New setup - is this all I need to get started?

Installation
1

Hi everyone

I would like to get started with home assistant and for starters I would like to monitor the temperatures around my house and keep a history of data I can look through.

I have a Raspberry pi 3 already so what I was thinking of buying was the following:

  • 16 go usb stick to run home assistant from on the pi.
  • ConBee signee usb stick ( I’m located in Europe )
  • 10 x xiaomi temperature sensors

Is this all I need to get started ? And will I then be able to expand with for example hue lightbulbs in the future?

Thanks in advance :grinning:

2

You will need an sd card to boot the Pi. I understand there are ways to boot from usb sticks, but its best to start out simple and adjust if you need to.

There is a thread on the forum that describes how to store logs and database on a usb stick, but I found it wasn’t really saving very much.

3

Hi Gpbenton

The reason for choosing a usb stick to boot of was that to my understanding the sd-cards could go corrupt faster because of more limited number of writes.

4

If those are the Xiaomi Aqara range, you’ll probably need their hub, rather than the ConBee stick.

For moving the logs and database (which is primarily to help prolong the life of the SD card) see this article.

5

You can for sure run it from USB but it’s not clear there’s any advantage. Perhaps if you pull the power all the time the SD card will get corrupted but so will a USB. I think it’s similar memory and chip in both anyway so it’s maybe an illusion. Having said that there is a thread in the Hassio forum about doing it.

Good luck.

(Should also add I’m using a genuine Samsung evo plus 32gb and it’s been flawless. Be careful though there’s plenty of counterfeits around. Also make sure you have a good 2.5amp or higher power supply. So cards and power are the biggest issues)

6

Is there a way to do it with Hassio? (Move dB and log to USB?)

7

In terms of SD card life, on my media server Pi3 (running Plex, with lots of writes to the SD), it took nearly two years before the SD card started to fail.

All my Pi3 units have a micro SD card reader, a spare (Sandisk Extreme) micro SD card and I use rpi-clone to create bootable backups. Total downtime caused by the corrupted SD card? The same as for a reboot of the Pi3.

If you move the logs and database to a USB stick, and you’re using a good power supply, and you remember to look after your backups (and restores) then you should have no problems until you’ve outgrown the Pi3.

8

Some people experience problems, but most do not. When you are starting, it is best to keep things simple, and assume you will not. The troubleshooting guide on this raspberrypi.org page shows how to avoid most problems with sd cards.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/installation/sd-cards.md

9

Thank you for all the responses, but back to my original question :slight_smile: Is this all I need to get this projekt started ?

  • I assume I can talk with the xiaomi sensors via the conbee stick.
10

TL/DR: Yes

All you really need to get started is the Pi3 (and bits needed to make it work). I’d suggest you start with a single sensor and hub/stick, before you buy more. That way if it doesn’t work the way you want/need you’ve not sunk lots of money into something you’ll regret, and can buy other sensors.

11

Thank you

I love tinkering (pun intended) :wink: with stuff like this, so I cant wait to get started but wanted to be sure I had the basic setup right. :slight_smile:

12

Yes those sensors are reported to work with conbee https://home-assistant.io/components/sensor.deconz/#verified-to-be-supported-sensors

13

Execellent Robban :slight_smile: Im still waiting for them to arrive but in the meantime I have bought 2 LIFX bulbs which was a breeze to setup.

Loving Home Assistant so far :slight_smile:

14

Nice! Im thinking about Lifx led strips. Are you satisfied with the bulbs?

15

Very much ye, but I installed them today so :slight_smile: But I went with LIFX instead of HUE as I read the HUE was not as bright as a normal bulb.

16

On the software side, go for grafana. https://philhawthorne.com/getting-started-with-grafana-influxdb-for-home-assistant/

Also, do not go YAML route - Node-RED is the way forward. You will still need to learn (but takes less time), but it is very simple and not as unforgiving. This seems to explain it the best https://smarthome.university/using-node-red-with-home-assistant/