Proformance in a docker container on a QNAP TS-453Be

Installation
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1

I am trying to set up a no cost Home Assistant system on a NAS I already have running. I don’t have money to spend on this project, but I’d like to have local control. I mostly have TP-Link items, switches, cameras, and so forth.

I have a QNAP TS-453Be and have been able to set it up and get it working. It is running in a docker container. I am running version 2025.5.3.

My question is about the speed of automations. I have motion sensors to trigger lights, but they can take 4 or 5 seconds to turn on. It was much faster when I was using the Tapo app to run these automations.

Before I spend money that I don’t have on a Home Assistant Green or something like that, I want to know if the problem is likely because of a underpowered server. Or could it be something else? Is it the Tapo devices that are just slow? Is there anything I can adjust?

I’m okay with it like it is if there is a good chance that I can upgrade later and improve the responsiveness.

Thanks for any insights and experiences.

2

Can you do side by side, tapo app vs HA?

Open UI >> look at motion sensor in HA >> trigger sensor . Is there long delay?

If you go to edit automation, you can watch the automation trigger as well. A blue bar “trigger” will show.

How is the sensor connected to HA. It could be the integration used causing delay.

You also need to verify if delay is motion trigger, light turn ON, both, or something else. These are each seperate items which add small
Delay.

Motion triggered time + light turn on time + small processing delay = how long you should expect automation to go from untriggered to light on.

3

Side by side, Tapo app is much faster.
The is a LED on the tapo sensors, so I can see when it tiggers.
I just tested. The sensor triggers and there is delay in HA before it registers. When it shows triggered in HA, the lights come on right away.

So the issue is between the sensor and HA.

Is there a polling time for how often HA checks to see is a sensor changes?

4

Rereading the documentation (TP-Link Smart Home - Home Assistant) for the TP Link integration. It states:
“## Data updates
Devices are polled for data updates every 5 seconds.”

If I understand what is it saying, that explains it. There is no indication that there is any way to adjust this. For most items it would be fine, but it would be nice if sensors polled more often.

So, I guess the good news is that it is not my hardware. (Don’t need to spend money.) The bad news is that a fix is beyond my skills.

5

Yeah. This integration is local polling. I forget this has delay.

Local Push is most desirable