DIY Ideas

Integrating Dahua cameras into the Satel TSI panel can be a surprisingly time-consuming process. The challenge isn’t just making the connection; it’s meeting Satel’s very specific, and largely undocumented, video encoding requirements. If even one setting is slightly off—like the bitrate type or the H.264 profile—the […]

Satel INT-TSI Panel Some time ago, I installed a Satel alarm system featuring a beautiful touchscreen, but I was quickly disappointed by its limited functionality. Fortunately, Satel recently added MQTT support to their panels, finally opening the door to integrate the TSI screen directly with Home […]

While there is an incredibly useful integration for Dahua cameras available through HACS, its trigger options are limited to any zone being activated. For true control over your smart home security, it’s essential to implement zone-specific automations. This granular approach provides significant benefits, such as: Customizable […]

Code-Server in Home Assistant I stuck with the standard File Editor because it’s built specifically for Home Assistant and integrates seamlessly into the UI. However, I eventually discovered a way to run Code-Server within HA using the HACS Ingress integration. Table of Contents Add a header […]

Example of Issue with Internet Connection When reporting internet connectivity issues, ISP support often defaults to blaming the user’s hardware. Proving that the fault lies on the ISP’s side is challenging, particularly with streaming performance issues. To build a solid case, it’s essential to gather evidence […]

CloudBeaver as side panel Adding CloudBeaver to your Home Assistant Docker setup as a side panel is a total game-changer for anyone who wants to truly “see” what’s happening under the hood of their smart home. While Home Assistant handles your daily automations beautifully, its underlying […]

This is a guide for advanced Home Assistant users who have chosen the Docker install method. If you run Home Assistant OS (formerly Hass.io) or Supervised, update notifications are baked right into the UI. A shiny notification appears, you click a button, and the system updates. […]

While the native Home Assistant System Monitor is excellent for basic oversight, integrating Beszel—a lightweight hub-and-node monitoring solution—elevates infrastructure management to a professional level. Here is how it compares to standard tools and the popular go-hass-agent (please see my article about its integration with HA): 1. […]

If you’ve ever tried to keep a close eye on your SSD or HDD health inside Home Assistant, you probably discovered that the ecosystem offers surprisingly few clean, reliable ways to surface SMART data. Many people turn to the popular Scrutiny Docker container—which is great on […]

In this article, I describe how to integrate Deye hybrid inverter with Home Assistant using the following integrations: Solarman is available in HACS. Sunsynk is available as HA Add-on and stand standalone docker container.I use a Docker setup for my Home Assistant instance; therefore, this article […]

In the Supervised or Home Assistant OS versions, add-ons like Zigbee2MQTT and Mosquitto Broker have built-in update notifications. However, if you’re running Home Assistant in Docker, you’re managing those services as separate containers, so version monitoring and update notifications are not provided out-of-the-box. This article will […]

Home Assistant is a powerful open-source platform for home automation, and its Docker-based installation offers flexibility for users running it on various systems. One of its standout features, particularly when paired with add-ons, is the Ingress side panel, which allows seamless integration of add-on user interfaces […]

As the smart home community continues to evolve, Home Assistant remains a cornerstone for enthusiasts seeking robust automation solutions. However, with the looming depreciation of the Home Assistant Supervisor, users are encouraged to explore alternative setups to future-proof their systems. The Supervisor, while powerful, is being […]

Timer UI Welcome, smart home enthusiasts! If you’re diving into the world of Home Assistant, you’ve likely discovered the magic of timers—those handy little helpers that let you automate tasks like turning off lights, managing your heating, or even watering your garden. But what happens when […]

In the age of smart homes, achieving optimal comfort and energy efficiency has never been easier. One innovative solution is automating window blinds with Home Assistant,  by leveraging solar irradiance sensors. You can use hardware sensors for measuring sunlight intensity or RESTful sensors to get sunlight […]

When it comes to improving indoor comfort, smart blinds or shutters are one of the most effective tools in a Home Assistant setup—especially when paired with solar irradiance data. While many popular services offer paid APIs for solar forecasting, there’s a surprisingly powerful and free alternative: […]

Home Assistant users often rely on built-in integrations for weather forecasting, but what if you could gain more control, transparency, and insight into the data driving your automations? By tapping directly into the REST API from met.no —the official source behind the popular weather service—you can […]

As the chill of winter creeps in, the quest for a perfectly cozy home becomes a top priority for many of us. But what if your heating system could anticipate your needs before you even feel the cold? Thanks to the innovative integration of Home Assistant, […]

Keeping a lush, green garden requires careful watering, but manually managing an irrigation system can be time-consuming and inefficient. What if your garden could water itself based on real-time weather data, soil moisture levels, or even your own schedule? With Home Assistant, automating irrigation becomes not […]

Zigbee controllers are a great way to automate your home, but what happens when they don’t update their status correctly? I have several Zigbee devices that are only triggered once every few months. Because of their sleep mode, they perform actions as expected but fail to […]

Having access to Home Assistant not just within your home network but from anywhere in the world can greatly enhance the convenience and control over your smart devices. Whether you’re at work, on vacation, or just out for the day, remote access lets you monitor and […]

In my journey with Home Assistant, ensuring timely notifications has been crucial (to be informed of low battery in sensors or disconnected ZigBee devices). Initially, I opted for Telegram notifications (Home Assistant Telegram integration), as my Home Assistant setup was accessible only within my home network, […]

After configuring the Home Assistant integration (please find the guidance with the link), I noticed the option to switch the recuperator mode between: Balance: allowing two-way air flows. Supply_only: bringing in outside air without extracting inside air. Exhaust_only: extracting air from the house without bringing in […]

Home Assistant itself is generally stable; however, certain integrations may occasionally freeze. In such instances, it becomes necessary to reload them. Fortunately, Home Assistant offers a solution to detect when an integration has frozen and enables the creation of an automation to trigger its reload. Configuration […]

Table of Contents Add a header to begin generating the table of contents I had a preinstalled recuperator in my home, so I began thinking about integrating it with Home Assistant to achieve comfortable air circulation without a significant increase in electricity and gas bills. As […]

As a parent I want to limit entertainment and game time for my kid. Fortunately, AdGuard has presets to block a bunch of services like: Minecraft Roblox Mail.ru OK.ru VK.com Youtube etc. But AdGuard integration with Home Assistant provides an ability to switch ON/OFF filtering completely […]

Home Assistant provides useful standard integration “Generic Thermostat” to create a virtual thermostat using some temperature sensor and switch for turning ON/OFF a heater. You can find documentation on HA official web-site with the link:Generic Thermostat. “Generic Thermostat” has a bunch of temperature preset modes: away_temp […]

Home Assistant provides useful standard integration “Generic Thermostat” to create a virtual thermostat using some temperature sensor and switch for turning ON/OFF a heater. You can find documentation on HA official web-site with the link:Generic Thermostat. Unfortunately, “Generic Thermostat” supports only one sensor and only one […]

Introduction It’s very useful to make the actual state visible with icon changing depending on it.  During my research on how to make cards with state-dependent icons, I was founding explanations on how to change icons with additional plugins or write custom templates only. But Home […]

Introduction By default you can see on your dashboard only that some of ZigBee devices lost connection with Home Assistant. It’s useless because you can have no idea about this until you notice that some of automations doesn’t work any more. This guidance about configuring notifications […]

Introduction I purchased IKEA devices for making Ambilight in my small living room: Two lamps TRADFRI LED 806 Remote styrbar  The goal is to switch on/off and change lamp mode simultaneously with Styrbar and Philips HUE sensor due to movement detection and light intensity.  Further steps require […]

Introduction I used Xiaomi Gateway 3 for my Smart Home with Home Assistant integration last three years. You can find guidance on how to integrate it with Zegbee2MQTT in this article: https://www.diyenjoying.com/2022/09/25/home-assistant-zigbee-integration-with-xiaomi-gateway/ Unfortunately, after three years of stable functioning, I was faced with the issue due […]

Introduction Purpose to use telegram Home Assistant provides a lot of options for notifications. The most attractive of push notifications in HA mobile applications. But this approach requires HA cloud with a paid subscription to get notifications outside of your home network. First of all, Telegram […]

why ubuntu preferable then HA OS Ubuntu is a very popular OS with reach functionality and enough long story to trust in security and stability of it. Install necessary packages First of all make your system updated: $ sudo -s # /home/pi# apt update && apt […]

Zigbee2mqtt configuration HA can’t work with Zigbee2MQTT directly. So, you have to install MQTT broker first.  Go back to “Settings” -> “Add-ons”, click “ADD-ON STORE” and click on “Mosquitto broker”. Install the add-on and launch it. The “start” button will replace the “Install” button after the […]

why zigbee2mqtt is needed A lot of add-ons were developed for different gateways. But, they mostly work with a manufactured provided cloud solution with the following limitations: Your integrations work if a manufacturer’s cloud is accessible. You can connect devices supported by a manufacturer only. The […]