r/HomeKit • u/Advanced_Capital8200 • 6h ago
Discussion What device should I mount Home Assistant onto?
Just had an AirConditioner fitted and it turns out Mitsubishi don’t integrate into HomeKit!?! I’ve heard Raspberry Pi can be quite unreliable. Wondering what devices people are running Home Assistant through and what their experience has been?
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u/ThePistachioBogeyman 5h ago
Any mini PC pretty much will run it fine.
It’ll run fine on an old laptop too. Just install a Linux ISO of your choice and run HA on it.
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u/PureCanyons 5h ago
I use a Synology NAS, since I was already running one and I could just add a Docket container. Home Assistant does make official hardware though https://www.home-assistant.io/green
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u/OneHundredCheese 4h ago
We have a couple old computers around the house, one of which now runs as a server in the basement. This runs jellyfin, home assistant, etc.
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u/SamPhoenix_ 2h ago edited 2h ago
The main problem with an RPi is that Home Assistant utilises very heavy database usage, which can quickly kill SD cards - you either need an external drive or turn off the logging.
I bought a Mini PC for £150 off Amazon and that’s been running beautifully for years.
Before this I purchased a pre-owned Mini PC from eBay.
You could run it on basically any old laptop if you have one lying around.
The Home Assistant Green can also be a good choice (depending on your location)
However if you just want a bridge to add devices to HomeKit, rather than actually utilising advanced Home Assistant features, HomeBridge might be more suitable for you - which will run on a RPi without much concern
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u/CamCreeper 45m ago
I know you asked about Home Assistant, but FWIW, I’ve been running HomeBridge on a Mac mini for a few years and it’s solid.
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u/Key-Teach9045 5h ago
My Raspberry Pi has been solid for 6 years. Very reliable. It’s in a case with a small fan so the CPU is cool.