Important Terms to Know When Dealing with Home Assistant

Setting up Home Assistant can come with a bit of a learning curve, so it’s essential to familiarize yourself with some key terms you’ll encounter. Here’s a simplified guide to get you started:

Integrations

Integrations are software components that let Home Assistant connect to other platforms and services. For example, to use Tuya’s devices, you’ll want to add the Tuya intergration. This integration enables Home Assistant to communicate with the Tuya devices, allowing you to control any connected light, switch or sensor directly from Home Assistant. Once an integration is set up, the associated hardware or data is represented as devices and entities within Home Assistant.

To access the integrations section, go to Settings -> Devices & Services, on the top you’ll see tabs, the first being Integrations. This screen shows you all the integrations that either your installed or Home Assistant was able to find by himself by scanning your network. Each of the blocks in front of you is an integration. Some are “Configured”, meaning they’ve been installed and ready to go, and some are “Discovered”, meaning they’ve been found but not yet installed. Each discovered integration will have a CONFIGURE button on it that will take you through the installation process of that integration.

Entities

Entities are the core units that hold data in Home Assistant. Each entity represents a specific sensor, switch, or function. They monitor physical properties or control other devices. For instance, a temperature sensor in your home would be an entity with a state that shows the current temperature. Entities are usually part of a larger device or service.

Devices

Devices are groups of one or more entities. A device might represent a piece of hardware with multiple sensors, such as a motion sensor that also measures temperature and light levels. Each of these sensors would be an entity linked to the device. Devices and entities are fundamental to Home Assistant and are used in various ways, such as:

• Dashboards: Show the state of an entity, like whether a light is on or off.
• Automations: Trigger actions based on entity state changes, like turning on a light when motion is detected.

To see the list of devices in a given integration, simply click on the integration block in the integrations section Settings -> Devices & Services, you’ll see a list of all the devices you have, click on a device and you’ll see the list of entities it has.

Automations

Automations are sets of actions that run automatically based on specific conditions. They consist of three main parts:

• Triggers: Events that start the automation, such as the sun setting or a motion sensor detecting movement.
• Conditions: Optional criteria that must be met for the action to occur, like only turning on a light if someone is home.
• Actions: The tasks performed, such as turning on a light or sending a notification.

You get to the Automations section from Settings -> Automation & Scenes and we’ll have a separate post in this series that will cover how to create automations.

Scripts

Scripts are similar to automations but without triggers. They are sets of actions that you can run manually or include in automations. Scripts are useful for repeating the same actions across different automations or triggering actions from a dashboard.

You get to the Scripts section from Settings -> Automation & Scenes, then choose Scripts from the top navigation bar.

Add-ons

Add-ons are additional apps or tools you can install to enhance Home Assistant’s functionality. Depending on how you’ve installed Home Assistant, you can use add-ons to easily set up and run third-party applications within Home Assistant. Add-ons offer extra features and services, such as running a media server or a database, whereas integrations are primarily used to connect Home Assistant to other services and platforms.

For more advanced users, add-ons in Home Assistant are essentially Docker containers. These containers run programs isolated from the core Home Assistant instance, meaning they can install their own components, run different environments like Node.js, Python, or Go, and offer a high level of flexibility. One of the major advantages of using separate containers is that if an add-on crashes or malfunctions, it won’t interfere with your main Home Assistant setup. In a more advanced post, I share recommendations for some of the most useful add-ons you can install.

Dashboard

Dashboards in Home Assistant provide a user-friendly interface to control and monitor your smart home devices. A dashboard can display various elements, known as cards, that represent the state of your devices, such as lights, sensors, or thermostats. You can customize dashboards to suit your preferences, arranging cards in a way that makes sense for your home and lifestyle. Dashboard cards make it easy to interact with your devices, view their current state, and execute actions with a simple tap.

Summary

Now that you understand the basic terms used in Home Assistant, you’re ready to start creating automations and customizing your dashboards. This is where the fun begins, as you can tailor your smart home to fit your unique needs and preferences. With your newfound knowledge, you’ll be able to set up a seamless and efficient smart home system, making your daily routines more convenient and enjoyable. Stay tuned for follow-up posts that will guide you through these exciting steps.

if you read this article and feel you’re familiar with basic terminology, then you can click on this button below to get qualified for your next rank and move on to the next step in setting up your smart home.

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