use the Pi for more than just Home Assistant, ideally!