Home Assistant

Home Assistant configuration with home automations.

Featured on Example page from https://www.home-assistant.io/cookbook/

Home Assistant Version: 2024.12.1

Overview

I utilize Home Assistant to bridge and automate all my home automation products. It was quickly realized as I expanded beyond some smart bulbs and a Wink hub, that nothing integrated into a single system for control, automation, and communication. Home Assistant originally was run on a Raspberry Pi 3 but I have since moved it to run as a docker container leveraging a Postgresql docker backend. Those looking to start out with Home Assistant should leverage a Raspberry Pi 4 and hass.io image to get started very simply.

My configuration started from an early version of geekofweek’s configuration. Much of the automation and config is pulled from examples in his configuration but customized for my family’s needs. Home Assistant has many example configurations to leverage and I have published my configuration to share or reference for others.

I have expanded my home automation practices to the ESPHome platform to allow power monitoring automations as well as added controls for my Biocube Salt Water Aquarium, Garage Door Controllers, and Power Metering. I am also utilizing ZWaveJS2MQTT for zwave control.

Automation Overview

Typical Automations in use include

• Turn on / off outside lights at sunset
• Turn on / off pantry light when door opens / closes
• Turn off lights after no activity / motion
• Alarm notifications when away from home
• Grouping of lights for use with Alexa for commands
• Perform actions based on people leaving home / arriving home
• Update location for user based on geolocation zones (Work, School, Church, Home)
• Enable holiday color lights on outside lights via scenes
• Turn on lights based on motion / ring front door and return to previous theme after
• Send notification and flash lights if water detected in basement
• Send notification and flash lights if water detected by washing machine / Kitchen Sink
• Cut power to washing machine if water detected by washing machine
• Send notification and flash lights if CO / Smoke detectors go off
• Send alert if power is lost at the house
• Enhance security system through extra sensors and motion reading
• Send alert if auxiliary / emergency heat is activated
• Send long term data to InfluxDB for Grafana configuration
• Use Lutron Pico Remotes to enable Hue Lights and other automations
• Use ESPHome device to energy monitor circuits in the house
• Use EPSHome device for Garage Door Open/Close and state sensors
• Monitor Fish Aquarium (Biocube) power usage
• Alert for aquarium problems (heater running long / pump not running)
• Change Ecobee mode when fireplace running

Menu

| Hubs | Lighting and Switches | Climate| Outlets | Security | Voice Assistant | Media | Sensors | Cameras | Garage | Vacuum | Shades | Network | Other Hardware| Software | Retired Devices | Screenshots |

Devices

Hubs

| Go to Menu |

Relevant hub configurations can be found within configuration.yaml
Phillips Hue hub connected via home-assistant integrations.
ZWaveJS2MQTT running on docker image using websocket to Home Assistant for integration.
Lutron connected via local controls on Custom Componant

Lighting and Switches

| Go to Menu |
| Device | Quantity | Connection | Home Assistant | Notes |
| ——————- | :—-: | ——————- | ——————- | ——————- |
| Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance v1/v2 | 10 | Ethernet | Philips Hue Light | Color changing smart bulbs|
| Philips Hue White / Lux White | 7 | Hue Hub (Zigbee)| Philips Hue Light | Non color changing smart bulbs / Lux changes shades of white|
| Philips Hue White & Color Ambiance Outdoor | 7 | Hue Hub (Zigbee)| Philips Hue Light | 2 Starter Sets of Lily Outdoor Spots|
| Wiz Color and Tunable White Can Light | 21 | HACS - Wiz| Wiz Custom Componant | Basement can lights |
| Lutron Caseta Wireless Dimmer | 5 | Lutron Caseta | Lutron Caseta | Smart dimmer switches that do not require a neutral wire|
| Lutron Caseta Fan Control | 5 | Lutron Caseta | Lutron Caseta | Fan control via Custom Componant|
| Leviton Decora Smart Switch | 1 | Z-Wave | ZWaveJS2MQTT | Smart switches that require a neutral wire. No dimming but classic rocker decora style.|
| Zooz Switch ZEN26 S2 Dimmer | 2 | ZWaveJS2MQTT | Smart switches as z-wave plus. |

Lights are grouped via light_group.yaml
Fans are defined in HACS custom componant and defined in configuration.yaml

Climate

| Go to Menu |
| Device | Quantity | Connection | Home Assistant | Notes |
| ——————- | :—-: | ——————- | ——————- | ——————- |
| Ecobee 3 | 1 | Wi-Fi | ecobee / Ecobee Thermostat | Used as primary thermostat for Waterfurnace geothermal system with Auxilary Heat System |
| Ecobee Room Sensor | 3 | Ecobee3 | Ecobee Binary Sensor | Provides room temperature and room occupancy.|

Outlets

| Go to Menu |
| Device | Quantity | Connection | Home Assistant | Notes |
| ——————- | :—-: | ——————- | ——————- | ——————- |
| WeMo Insight Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring | 3 | WeMo | WeMo Componant | WeMo Smart Outlet with Energy Monitoring |
| WeMo Mini Smart Plug | 4 | WeMo | WeMo Componant | WeMo Smart Outlet |
| TP-Link Kasa Outdoor Outlet - KP400 | 2 | TP-Link | TP-Link Componant | TPLink Smart Outlet |
| Zooz Power Switch ZEN15 | 1 | Z-Wave | ZWaveJS2MQTT | Smart outlet utilized to monitor fireplace status|

Security

| Go to Menu |

Voice Control

| Go to Menu |

Media

| Go to Menu |

Sensors

| Go to Menu |

Cameras

| Go to Menu |

Garage

| Go to Menu |

Vacuum

| Go to Menu |

Shades

| Go to Menu |

All grouped via cover.yaml

Network

| Go to Menu |

Other Hardware

Software

Retired Devices

Screenshots