This guide is a through-line across Home Assistant, not a single tutorial. Each stop links the matching article in detail. The order is a recommendation – if you already have a running HA, jump straight to basics or automations.
For beginners who want a local, privacy-friendly smart home – without cloud lock-in. No prior knowledge needed; step 1 picks you up at the installation.
1. Getting started
First install, then understand the mental model, then build your first automation.
- Installing Home Assistant: HA OS, Container or Core? – the right variant for your setup.
- Basics: Entities, Devices & Integrations – the mental model behind HA.
- Your first automation: trigger, condition, action – the entry into automation.
2. Your own sensors with ESPHome
Cheap ESP32 boards become local sensors with ESPHome – from the first board to automated firmware.
- ESPHome for beginners: your first sensor on the ESP32 – the entry without C++.
- Particulate matter sensor PMS5003T with ESP32 and ESPHome – a real project with a display.
- GitLab CI for ESPHome – build and roll out firmware automatically.
3. Automations & practice
From the simple pattern to real, useful automations.
- Automatic ventilation by PM2.5 – threshold and hysteresis in practice.
- Heating control to a new level – EMS-ESP instead of a flaky vendor integration.
4. Operations
- Home Assistant OS in KVM/QEMU – HA as a VM instead of dedicated hardware.
For the classic entry a Raspberry Pi is enough – with NVMe instead of MicroSD, so the database writes don't wear out your card:
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Related topics
- All home automation articles – the full overview.
- Homelab Self-Hosting Guide – the right foundation for your server.
