Getting Started With Home Assistant In 2024: The Ultimate Guide

[@michaelp675]

First person that has been honest about HA. "It ain't always going to be easy", "know what you're getting into", "It's not for the faint of heart at all". Problem is, you don't realize any of these facts until AFTER money is spent. Wish I would have seen your video before all the others.

[@amythinks]

I rarely "like videos." This one is getting a like from me because of the fantastic manners. Bleeping out "Alexa" so my Alexa doesn't go off is very much appreciated. Thank you, kind sir.

[@pixelmite]

You deserve way more views on your videos man. They are pro level quality. Keep up the awesome work!

[@tomh.648]

JIMMY: You're the MAN! I'm super grateful for your perfect breakdown/101 class on what's new to me. W/ your help I was able to square myself away. Subbed.

[@dayyule9435]

Great video! I'm just starting to look into home assistant integration and this video was a great overview.

[@sukhoi2075]

At last someone is explaining perfect for the total noobs who want to have a smart home! Great video!

[@brianchandler8727]

Can I use iPad

[@musedrainfall]

Having a written guide of this would be super useful.

[@Slimhaven1]

Great video and very well explained! Watching this and following along I was able to get my Raspberry Pi4 up and running with no issues. Thank you!

[@liszcgsedt]

Sooo, I should be able to create an automation such as "if AND " (i.e. if I arrive from the weekend and my phone connects to the wifi), WOL my desktop, correct? I was thinking of doing this based on bluetooth (if you recall blueproximity...), but that would be a bit finicky to debug. Or (especially if I add ESP32 with ESP Home) when do < turn on the light (LED strip hooked to a relay or something that easy),> right? Or when do and when stop downloading (no point in downloading darkness)>, right? Neat! I assume some slight scripting may be needed to send the magic packet, but the "phone in the area" has already been tested by sending myself a notification. Interestingly, I was trying HAOS before but found no use as I do not own smart bulbs or crap like that and my place is so small it is often easier to stretch my hand for the lamp than clap. But today I found out the ESPHome and having a bunch of Pis and arduinos around, things just snapped together.

[@nickfromm5315]

Great video for beginners! It's worth the extra effort. You DO NOT want your lights to only work when google's servers work.

[@rufus4779]

Thank you for you video. Very informative. Yes, please make a in-depth and very detailed follow-up video on Home Assistant. In particularly automations.

[@collin.ncssss]

Please do a tutorial of your smartphone dashboard!

[@TheLateHaunt]

Your explanations are truly fantastic! Thank you!

[@heli.thatSTEVE]

awesome job. llve your cautions .. and warnings .. key to our being successful

[@sawsquaresinetube]

I’m very interested in going local. Can a local smart home control my Amazon Fire TV?

[@Redridge07]

3:09 You can still use the devices the normal way until the server/internet returns.

[@lordender_kitty_official]

How do you know what stuff in your house is able to be controlled by using this?

[@stevebeschakis9775]

The benefits of centralizing the configs with a separate Google node, compared with just using the few proprietary phone-based apps for the various IOT devices isn't obvious to me. My t-stat, tablets, smart plugs / bulbs, smart dorrbell, cameras, etc. all have their own apps, and I interact with them individually as needed--this seems fine. I don't need to bring Google into the mix.

[@samhoskins8706]

You completely left out how the RPi connects to the device. You made a very quick reference to the router, but we need more info. Where do we get the router? What if the router only allows a certain numer of connected devices, then what do you do? Also, will HA work with all my pre-existing devices that i already use with my Alexa system?

[@ekeretteekpo3004]

They are all the same; making very unuseful videos. 😅

[@franswamostert570]

Great video, any chance of voice control option?

[@jarrydsweeney1889]

Great work Jimmy!

[@pointlesbs145]

Great video, thanks Jimmy!

[@deejames9380]

Thank you thank you thank you.. Excellent video

[@RapRam-om4bi]

Hey, whats your usb flash drive? I really want best for my server

[@markg-jw2hx]

Not headphone friendly. Constant low frequency banging sound.

[@ObeseChess]

Yeah, the background music is very bass heavy and it doesn’t sound like he’s using a pop filter - some EQing fixes it but it’s good feedback for the future!

[@tords0905]

I dont see the google drive add-on in my current install. Did you add this via another repo?

[@patricknew78]

What puck lights were you using with your home assistant through switch bot? I haven't been able to find any and thats exactly what I'm looking to do.

[@itsmejimmylandry]

These are the ones I use: www.amazon.com/Battery-Operated-Lighting-GANA-Changing/dp/B08NDCR53D/ You should be able to use any IR compatible lights though, you'll just need a switchbot hub mini/hub 2 to send out those IR signals.

[@theeltea]

Insanely good video, excellent production quality! Thank you, Jimmy! Great work!

[@rayburr7280]

Hi Jimmy very helpful video many thanks.

[@iq-nj4xg]

Great and v.useful video. Out of interest, do you use the PI in parallel for anything else other than as a Home Assistant?

[@itsmejimmylandry]

No, raspberry pi's don't have many resources and as a result aren't really suitable for running multiple services in parallel. Glad you found the video useful 😄

[@MikeBCNU]

"over my head"... lol feel you bro. Yeah im that geek, but i have other projects that require that sort of brain power. Maybe ill just do a HA green

[@deepaknayyar9285]

Very helpful Jimmy Thanks

[@dan-3268]

Hey. Cool video! Keep up the good work 👍

[@FARDAYNETWORS]

Great video!

[@TermiGaming]

so this home Assistant does have zigbee and z wave sorry im new to this

[@itsmejimmylandry]

HA doesn't ship with native zigbee/z wave capabilities but you can buy external adapters that plug into your server and give it the ability to talk to zigbee/z wave devices, without the need for an external hub.

[@Coyotemoon73]

You said that if the internet goes down that HA would still connect to my devices, how exactly? My devices are connected to my router via wifi. I'm currently using Google Assistant with a Hub Max, Hub, a Nest Thermostat, and a few Mini's. The I have Wyze App for my cameras and a different app for my lights because Google no longer recognizes them. I want to control everything in one place whether I'm at home or somewhere else. Looking for a solution. Also I'm hoping to be able to not have Google always listening to what goes on in my home. I feel like its always spying on me.

[@TheAppleFreak]

1. "How does HA connect to devices without internet?" - This honestly depends on the specific device in question, but in a lot of cases these devices have ways of letting other things on your local network to command them about. Sometimes it's an advertised feature (HomeKit, Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Matter are all built around this), sometimes there's ways to do it that are undocumented that smart people found out, and sometimes you have to trick the devices into talking to your Home Assistant server instead of whatever cloud server they actually want to talk to. Either way, the people who work on the software for all of those devices figured out how to do it and tied it into Home Assistant. This isn't always the case with every device, but you'd be surprised how much you can do it with. 2. "I want to control it everywhere, whether I'm home or somewhere else." - Home Assistant isn't the best at this, admittedly. At home it'll do it beautifully no questions asked, but if you want to do it away from home you've got three options. * The first is to pay the company that (formerly) ran the Home Assistant project $5 a month and they'll set everything up so you can access your install remotely, as well as integrate it into Alexa and Google Home as you wish. This is the easiest option but it's also a paid option, which isn't always ideal. * The second option only works if you use iPhones and have a HomePod, Apple TV, or iPad that stays at home, and that's to set up Apple Home remote access. Home Assistant can take all of your stuff and expose it to Apple Home, which you can then act as an intermediary. This is a pretty easy to set up option, but it requires additional hardware and really is focused on Apple users, so results may vary. * The last option is to spend some time and expose your Home Assistant install to the internet yourself (this part is easyish, depending on how comfortable you are with tech). Integrating HA back into Alexa and Google Home (should you want to use them as voice assistants) is a pain in the ass too and requires a laundry list of steps. Bad news is it's a bunch of up front work, but the good news is once it all works it should just continue to work without issue. Additionally, these are pretty well documented processes here on KZbin, so you'll be able to find step by step guides. I personally use a combination of options 2 and 3, and I'm quite happy with the results. I can control everything via Apple Home, and if I need more info or need to do something else I can hop into the HA app.

[@nprwikeepa6082]

You can mqtt. Certain devices like tuya work offline in HA, there's also quite a few "local" integrations. I also did a firmware flash on my wyze cam but AFAIK the flash has been discontinued. There's also a Google Cloud which should work with Nest gear haven't got thermostat but full control of my Google Cast devices. Like the comment above: it takes alot of work -Weeks or even Months if you have a life- before you're happy with it, by then you're addicted and do it all over again for fun

[@richardbold6385]

If the internet from your ISP goes down, your devices would still be connected through the WiFi, and could still talk to Home Assistant.

[@Mooria]

Do u have a video for home assistance on a x86 computer with no ethernet port

[@dannybribiesca]

Great video! What are some of your favorite dashboards for HA?

[@JanosFazekas-i2c]

Hi, is MINIX Z100-0dB suitable for running Home Assistant on Proxmox, Linux?

[@AMEM121]

great video , thank you

[@taborh-s9d]

What camera do you use?

[@linearburn8838]

lovin the videos keep it up boss

[@regularSenseAppeal]

Maybe show some examples of what you can do instead of repeating 'there is so much you can do'

[@kc0eks]

Video has some odd bass sounds throughout, makes my sub boom while nothing happens.

[@AugustRon-bv6ek]

Hi J, do you have Amazon store? We need an influencer to do a video. How can I chat with you?

[@kingzach74]

Do you absolutely need a Raspberry Pi to setup Home Assistant or is there another route or option?

[@nprwikeepa6082]

Can run a vm on your pc if it has resources

[@taba1208]

I have alexa, google products, random things like the humidifier, the robot vaccuum... I just want it ALL under apple home. What's the easiest method to get them all synced into one spot? I'm not up for messing with code and such!

[@whoswho6641]

Hehe, welcome to HA.

[@itsmejimmylandry]

Either Homebridge or home assistant if you already have it, for HA use the Homekit Bridge integration and it'll port almost all your entities into Homekit even if they weren't originally compatible.

[@pfz7849]

thats cool idea ，use pie as Gateway

[@taylorlightfoot]

I wouldn't recommend a RPi. There are more capable computers with more reliable storage than USB drives and SD cards. Spend the money on a second hand micro PC from eBay. I have also found a couple custom ESPHome projects that fail to compile on ARM based CPU's.

[@awdhut-e2e]

Tbh nowadays more capable pcs cost less then rpi am using 70$ hp elitedesk with 8gb and 256 ssd Only drawback I can notice is it doesn't auto start like rpi so after power cycle you have to manually turn it on ( but it's once in blue moon situation)

[@taylorlightfoot]

⁠Check your bios settings. On my Dell Optiplex 7050 there was an option to auto boot up after power is restored from a power loss.

[@awdhut-e2e]

@@taylorlightfoot thanks let me have a look

[@awdhut-e2e]

@@taylorlightfoot thanks for the suggestion , was able to find that option in bios 🥳

[@johnm9767]

Agreed. I was about to buy a HA Green but ended up getting an 8th Gen NUC from eBay for $60.

[@MrMarco7ify]

So if I don’t know Yaml there’s no way I could use Home assistant basically?😭

[@glaskat77]

I hear him say you don’t need yaml to get started with HA. You would only need it if you want more advanced and customized stuff. I think the Home Assistant Green might be a good option for people with no coding knowledge, as it’s plug and play and you don’t have to mess with yaml if you don’t want to.

[@TheAppleFreak]

Definitely don't need to know how to read and write YAML to use HA. Some stuff, especially community made integrations, might require you to use it here and there, and there is some advanced functionality you can unlock once you learn it, but it's by no means required.

[@nprwikeepa6082]

5yrs in I'm too lazy to yaml there's more than enough cards you can edit visually

[@chrisw1462]

So great that you don't tell anyone how to get the Google Drive Backup addon. It's NOT in the Community Store.

[@jigsorla]

How do you feel he owes you anything? The attitude.

[@biancamularoni2157]

Not sure if it was a temporary issue but the Google Drive Backup add-on is in the add-on store

[@jacobcarter5923]

If the address isn't shared then why do they ask for it?

[@itsmejimmylandry]

it's used for location-based automations, for example turning on your lights + thermostat when you arrive home

[@thesecretreviewer8242]

I do not recommend a Raspberry Pi just frustrating to beginners and not reliable. It runs much better off an old PC with an SSD or NVME. Don't use an SD card or flash drive (aka ssd inside a plastic stick) they fail too easily. Linux version is best but windows works okay as well.

[@jam.bear.allday]

I just have a pi4 in my tech closet (network, aerial and power) it runs 24/7 for feeds on cameras idk but it runs quite well mainly because I can run ai on them for facial recognition (;

[@philemonspencer7540]

@@jam.bear.allday do you have a video on how to set that up?

[@jcarman]

I take issue with the "Advantage of Local Cloud" section. Using Home Assistant DOES NOT magically make your home "Local" or "Offline". If all of your devices don't support local control, and only support Cloud APIs, you're still in trouble. You've just eliminated Google/Alexa/HomeKit being a middle man - that's it.

[@gobblegobble8432]

This may sound stupid but, where IS home assistant if it isn’t using the internet to communicate between your phone and your devices?

[@pandagoeshome]

It's running on the mini computer Raspberry Pi

[@SportsGirlNumber9]

Nobody tells us how to do anything. How do I launch th editor? You’re flicking around and I have no idea what you’re clicking on to get there.

[@sjoerd8706]

I had to laugh when you decided not to pronounce "Beverwijk" 😂

[@joeking5211]

Just an observation. Your mouse movements are at Mach2, can't follow without numerous replays, save gave up.

[@louisviciedo]

great intro video

[@Falzey]

I’ll lose my mind if you got those turtles while on a cruise.

[@ericseidel4940]

Very good [;oD

[@chunkkingmann309]

yet another "basic" intro video that doesn't tell you what to do if entering that info in your browser...is it the browser on the RPi? or another machine in the network?, for example.

[@TheAppleFreak]

Browser would be on another computer on the network. Once you install and plug in the Pi, all of your work is done from other computers.

[@chunkkingmann309]

@@TheAppleFreak +thanks for clarifying!

[@SlimShady23-wd3ip]

I couldn't handle all of the video with just your hands waving around. What was the purpose?

[@thesecretreviewer8242]

you don't need to learn YAML

[@Frank-xp3xd]

How is that something for beginners? I was already out at the moment you mentioned raspberry something (?!) What the heck is that? This whole smarthome thing is something for nerds (no offense)

[@Matt-iy2cf]

This is definitely not an ultimate guide! It’s not even an ultimate overview. You can’t even learn a single thing from it how to make a lightbulb switch on and off

[@lordcopelandtv3993]

What the hell is a raspbarry pie? lol

[@JustinKais]

Don't think I'll take advice from someone who can't buy a beer yet. 👣