Hardware
This page described the hardware I’m using. Whenever is possible, I try to use low energy consumption devices.
Home Server
The brain of my smart home is a home server based on Raspberry Pi 4 Model B with 4GB of RAM onboard. It’s a small, affordable, but nonetheless a very capable device. It is protected by an acrylic case I bought on Amazon. The case itself helps to disperse the heat. Additionally, it came with 4 heatsinks and a tiny fan.
As storage, I use a Samsung EVO Plus MicroSD 64GB Class 10 U3. This card is fast and reliable in handling small I/O operations.
Home Assistant team recommends to use Application Class 2 as they handle small I/O much more consistently than cards not optimized to host applications. A 32 GB or bigger card is recommended.
I use the official Raspberry Pi 15W USB-C Power Supply for powering my smart home server. It is important to get enough power for Raspberry Pi to work properly. Home Assistant requires at least 3A power and this power supply cable handles it just right.
WiFi Network
You’re going to have a lot of devices in your network when you have a smart home. It’s critical to choose a good router to handle multiple devices and heavy traffic.
IP Addresses
Below you can find the list of the devices connected to the local network. Most of them have static IP addresses.
| Device | HA Integration | Protocol |
|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi | – | – |
| SP22 Smartplug 1 | teckin_sp22* | WiFi 2.4GHz & MQTT |
| Ajax Security System | – | - |
| XVR (CCTV recorder) | – | - |
| Bosh Hob | – | WiFi 2.4GHz |
* — means the device is integrated via custom integration.
Zigbee Network
My Zigbee devices are connected to Home Assistant via SONOFF ZBDongle-P Universal Zigbee 3.0 USB Stick Gateway Dongle Plus as a coordinator. Devices are controlled by Home Assistant via: ZHA.
I connected my coordinator to the Raspberry Pi through a USB extension cable to avoid interference and improve the connection. This approach is suggested by zigbee2mqtt documentation.
Devices
| Device | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ZigBee Curtain Module | 9 | To control electric blinds |
| Teckin SP22 Smart Plug w/ Energy Monitor - Wifi | 1 | Smart plug flashed with Tasmota |