Running Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi is a powerful and affordable way to start building your smart home. Follow these steps carefully to get up and running without headaches.
✅ What You’ll Need
- A Raspberry Pi 4 (2GB minimum, 4GB recommended)
- A 16GB or larger microSD card (Class 10 or better)
- A power supply for the Pi (5V/3A USB-C recommended)
- A network connection (Ethernet recommended for stability)
- A computer with an SD card reader
- Optional: Keyboard/monitor for direct Pi access (not required for headless install)
You can find the Raspberry Pi 4 startpack in our Shop
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Download Home Assistant OS Image
Go to the official download page:
👉 https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/raspberrypi
- Choose the image for Raspberry Pi 4.
- Download the
.img.xzfile.
2. Flash the Image to Your SD Card
Use Balena Etcher for simplicity.
- Open Etcher
- Select the downloaded image
- Choose your SD card
- Click Flash
- Wait for the process to complete
🔍 Tip: If you’re on Windows, you may be prompted to format the SD card after flashing — don’t do this. Just eject it safely.
3. Insert and Boot
- Insert the SD card into the Pi.
- Connect Ethernet (recommended).
- Plug in power to boot the Pi.
- Wait 10–20 minutes for the initial setup to complete.
4. Access Home Assistant
Open a browser and go to:
http://homeassistant.local:8123- Or use your Pi’s IP address, e.g.
http://192.168.1.42:8123
If neither works, use a network scanner like Fing or check your router to find the Pi’s IP.
5. Follow the Onboarding Wizard
- Create your account
- Set your location and time zone
- Set up basic integrations
What’s Next?
Once Home Assistant is running, you’re ready to:
- Add integrations (lights, sensors, thermostats)
- Automate your home
- Connect Google Nest Hubs or Speakers
🧩 This setup runs completely locally — no cloud required — but you can optionally enable remote access or voice control later.