How‑to Guides

A practical guide to picking hardware for Home Assistant: HA Green, Raspberry Pi, mini PCs/NUCs, NAS/VM. Includes Zigbee/Z-Wave coordinator tips, storage, networking, and starter shopping list.

Create your first motion-activated light automation and learn how to save and restore device states with Scenes. Includes UI steps and YAML examples.

Basic guide to installing apps in Home Assistant and finding the app store.

Install OpenThread Border Router in Home Assistant and verify that your Thread network is ready for Matter over Thread devices.

Install HACS using the current supported flow, then add the HACS integration in Home Assistant.

Install the Mosquitto MQTT Broker add-on and verify the MQTT integration in Home Assistant.

Install NetAlertX and verify device discovery for integration support work.

Install and verify Studio Code Server in Home Assistant during Selora Hub setup.

Set up the Home Assistant Companion App so your phone can commission Matter over Thread devices.

Add your Selora Homes remote access URL to the Home Assistant Companion App and verify remote mobile access.

Install the Home Assistant Companion App, sign in to your server, and confirm mobile access works correctly.

Avoid unreliable sunrise effects on Hue lights by understanding CT vs RGB mode switching. Learn working patterns with color_name, proper sequencing, and alternatives.

Learn how to create natural sunrise effects with Philips Hue lights in Home Assistant for gentle wake-ups and circadian rhythm support.

Set up Philips Hue sunrise/sunset effects in Home Assistant that feel smooth and natural; compare native Hue scenes vs HA scripts/Adaptive Lighting.

Troubleshoot HACS integrations not appearing and resolve common conflicts, using Adaptive Lighting as an example.

A guide to solving common race conditions in motion-activated lighting automations, where lights turn on and then immediately off.

Make time- and sun-based automations resilient across DST changes using offsets, dedupe guards, and duration timers.

Learn how to automate complex heating systems with multiple heat sources

Get reliable remote access and presence detection working. Learn when to use reverse proxy/VPN setups, and fix common geofencing issues.

A step-by-step checklist to diagnose and fix common issues when your DuckDNS remote access to Home Assistant stops working.

Overview of the Matter and Thread setup process in Home Assistant, from dongle firmware through device commissioning readiness.

Commission Matter devices into Home Assistant using the Companion App, including Thread credential sync, QR code scanning, and troubleshooting tips.

Complete guide to setting up the ZHA integration in Home Assistant, pairing your first devices, managing groups and bindings, and maintaining a healthy Zigbee network.

Set up the Zigbee coordinator and integration in Home Assistant so the system is ready to receive Zigbee devices.

Pair Zigbee devices to your network using ZHA or Zigbee2MQTT, including mesh-building strategy, pairing tips, and device naming.

A practical comparison of ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT for Home Assistant, covering setup complexity, device support, features, and recommendations by use case.

Complete guide to installing Zigbee2MQTT alongside Home Assistant, pairing devices, configuring groups, bindings, and OTA updates, and managing the Zigbee network through the Zigbee2MQTT frontend.

Optimize your PoE Zigbee coordinator placement for maximum mesh stability. Learn central positioning, RF interference avoidance, channel selection, and mesh building best practices.

Step-by-step to pair the Third Reality ZL1 Zigbee bulb with Home Assistant ZHA, including reset, channel/interference guidance, and troubleshooting.

A step-by-step guide to fix Zigbee device dropouts and instability after upgrading to a new WiFi 6, 6E, or 7 router.

Set up the Z-Wave controller and Z-Wave JS integration in Home Assistant so the system is ready to receive Z-Wave devices.

Include Z-Wave devices into your network using SmartStart, standard inclusion, and S2 security, with tips for reliable pairing.

Guide to maximizing range, performance, and device capacity of ESP32 Bluetooth Proxies in Home Assistant.

Set up the Thread integration in Home Assistant and verify that your Thread network is ready for Matter over Thread devices.

Set up **Zigbee**, **Z-Wave**, **Matter**, and **Thread** in Home Assistant so compatible devices can be added correctly.

Use the correct integration route in Home Assistant, whether the integration is installed directly or first through HACS.

Learn how to automate specific song playback from Amazon Music on Wiim and other Linkplay-enabled devices using Home Assistant, leveraging the Alexa Media Player custom component.

Transform your doorbell into an intelligent assistant with AI. Covers visitor interaction, package management, security deterrence, and implementation using Frigate GenAI or HA AI Tasks.

Struggling with Z-Wave inclusion timeouts? This guide covers secure vs non-secure inclusion, S2 security tips, and troubleshooting steps to get your devices paired reliably.

Fix common Home Assistant Voice Assistant issues including random device activations, get TTS working from dashboard chat, and troubleshoot Voice Preview Edition problems.

Complete guide to bridging Home Assistant and Apple HomeKit for the perfect smart home setup

A checklist to resolve HACS not appearing in the sidebar or integrations after installation.

Troubleshoot HACS integrations not appearing and resolve common conflicts, using Adaptive Lighting as an example.

A guide to understanding and mitigating sporadic failures and rate-limiting issues with the Alexa Media Player custom integration in Home Assistant.

A guide to troubleshoot and resolve the common UI bug where the header and menu vanish in the Home Assistant Android Companion App.

A guide to resolving the persistent code prompt issue with Yale YRD510 Matter locks in Home Assistant.

Troubleshoot Shelly/Sonoff dropouts and instability fast: Wi‑Fi tuning, firmware tips, MQTT, and power quality fixes—step‑by‑step.

Diagnose and fix Matter devices that fail to commission, drop off after pairing, or behave differently across iOS and Android controllers in Home Assistant.

Fix common WiFi connectivity issues with smart home IoT devices including band compatibility, security protocol mismatches, and network configuration for reliable connections.

Diagnose and fix Z-Wave devices that stop responding, show as dead or unavailable in Home Assistant, or fail to execute commands after previously working.

Diagnose and fix Zigbee devices that paired successfully but later show as unavailable, stop responding to commands, or report stale sensor data in Home Assistant.