Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
Given how popular the smart home space seems to be with our readers (and my colleagues, to be honest), I wanted to know just how many readers deploy Home Assistant in their homes. But, more importantly, what is the most popular platform to run the smart home suite?
Andy Walker / Android AuthorityWe ran a poll to garner this information from our readers, and over 2,000 responded. Two platforms in particular proved the most popular in our poll, racking up a combined 64.4%.
So, which platform won? Using a virtual machine is our readers’ favorite Home Assistant deployment option, with just under a third (32.8%) of the total vote.
Virtual machines are a natural home for platforms like Home Assistant OS, thanks to their ease of updates, greater control over resource utilization, and extensibility. If you already have a dedicated server for smart home services, it makes sense to add Home Assistant OS to that list via a dedicated machine.
Notably, 14.5% use Docker to run Home Assistant in a container, which can and often does dovetail with the virtual machine option, while a further 11% run Home Assistant directly on a NAS.
Rita El Khoury / Android AuthorityThe next popular option is deploying Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi. Again, this tiny microcomputer offers so much versatility, whether you use it solely for Home Assistant or run it alongside other options, like Pi-hole. For users who don’t have a dedicated server with VM potential, a dedicated, affordable single-board computer like the Pi is an effective way to boost smart home potential for little cash.
Just under 10% of respondents use other platforms for Home Assistant.
Let us know how you run Home Assistant in your abode, whether it’s the fully-fledged Home Assistant OS or Home Assistant on another platform.
Thank you for being part of our community. Read our Comment Policy before posting.
