Installing Home Assistant on Raspberry Pi 5
This guide walks you through installing Home Assistant on Raspberry Pi 5, offering both beginner-friendly and advanced methods. pen_spark tune share more_vert
Written By: Cherie Tan
Difficulty
Easy
Steps
4
Want to control your smart home from a Raspberry Pi 5? This guide simplifies the process. We'll walk you through installing Home Assistant. Let's get your smart home automated!
This guide helps you install Home Assistant on your Raspberry Pi 5. There are two main options:
- Home Assistant Operating System (Recommended): This is the easiest method and includes a pre-configured system for Home Assistant.
- Home Assistant Core: This offers more flexibility but requires more manual configuration. If you'd like to attempt this, please skip to the final step!
We recommend the necessary hardware:
- Raspberry Pi 5 (or Pi 4, 3B+)
- Power supply
- Micro SD card (Class 10, 32GB or larger)
- SD card reader (if your computer doesn't have one)
- Ethernet cable
First, write the OS image onto the Raspberry Pi 5's SD Card. To do so, we'll need the Raspberry Pi Imager on your computer. You can get the Raspberry Pi Imager here.
- Open Raspberry Pi Imager and select your Raspberry Pi model (5)
- Choose "Other specific-purpose OS" > "Home assistants and home automation" > "Home Assistant OS"
- Select the OS image for Raspberry Pi 5
- Insert the SD card and select it under "Storage"
- Click "Next" to start writing the image
Connect up your Pi:
- Insert the SD card into your Raspberry Pi.
- Plug in an Ethernet cable, ensuring the Raspberry Pi is connected to the same network as your computer and has internet access.
- Connect the power supply to start up the device.
Within a few minutes, you should be able to reach Home Assistant. In your desktop browser, enter
homeassistant.local:8123.- If you’re using an older Windows version or have a stricter network configuration, use
homeassistant:8123orhttp://X.X.X.X:8123(replace X.X.X.X with your Raspberry Pi’s IP address). - If the page doesn’t load after 5 minutes, re-flash the SD card or try a different one. If the problem persists, connect a monitor to the Raspberry Pi via HDMI to view the console output.
You should now see the home assistant welcome screen!
Congratulations! You've successfully installed Home Assistant on your Raspberry Pi 5. Now you can start automating your smart home and creating a comfortable, convenient living space.
For users who crave more control and customization, Home Assistant offers advanced installation options like Home Assistant Container and Core. Follow the steps outlined here.
These methods delve deeper into the system, providing several advantages:
These methods delve deeper into the system, providing several advantages:
- Simplified updates and rollbacks: Docker containers, for instance, make updates and rollbacks a breeze. Need to revert to a previous version? No problem! Docker allows you to easily switch back without affecting your current setup.
- Seamless integration: Advanced installations play nicely with other services you might be using. Imagine controlling your smart lights alongside your media server, all within a single interface.
- Resource efficiency: These methods optimize resource usage on your Raspberry Pi. This translates to smoother performance and a more responsive smart home experience.
- Performance tweaks: Advanced users can fine-tune performance by customizing memory allocation. This gives you more control over how Home Assistant utilises your Pi's resources.
If these benefits pique your interest, you can unlock a whole new level of control and customisation for your smart home with Home Assistant Container and Core.