Reference / Inspiration
I wrote up the guiding concept behind this idea earlier today here:
The House That Knows What It Holds
That post describes the behavioral goal. What follows is how I’m starting to translate that idea into a Home Assistant integration.
The Problem
Home Assistant does an incredible job modeling:
- Devices
- Entities
- Rooms (Areas)
- People
…but it doesn’t currently have a concept of:
what the home actually contains
We can control devices, automate rooms, and respond to presence — but the system doesn’t understand:
- what a thing is
- what it’s worth
- what it needs to remain in good condition
- or how to describe it meaningfully
The Concept
I’m building a custom integration that introduces a new first-class concept:
→ Assets
An Asset represents anything in the home:
Device-backed assets
- TV → linked to
media_player.den_tv - Sonos → linked to speaker entities
- Network equipment in a closet
Non-device assets
- Artwork
- Antiques
- Furniture
- Collectibles
Design Principles
This is intentionally designed to feel native to Home Assistant—not a bolt-on system.
Uses Home Assistant taxonomy directly
- Areas → where the asset lives
- Labels → classification (no separate schema)
If a device is already labeled tv, the asset inherits that. No duplication.
Assets can link to devices
Example:
- Asset: “Den TV”
- Linked to:
media_player.den_tv
The device remains the control surface.
The asset adds meaning:
- value
- purchase context
- insurance info
- narrative
Three distinct descriptions (built-in)
Every asset has:
- Guest description (safe, presentational)
- Owner description (story/context)
- Insurance/legal description (factual, formal)
This lets the system respond differently depending on context.
Attachments and documentation
Assets can include:
- Photos
- Receipts
- Appraisals
- Manuals
- Warranty documents
- Insurance references
…and also record:
- Physical document locations
- safe
- safe deposit box
- binder
The Differentiator
This is the part that (to my knowledge) doesn’t currently exist in Home Assistant:
→ Assets define their proper operating environment
Examples:
Art / antiques
- temperature range
- humidity range
- light exposure (no direct sunlight)
Electronics / infrastructure
- max temperature
- airflow expectations
- humidity tolerance
What that enables
The system can evaluate:
“Are the current room conditions appropriate for the things in this room?”
Examples:
- Painting at risk due to high humidity
- Data closet overheating
- Direct sunlight affecting sensitive items
This doesn’t automatically act (at least initially), but it:
- exposes state (
asset_at_risk) - emits events
- integrates into existing automation patterns
Architecture Approach
This is being built as a custom Home Assistant integration, not an external system.
Key decisions:
- Local storage using HA-native patterns (no helpers as a database)
- Media stored via Home Assistant Media Source
- Services for CRUD operations (
add_asset,update_asset, etc.) - Entities for monitoring (
binary_sensor.asset_*_at_risk) - Integration designed to work with Assist / voice workflows
Example (simplified)
asset:
name: "Den Television"
area: den
linked_device: media_player.den_tv
labels:
- tv
- electronics
- insured
descriptions:
guest: "Main television in the den"
owner: "Upgraded during remodel"
insurance: "Samsung 75\" QLED, model XYZ"
operating_environment:
temperature: { min: 50, max: 95 }
humidity: { min: 20, max: 80 }
documents:
- type: receipt
ref: media-source://media_source/local/assets/den_tv/receipt.pdf
What I’m Looking For
I’m not trying to design this by committee — but I would value feedback on a few specific points:
1. Device ↔ Asset relationship
Does linking an abstract “asset” to an existing HA device feel like the right model?
2. Label-based classification
Using HA labels as the single classification system (instead of introducing “asset types”) seems like the cleanest approach.
Does that align with how others would expect to use this?
3. Environment-aware assets
Would you find value in assets carrying environmental constraints (temp, humidity, light) and exposing “at risk” states?
4. Overlap check
Have you seen anything similar implemented (custom integration or otherwise)?
I’ve looked at inventory apps and asset trackers, but they don’t seem to integrate this way into HA’s core model.
Closing Thought
This is an attempt to extend Home Assistant from:
“a system that controls your home”
to
“a system that understands and protects what your home contains.”
I’m just getting started on the integration now, but this feels like a natural next layer for the platform.
Would appreciate focused feedback from anyone who has built custom integrations or thought about similar problems.
