Is there a list of super compatible Hardware?

Hardware
1

Hi there,

I am super new to HA and to this forum.
I just ordered a HA Green and I am quite excited.

Something I couldn’t find is a list of devices and hardware that work perfectly with HA
If I look for whatever hardware, I wish I could choose from a list of devices that won’t be a pain to set up with HA.
Do you know where I can find such a list so I can buy devices knowing they will work flawlessly with HA?

Thank you very much

Sapaka

Edit:
I live in Europe and I am only interested in :

  • lights
  • Smart sockets to switch on and off
  • Smart sockets to monitor power consumption
  • Presence detectors
  • Door sensors

I already possessed:

  • Lifx bulbs and Lifx led strip
  • Flic buttons and a Flic hub
2

Best experience offer integrations with local push :point_down:

If you are also interested in completely owning your devices which includes taking ownership of the software running on your devices (like you have with HA green :green_heart:) then have a look into esphome - it’s supports a huge range of compatible devices but allows cheap DIY builds without much effort

:woman_cook: ESPHome Cookbook :man_cook:

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3

Thank you very much for your reply.
I read the first link, about classifying the Internet of Things, but I failed to understand how that helps to choose devices, because I do not see this classification used by the different brands and manufacturer.
They communicate on Google Assistant, HomeKit, Alexa and so on, but rarely on HA. and even less on the ability to do local push or not. I think I am missing something

The 2nd link is scary and way beyond my current level. Att least for the moment.

Thanks again

Sapaka

4

Get a Zigbee USB dongle. Just Google Home Assistant Zigbee and find compatible dongles. I use Sonoff.

It integrates very easily, and then you can buy anything with Zigbee and it integrates.

Similar story with Z-Wave.

Otherwise, just look through integrations in HA once you get it, and buy stuff you find there. Many WiFi smart things do, but there are some challenges and vendor complications. Zigbee and Z-Wave work very flawlessly once you get the dangles setup.

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5

Welcome down the rabbit hole. Take a look at what you already have, more stuff than you might first think are integratable. TVs, alarm systems, your car etc.

I second looking at Zigbee or Z-wave.

If you havent already purchased compatible lighting, explore the option of using smart dimmers / switches instead of smart bulbs, might save you some money.

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6

That might be overstating a little. Most zigbee devices work, not all.

7

There are no absolutes in this world.

Most HomeKit labeled devices work well with Home Assistant. You can use them directly 100% locally without anything Apple in most instances.

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8

Ok, my understanding is now the following:

  • There is no list and no absolute answer BUT
  • Most HomeKit labeled devices work well with HA and can be used directly 100% locally
  • Zigbee or Z-wave are the way to go because they integrate quite well (most of the time)
  • Integrations with local push offer the best experience
  • It is definitely a rabbit hole

Anything else that I missed?

Thank you all for the help

9

What region? What type of devices are you most interested in? That can help too.

For instance, in the US, if you want wall switches, the Lutron Caseta is fantastic (if a little pricey), but mostly meaningless outside the North America.

10

Thanks. I’ll edit my original post

11

This is all the integrations in HA that are built in. Not all of them are devices you can by, some are just sensors and whatnot. Try searching for brand names of devices you’re interested in. Keep in mind that Z-Wave and Zigbee devices won’t show up here as they are covered by their respective integrations, but I believe most Z-Wave and Zigbee devices are well supported.

There are also many devices supported by custom integrations. I don’t know how to easily get a list but they are on HACS which you will probably end up installing anyway.

They have started the partner program and a few manufacturers are already on board.

https://partner.home-assistant.io/

You may want to see what happens with Matter before you go crazy buying stuff.

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12

And do not try to buy a bunch of stuff at once. I would recommend you go slow, try things here and there, get your feet wet, before you expand further.

It would likely be a more enjoyable journey (and less frustration.)

Is there some specific type of area / hardware / topic you are most interested in? Maybe you could start your exploration from there first.
As an example, I started with smart light bulbs because it is easier to understand, (and visual). But these days I would go with smart switches controlling regular (dumb) bulbs.
For sure there are other people who started with thermostats, or cameras, or Christmas decoration, or whatever.

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13

If you use Zigbee, there are 2 lists

and

https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io/supported-devices/

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14

It’s easy to get overwhelmed. The possibilities seem endless, and they all sound exciting.

Take a deep breath. You’ve already narrowed it down to the types of functionality you need. Good. Stay focused on those until you’re ready to branch out into more complex areas.

Now consider some core design criteria. The one hinted at in most of the threads above is “local control.” Don’t buy anything which wants to communicate with the manufacturer’s “mother ship” server across the WAN. Just because there’s an integration for it, doesn’t mean it’ll continue working if the manufacturer updates the firmware, changes their API, starts charging for access to their servers or goes out of business.

Finally, keep it simple. This is a very dynamic field. The fewer integrations you use, the fewer changes you’ll have to manage going forward. And as was pointed out, if you go with Zigbee or Z-Wave you’ll find they’re largely plug and play. They’ll build their own mesh network and the communication protocols are standardized so you won’t have things changing at that level.

Once you’re comfortable with HA, it won’t be much of a leap to pick up ESPHome. That will allow you to build your own solutions. It’s amazing how much you can do without learning any new programming languages or picking up a soldering iron.

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15

Indeed, as you want to be local then cloud polling and cloud push are no choice anyways. :put_litter_in_its_place:

You are left with local push (:trophy:) and local polling which you probably want to avoid as it typical isn’t very resourceful and and the other hand might even lag (state updates might be delayed). :snail:

It’s easy to check what integrations do use to communicate with HA. For example if you open the zigbee integration you see that it is “only” local polling :point_down:

image

Zigbee Home Automation - Home Assistant

In theory all zigbee devices should work with HA as well in theory all matter devices should work with HA. The problem is in reality not all devices work equally and to use all functions of a device the manufacture can actually force you to use their/some sh!tty (cloud) app :face_vomiting:

If you interested in completely owning your devices (not only pay for a black box which might work locally in the moment but forces a cloud account in the future) then go with something were you have full control over the software part of the device - like esphome. :rocket:

:100:

Exactly. I can only imagen how many hours some HA users spend only for “onboarding” devices for example. Just think you have a 50 Z-devices and they all require you to push and hold buttons to pair them to your new/changed router - it probably takes hours for that simple task! :scream:

I’m sticking to esphome (~100 devices) and the management is a treat as things can done in batch (like update all etc.). I’m not forced to touch any of my devices and they all work the same - have same naming convention (doesn’t need to work/fix in ha with template sensors etc.) and expose everything “correctly”/ready to use in HA (things like total daily energy etc.). :hammer_and_wrench:

You can also get devices which are already preloaded with esphome (or tasmota) and a “ready to own” :point_down:

https://www.athom.tech/esphome

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16

I’m a big fan of ESPHome, too. But I also like Zigbee (ZHA).

If I were building my system today, it would be primarily Zigbee (or Z-Wave) for most things, and ESPHome where I needed a bit more custom functionality.

In over four years, I’ve never had to re-pair a Zigbee device. I like not having to set up static IP addresses or VLANS. The Z* devices build their own, separate mesh network. My needs are simple, although I have heard that the more complex Zigbee devices (color-changing bulbs seem to be mentioned sometimes) can have manufacturer-specific features which HA may not support well.

ESPHome is great for monitoring. I have a lot of temperature probes connected to ESP8266 devices, along with an ultrasonic sensor to monitor my heating oil level. When I get into monitoring electric power use, it’ll be an ESP based solution. Compared to off-the-shelf products, the ESP option is cheaper, more flexible and 100% local.

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17

Well, the first “matter certified” device from sonoff looks like it supports the most basic features like

  • switch mode
  • detach relay
  • power-on state
  • inching
  • network/status indicator

only with their (probably sh!tty) app :man_shrugging: because doesn’t matter®™

And still people will buy it thinking they have full control :man_facepalming:

I actually use many off-the-shelf products (wall switches, plugs, etc.) with esphome installed on them - just need to do the due diligence before investing if it’s possible to really own devices one likes to buy. :brain::dash:

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18

I’m listing Matter and Thread below, but really think it needs to mature a little more, at least for HA. There

lights
Look for zigbee, HomeKit badged, esphome, matter. Zwave lights don’t seem to be much of a thing. Most all Hue products are actually zigbee and can be used directly with ZHA/Zigbee2MQTT.

Generally smart lights should be continuously powered, and controlled logically, not with a switch that physically cuts power.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have wall control. There are various remotes designed to replace a wall switch.

One advantage of zigbee is a zigbee remote can be bound to the continuously powered light so that on/off/etc work even if HA or the network is down. Not sure about the other options, I’d be shocked if esphome doesn’t have similar functionality, but would expect it at least dependent on wifi being functional.

Smart sockets to switch on and off
Look for zigbee, zwave, HomeKit badged, esphome, matter. In the North America, Lutron Caseta.

Again, switches that physically cut power should only be used for dumb lights.

My personal preference is smart switches/dimmers with dumb lights anyhere I don’t need color control.

Some switches support “decoupled mode” where they keep the smart light continuously powered and the physical switch is just a logical controller.

Using a smart switch that toggles power with a smart light means your automations have to do things like power on the switch, wait for the light to become responsive, then manipulate the light(color, brightness, etc) as needed.

Smart sockets to monitor power consumption
Zigbee, HomeKit badged, esphome, zwave, matter. I don’t think matter supports energy monitoring yet.

Presence detectors
Door sensors
For battery - zigbee or zwave, maybe thread. Anything wifi will eat batteries at a much higher rate. For wired, then the same list as above.

Lifx bulbs and Lifx led strip
Flic buttons and a Flic hub

Both have local integrations, so should be usable, but I have no first hand experience with them. If support is good after testing, then Lifx can be added to the light list above.

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19

For me this is a simply a basic requirement that all my ~100 esphome nodes have when they need it :man_shrugging:

I’m aware that some people actually degrade their homes while turning it into a “smart home”. :construction:

One of the biggest failures for me is to only allow “digital” control (e.g. over HA/zigbee coordinator etc.) without the possibility to do basic tasks like switching directly on the device (toggling a switch). :control_knobs:

If you own your switch (capable running esphome) you always have support for “decoupled mode” because it is software only. :wink: On the other hand if you buy a random x-y-z-device it is possible you end up with bugged *ware and/or limited functionalities :put_litter_in_its_place:. Beside In my last post actually I just demonstrated that it might be obligatory to use a vendor (cloud) app to get such “decoupled mode” to work :man_facepalming:

I will continue to stay far away from any Z/M-devices out their, not only because their a typically more expensive (compared to esphome compatible wifi gear) but mainly because of the higher overhead managing them and the lack of a right to repair/modify/extend (because it’s not possible to really own such devices with a blob :black_circle: inside) :bulb:

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20

I wouldn’t worry too much about being “bound to shitty apps” with Zigbee, if you run Z2M or ZHA you bypass the need for a vendor supplied hub (Hue for example) and are not required to create a cloud account or use a third party app / hub / cloud to control your Zigbee devices. Door / window / temperature sensors are a great use case for Zigbee too, you can find very small and cheap sensors with a 10+ months battery life from a CR2032 or CR1632 battery.

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