Nexus – our smart home with Home Assistant and Raspberry Pi 5
Nexus is the name of our Home Assistant system. Behind the lights, sensors and little everyday reminders is a Raspberry Pi 5 helping the technology work together in our home.
- Home Assistant OS
- Raspberry Pi 5 · 8 GB RAM
- 256 GB SSD
Small computer, many jobs
Nexus runs Home Assistant OS on a Raspberry Pi 5 with 8 GB of memory and a 256 GB SSD. It brings devices and automations together in one place. The aim is not to have everything flashing and talking all the time; we want the home to help when it is useful.
Lighting that responds to the room
Presence sensors notice when someone is in a room, while light sensors help Nexus decide whether it is dark enough to turn on the lights. In the kitchen, the working lights can come on when someone enters and turn off when the room is empty. Evenings and nights use different lighting modes. We also have physical buttons for reading lamps and evening lighting – sometimes pressing a button is still the smartest option.
Useful alerts at the right time
Nexus keeps track of when the washing machine and dishwasher finish and can tell us through the speakers or on our phones. There is also a warning if the fridge gets too warm. When the letterbox opens, we hear that the post has probably arrived. Phone-based presence lets some alerts go straight to our mobiles when nobody is home, instead of being spoken to an empty flat.
A voice with personality
We have Google speakers in several rooms. Nexus can read messages aloud through text-to-speech, and some messages vary with the help of AI. A weekday morning might begin with a weather greeting, and Tussan has her own slightly playful dinnertime routine. We like our technology to be useful and have a little humour.
Still evolving
Nexus grows with our habits. We try ideas, adjust anything that gets in the way, and keep what makes the day easier. Our new robot vacuum Brötas has moved in too, but we will share how it works in daily life after we have properly tested it.