From setup to everyday use
Take a newly installed Home Assistant system from a blank slate to turning on a light with two taps on a wall panel and receiving notifications on your phone. Then continue with communication protocols, energy monitoring, voice assistants, and professional-grade network architecture. The guide has 22 chapters and 3 appendices, each designed to take about 10 minutes. Find the Sales Handbook, Prompt Library, and Skill Handbook in the Resource Hub.
Foundations: setup and everyday use
Log in to Home Assistant
Learn how the login page and “Stay logged in” work, and when to use the web interface or Companion App.
02System settings
Set the correct time zone, language, units, and location so that later automations run as expected.
03Floors and areas
Map your home’s floors and rooms so you can organize devices for dashboards, voice control, and automations.
04Naming and labels
Turn an opaque entity ID into a clear name, then use labels to group related devices and automations.
05User management
Create separate accounts for household members, tenants, and guests, and understand the access each role provides.
06Dashboards
Put frequently used lights, covers, and climate controls where everyone can find them.
07Notifications
Install the Companion App, set it up on a phone, and send your first push notification.
08Your first automation
Use the trigger-condition-action model to turn on a light at sunset without falling into the device_id trap.
09Backups
Configure automatic backups in three minutes so you can experiment and recover with confidence.
10Scripts
Package repeated actions into a reusable, parameterized script that dashboards, automations, and voice control can call.
11Device settings
Use the device page to update firmware, manage entities, download diagnostics, and investigate issues in Repairs.
12Domain reference
A practical reference to common domains, their actions, dashboard cards, and frequent pitfalls.
Extensions: connect more devices
Themes and appearance
Choose light or dark mode, install a community theme, and tailor Home Assistant’s appearance for each user.
14Integrations
Connect weather, music, location, calendar, and other external services to Home Assistant.
15Communication protocols
Compare Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, Thread, Bluetooth, KNX, Modbus, and MQTT before buying devices.
16To-do lists and calendars
Move household reminders into shared to-do lists and calendars that can trigger automations.
Data, energy, and AI
Energy dashboard and ESG practices
Turn energy readings into useful charts, cost tracking, baselines, and evidence-based reports.
18History, Recorder, and data export
Learn where Home Assistant stores history, how long it lasts, how to export it, and how to keep the database healthy.
19Voice assistants and LLM integration
Build an Assist pipeline, then compare local and cloud speech and LLM options with their privacy and cost trade-offs.
Advanced architecture and applications
Add-ons and Docker architecture
Learn how Supervisor manages add-on containers and how to troubleshoot them.
21Networking and remote access
Set a stable local address and compare four secure ways to reach Home Assistant away from home.
22Life logging and custom dashboards
Track habits, household spending, maintenance, and notes, then turn those records into useful dashboards.
Appendices
Ecosystem: HACS, add-ons, and remote access
Compare official add-ons, the HACS community store, and four remote-access options.
BScenes, helpers, and groups
Use scenes, ten helper types, and groups as reusable building blocks for automations.
CBefore installation: hardware and HAOS
Choose suitable host hardware and storage, install HAOS, and complete the initial setup.