How to Install Home Assistant on PC Method 1: Ubuntu & USB (Updated)

Welcome to Chuck Builds!
In this guide, I'll walk you through method one of installing Home Assistant onto a PC. This method only requires a USB drive. For a more comprehensive guide with both methods, check out the longer video on my channel.

Method Overview:

• Software Needed: Balena Etcher
• Operating System: Ubuntu
• Hardware Needed: USB Drive 4GB or larger
  • Such as: (Amazon Affiliate link, I receive a small commission)
    • Amazon 128GB USB Drive $15
• We will be using an existing device (PC or Mac) to write the Ubuntu Image onto a flash drive. We will then Boot into Ubuntu on the device, download the HomeAssistant Image, and write it to the SSD/ Harddrive of our target device. The reason we need to do it this way, is so that we have the entire disk "free" to be written to.

Required BIOS Changes:

1. Turn on your PC and press F2 (or Escape, F1, F2, Delete depending on your device) to enter the BIOS.
2. Enable UEFI boot mode.
3. Disable Secure boot.
4. Ensure multiple cores and Intel features (SpeedStep, Turbo Boost) are enabled.
5. Set Power recovery options ( I prefer restore from AC Loss)
6. Save and exit.

Steps:

Step 1: Download Ubuntu

1. Go to Ubuntu and download the Ubuntu Desktop image.

Step 2: Download Balena Etcher

1. Go to Balena Etcher and download the software.
2. Install Balena Etcher.

Step 3: Write Ubuntu to USB Drive

1. Open Balena Etcher.
2. Select Flash from file and choose the downloaded Ubuntu image.
3. Select the USB drive as the target.
4. Click Flash.

Step 4: Set BIOS Boot Order for USB

1. Insert the USB drive into the PC.
2. Enter BIOS again by pressing F2.
3. Navigate to Boot sequence.
4. Ensure the USB drive is at the top of the boot order.
5. Save and exit.

Step 5: Boot into Ubuntu

1. Boot the PC and select Try Ubuntu from the boot menu.

Step 6: Download Home Assistant OS on Ubuntu

1. Connect to the internet.
2. Go to Home Assistant and download the OS image for x86_64 machines.

Step 7: Write Home Assistant OS to SSD

1. Use the Ubuntu Disk Utility to write the Home Assistant OS image to the SSD.
2. Ensure the correct drive is selected as this will erase all data on the drive.

Step 8: Boot into Home Assistant OS

1. Remove the USB drive.
2. Restart the PC and boot from the SSD.
3. Enter the IP address shown during boot into your browser (e.g., http://<IP_ADDRESS>:8123).

Congratulations! You've successfully installed Home Assistant. For more details or troubleshooting, check out the longer version of this video on my channel or my website for additional resources. If you have any questions, leave a comment or check the comprehensive guide.

Links

• Ubuntu Download Link: Ubuntu
• BalenaEtcher Download Link: BalenaEtcher
• (Alternative to BalenaEtcher) Rufus: Rufus
• (Alternative to BalenaEtcher) PenDriveLinux: PenDriveLinux
• HomeAssistant Image: Home Assistant Installation Guide
• Complete version of this video: YouTube
• Also Check out:
  • HomeAssistant Installation Guide: Home Assistant Installation Guide
  • Chuck Builds Companion Guide: Chuck Builds
  • Chuck Builds Old HomeAssistant Install Video: YouTube
  • Chuck Builds HomeAssistant Video Playlist: YouTube Playlist
  • Home Assistant First Boot Walkthrough: YouTube
• Amazon Affiliate Links:
  1. Amazon 128GB USB Drive $15
  2. SATA to USB Adapter $11
  3. M.2 to USB-C Adapter $20

Full Video

Timestamps:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:37 - Method 1 Intro
• 01:05 - Required BIOS Changes
• 02:15 - Method 1 Overview
• 02:45 - Method 1 Walkthrough
• 02:53 - Step 1: Download Ubuntu
• 03:18 - Step 2: Download BalenaEtcher (Or Alternative)
• 03:48 - Step 3: Write Ubuntu to USB Drive
• 04:33 - Step 4: Setting BIOS Boot Order for USB
• 04:59 - Step 5: Booting into Ubuntu
• 05:28 - Step 6: Downloading HAOS on Ubuntu
• 05:45 - Step 7: Writing HAOS to USB
• 06:19 - Step 8: Boot into HomeAssistant OS
• 07:12 - Outro