Unit 1 - Home Assistant

A few years ago, home automation systems were within the reach of very few families due to their high cost offered only by specialized companies. As technology evolved a great variety of connected devices (now referred to under the term “Internet of Things” or IOT) with a more affordable price has emerged, making it possible to create connected homes capable of offering a multitude of options.

Although the technologies are in a fairly advanced state, there is a problem and a limitation when designing home automation systems, due to the absence of interfaces focused on users with different needs, and the low interoperability between manufacturers of different home and building automation systems. This situation makes us focus on a single manufacturer, instead of adapting different domotic solutions under the same interface and control system according to our needs. For example, we might need to combine the home automation technologies of one manufacturer and the technologies of another.

With the ever-greater popularity and distribution of low-cost computers such as the renowned Raspberry Pi, open source communities began to form all over the internet and to address these needs. Today, even less experienced users can find and use software and whole operating systems that run on a Raspberry Pi and are often capable of extending and replacing expensive systems. These platforms are designed to integrate different home automation systems, devices and technologies within the same solution.

This teaching unit focuses on the installation, study and use of the Home Assistant platform. During the development of this unit, we will explain step by step how to install the system on a Raspberry Pi and how to configure it. Once the system is installed and configured, an introduction of the Home Assistant platform will be made.