Newbie getting started

Installation
1

I am totally new to Home Assistant and would love some advice. I have built a pretty smart home. For better or worse I am using Homekit. I have Meross devices, MyQ garage door and Schlage Locks. I would like to understand 1) what is the best hardware to start with for Home Assistant on my network. 2) Am I reading it correctly that with some set up and I can integrate my Meross devices and then take them off the Meross servers? 3) Of all of the images of the app I do not see if you can control dimmers. I have a few Meross dimmers.

I am sure I will have many more as I start to look into this. Any one willing to have a chat to get me started?

Michelle

2

Just so you don’t feel like you are being ignored. HA is apparently very robust as far a hosts. I am running it on a Virtual Machine running under OracleVirtual box on a Mac Mini which I have several laying round thanks to Apple obsolence program. I have MqQ up and also Yale Real Living Lots as well as number of Insteon and z-wave devices. Remember back ups are your friends

3

Welcome aboard. I anticipate that you will not regret this move. I move from HomeSeer and have not looked back.

  1. I use nabu casa to access HA through my phone when I am out and about. It is handy and gives back to the community.

To answer your questions

  1. I use a refurbished desktop with Ubuntu and VM virtual disk. Rock solid.
    a. Use z-wave, shelly and sonoff sensors
    b. Use integrations MyQ, tesla gateway, z-wave js, and Rain Machine for irrigation
    c. Have schlage lock and DSC alarm system
    d. I use ubiquity networking equiment (EdgeOS router and Unify switches and Access Points et al)

Your Questions:

  1. Your choice as the system can be a build as you go. I haven’t found much commercial kit that doesn’t work.
  2. I have no experience.
  3. Yes there is an integration to accommodate dimmers. The dimmers are set up as lights v switch.

Documentation is good and community is helpful.

Ask away. The forum gives back freely.

4

Now what? I got a Raspberry PI up and working with HA. At this point I have a rather expensive solution to getting my MyQ garage door in Apple Home. The expense being the Raspberry Pi kit I just purchased.

The fork in the road is where I am at. I have Meross devices working great in Apple Home. Do I now add those to HA as well as my Kumo Cloud ductless system? Or do I work to get those all into Apple Home.

Any help and or advice would be appreciated.