Home Assistant Presence Simulation
Home Assistant’s new presence simulation add-on prompts home-automation enthusiasts to compare approaches to making an empty home look occupied, from simple time-based light schedules to more complex, randomized patterns and even controlling model trains or media. Much of the debate centers on reliability and maintainability: many recommend running Home Assistant on a small x86 mini PC or official “Green/Yellow” hardware instead of a Raspberry Pi, and express frustration with HA’s mix of YAML and Web UI configuration that can be hard to reproduce or back up. Alongside practical tips on storage, power, and deployment (Docker, HAOS, Proxmox), contributors also question how much automation is really needed beyond basic daily routines and note that cameras and networking resilience may matter more for real security than elaborate presence tricks.
Presence Simulation & Fun Uses
- People use presence simulation to make homes look occupied at night: motion-triggered lights, random light cycling, or simple fixed schedules.
- Pets, especially cats, can incidentally trigger motion-based presence; some worry that unusual cat behavior timing might actually signal absence.
- Motion sensors with “pet mode” often detect cats anyway; some prefer simple hardware motion adapters or sensitive Z-Wave sensors.
- Thread includes playful ideas: automating a moving cutout on model trains, syncing with pizza-ordering scenes, etc. Several note this is feasible with ESPHome, smart plugs, or DCC/Arduino systems.
Hardware Choices for Home Assistant
- Strong divide over Raspberry Pi:
- Some report years of rock-solid performance on Pi 2/3/4 with good power supply, Ethernet, SSD or robust SD cards, and light workloads.
- Others describe persistent instability, SD corruption, USB/power issues, and poor performance with many devices; they’ve moved to mini PCs, Mac Minis, or laptops.
- Many recommend small x86 mini PCs (e.g., used corporate desktops, N100-class boxes) or Home Assistant Green/Yellow for better reliability and headroom.
- Pi 5 is viewed as overkill for simple services like Pi-hole, and mini PCs compete on price once you add Pi accessories.
HAOS vs Docker vs “Bare Metal”
- One camp recommends HAOS, especially on a VM (Proxmox/KVM), citing:
- Easier add-ons, backups, and official support.
- “Set and forget” updates via GUI.
- Another camp prefers plain Docker or even
pipin a standard Linux distro:- More control, easier debugging, avoids HAOS-specific issues, especially around filesystem corruption on SD cards.
- Some had HAOS images fail to boot after corruption and found repair difficult.
Configuration, YAML, and Reproducibility
- Several criticize Home Assistant’s mix of YAML and WebUI:
- Harder to reproduce setups, automate provisioning, or version-control everything.
- Integrations that are only configurable via UI are a pain during migrations or rebuilds.
- Others accept the complexity because HA “mostly works” and alternatives are seen as lacking.
Usage Patterns & Automations
- Some users rely on simple, always-on time-based automations (sunset/bedtime) rather than explicit “vacation mode.”
- Others prefer random light selection and timing to better mimic real occupancy patterns.
- A few see HA as a hobbyist tinkering platform rather than a necessity.
UWB and Item Tracking
- A side discussion covers UWB tags to help a neurodivergent person find lost items:
- Mentions of dev kits and past Decawave experiments.
- Consensus that DIY UWB with Airtag-like size and low power is challenging.
- Non-DIY ecosystems (e.g., smartphone “Find My” style) reportedly work well in practice.
Door-Knocking, Security, and Community
- One thread notes that burglars often knock first; cameras with backup power/network are prioritized.
- Some never answer unsolicited knocks; others describe frequent neighbor/child visits and value a more communal neighborhood culture.
- There’s debate over ignoring knocks from utilities warning about imminent outages versus the convenience of advance notice.