A Home Assistant integration is a software connector that links a device, service, or protocol to the platform, with over 3,000 officially available. Each integration translates a device's native API or protocol into HA entities you can control and automate.
The thing that makes Home Assistant powerful is also the thing that confuses newcomers: a Home Assistant integration is the piece of software that teaches the platform how to talk to one specific device, service or protocol. There are over 3,000 of them, and each one is what turns a smart plug, a weather service or a Zigbee sensor into something you can actually see and control on your dashboard.
A Home Assistant integration is a software connector that links a device, service or protocol to the platform, and there are more than 3,000 of them available officially. Each integration translates a device's native API or protocol into Home Assistant entities, the controllable items you switch, read and automate. Add the integration for a brand or protocol, and its devices appear ready to use.
Smart devices do not all speak the same language. A Philips Hue bridge, a Z-Wave sensor and a cloud weather service each communicate in their own way. An integration is the translator: it knows how to connect to one particular device or service and convert what it offers into a common format Home Assistant understands.
Take the Hue example. The Philips Hue integration lets Home Assistant talk to the Hue bridge, and once connected, your bulbs show up inside the platform as devices and entities. From that point you control them alongside everything else, regardless of which brand made them. That common layer is the whole value: a single dashboard for hardware that was never designed to work together.
If you are assembling the devices that sit behind those integrations, the smart home and appliances range at Evetech covers the hubs, sensors and connected gear that Home Assistant supports.
When you add an integration, it sets up a connection to the device or service and then creates entities for the things that device exposes. A smart bulb might become a light entity you can dim and colour; a sensor might become a temperature entity you can read and act on. Entities are the building blocks your automations and dashboards are built from.
Integrations also cover protocols, not just single brands. Home Assistant supports Z-Wave, Zigbee, Matter and Thread, plus older 433MHz devices and IP cameras, through their respective integrations. That breadth is why the platform works with thousands of brands across more than a hundred categories: you are adding support for a whole ecosystem at once, not one gadget at a time.
Adding one is usually straightforward. Most integrations are added from the settings menu, where you pick the brand or protocol and follow a short setup, often just entering a device address or signing into a service. For the physical side of a Home Assistant build, the accessories best sellers page covers cables, USB coordinators and the small parts that support a tidy install.
More than 3,000 are officially available, spanning thousands of brands across over a hundred categories. That includes major protocols like Z-Wave, Zigbee, Matter and Thread, so most mainstream smart home gear is covered.
A device is the physical product, like a smart bulb. Entities are the individual controllable or readable parts that device exposes, such as its on/off switch, brightness or colour. An integration creates the entities you actually use in automations and dashboards.
You need the right integration for each brand, service or protocol, not for every individual unit. Adding the Hue integration, for example, brings in all your Hue bulbs at once. A protocol integration like Zigbee can cover many compatible devices from different makers.
Most are added from the Home Assistant settings, where you choose the brand or protocol and complete a short setup. That often means entering a device address or signing into a service, after which the devices and entities appear automatically.
Building out a Home Assistant setup? Browse the compatible hubs, sensors and connected devices in the smart home range at https://www.evetech.co.za/PC-Components/smart-home-appliances-344 and pick gear that integrates cleanly.
More than 3,000 are officially available, spanning thousands of brands across over a hundred categories. That includes major protocols like Z-Wave, Zigbee, Matter and Thread, so most mainstream smart home gear is covered.
A device is the physical product, like a smart bulb. Entities are the individual controllable or readable parts that device exposes, such as its on/off switch, brightness or colour. An integration creates the entities you actually use in automations and dashboards.
You need the right integration for each brand, service or protocol, not for every individual unit. Adding the Hue integration, for example, brings in all your Hue bulbs at once. A protocol integration like Zigbee can cover many compatible devices from different makers.
Most are added from the Home Assistant settings, where you choose the brand or protocol and complete a short setup. That often means entering a device address or signing into a service, after which the devices and entities appear automatically.
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