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The Essential Hardware
So you have to remember that as I am using a flexible platform like the Raspberry Pi – this is my build and you would be able to swap in and out pretty much every component.
You can build your system on an existing system using virtual machines or docker containers, I actually build a quick test bed using Windows Subsystem for Linux on Windows 11 and a Ubuntu install. I am writing this really small for the simple reason that I want this guide to be simple… we are just complicating things.
I knew that when the need for this little build was over I would be reclaiming all the equipment for my own use, I have paid for it all and offered it as a gift until it is not needed. I don’t know yet whether this will be due to moving to a care home, or something more terminal. So I have built for more than a basic system which you can tone down if you can not justify the cost.
The Raspberry Pi
Buy Now → … and a decent power source
… and a decent microSD card
Buy Now → I opted for the Raspberry Pi 5, 8GB model – the Pi 5 is one of the most recent editions of the series and with 8GB of RAM it will give me lots of overhead for the future. The kit that I purchased from Amazon was purely for ease of use because the cost saving between finding a compatible case for it was minimal and the fan was included as well.
You also need a power supply. The Raspberry Pi 5 is the first of it’s line to require a 27W – 5V USB-C plug. There are plenty out there and something like the one above from iRasptek will do, all are around the same price. Note for the Pi 5 you must use a 27W charger, whereas for previous generations you could get away with a smaller plug.
You also need drive to run the Home Assistant software. You are going to want to use a decent named brand on your storage media and that is why I almost always go to a brand like SanDisk. For Home Assistant you won’t even really need a large amount of storage. In my case, I splashed out a whole £8 on a 64GB SanDisk Extreme microSD card. Home Assistant recommends an application class 2 microSD card.
If you do not an integrated SD or microSD reader on your laptop or desktop, you may also want to pick a cheap one up with the rest of your order. They are about £5 on Amazon.
Your Equipment
As I said, your personal build could change on a whole multitude of factors. I have obviously not tested all these options, and you might need to do some research as to whether it will definitely work for you.
Replacing The Pi
Firstly the main focus of the system. Although I am using a Raspberry Pi 5 with 8GB of RAM, the recommendations on the Home Assistant documentation are that you would need either a Raspberry Pi4 or Raspberry Pi5 with at least 2GB of RAM.
As a few examples of prices at the time of looking:
- I paid approx £98 for the Pi / Fan / case, £13 for the power cable, £8 for the microSD card (Total approx £120)
- A Raspberry Pi 4 with 4GB RAM, case, power, memory card can be found on Amazon for around £90
- A Raspberry Pi 5 with 4GM RAM, case, power, memory card for around £100
Home Assistant can actually run on a wide variety of platforms as I mentioned above, including on mini PCs, desktop home computers and Linux servers. Processes for installing the operating system on these will vary, but guides can be found online.
Replacing the Touchscreen
If using a tablet as a dashboard for your Home Assistant is a concern, there are a large range of third-party touch-screen monitors that also incorporate a case on the rear of the screen to plug your Raspberry Pi into.
As well as Amazon, retailers such as The Pi Hut have an extensive selection, however you need to ensure that the case on the rear of the screen is designed to fit your specific generation of the Pi. Each of the generations are slightly different and not all fit everywhere.
If you are prepared to take a bit more of a risk, there are a plethora of 10 inch to 12 inch Android tablets on Amazon, AliExpress and other sites. Quality of course will vary as will the amount of data that may be taken from you by their greyware installations.
Lastly of course, if you are using other technology like a PC or smart TV, anywhere that can host a web browser can be used to manage and access a Home Assistant dashboard.
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