I Need Help ! Learning and Understanding Home Assistant ! I’m totally New to The concept
Could anyone spare a few minutes to share Some knowledge and experiences with me ?
I’m Very Interested ! But So far Everything Looks and Sounds Too Complex and Complicated For a person with No Computer Programming Knowledge !
Hints and Advices Will be Greatly Apreciated 
!
Thank You Very Much in Advance !
Did you read any of this?
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Once you’ve got it up and running, you can do everything via the UI and the most complex thing could be adding devices.
You won’t need programming skills per se, but you will need to understand some logic to be able to create automatons and scripts etc.
The system is awesome; it can be as simple as you like yet powerful. However, at the end of the day, this is a hobbyist’s plaything so you should expect to spend some time researching, learning, trying (and sometimes failing which may annoy family members).
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You gonna need a computer than can run 24/7. I doesn’t require a lot of cpu power but you will need a cpu 2end generation or newer as they do have support for avx and avx2, Those cpu instructions will be used by frigate for camera(s).
You will need a decent gpu card, preferably nvidia, also for cameras and coral tpu.
As for the ram goes the more the better. If you can go with 32 GB. DDR 3 ram will do more than fine.
As for hd go with ssd. Bare minimum 256 GB but preferably 512 GB.
Than you have to decide what type of installation will you use on your server. I use docker.
After you install everything you will have to decide what will be your protocol of choice, wifi, zigbee, zwave, bluetooth, rf. You can combine them but one obviously will be dominant as majority of devices will be using that protocol. I use zigbee for smart switches, outlets, plus, sensors.
If you decide to go with zigbee you will need a coordinator for your network.
Preferably it wouldn’t hurt if you set up a local wifi network on your routers not based on ips router. Use isp router just for internet access.
And that is basically it.
It does sound complicated because it is. But on the other hand it is double by average person if it puts his mind and effort to it.
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ddaniel is going way overboard here!
The recommendation is only relevant if you want to do heavy image processing of live video streams and this could also just be done by adding a computer with those powers later.
Most users here have started with a Raspberry Pi, like a Pi4 with 4 or maybe 8Gb or one of the NabuCasa, like a Home Assistant Green.
If you compare to the two options, then be aware that the Green is a complete package and the Pi comes without required extras, like a power supply, SDcard and even a case and heatsink might have to be added too.
Home Assistant has a huge range of possibilities, so it can start out as a simple setup and then become more and more complex.
In the beginning you will find it easy with a graphical interface, then you will want to do small things that the graphical interface can’t and you learn that skill then and succeed.
Later your ideas to new things go nuts and you will have to learn complex setups.
The timeline on this is based on your own decisions for your setup, but it tends to go fast and also a bit too fast for many, when the many possibilities become clear to you.
When it goes too fast, then return here and ask. These forums are way better than nearly any help you can get for a product from a regular company.
In the end it is up to you, but if you are not watching yourself you might end up spending lots of time on it and end up with toilets that lift the lid when you open the door, because it could detect the speed you moved from the living room to the toilet with. 
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Well I’m staring from my point of using it.
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But what was your starting point?
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I was thinking on buying pi but my company decided to dump some old computers so I took it. It had 4 GB of ram, old hd and gpu that wasnt working. So I bought another 4 GB, removed gpu and put 100 gb ssd. And I thought well this will be way to much. Oh boy was I wrong.
Few year later I’m running 27 containers, have 32 GB of ram, 3 sdd with a plan to buy 3 more at least 1 TB of space each and migrating my system to at least 512 GB ssd.
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Mine still well runs perfectly well on a PI4 with 2GB (no video processing though) .
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2Gb can be fine today, but the way program slowly expand to adopt to changes and wishes, then there will come a point in the near future where 2Gb for the most simple setup will not be enough.
2Gb also limits you a lot if you want to use multiple addons.
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Thank you very much to all! Especially those who took the time and trouble to share their knowledge! I am eternally grateful!
Special Thanks To…
tom_l
jchh
ddaniel
WallyR
I will try to be brief and make My story short so no one’s gets bored!
Right now, My Smart Home setup is a complete mess…
It all started eight years ago when I was looking for options and solutions to get rid of my cable TV service and ended up installing a Fire Stick
After a while, I discovered that by adding an echo dot, To The Alexa App I could add voice commands and control my Samsung TV Through SmartThings by adding an Alexa Skill, Then, by adding an Amazon Smart Plug, I could control my bedside lamp, and as you all know, one thing led to another. Without realizing it, I ended up Deep down the rabbit hole…
Adding More and More Smart Devices… Lights, Switches, outlets , Camera’s, Doorbells, Motion sensors, Humidity and Temperature Sensors, Lux Sensors, Multisensors Humidifiers, Air Purifiers, Indoor Air Quality Monitors, CO Sensors , Smoke detectors , Speakers, Plugs, Screen Displays and A Whole Safety, Security Alarm System with door locks and windows sensors…
I Made a colossal mistake Following and buying everything that said: " Works with Alexa."
Through the years, I Spent a Fortune buying and adding “Works with Alexa” devices like Amazon Alexa Echo Dots and Echo Shows, Aeotec SmartThings, Aqara, Tuya, Smart Life, Ring, Broadlink, Netgear, Moes, and Hubspace, just to mention a few, cause the list goes on and on…
So Far Works OK… But I’m Not very Happy. I was expecting Better Since all the devices were supposed to get along and work well with Alexa…
i ended with countless Compatibility issues. Even After Following Their recommendations of adding their Own Companion Hubs For Every Device Brand For Better Performance
Right Now I have Several Hubs with a Mix of different Communication Protocols… Zigbee, Z Wave ,Matter , Bluetooth, Wi-Fi etc…
With a lot of conflicts And none of them getting along with the others…
At The End of The Road, it is all My Fault For Acting like a little kid with a new toy on Christmas morning without doing all The proper Research:" Research before you buy."
Now I’m stuck with many mixed devices with Compatibility issues Not Working at their full potential and incapable of doing some decent Routines or Automation… To Make things worse, all of them require access Accounts, and some of them require expensive Subscriptions
I just recently Found out About Home Assistant and all its Powerful, Endless Possibilities
The Home Assistant Green Caught My Attention But After reading The Hardware Specs, Not Sure If it will Be enough To handle all my devices and future Upgrades
This is the reason why I’m here looking for help trying to reach out to all of you Kind and Knowledgeable People…
Maybe someone here in the Home Assistant community can give me ideas or help Me Figure Something out … on what I can or should do in my case, using the same Devices that I Already have. I’m more than willing to spend some More $$$ if necessary to make sure everything will work correctly and at the same time keep doors open for future upgrades
I just wish to try to keep the investment as minimal as possible…
And Avoid More Expensive Subscriptions…
If Anyone is Up To The Challenge, I Can post a list Of All My Current Devices … Please Let Me Know …
Thank you Very Much in Advance…
And Happy Automation 2024 To All Of you…
I think you should buy a used comp 2nd or 3 gen intel cpu that supports ddr3 ram. You can get them now days very cheap. I have i3 second gen and it is working flawlessly. My cpu usage on average is 12-13 % and it has now 28 containers aka addons.
I bought nvidia quadro p-1000 used for 70 €., found tpu coral for 70 € also. DDR3 ram is not that expensive compared to DDR 4 or 5. 528 gb ssd is around 50-60 €.
Its not that big investment but it can go a long way.
You will need a coordinator for all of your zigbee, zwave and matter devices. You can find that on home assistant site.
When you start with home assistant dump everything that can’t work without subscription. You will lose money but at least you will get something for those devices.
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These are both fair points. If I were to buy a Pi today, I would probably get 4Gb and I am probably close to the point where I would want to upgrade to something more powerful anyway.
I wrote my post as the OP may have had a Pi lying around so wouldn’t have to buy anything to get started.
I run HA in docker (no add-on’s) but I do run Z2M, InfluxDB, Mosquitto, AdGuard Home, Uptime Kuma, ring-MQTT, Piper, Whisper, Duplicati and Portainer in containers on that same Pi. I have 20 integrations (6 are HACS) with a total of 75 devices, 7 services and ~50 automations and my Pi’s processor use is rarely over 50% and memory does not seem to be a problem (so far). I find HA is snappy but I do not process video (I do switch cameras off and on and view feeds ad hoc).
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Ooh, that thought never occurred to me.
Good point! 
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