I am new to the openhab community and just wanted to introduce myself and ask for a bit of guidance. I have recently started exploring home automation and openHAB caught my attention as a powerful and flexible platform.
My goals are very simple at first: I do like to connect a few smart lights, some sensors and automate a few routines. I have not chosen all my hardware yet so suggestions on compatible devices are also welcome.
Thanks in advance for your support. Looking forward to learning and contributing as I go.
Welcome here! Good timing as we just release openHAB 5. Hardware advice can be tricky as i can’t say anything about your requirements or the size of your wallet.
A raspberry pi 5 would be a good and safe starting point. Inexpensive and when you outgrow that hardware, you have already spent enough on sensors and actuators that buying a new host does not make a difference
openHABian is a good choice for the beginner as os on that rpi, it has about everything openHAB needs built-in. And configuration is made easy with special menu’s etc.
This is a perfect way to start You have a small achievable goal with measurable results that is easy to grow from. My first project was a way to replace my garage door opener’s remote because the opener itself was too old to get a replacement.
Like @lsiepel mentions, this part is hard to do because there are so many variables involved. Cost, availability in your region, range, energy consumption, dependency on the cloud, etc. These can all lead you in different directions.
But I wouldn’t stress the hardware too much to start. You are starting small, so you if you decide you made a mistake or some other technology would be a better choice, you don’t have that much invested. And it’s not a lost investment, OH will bridge between them.
For lights, I do recommend making the switches smart instead of smart bulbs, unless you are looking to control color. I started with Zwave, have replaced a few of those with Zigbee, and have a few Shelly’s around the house. That’s just a lesson learned and others may disagree.
If you want to get on the newest standard everyone was excited about (that excitement has abated somewhat as marketing meets reality) Matter as a technology stack would be a good choice. But it’s complicated to understand (not so complicated to use though), so may not be a best first choice.
Before choosing a device, especially as you are first starting out, I recommend finding something that looks like it meets your requirements and then reading the add-on docs that you’d use to integrate that device with OH. Often you may need additional hardware (e.g. Zwave controller, Zigbee coordinator, Matter Thread Border Router, etc.) and the readme should tell you that. This is also where you’ll learn if the device requires a cloud connection to integrate. A few bindings only support certain devices and not all devices in the technology.
