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HomeAssistant

How to Install Home Assistant Operating System (Complete & Updated)

Chuck

• 4 min read
How to Install Home Assistant Operating System (Complete & Updated)

Step-by-Step Guide to Installing Home Assistant on a PC

Welcome to Chuck Builds!
In this guide, I'll walk you through the updated process of installing Home Assistant OS directly onto a PC. This video series refreshes the content from my most popular video, with updated steps and recommendations. Let's dive in!

HAOS Definition:

We're installing Home Assistant Operating System (HAOS) directly onto the PC, not using Docker or virtualization. I have other videos on virtualization options if you are looking for that.

Required BIOS Changes:

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

Method 1: Using a USB Flash Drive

Method Overview:

  • Software Needed: Balena Etcher (or other imaging tool)
  • Operating System: Ubuntu
  • Hardware Needed: USB Drive 4GB or larger
  • 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.

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

❗
WARNING: You WILL lose ALL data on the selected drive. Please be CERTAIN you've backed up what you want to keep.
  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).

Method 1 Links:

Method 2: Using an Adapter

Method Overview:

  • Software Needed: Rufus or other Imaging tool (Balena Etcher or PenDriveLinux)
  • Operating System: Home Assistant OS
  • Hardware Needed: This method requires additional hardware such as a SATA to USB adapter or an NVMe to USB-C adapter.
  • We will be writing the Operating system directly to the SSD (or Hard drive) of the target host device using the adapter. This method requires knowledge of how to remove & reinstall the disk from the target host device.


Steps:

Step 1: Remove SSD from PC

  1. Open your PC case.
  2. Locate and remove the SSD.
  3. Connect the SSD to your computer using the SATA to USB adapter.

Step 2: Download Home Assistant OS

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

Step 3: Download Rufus

  1. Go to Rufus and download the software.
  2. Install Rufus.

Step 4: Write Home Assistant OS to Drive

❗
WARNING: You WILL lose ALL data on the selected drive. Please be CERTAIN you've backed up what you want to keep.
  1. Open Rufus.
  2. Select the Home Assistant image file.
  3. Select the SSD as the target.
  4. Click Start and confirm the action.

Step 5: Replace SSD in PC

  1. Reinsert the SSD into the PC.
  2. Ensure it is securely connected.

Step 6: Boot into Home Assistant OS

  1. Boot the PC.
  2. Enter the IP address shown during boot into your browser (e.g., http://<IP_ADDRESS>:8123).

Method 2 Links:

WiFi Command:

network update WIRELESSINTERFACENAMEHERE --ipv4-method auto --ipv6-method auto --wifi-auth wpa-psk --wifi-mode infrastructure --wifi-ssid WIFI-NAME --wifi-psk WIFI-PASSWORD

Use quotes on WiFi name or password if they contain spaces.

I receive a small commission if you decide to purchase any of these items. Thanks for your support!

  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
  • 00:27 - HAOS Definition
  • 01:18 - Host Requirements
  • 02:35 - Comparison of Installation Methods 1 & 2
  • 03:18 - Required BIOS Changes
  • 06:02 - Method 1 Overview
  • 06:32 - Method 1 Walkthrough
  • 07:04 - Step 1: Download Ubuntu
  • 07:50 - Step 2: Download BalenaEtcher (Or Alternative)
  • 09:05 - Step 3: Write Ubuntu to USB Drive
  • 10:12 - Step 4: Setting BIOS Boot Order for USB
  • 10:42 - Step 5: Booting into Ubuntu
  • 11:36 - Step 6: Writing HAOS to USB
  • 12:39 - Step 7: Boot into HomeAssistant OS
  • 13:03 - Method 2 Overview
  • 13:25 - Method 2 Walkthrough
  • 13:53 - Step 1: Remove SSD from PC
  • 15:00 - Step 2: Download HomeAssistant OS
  • 15:13 - Step 3: Download Rufus
  • 15:24 - Step 4: Write HAOS to Drive
  • 15:46 - Step 5: Replace SSD in PC
  • 16:31 - Step 6: Boot into HAOS
  • 17:08 - Static IP Setup
  • 19:35 - Wifi Setup
  • 21:05 - Fix Balena Flash Drive
  • 22:00 - Outro

Supporting Videos:

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