Home Assistant on Raspberry Pi

Easy 30 min ~$80

Raspberry Pi is the most popular way to run Home Assistant. Cheap, silent, and uses only 5-10W of power.

📋 Prerequisites

• ✅ Raspberry Pi 4 (2GB+) or Pi 5
• ✅ Computer to flash SD card
• ✅ Network with internet access

🛒 Hardware

Part	Description	Price
Raspberry Pi 4 (4GB)	Recommended model	~$55
Power supply	Official 15W USB-C	~$15
SD card 32GB+	Samsung EVO or SanDisk	~$10
Ethernet cable	Cat5e/Cat6	~$5
Total		~$85

Optional (but recommended)

Part	Why	Price
SSD + USB adapter	Faster, lasts longer	~$30
Heatsink/fan	Keeps Pi cool	~$10
Case	Protection and aesthetics	~$15

⚠️ SD cards don't last forever

SD cards die after 1-3 years with Home Assistant. Use SSD from the start if possible, or always have a backup ready.

📥 Download and Flash

1. Download Raspberry Pi Imager

   Get it from raspberrypi.com/software

2. Insert SD card into computer

3. Open Raspberry Pi Imager

4. Choose operating system:

   • Click “Choose OS”
   • Scroll down to “Other specific-purpose OS”
   • Select “Home assistants and home automation”
   • Select “Home Assistant”
   • Select “Home Assistant OS X.X (RPi 4/5)”

5. Select your SD card:

   • Click “Choose Storage”
   • Select your SD card (be careful - choose the right one!)

6. Flash:

   • Click “Write”
   • Confirm data will be erased
   • Wait 5-10 minutes

Tip

You do NOT need to configure WiFi or SSH in Imager. Home Assistant OS handles everything itself.

🔌 Hardware Setup

1. Insert SD card into Raspberry Pi

   The card slot is on the bottom of the board.

2. Connect Ethernet cable

   Direct to your router for most stable connection.

3. Connect power (last!)

   Use the official power supply. Cheap chargers can cause problems.

Note

First boot takes 10-20 minutes. Do NOT turn off power while waiting!

🌐 Open Home Assistant

Automatic (easiest)

Open your browser and go to:

http://homeassistant.local:8123

Via IP address

If homeassistant.local doesn’t work:

1. Find Pi’s IP in your router (often under “DHCP clients” or “Connected devices”)
2. Open: http://192.168.X.XXX:8123

You’ll first see “Preparing Home Assistant” - wait 10-20 minutes.

⚙️ First Setup

1. Create your account

   • Choose a username
   • Use a strong password (save it in a password manager!)

2. Name your home

   E.g., “My Home” or your address.

3. Set location

   Used for sunrise/sunset, weather, and timezone.

4. Choose what to share

   Anonymous statistics - completely voluntary.

5. Discovered devices

   Home Assistant automatically finds devices on your network. Click “Finish” for now.

🎉 Congratulations! Home Assistant is now running.

🛡️ Important First Steps

1. Create backup

1. Go to Settings → System → Backups
2. Click “Create backup”
3. Download the backup file to your computer

Danger

NEVER store backups only on the SD card. If the card dies, you lose everything!

2. Update Home Assistant

1. Go to Settings → System → Updates
2. Update everything available
3. Restart if necessary

3. Install useful add-ons

Go to Settings → Add-ons → Add-on store:

Add-on	What it does
File Editor	Edit config files in browser
Terminal & SSH	Command line access
Samba share	Access files from Windows/Mac

🔧 Troubleshooting

homeassistant.local doesn't work?

Try these things:

1. Wait 5 more minutes and try again
2. Find IP in your router and use http://IP:8123
3. Try a different browser
4. Check that Pi has green light (power) and blinking light (activity)

'Preparing Home Assistant' takes forever?

Normal time: 10-20 minutes on first boot.

If it takes longer:

• Wait up to 30 minutes
• Check that Pi has internet (ethernet cable connected?)
• Try restarting by unplugging and replugging power

Pi is getting very hot?

Raspberry Pi 4/5 can reach 70-80°C under load.

Solution:

• Mount heatsink (passive cooling)
• Use case with fan (active cooling)
• Check temperature in HA under Settings → System → Hardware

💾 Upgrade to SSD (recommended)

SD cards are the #1 cause of Home Assistant problems. An SSD costs ~$30 and lasts many years.

What you need

• USB 3.0 to SATA adapter or SSD enclosure
• 2.5” SATA SSD (120GB is plenty)

How to do it

1. Flash Home Assistant OS to SSD (same method as SD card)
2. Turn off Pi
3. Remove SD card
4. Connect SSD via USB 3.0 port (blue port)
5. Turn on Pi

Note

Raspberry Pi 4 and 5 can boot directly from USB. No SD card needed!

🚀 Next Steps

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Learn to create automations that make your home smart.

Create automations →

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