For most beginners setting up a dedicated Home Assistant system, Home Assistant Green is the simplest choice: it arrives with Home Assistant installed, so you connect power and Ethernet and complete setup. You do not need a Raspberry Pi. An existing compatible Pi or 64-bit Intel- or AMD-based mini PC can also work, but those options require more preparation.
What hardware does Home Assistant need?
Home Assistant needs an always-on computer connected to your home network. That computer can be a ready-to-use Green hub, a Raspberry Pi, a suitable x86-64 PC, or a host running a container or virtual machine. The right choice depends mainly on what you already own and how much setup and maintenance you want to handle.
Home Assistant OS is the recommended installation type for most people. It includes Supervisor and apps, and Home Assistant describes it as the most convenient option for installation and maintenance. Container installations are more hands-on: Home Assistant Container is a standalone Core installation and does not include apps. See the Home Assistant installation overview.
Compare the main hardware options
| Option | Best for | What you need or should check | Setup and trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Assistant Green | Beginners who want a dedicated, ready-to-start hub | Hub, included power supply and Ethernet cable; an available network port | Home Assistant is preinstalled. Connect power and Ethernet, then complete setup. |
| Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 | DIY beginners or people who already own a compatible Pi | Pi with at least 2 GB RAM, compatible power supply, microSD card and Ethernet | Requires flashing the Home Assistant OS image, assembling the parts and completing headless setup. An NVMe drive can be used for data with a Pi 5 under Home Assistant’s guidance. |
| Generic x86-64 mini PC | People reusing a computer or wanting a small dedicated PC | 64-bit Intel- or AMD-based machine with UEFI; an internal SATA or M.2 SSD is typical | Requires configuring UEFI, disabling Secure Boot and installing Home Assistant OS. Writing the image to a drive erases its existing contents. |
| Container or virtual machine on an existing system | People already comfortable with Linux, Docker or virtualization | An existing host that supports the container or VM setup you intend to use | Offers reuse of existing hardware but requires more host administration. Container installations do not include Home Assistant apps. |
There is no directly comparable performance benchmark in Home Assistant’s documentation for Green, Raspberry Pi and mini PC installations, so the documentation does not establish a universal speed winner. Consider setup effort, equipment you already own, storage and boot arrangements, network access, and whether the computer must also run other services.
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Why Home Assistant Green is the easiest starting point
Home Assistant says Green is its recommended option for most people. Its product specifications list a Rockchip RK3566 quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 processor at 1.8 GHz, 4 GB LPDDR4X RAM, 32 GB eMMC storage, Gigabit Ethernet and two USB 2.0 ports. A universal 12 V power supply and Ethernet cable are included. These are specifications for Green, not a performance comparison with other hardware. Details are on the Home Assistant Green product page.
Because Home Assistant is already installed, Green avoids sourcing separate computer parts and flashing an operating-system image. You still need a wired network connection for initial setup and an appropriate place to leave the hub powered on.
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When a Raspberry Pi makes sense
A Raspberry Pi is an option, not a requirement. Home Assistant’s installation overview lists a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with at least 2 GB of RAM, plus a compatible power supply, microSD card and Ethernet connection. Unlike Green, a Pi setup means obtaining the pieces and flashing Home Assistant OS before completing setup without a monitor and keyboard.
In its Raspberry Pi 5 article, Home Assistant says the higher CPU clock made Home Assistant feel noticeably snappier in the project’s testing. That is an attributed observation, not a standardized benchmark comparing the Pi 5 against Green or mini PCs. The same guidance describes booting from an SD card and using an NVMe drive for data as an option. Read Home Assistant’s Raspberry Pi 5 guidance alongside the installation overview.
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Can you run Home Assistant on a mini PC?
Yes. Home Assistant’s generic x86-64 Home Assistant OS guide is for a dedicated 64-bit Intel- or AMD-based machine with UEFI. An existing mini PC may be suitable if it meets those requirements. The guide calls for enabling UEFI and disabling Secure Boot; an internal SATA or M.2 SSD is a typical storage arrangement.
Installing Home Assistant OS to the target disk replaces its prior contents. Back up any files you need before writing the image, and confirm that the intended drive is selected. Follow the generic x86-64 installation guide for the installation steps.
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Do you need a Zigbee or Z-Wave adapter?
No radio adapter is required just to run Home Assistant. You need one only if you want to connect devices that use a radio protocol your setup does not otherwise support. Home Assistant lists Connect ZBT-2 for Zigbee and Thread, and Connect ZWA-2 for Z-Wave. Check the Home Assistant hardware page for its current hardware options.
Choose based on the setup you want
- Choose Green if you want the least assembly and installation work for a dedicated hub.
- Choose a Raspberry Pi if you already have a compatible model or prefer a DIY setup and are comfortable flashing an image.
- Choose an x86-64 mini PC if you can dedicate a compatible machine and are comfortable configuring UEFI and installing to a disk.
- Choose a container or VM if you already administer the host system and want Home Assistant to share it with other services.
For a first dedicated installation, the simpler route is usually preferable to buying hardware for a theoretical performance advantage: the official documentation does not provide a like-for-like benchmark to establish one. Home Assistant’s hardware FAQ and installation overview outline the supported starting points.
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