Prepare Your Hardware First
Before downloading anything, assemble the necessary hardware.
Raspberry Pi 5 with 4GB or 8GB RAM, priced at ฿2,500–3,500. Choose 8GB if you plan to run Frigate NVR in the future. The official Raspberry Pi 5 power supply rated at 27W is required since Pi 5 draws more power than previous models.
For storage, an M.2 NVMe SSD (2242 or 2280 form factor) of 128GB or larger with a PCIe HAT+ for Pi 5 is recommended, totalling ฿800–1,500. A 32GB or larger microSD card works as a starting point, but plan to migrate to SSD within six to twelve months.
A Cat5e or better LAN cable for the router connection, and a Sonoff Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus at ฿600–800 if you have Zigbee devices.
Download and Flash Home Assistant OS
Go to https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/raspberrypi, select Raspberry Pi 5 64-bit, and download the .img.xz file.
Download Raspberry Pi Imager from https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/ — simpler than Balena Etcher for first-time installers. Open Imager, select "Use Custom," choose the downloaded file, select your storage target, and click Write. The process takes 10–15 minutes.
First Boot and Initial Setup
Insert the SSD or microSD into the Raspberry Pi 5, connect the LAN cable to your router, and apply power.
Home Assistant boots and downloads updates automatically on first launch. This process takes 10–20 minutes depending on internet speed.
When complete, open a browser on any device on the same network and navigate to http://homeassistant.local:8123. Home Assistant displays a welcome screen for creating the first account.
Create an account with a username and password, enter a home name, set the timezone to Asia/Bangkok, and provide an approximate location so the system can calculate accurate sunrise and sunset times.
Adding Tuya and Zigbee Devices
After setup is complete, go to Settings > Devices & Services > Add Integration.
For Tuya: register at https://iot.tuya.com first, create a Cloud Project, and link it to the Tuya Smart app to obtain a Client ID and Client Secret to enter in the Home Assistant integration.
For Zigbee: plug the Sonoff Zigbee Dongle into a Pi 5 USB port, install the Zigbee2MQTT add-on from the Add-on Store, configure the correct serial port, and pair Zigbee devices by holding the pairing button for 5–10 seconds.
For Xiaomi Mi Home: use the Xiaomi Miot integration, enter your Mi Home account credentials, and the system imports all devices automatically.
HappySmart installs and pre-configures Home Assistant on Pi 5 with all integrations included, delivering a ready-to-use system without any of these manual steps.