Introduction to Home Assistant
Home Assistant is an open-source home automation platform that serves as the central hub for your smart home. Combined with boneIO, it provides a powerful and reliable system for managing your entire home.
How boneIO Works with Home Assistant
boneIO offers two integration methods with Home Assistant, depending on the device series:
| Series | Integration Method | Description |
|---|---|---|
| boneIO Black | MQTT with autodiscovery | All entities appear automatically |
| boneIO ESP | ESPHome API | Default integration via native Home Assistant API |
Both methods provide:
- Automatic device discovery in Home Assistant
- Real-time status updates
- Full control over lights, covers, sensors, and more
boneIO can perform simple actions (button → light, button → cover) internally without Home Assistant. Use HA for advanced automations that require logic, time conditions, or multiple device coordination.
Basic Concepts
Before diving into automations and dashboards, let's understand the key Home Assistant concepts:
| Concept | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Entity | A single device or sensor in HA | light.kitchen_main, cover.living_room |
| State | Current status of an entity | on, off, open, closed, 25°C |
| Service | An action you can call | light.turn_on, cover.open_cover |
| Automation | Rule that triggers actions | "Turn on lights at sunset" |
| Scene | Predefined state for multiple entities | "Movie mode" - dim lights, close covers |
| Script | Reusable sequence of actions | "Good night" routine |
When to Use boneIO vs Home Assistant
| Use Case | boneIO Internal | Home Assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Button toggles light | ✅ | Optional |
| Button controls cover | ✅ | Optional |
| Double-click actions | ✅ | Optional |
| Long-press actions | ✅ | Optional |
| Time-based automation | ❌ | ✅ |
| Sunrise/sunset triggers | ❌ | ✅ |
| Conditional logic (if dark AND motion) | ❌ | ✅ |
| Notifications to phone | ❌ | ✅ |
| Voice control | ❌ | ✅ |
| Energy monitoring dashboards | ❌ | ✅ |
Always configure basic button-to-light/cover actions in boneIO configuration. This ensures they work even if Home Assistant is offline or restarting.
Next Steps
- First Automation - Create your first Home Assistant automation
- Dashboards - Build beautiful control panels