2. Configuring Your Home Assistant

1. Enable the I2C Interface

This involves activating the I2C interface on your device.

  1. Remove and then reinsert the SD card into your computer. Open the File Explorer and locate the SD card named hassos-boot.

    ../_images/ha_boot.png

  2. In the root directory, create a new folder named CONFIG.

    ../_images/ha_config.png

  3. Within the CONFIG folder, make a subfolder titled modules.

    ../_images/ha_modules.png

  4. Turn on the display of file extensions in your settings.

    ../_images/ha_extension.png

  5. Inside the modules subfolder, create a text file and rename it to rpi-i2c.conf. Confirm the extension change when prompted.

    ../_images/ha_conf.png

  6. Edit rpi-i2c.conf to include the following line:

    i2c-dev

  7. Save and exit the file.

2. Setting Up WiFi

Now, let’s set up the WiFi connection.

Note

Skip this step if you prefer using a wired network connection.

  1. In the CONFIG folder, create a new folder named network.

    ../_images/ha_network.png

  2. Inside the network folder, create a text file and name it my-network (leave out the file extension).

    ../_images/ha_my_network.png

  3. Enter the following configuration in the my-network file, substituting MY_SSID and MY_WLAN_SECRET_KEY with your WiFi network’s details:

    [connection]
id=my-network
uuid=72111c67-4a5d-4d5c-925e-f8ee26efb3c3
type=802-11-wireless

[802-11-wireless]
mode=infrastructure
ssid=MY_SSID
# Uncomment if your SSID is hidden
#hidden=true

[802-11-wireless-security]
auth-alg=open
key-mgmt=wpa-psk
psk=MY_WLAN_SECRET_KEY

[ipv4]
method=auto

[ipv6]
addr-gen-mode=stable-privacy
method=auto

  4. Save and close the file.

3. Adjusting Configuration

  1. In the hassos-boot directory, find and open the config.txt file.

    ../_images/ha_config_text.png

  2. Append the following settings at the end of the file:

    dtparam=i2c_vc=on
dtparam=i2c_arm=on
dtoverlay=gpio-poweroff,gpio_pin=26,active_low=0
dtoverlay=gpio-ir,gpio_pin=13

  3. Save and close the file.

4. Accessing Home Assistant

Eject the microSD card from your computer and insert it into your Raspberry Pi. Connect the power supply (and Ethernet cable, if applicable).

From your computer, go to homeassistant.local:8123.

Initial setup of Home Assistant may take some time during first use.

../_images/ha_home_page.png

5. Creating Your Account

  1. Follow the on-screen instructions to create your user account. This is the account you’ll use to access the Home Assistant interface.

    ../_images/ha_account.png

  2. Proceed through the prompts to set your location and other preferences. You may be asked to install detected devices; you can choose to skip this for now by selecting FINISH.

    ../_images/ha_devices.png