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Raspberry Pi 5 / 4 / 3

Raspberry Pi has played and continues to play a significant role in smart home solutions for households. I also started with a Raspberry Pi 3 years ago. The advantage of this small device is mainly its price and relatively good performance for these needs.

The fifth version has just been released and further pushes the performance and amount of RAM while maintaining the size.

Hardware Options Comparison​

Before diving into details about Raspberry Pi, let's look at a comparison of all main options:

FeatureRaspberry Pi 5 (4GB)Home Assistant GreenMini PC (x86-64)
CPU PerformanceQuad-core ARM 2.4 GHzQuad-core ARM 1.8 GHzIntel/AMD 2.0-3.4 GHz (4-8 cores)
RAM4-8 GB4 GB8-32 GB (expandable)
StoragemicroSD card32 GB eMMCM.2 NVMe SSD 256-1000 GB
Complete Price~1,800 CZK (without accessories)~2,650 CZK3,000-8,000 CZK
Power Consumption~3-8 W~1.7-3 W6-20 W (depends on model)
InstallationRequires installationPlug & PlayRequires installation
Storage ReliabilitymicroSD (lower)eMMC (high)SSD (highest)
Frigate/camerasLimited (1-2 cameras)Limited (1-2 cameras)Full support, HW acceleration
Proxmox/VMNoNoYes (multiple services)
ExpandabilityLimitedNoneEasy RAM/SSD upgrades
Bluetooth/WiFiIntegrated (BT 5.0)External adapterMostly integrated
Recommended forPerformance/price, universalSimplicity, beginnersCameras, multiple services, advanced
Which variant is right for you?

Raspberry Pi 5 is best if:

  • ✅ You want best performance/price
  • ✅ You have installation experience with systems
  • ✅ You're planning multiple applications on one device
  • ✅ You need integrated Bluetooth
  • ✅ You're looking for universal use (not just HA)

Home Assistant Green is ideal if:

  • ✅ You want the simplest solution without installation
  • ✅ You're looking for reliable eMMC storage
  • ✅ You prefer lowest power consumption (1.7-3 W)
  • ✅ You want to support Home Assistant development

Choose Mini PC if:

  • 🎥 You're planning cameras with Frigate (AI detection)
  • 🚀 You want multiple services (Proxmox, Plex, AdGuard...)
  • 📈 You need room to grow (100+ devices)
  • 💪 You're looking for performance at a reasonable price

More information:

Pros​

  • ✅ Wide software and community support: Raspberry Pi is supported by a wide range of operating systems and has strong community support.
  • ✅ Flexibility in use: Suitable for a wide range of applications from educational projects to smart home solutions.
  • ✅ Availability and affordability: Raspberry Pi models are widely available and offer excellent value for money.
  • ✅ Continuous development and innovation: Each new version brings performance and feature improvements.
  • ✅ Compact design: Small dimensions, which are almost the same for all models, allow easy placement.

Cons​

  • ❌ Storage limitations: Most models use a microSD card, which can be slower and less reliable compared to internal storage.
  • ❌ Performance limitations: Although newer models are more powerful, they can still be limited for some more demanding applications.
  • ❌ Need for additional accessories: For some functions, such as Zigbee, you will need to purchase external extensions.

Raspberry Pi 5​

Brings 2-3× higher processor performance than Raspberry Pi 4 along with a significant increase in graphics performance thanks to the 800MHz VideoCore VII GPU.

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5 - 4 GB RAM

Specifications​

  • Processor: Quad-core ARM 2.4 GHz (Cortex-A76)
  • RAM: 4-8 GB
  • Storage: none internal
  • External storage: microSD card - with support for high-speed SDR104 mode
  • Ports: USB 2.0 2x + USB 3.0 2x + USB-C (PD) 1x
  • Network: 1GBit Ethernet port
  • Bluetooth: 5.0
  • Zigbee/Thread: ❌ - requires a USB dongle

HA Installation​

  1. Download and install Raspberry Pi Imager on your computer - more detailed description at https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/.

    Download RPI image

  2. Open the downloaded Raspberry Pi Imager and select the type of your device - choose Raspberry Pi Device - e.g., Raspberry Pi 4

  3. Continue by choosing the operating system - Choose OS - where first select Other specific-purpose OS, then Home Assistants and home automation and finally Home Assistant.

    Select HA

  4. Select Home Assistant for your hardware

  5. From the main menu, the last third option Choose storage.

  6. Insert the micro SD card into your computer - the card will be overwritten and select it from the list.

    Select SD card

  7. Click Next and wait for the installer to be copied to the SD card.

  8. Remove the SD card and insert it into the Raspberry Pi

  9. Connect the ethernet and power supply.

  10. After a few minutes, you should be able to display the page homeassistant.local:8123 in your browser.

Note

If you still do not see anything in the last step, try to find out the IP address of the Raspberry Pi computer and connect using it, i.e., http://X.X.X.X:8123 (replace X.X.X.X with the Raspberry Pi IP address).

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