Home Assistant without the cloud: a local smart home
Your lights and locks should keep working when a company shuts down its servers.
Home Assistant is free, open-source software that runs your smart home on a box in your house and talks to devices over your local network instead of through each vendor's cloud. The simplest way in is the Home Assistant Green, a $199 hub with the software preinstalled. You can also run it on a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5, a mini PC, or in Docker. Add a $49 Connect ZBT-2 for Zigbee or Thread devices, and favor gear that works without an internet connection.
What Home Assistant is
Home Assistant is home automation software that connects devices from different brands in one app and runs automations between them. It is open source under the Apache 2.0 license and is a project of the Open Home Foundation, which says it is a non-profit that "can't be sold or acquired."
Home Assistant is built for local control: it says it communicates with your devices locally and falls back to pulling data from a cloud only when there is no other option. Its homepage lists more than 1,500 integrations. Some of those are cloud services by nature, such as a weather forecast, but the devices in your house don't have to be.
Ways to run it
The project now lists two installation types. Home Assistant OS is the one it recommends for most people: a complete operating system with apps built in. Home Assistant Container runs in Docker on a machine you already manage, with no apps. Apps are what Home Assistant called add-ons until its 2026.2 release, so older guides still use that word.
| Option | What you get | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Home Assistant Green | $199 hub, quad-core 1.8 GHz Arm CPU, 4 GB RAM, 32 GB storage, Gigabit Ethernet | Home Assistant OS preinstalled; about 1.7 W at idle, 3 W under load; no Zigbee or Thread radio |
| Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 | Home Assistant OS on hardware you may already own | Minimum 2 GB of RAM; a Pi 3 works only for Container |
| Mini PC or old PC | Home Assistant OS on a 64-bit x86 machine that boots with UEFI | More headroom than a Pi |
| Docker (Container) | Home Assistant on an existing server | No apps; you handle updates yourself |
For most people the Green is the right call: it arrives ready to use and draws little power. Run Container only if you already run a Docker server and know you won't miss apps.
Running Home Assistant in Docker
- 1Install Docker on a Linux machine.
- 2Start the Home Assistant container. For the current command, follow the Linux install docs.
- 3Open Home Assistant in a browser at your server's address and create your account.
- 4Add integrations for the devices it finds on your network.
Matter support depends on a separate Matter Server, and Home Assistant's docs say running it as a standalone Docker container is unsupported. If you want Matter devices, use Home Assistant OS.
Zigbee, Thread, and Matter
These are the protocols that keep a smart home off the internet. Zigbee and Thread are low-power radio networks that small sensors, bulbs, and plugs use to talk to a hub in your house. Matter is the newer standard on top. Home Assistant's docs say "Matter products run locally and always allow local control," with no internet connection or cloud service needed to control them, though some vendors require an account to switch Matter on.
The Green has no radio for any of these. Add the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2, a $49 USB adapter that does Zigbee 3.0 or Thread. It cannot do both at once, so buy two if you want both networks. Thread devices also need a Thread border router on your network. On Home Assistant OS, Matter runs through the Matter app, which Home Assistant says is currently the only supported option.
When you shop, look for Zigbee, Thread, or Matter on the box, and be wary of devices that only work through the maker's own app and cloud.
Home Assistant dashboards
Home Assistant builds a dashboard for you automatically from the devices you add. When you want your own, the dashboard docs cover starting from a suggested layout or from scratch.
Dashboards are made of views and cards. Sections is the default view type. Cards cover the usual needs: tiles for single devices, thermostats, energy use, history graphs, maps, weather, and to-do lists. Start with the automatic one and build a custom dashboard only for the rooms or screens you use every day.
When the vendor's cloud dies
Belkin ended Wemo cloud services and app support for select Wemo products on January 31, 2026. Its support page says the Wemo app and all cloud-based features stop working for affected products, and remote access and voice assistant integrations stop too. Devices set up in Apple HomeKit beforehand, and the Thread models, keep working.
Home Assistant's Wemo integration talks to the devices directly on your network, with no Belkin server in the loop, so a device already on your network keeps working as long as the device does.
Holding your own keys means no company can freeze your bitcoin, and running your own hub means no company can switch off your lights. The same small home server can run both a hub and a Bitcoin node.
Remote access to Home Assistant
Home Assistant works inside your house with no subscription. To reach it from outside, you have two options. Home Assistant Cloud from Nabu Casa costs $6.50 a month or $65 a year, includes remote access, offsite backups, and Alexa and Google voice control, and funds Home Assistant development. Nabu Casa is renaming it Home Assistant Link on December 2.
The other option is a private VPN such as Tailscale, which connects your phone to your home server with no ports open on the router. Either way, do not forward port 8123 to the internet.
Frequently asked questions
What is Home Assistant?
Free, open-source home automation software that connects smart devices from many brands, runs automations, and keeps control on your local network. It is a project of the Open Home Foundation, a non-profit.
Is Home Assistant Green worth it?
For most people, yes. It costs $199, comes with Home Assistant OS installed, draws about 1.7 W at idle, and needs no assembly or flashing: connect power and your network. Add a $49 Connect ZBT-2 if you want Zigbee or Thread devices.
Does Home Assistant Green have Zigbee?
The Green has no Zigbee or Thread radio built in. Home Assistant sells the Connect ZBT-2 USB adapter for that, at $49, and it runs one protocol at a time.
Home Assistant Docker vs Home Assistant OS: which should I use?
Use Home Assistant OS unless you already run a Docker server. Home Assistant recommends OS for most users, and the Container install has no apps and no supported way to run the Matter Server.
Can Home Assistant work without internet?
Yes, for devices it controls locally, such as Zigbee, Thread, and Matter gear and many Wi-Fi devices with local integrations. Integrations that are cloud services by nature, like weather forecasts, need the internet.
Do I need Home Assistant Cloud?
No. It is an optional $6.50 a month or $65 a year subscription for remote access, offsite backups, and Alexa and Google voice control. A private VPN covers remote access for free.