Add-ons are docker containers specifically designed to work with one of two installation methods:
You appear to be using Home Assistant Container which isn’t designed to support Add-ons. To see a comparison of what each installation method supports, refer to this table in the Installation documentation.
OK, thanks, so can’t be done 
guess I’ll have to keep looking for another solution for my needs
Thanks for letting me know so quickly
Shame that table is not ‘upfront’ in the How to install guides…I have done at least three or four differs installs over the past few days, not spotted tag table before…
I see it now…but not intuitively titled . The title * [Compare Installation Methods] * does not (to me any way) give a clue it tells what each installation method allows to install.
It did not even occur to me that different installation methods, of what appears’ on the outside, to b ether same software, is in fact different packages.
damn…oh well.
What would you suggest its name be to clearly indicate what each installation method provides and how they compare to each other?
Can you elaborate on why you concluded Home Assistant Container is the one you need to use?
What would you suggest its name be to clearly indicate what each installation method provides and how they compare to each other?
Good question. The title as it currently stands just implies it is comparing the Method of installation as opposed to the final outcome. To make it 'snappy ’ could prove difficult…
Need to be something that first makes it clear that there are differences in the final outcome of what is installed. It almost needs a paragraph or sentence explaining this in the Installation Section. Reading back on it now…with the knowledge that there ARE differences, it does ‘sort of’ say that …but not in a way that ‘jumps’ out at a new user just trying to work out how to install the thing in the first place.
Maybe something along the lines of:
There are various installation methods, each method gives a different set of features. The fullest 'complete installation is SD Card OS …going down to the most basic installation(the Core) that does not include all the 'options/. See this table for what is included.
My thoughts on the "Core’ install. would be that you could install the Core, the basic system, and then add extra bits as you need them. rather Like installing Raspberr Pi OS Lite (the Core of the OS) and then adding your own desktop environment, and applications etc. It is nto really clear that once you go down one limited install methods, you cannot add the missing bits after if you find you need them
it seems to me that they are less "Different Installation Methods’ and more Four Different systems
I am coming at this from the point of view of installing an operating system, like PeppermintTen for instance, as that was my last install. I could create a Live Boot CD, or USB, or install direct from the first boot or run the Live CD/USB and install form there…each installation option, as far as i can tell produces the same end result.
I saw the 4 methods on the Installation page…but it was not immediately obvious that they all gave ‘different’ systems.
Can you elaborate on why you concluded Home Assistant Container is the one you need to use?
I tried the first one, and that is not installed within the Raspberrrypi OS…it is installed instead of, and as I said, i need the Pi for other tasks too…so after first trying that one, I tried one of the others…the ‘Core’ but that does not work on the Raspberry Pi due the issue with Python3.7 being on Buster and needing python 3.8 I did spend most of this morning going through various tutorials about tring to install and compile Python3.8 but that was a failure…i could just not get it to work.
The Container / Docker method is the second in the list of suggested methods to install so I tried that next.
I see the 4th method, the ‘Supervised’ method is the only one I have not tried yet. and I see it includes the ‘Add-ons’
I may well try that tomorrow. time here now is 2140…and I am off to bed after having been on this since about 0700 this morning.
Possibly the installation methods list on the installation page, should go in order of the number of features included in the final installation., or at least a thumbnail of the chart showing what is included. Yes it dose say to a degree that there are differences, but to a newbie, the implications of the differences are not all that clear.
Until a few days ago, I had not even heard of Home Assistant…I might have looked at once a few years ago from a hospital bed…in 2018… but i had success with HA-Bridge/heyu and a CM11 device to run my X-10 devices with Alexa so had no need to go further.
Now that Amazon keep screwing with device discovery, and i recently got hold of a HomeVision divide, I am look gin at other ways to integrate all my bits and pieces…
The discovery of Air Sonos add-on in the initial SD image of Home Assistant and the ability to allow streamline of auto to my Sonos devices from stuff like the iPhone/ Plex etc…got me hooked on the idea of using Home Assistant…if I can get it to run on the same 8gb Pi4, along with HA-Bridge, HomeVisonXL and an MQTT broker.
if I could afford to go out and buy 2 new Pi’s then that would e better…but money not at a premium at the moment…but time is so I can spend time getting it to work…
Unless you install Home Assistant Supervised on Debian, it will not be an officially supported installation. You’ll discover that information, and more, after you read the installation requirements for Home Assistant Supervised.
The poster is kind of in a bind because they want to use the AirSonos add on, but still keep a Raspian OS. I’m running the Home Assistant container install and managing all the other containers, like Node Red, myself, without the add ons. But the issue here appears that the AirSonos Docker container is no longer being developed/working, and only works as a Home Assistant add on per this post/thread - AirSonos docker plugin - #9 by frenck. So, installing AirSonos as a separate stand alone container doesn’t appear to be an option here. And the only way to have the addon would be to run the Home Assistant operating system or a supervised install.
@123 would it be possible for them to install a virtual machine on the RPI running Debian, and then install the supported supervised install on the Debian VM? Or would it not be able to handle that?
Or just run the whole home assistant operating system in a VM like documented here? Linux - Home Assistant
You’re asking me to comment on the feasibility of something I didn’t suggest.
The OP should install Home Assistant Supervised on Debian (even if it’s an RPI3). That’ll allow for the installation of the AirSonos Add-on.
The OP advised
The supervised install instructions here architecture/adr/0014-home-assistant-supervised.md at 91ecbe4af814de6c06f3f98afc0920b2491a334c · home-assistant/architecture · GitHub specifically say “No additional software, outside of the Home Assistant ecosystem, is installed”
Based on that, I don’t think they can just replace raspian with Debian, install Home Assistant, run their other programs and call it a day. I was seeking an alternative through a VM to make everything work for the OP and was just wondering what your thoughts are on that based on your frequent posts in the community and expertise.
This line represents the true concern:
The user is also responsible for not installing or changing anything on their system that will interfere with the Supervised installation. Examples are software that will update Docker containers managed by the Supervisor.
Plenty of users have other things running on the host that have no impact on Home Assistant’s operation and the system isn’t flagged as Unsupported or Unhealthy. Personally, I run ssh and samba services installed on Debian as opposed to Add-ons. Where you will run afoul is installing an impactful docker container like Watchtower.
I still believe Home Assistant Supervised is the appropriate choice. If you think it should be Home Assistant OS in a VM, you are welcome to guide Neilp down that path. Based on what has been posted so far, that might be a long path up a tall hill.
Ok thanks for the info. I wasnt sure how “strict” the guide was about other programs but your post clears it up. Based on that sounds like the supervised install is the best bet for the op.
Thank you all for the input over my nights sleep.
Going to be too much to read and digest on my phone, but this does look like a complex issue to resolve. It was what I was afraid of. 
I have outdoor work to do today ( farm/ horses/ grass mowing etc ) but will go through all your suggestions in more detail when I get a chance in the next couple of days
Many thanks
Thank you all
Did not want to go down the Debian route and then have to try and re create the system I currently have (HomeVisionXL, HA-Bridge, MQTT broker, VNC server etc) on a different OS, learn the differences fo the new OS Yes it could well be possible…and with a Pi running on a SD card, I can easily have a play on a fresh card then go back to my original system if it does not work.
Or the VM ware route…but this all then become another major project…I was very much hoping that I was missing something simple…and one of you knowledgeable people was login to tell me…yes here it is easy …just open a terminal, type this … to install …XYZ…which will add the Add-On package…but no
So looks liek this is dead in the water for me.
The only use I had for HA was going to be the Air Sonos, I coudl not see it being able to do anything else for me…as HV & HV-XL currently run all I need .
thank you all for trying to help…but I’ll bow out of this for now
Will head over to the
I agree with you supervised only run well if you are running Debian and not RaspiOS
If everything run on Docker then you should not have many issue since you can move all your config and reinstall your docker then all should run as is?
If you are only want to use HA for AirSonos, did you try to install AirSonos directly on your machine without docker?
But as previously pointed out, Docker install does not provide the add-ons, and the AirSonos add on was what i was wanting
There was some Docker type stuff done in 2016 for AirSonos, but it no longer seems to work
Did you try AirConnect? It’s still actively developed and seems to have the same/better functionality than AirSonos
No, and No,
I assumed they were part of / need HomeAssistant, to run and were not standalone applications
Just about to light fire for midday farm BBQ, but tonight when I get home I’ll look them up, thanks
Back home now and looked at Air Connect…looks like what I need
thanks