# Seeking Advice on Building a DIY Home Automation System

**URL:** <https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/seeking-advice-on-building-a-diy-home-automation-system/20845>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [14 September 2024 09:20 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/seeking-advice-on-building-a-diy-home-automation-system/20845 "2024-09-14T09:20:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Babita279601](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/0ea827/32.png) [@Babita279601](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/u/Babita279601)\
**Post date:** [14 September 2024 09:20 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/seeking-advice-on-building-a-diy-home-automation-system/20845/1 "2024-09-14T09:20:08Z")

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Hey everyone,

I hope you’re all doing well! I’ve been diving into the world of DIY electronics and am looking to build a home automation system. I’ve got some basic knowledge, but I’m a bit stuck on where to start and what components would be best for a beginner project.

Here’s what I’m aiming for:

- Controlling lights and appliances remotely
- Basic security features like motion detection
- Integration with existing smart home devices

I’d love to hear your suggestions on:

1. Essential components or kits that are beginner-friendly.
2. Any good tutorials or resources to follow.
3. Common pitfalls to avoid or tips from your own experiences.

I’ve looked through these [1st project - Home automation bridge](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/1st-project-home-automation-bridge/4127) [Cognos Tutorial](https://www.igmguru.com/blog/cognos-tutorial) articles/resources, they are very informative but I’d love to hear more from the community members.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Looking forward to your recommendations and advice.

Thanks

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**Author:** ![Jack](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/forum.core-electronics.com.au/jack/32/9287_2.png) [@Jack](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/u/Jack)\
**Post date:** [16 September 2024 01:50 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/seeking-advice-on-building-a-diy-home-automation-system/20845/2 "2024-09-16T01:50:40Z")

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Hi Babita,

Home automation is becoming an ever easier task. Similar to the project that you posted, there is a Raspberry Pi solution to this project. [Home Assistant is a dedicated operating system](https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/raspberrypi/) that should integrate with your current smart home devices.

There is quite a bit of community support surrounding this OS as well so if you run into issues you will hopefully get a solution

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**Author:** ![Donald23173](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/forum.core-electronics.com.au/donald23173/32/12687_2.png) [@Donald23173](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/u/Donald23173)\
**Post date:** [7 October 2024 10:12 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/seeking-advice-on-building-a-diy-home-automation-system/20845/3 "2024-10-07T10:12:21Z")

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Another happy [Home Assistant](https://www.home-assistant.io/) user here. It is local and Open Source, minimising the risk that the manufacturer goes out of business or starts charging for their cloud-based infrastructure.

There are a ridiculous number of devices which can be [integrated](https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/), and features being added every month - but you can start simple and add devices/features as you get more confident. Some people do complain that HA do a release each month … but that is because so many people are contributing to all the different parts of the project.

Anyway, do also check out their [community forum](https://community.home-assistant.io/), and Community Guides for tutorials (particularly for tutorials on installing on various hardware configurations). As Jack mentioned, it is designed to run on a Raspberry Pi, but I can vouch that it was easy to upgrade to a used PC as my requirements grew.