Homelab

Run your smart home locally

One hub for all your devices, no cloud required. Thermostats, lights and sensors from different brands in one interface.

Replaces: vendor apps and cloud hubs

The software

Home Assistant

Hub for smart home devices from many brands, with automations and local control.

Function: Home automation
Licence: Apache-2.0

Requirements (official)

As a virtual machine at least 2 GB of RAM and 2 vCPUs. On a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with at least 2 GB of RAM and a microSD card of 32 GB or more (A2).

Download and install: Home Assistant

Zigbee2MQTT

Connects Zigbee devices without the vendor hub, for example to Home Assistant.

Function: Zigbee bridge
Licence: GPL-3.0

Requirements (official)

Needs a Zigbee stick, for example the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2.

Download and install: Zigbee2MQTT

Matching hardware

Ranked by suitability for the software, based on the official requirements. How we rank

Ready-made smart home hub

Home Assistant Green

Nabu Casa Home Assistant Green

Processor: Rockchip RK3566, 4 × 1.8 GHz
Memory: 4 GB LPDDR4X
Storage: 32 GB eMMC
Network: Gigabit Ethernet
Power: approx. 1.7 W idle, 3 W under load
Zigbee/Thread: not built in, ZBT-2 required
RRP (manufacturer): €179

Strength: Unbox, plug in, done. Home Assistant comes preinstalled.
Limitation: Meant for Home Assistant only, not for media or photos.

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Manufacturer details

Mini PC with Intel N150

Beelink EQ14

Processor: Intel N150, 4 cores, up to 3.6 GHz
Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics, 24 EU
Memory: 16 GB DDR4, 1 slot
Storage: 500 GB SSD, 2 × M.2 2280
Network: 2 LAN ports, 1 or 2.5 Gbit/s depending on version
Price: Price to follow

Strength: Enough power for several services at once, with Intel graphics for Jellyfin and Frigate.
Limitation: No room for large hard drives. For lots of photos or films, a NAS is better.
Suitable for: Back up photos and videos yourself, Stream films and series, Your own cloud for files, Block ads across your network, Manage your own passwords, Paperless office, Analyse cameras locally

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Manufacturer details

Single-board computer

Raspberry Pi 5

Raspberry Pi Raspberry Pi 5

Processor: Broadcom BCM2712, 4 × 2.4 GHz Cortex-A76
Memory: 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 GB LPDDR4X
Network: Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0
PCIe: PCIe 2.0 x1, M.2 only with an add-on board
Power supply: 5 V / 5 A via USB-C recommended
Price: Price to follow

Strength: Efficient and affordable for light services like ad blocking or passwords.
Limitation: Too slow for a media server according to Jellyfin. Power supply, case and storage cost extra.
Suitable for: Block ads across your network, Manage your own passwords

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Manufacturer details

Zigbee or Thread stick

Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2

Nabu Casa Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2

Radio: Zigbee 3.0 or Thread, not both at once
Chip: Silicon Labs MG24
Connection: USB-C, 1.5 m cable included
Compatible: Home Assistant, Zigbee2MQTT
RRP (manufacturer): €45

Strength: Official stick, with wizards for migrating existing Zigbee networks.
Limitation: Zigbee or Thread, not both at the same time.

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Manufacturer details

The software

Home Assistant

Zigbee2MQTT

Matching hardware

Home Assistant Green

Beelink EQ14

Raspberry Pi 5

Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2

Other use cases