Home Assistant Integration Requirements Document
1. Purpose & Scope
This document defines the requirements for deploying Home Assistant OS on a dedicated machine and integrating the following smart-home ecosystems:
- Ring
- Mysa
- TopGreener
- Tapo
- YoLink
- Carro
- SmartLife / Tuya
- SmartHQ
- MyQ
- SmartThings
- Cync
The objective is to establish a stable, local-first smart home platform that prioritizes reliability, predictable behavior, secure networking, and clean device onboarding—while accommodating unavoidable cloud-based integrations.
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2. System Requirements
2.1 Hardware Requirements
Minimum
- 2 CPU cores
- 4 GB RAM
- 32 GB SSD
- Wired Ethernet
- UPS recommended
Recommended
- 4+ CPU cores
- 8–16 GB RAM
- 128 GB SSD or NVMe
- x86_64 platform (Intel/AMD)
- Optional dual NIC for network segmentation
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2.2 Network Requirements
- Home Assistant must reside on a trusted LAN
- Static IP or DHCP reservation required
- 1 Gbps Ethernet recommended
Optional VLAN Segmentation
- VLAN 10 — Trusted LAN (Home Assistant, controllers)
- VLAN 20 — IoT devices
- VLAN 30 — Cameras
- VLAN 40 — Guest network
Firewall Rules
- Allow IoT VLAN → HA
- TCP 8123
- UDP mDNS / SSDP as required for discovery
- Block IoT VLAN → Internet except required cloud APIs
- Allow HA → Internet for integrations, updates, and backups
- Explicitly block inbound WAN access to HA
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3. Software Requirements
3.1 Home Assistant OS
- Latest stable release
- Supervisor enabled
- Add-on store available
- Automated backups enabled
- OS and Core updates staged (not blind auto-apply)
Downloads
- Home Assistant OS images: https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/
- Generic x86_64 image: https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/generic-x86-64/
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3.2 Required Add-ons
Add-ons provide supporting services. Vendor connections are implemented as integrations, not add-ons.
Required
- Mosquitto MQTT - https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/mqtt/
- File Editor
- SSH & Web Terminal
- Backup solution
- Samba Backup
- Google Drive Backup
Optional / Conditional
- Bond: https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/bond/
- Zigbee2MQTT: https://www.zigbee2mqtt.io/
- AdGuard Home: https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/adguard/
- InfluxDB: https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/influxdb/
- Grafana: https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/grafana/
- Network UPS Tools (NUT): https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/nut/
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4. Integration Requirements (with Docs)
4.1 Ring
https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/ring/
- Ring account + 2FA required
- Cloud-based
- Subject to API rate limits
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4.2 Mysa
https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/homekit_controller/
- HomeKit Controller integration
- Local control after pairing
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4.3 TopGreener (Tuya-based)
https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/tuya/
- Cloud-based
- Local mode not guaranteed
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4.4 Tapo
https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/tapo/
- Local control supported on many devices
- Requires Tapo credentials
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4.5 YoLink
https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/yolink/
- Requires YoLink Hub
- Developer API key required https://developer.yosmart.com/
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4.6 Carro (via Bond)
https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/bond/
- Requires Bond Bridge and API token
- Local control supported
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4.7 SmartLife / Tuya
https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/tuya/
- Cloud-based
- API keys required: https://iot.tuya.com/
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4.8 SmartHQ
https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/smarthq/
- Cloud-based
- GE appliances
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4.9 MyQ
https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/myq/
- Cloud-based
- API reliability varies
- Must not be used for safety-critical automations
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4.10 SmartThings
https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/smartthings/
- Cloud-based
- Zigbee/Z-Wave bridge support
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4.11 Cync
https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/cync/
- Cloud-based
- Bluetooth devices require Cync Wi-Fi bridge
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5. Security Requirements
5.1 Authentication
- Strong passwords
- MFA enabled
- Least-privilege users
- Remove unused/default accounts
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5.2 Network Security
- No public exposure of port 8123
- Use Nabu Casa for remote access: https://www.nabucasa.com/
- TLS for all external access
- Restrict SSH by IP
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5.3 Backup Strategy
- Daily snapshots
- Weekly offsite backups
- Quarterly restore testing
- YAML, dashboards, and blueprints exported
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6. Automation Requirements
6.1 Core Automations
- Presence detection
- Climate control
- Leak detection
- Garage door alerts
- Lighting automations
- Fan control
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6.2 Notification Channels
- Home Assistant mobile app: https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/mobile_app/
- Push notifications
- Optional: Telegram, Signal, Discord
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7. Configuration Management with Ansible
7.1 Scope of Ansible Use
Ansible does not install Home Assistant OS itself, but is used to:
- Provision the host system (if using HA Supervised or Container)
- Manage:
- Backups
- Add-on configuration files
- Secrets
- Dashboards
- YAML automations
- Enforce configuration drift control
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7.2 Supported Deployment Models
| Model | Ansible Role |
|---|---|
| Home Assistant OS | Post-install config only |
| HA Supervised | Full lifecycle |
| HA Container | Full lifecycle |
Reference: https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/
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7.3 Ansible Responsibilities
- Create and manage:
- /config YAML files
- secrets.yaml
- Dashboards
- Install required packages on host (Supervised/Container)
- Manage backups via HA API
- Validate configs before restart
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7.4 Ansible Integration Pattern
- Use Home Assistant REST API: https://developers.home-assistant.io/docs/api/rest/
- Use long-lived access tokens Idempotent tasks only
- Changes applied via:
- ha core check
- ha core restart
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7.5 Ansible Limitations
- UI-based onboarding (OAuth, MFA) must be completed manually
- Vendor cloud authentication cannot be automated
- Device pairing remains manual by design
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8. Future Expansion
- Zigbee2MQTT
- Thread / Matter controller: https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/matter/
- Local DNS (AdGuard Home, Pi-hole)
- UPS monitoring
- InfluxDB + Grafana
- Local voice assistant
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9. Acceptance Criteria
A deployment is considered complete when:
- Home Assistant boots reliably after updates and power loss
- All integrations function as documented
- Automations execute predictably
- Backups are automated and restorable
- Remote access is secure and audited
- Dashboards are consistent and usable
- IoT devices are segmented but reachable