Home Assistant Smart Home System
A self-hosted smart home environment built around Home Assistant, bringing together IoT devices, cameras, presence detection, dashboards, automations, and custom integrations in one central system.
Project Goal
The goal was to create one maintainable platform for devices that would otherwise live in separate manufacturer apps.
What I Built
Home Assistant runs as a Docker service on my Ubuntu home server and acts as the central automation layer for the home.
- Self-hosted Home Assistant deployment using Docker on Ubuntu
- HACS for community integrations
- Smart plugs and sensors
- ONVIF cameras
- Presence detection
- Google Assistant announcements
- Custom Philips Avent integration work
- Room dashboards and floor-plan controls
- Energy and electricity-cost monitoring using device data and calculated sensors
One automation layer across multiple ecosystems
Home Assistant provides a common layer for devices from different manufacturers.
Self-Hosted Core
Home Assistant runs on the existing Ubuntu server through Docker.
Integrated Devices
Sensors, plugs, cameras and other devices are brought together.
Automations
Device states can trigger routines and notifications.
Integrations & Devices
The setup combines devices from several ecosystems, including TP-Link Tapo smart plugs, Smart Life sensors, door and temperature sensors, IP cameras, mobile presence detection and Google Assistant.
Cameras from different manufacturers, including Imou and Deltaco devices, are brought into the same Home Assistant environment, with ONVIF used where supported. I have also worked with HACS and custom integrations when the standard integrations did not provide everything I wanted.
Custom Philips Avent Integration
One of the more technical parts of the setup was integrating the Philips Avent baby-monitor environment with Home Assistant. I worked with a custom integration and a locally hosted bridge to expose additional device functionality inside Home Assistant, including video-related features that were not available through the normal setup.
Automation Example
Presence detection can identify when a household member arrives home and trigger a Google Assistant announcement. Different messages can be used depending on who arrived, including localized Vietnamese announcements.
Dashboard Design
The dashboards are organized around rooms and physical areas rather than individual manufacturers. Lights, sensors, cameras and other controls from different ecosystems can therefore be grouped together in one place, with room-based views and floor-plan controls making everyday use easier.
Technical Stack
What This Project Demonstrates
- Linux and Docker service deployment
- Integration of devices from different vendors and ecosystems
- Troubleshooting standard, community and custom integrations
- Designing automations around real-world device and presence states
- Building room-based dashboards and practical controls
- Creating calculated sensors for energy and electricity-cost monitoring
- Connecting Home Assistant to a wider self-hosted server environment
Result
The project turned several separate smart-home ecosystems into one central system that I can manage, monitor and automate through Home Assistant instead of relying on individual manufacturer apps.
It has also become an ongoing technical project where I can experiment with Docker services, device integrations, custom sensors, cameras, dashboards and automations while building solutions that are useful in everyday life.