Residence Assistant Yellow absolutely assembled with further (and never included) NVMe storage and Z-Wave GPIO module
TL;DR: We are going to now solely promote the Residence Assistant Yellow as a package, which requires the separate buy of a CM4. Residence Assistant Inexperienced is the perfect plug-and-play possibility for freshmen.
An essential a part of getting extra folks to make use of Residence Assistant is offering nice purpose-built {hardware}. It’s our aim to supply {hardware} that makes it simpler than ever to begin with Residence Assistant, together with compelling choices for superior customers. In 2022, we started delivery our Residence Assistant Yellow, and I’m completely happy to say that now in 2024, it stays our flagship {hardware} product. We see an extended life forward for this expandable little powerhouse, and that’s why we’re streamlining our {hardware} lineup to make a bit extra sense going ahead.
We are going to now solely promote the Residence Assistant Yellow as a package and have stopped producing the Residence Assistant Yellow Customary (our model that got here preassembled with a CM4 and Residence Assistant already put in). Relaxation assured, because the Residence Assistant Yellow Customary’s {hardware} is an identical to our kits, it would proceed to obtain the identical assist and software program updates. The kits will proceed to be accessible with or with out power-over-ethernet (PoE).
It’s not the most important change, however we needed our group to know – and if you wish to see why we made the change, and the way our current hardware compares, maintain studying.
Background
When we launched Home Assistant Yellow, we designed it with expandability in mind. It includes an onboard Zigbee/Thread radio, M.2 for more robust storage, and USB ports to add more connectivity (like adding our future Z-Wave device). Most importantly, you can change the core specs of the device by swapping the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (CM4). This allows users to increase the RAM, add eMMC storage, or even add built-in Wi-Fi/Bluetooth.
All this expandability is great, but we found many users wanted a more straightforward way to get started with Home Assistant. That’s why we created the Home Assistant Yellow Standard variant, which included a CM4 with Home Assistant already installed onto the board – unlike our kits there was no assembly required. This meant you could immediately start using it after plugging in Ethernet and power.
Green meets Yellow
Jump ahead to 2023, and in our quest to create an even more affordable starting point, we launched Home Assistant Green. Not only does it cost less, it better fulfills the plug-and-play role the Home Assistant Yellow Standard used to occupy. From a timing perspective 2021 and 2022, were not the easiest time to source Raspberry Pi products, including the CM4. We learned some big lessons about the added supply chain complexities of this kind of product, and it influenced our thinking when designing Green. Ultimately, Home Assistant Green being a better beginner option led us to end production of the Standard. Though the Home Assistant Yellow Standard is now out of stock at major retailers, it will continue to receive support.
Comparison
Home Assistant Green and Yellow compared – as you can see they’re about the same size
So you’ve decided on getting some official Home Assistant hardware and don’t know where to start, here’s a little comparison to help you choose between the Green and Yellow.
| Features | Home Assistant Green | Home Assistant Yellow Kit |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Beginners, plug-and-play | Advanced users, tinkerers, expandability |
| Setup | Easy – plug in the two included cables, and you’re up and running | Requires purchase of a CM4, basic assembly, and software installation |
| Connectivity | Ethernet by way of included cable | Ethernet by way of included cable |
| Zigbee/Thread built-in | No
(May be added with Residence Assistant Join ZBT-1) |
Sure
(Onboard Zigbee 3.0 and Thread) |
| Expandability | Good |
Finest
|
| Energy | Included energy provide |
Model dependent:
|
| What else have they got in frequent | Each are small, fanless/silent, have extraordinarily low energy draw, and stable efficiency, resulting in a clean Residence Assistant expertise. Plus, buying both helps the event of Residence Assistant! | |
| Extra data | Be taught extra about Residence Assistant Inexperienced | Be taught extra about Residence Assistant Yellow |
Conclusion
This small change helps us maintain issues easy whereas persevering with to supply nice {hardware} choices for brand new and present customers. However as we all the time say, run Residence Assistant on no matter {hardware} you could have, whether or not that’s our {hardware} or no matter you have already got readily available. Ultimately, one in all our fundamental objectives is to construct a extra sustainable good residence.
