Would I need a dedicated computer to run it, or not? Excuse the lack of knowledge
Yes and no. You require dedicated "machine", which could be (If I remember correctly) even Raspberry Pi.
@abraham so if I had a Raspberry Pi, would I be able to just use my laptop, as and when needs be, to make changes?
That's what I use for HE when I need to make any changes that are a little to hard to follow on my phone
Yes... mine just sits there plugging along. Unless I'm making changes i usually forget it's even there. Sometimes I'll go 6 months without even rebooting it. It uses a web interface for administration and configuration.
1 Like
@dylan.c sounds like I may need to make the investment then 
from what I've seen, the UI on HA looks really friendly to be fair, that's something that being new to all this makes a big difference. If it looks to complex I'm out 
@ogiewon can I ask what Pi do you have? From the quick look I've had, there seems to be a fare few different ones
Iāve got mine āintegratedā by using virtual presence sensors with switches in Hubitat that I share to HomeKit. Then on Homekit, I have rules that turn on/off the shared sensors/switches based on presence or absence in the zones I setup. Works very well and has been pretty quick since it is (I think) all local.
Will definitely switch to a direct integration when availableā¦
4 Likes
Just to add to what some others have said, you can also run Home Assistant in a Docker container on something like a Synology NAS. I do that for Home Assistant (which is my primary automation system), and it works fine. It most of what you're trying to do is bridge the FP2s into Hubitat, a Docker container would work fine for that.
3 Likes
I am personally now using a Home Assistant Yellow, with a Raspberry PI CM4 module. Obtaining the CM4 modules is very difficult currently due to supply chain shortages, but it has been announced that this should improve in the second half of 2023. I am booting the HA Yellow CM4 off of a NVME SSD.
Prior to the HA Yellow, I ran HAOS on a Raspberry Pi 4 with 4GB of RAM. Everyone always states that using a microSD card for a RPi running Home Assistant is a terrible idea... However, I believe that if one buys a large, high endurance microSD card, like the Samsung Pro Endurance 128GB card, you'll have many years of problem-free usage (especially if you're not using Home Assistant for anything more than just a bridge between specific devices and Hubitat.)
All flash memory has a finite number of write cycles per flash memory cell. By using a larger than required uSD card, those write cycles are wear-leveled across all of the cells in the card. So, even if you could get away with using a 32GB card, by using a 128GB card you'll enjoy 4 times more write cycles for the same required space. Also, the high endurance flash memory can actually handle a significantly higher number of write cycles than most flash memory cards that are often only used to store photos until they are full. They do not need to handle continuous write cycles like storage used for running an operating system and database.
As others have mentioned, you can also run Home Assistant as a Docker container or as a Virtual Machine on some other always-on platform. For me, I prefer the simplicity of dedicating a small, energy efficient RPi for the task. Also, the RPi is probably the best supported platform for running HAOS.
Good luck in whatever you decide!
P.S. If you're looking for a Raspberry Pi, the easiest way is to use RPILocator.
3 Likes
Thanks @Sebastien, @pkscout and @ogiewon for your input/suggestions. I thought Iād be able to hold off from HA for some time, but the more I learn, the more Iām understanding that having a fully smart home canāt just depend on one platform alone. So, thanks again. And Iāll be sure to shout if I need any help along the way.
Iāve not come across anyone in this community who isnāt supportive or helpful in some way. I really appreciate all the help I can get 
3 Likes
I also got mine today from a local Aqara distributor.
@kkossev i think the morning I got mine, Iād had it in my wish list for a week or so, saw it was available and got it, when back to see if there were any left after purchasing and it was showing out of stock straight away. Theyāre like gold dust
1 Like
Only me againā¦ 
This is interesting from Aqara. Maybe if more people contacted them with the same question, they might look at introducing the LUX capabilities into a future Alexa Skill update 
Back in stock this morning. Iāve ordered two. Should have done so to begin with. Had to pay full price now 
UPDATE: And it is sold out again!
The Aqara FP2 is available for purchase on the USA Amazon web site. Estimated delivery time is in about two weeks, though.
UPDATE: And it is sold out again!
Next time don't post that.. just PM to me, please. 
6 Likes
FP2 review - still sold out on Amazon in the US.
1 Like
