Home Assistant

Project Overview

A comprehensive Home Assistant installation managing every aspect of a smart home, from climate control and lighting to financial tracking and Tesla integration. The system features custom dashboards, 50+ automations, and integrations with 20+ services including cryptocurrency tracking, NAS monitoring, security cameras, and advanced data visualization.

The Journey

Background: Starting in August 2024 with zero programming or coding experience, this project began as a "new hobby" exploring self-hosting to move away from third-party cloud services (Apple iCloud, Google Nest, etc.) and consolidate multiple apps into one unified platform.

From NAS to Home Assistant Green: Initially ran Home Assistant Core on a Synology NAS (version 2023.7.3), but quickly hit systematic limitations compared to Home Assistant OS. After extensive research on Reddit, consulting with ChatGPT for workarounds, and advice, made the jump to Home Assistant Green ($99 hardware purchase with no recurring costs).

System Statistics

Dashboard 1: Main Control Center

Dashboard 2: Plant Care Tracker

Spent more time than necessary creating custom plant illustrations that match the actual houseplants.

Dashboard 3: Security Camera Grid

Current Setup: Live feeds from four Google Nest cameras (Front Yard, Doorbell, Garage, Office). Required setting up Google Cloud project to gain API access to live feeds. Initial project broke when transitioning to HA Green, but got it working again with proper integration.

Future Goal: Complete migration off Google Nest platform to store all video clips locally on NAS and eliminate monthly Nest Aware subscription costs.

Dashboard 4: Financial Overview

The Most Difficult Build: This dashboard took the longest to create. Previously, family financial information was stored in shared Notion notes (account locations, contribution schedules, bills, credit card strategies to maximize points, income info). The goal was to house everything in Home Assistant to eliminate third-party dependency on Notion.

Technical Challenge: Nested lists with collapsible fields (using fold-entity-row cards from HACS) required extensive trial and error. Custom icons for every institution and bill? "Absolutely not" necessary.

Data Integration: Most account values automatically feed from Excel using VBA. "Run rate tracking" automation compares % of budget spent vs. % of month passed (automatically updates based on actual month).

Dashboard 5: Net Worth Flow (Sankey Diagram)

Custom Sankey diagram visualizing complete financial structure. Shows flow from Net Worth through Assets and Debt categories, breaking down into Liquid Assets, Non-Liquid Assets, Retirement accounts, College Savings, and Mortgage. Each stream is color-coded and sized proportionally to value. Honestly, Sankey diagrams are my favorite.

Dashboard 6: Historical Account Growth

The Favorite Card: Uses mini-graph-card (hands down the favorite custom card discovered). Super customizable with coded transition points based on states—for example, Bitcoin chart shows green when >$100k and red when <$100k. Combined with multiple-entity-row cards using vertical-stack-in-card for clean presentation.

Current Status: About 65% automated, 35% manual input-dependent. Still waiting on API access through Developer Portals for some institutions. May never reach 100% automation, but that's okay.

Dashboard 7: Grocery & Budget Tracking

Replacing Notion: Previously used Notion religiously for shared grocery and shopping lists, but noticed syncing issues and laggy updates that became frustrating over time. This dashboard pulls in remaining Entertainment, Groceries, and Shopping budget amounts automatically from Excel, giving the family a quick way to check balances.

Features: Three bar-card budget trackers with color-coded severity levels (green/orange/red) based on spending thresholds. Integrated with Target Grocery List todo entity for real-time shopping list management accessible from mobile.

Dashboard 8: Tesla Vehicle Control

Practical Integration: This has become "relatively useful" with automations tied to vehicle states. Real-time battery percentage, range tracking with 7-day history, internal and external temperature, and tire pressure monitoring for all four tires. Helped identify a slow leak and find a hidden nail in a tire.

Data Quirk: Tire pressure readings report from when the car last went to sleep, not real-time.

Additional Features: Transit time estimates for regular drives, odometer tracking, lock/unlock status, Sentry mode on/off toggle. Climate automation opens vents if interior temperature exceeds x°F and exterior exceeds x°F.

Key Features

Sample Automations (50+ Total)

• Smart Arrival: Opens garage and turns on entry lights when family arrives home
• Midnight Routine: Turns off 17 lights at 12 AM, locks doors via Google Assistant
• Sunrise/Sunset: Controls outdoor lighting based on sun position
• Location Notifications: iOS push notifications for arrivals/departures
• Garage Safety: Auto-closes garage at scheduled times if left open
• Bias Lighting: TV backlight syncs with TV power state
• Tesla Climate: Opens vents if interior >110°F and exterior >95°F
• Financial Snapshots: Records midnight Bitcoin and portfolio values
• Plant Care: Timestamps watering events for 11 plants
• Pet Feeding: Logs automatic feeder activations
• Room Groups: Button-triggered groups for Bedroom, Kid Room, Dining
• Book Club: Opens garage at 7:55 PM every Wednesday for wifey's book club

Technical Stack

Custom Frontend Cards

Integrations & Services

Implementation Highlights

• Advanced Templating: Custom Jinja2 templates for dynamic styling and calculations (learned YAML through trial and error)
• Excel VBA Integration: Automated financial data feed from Excel to HA using VBA scripts
• Real-time Data: Live updates from 20+ APIs (CoinGecko, Yahoo Finance, Redfin, OpenWeatherMap, Trakt)
• Complex Visualizations: Sankey diagrams, ApexCharts, mini-graph cards with color-coded thresholds
• Desktop + Mobile Optimization: Responsive layouts tested for desktop/tablet (primary interaction) and mobile (wife's primary method)
• Custom Sensors: Template sensors for budget run-rate %, days since watered, Bitcoin cold wallet USD value
• Multiple-Entity-Row Discovery: Cleaned up entity display drastically for better mobile experience
• State-Based Visibility: Conditional card display (e.g., package cameras only show when deliveries present)
• HACS Custom Cards: Mushroom Cards, Mini Graph, Bar Card, ApexCharts, Sankey, Waterfall History, Fold Entity Row, Bubble Card

Ongoing Work

• Nest x Yale Lock: Doesn't integrate with HA. Working on text-to-speech command via Google Assistant SDK to instruct door to lock when "leaving home" script runs.
• Dog Location Tracking: AirTag workaround functional but complex (iPhone automation → screenshot Find My → parse text → send to HA). Still refining reliability.
• Historical Financial Charts: Limited to sensor creation dates. Waiting for more data accumulation rather than manually loading historical values.
• Move Off Nest Platform: Long-term goal to store all camera clips locally on NAS and eliminate Nest Aware subscription.
• API Access Waiting: Several financial institutions' Developer Portals still pending for full automation (currently 65% automated, 35% manual).