Home Assistant Yellow Or Blue: Choosing the Right One for Your Smart Home!
The need for smart home automation continues to rise, the market is flooded with various options to choose from. Home Assistant is one of the most popular among them with its two main gateways – Yellow and Blue.
Home Assistant Yellow is a local and private smart home foundation. It is an upgradeable, Matter-ready, and expandable platform, while Home Assistant Blue is a stylish and affordable limited edition hardware set with a custom-designed case.
However, choosing between them can be confusing. So, keep reading the article and discover the key differences between these two to determine the right automation platform for your smart home.
Takeaway
A Quick Specs Comparison Table: Home Assistant Yellow Vs. Blue
Specifications | Yellow | Blue |
CPU | quad-core ARM Cortex-A72/A53 | quad-core ARM Cortex-A72 |
RAM | 8GB | 4GB |
eMMC Storage | 32GB | 128GB |
Form Factor | 10.4 cm (about 4.09 in) x 9.4 cm (about 3.7 in) x 3.6 cm (about 1.42 in) | 11.1 cm (about 4.37 in) x 11.1 cm (about 4.37 in) x 3.6 cm (about 1.42 in) |
I/O Options | More | Basic |
USB slot | 4 USB (3.0 port) | 2 USB (2.0 port) |
Home Assistant Yellow Vs. Blue: What’s the Difference?
Check out the significant differences between the two main gateways of the Home Assistant automation system before making the final decision-
Feature 1: Integration Capability
Home Assistant Yellow is also Matter-ready and extendable with M.2 Slot to serve as an All-in-One smart home hub. So, it is more flexible and upgradeable, where users can easily add an SSD or change the computing board to add more RAM.
But these listed SSDs might not work with Home Assistant Yellow_
The Yellow hub or version of Home Assistant does not support Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity. But it is compatible with external (aftermarket) add-ons.
This implies you can install Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (where both are included). Otherwise, you can simply use USB Bluetooth sticks and Gigabit LAN ports to connect with the Home Assistant Yellow.
On the other hand, Home Assistant (HA) Blue has a higher clock speed, comes with two USB 2.0 ports, and is designed for those who require more power.
The Blue hub or version is also equipped with a powerful 6-Core Amlogic S922X Processor (ARMv8-A) and 4 GB RAM. These allow you to smoothly_
- run Home Assistant,
- Use multiple add-ons and
- additional functionalities.
Home Assistant Blue hub also offers:
- built-in Bluetooth,
- Zigbee and Thread radios, as well as
- Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity.
Feature 2: Ease of Use and Flexibility
The Yellow version of Home Assistant is designed for those who require less power because it has a lower clock speed. But the Yellow version has better flexibility with its 4 USB 3.0 ports for easy expansion.
On the other hand, the Blue version of the Home Assistant is more powerful and has a higher clock speed. But it has only two USB 2.0 ports and is less flexible.
When considering the ease of use, Home Assistant Yellow is designed to be a user-friendly home automation hub that is easy to maintain. On the other hand, its Blue hub is equipped with a powerful processor that ensures smooth performance.
However, you can use both the Yellow and Blue versions with an external SSD (if you want to or need it).
Remember to not use eMMC and an external SSD at the same time with either Home Assistant Gateways.
Feature 3: Device Compatibility and Reliability
Home Assistant Yellow supports any Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4-pin style board and is ZigBee (3.0), Open Thread, and Matter enabled. It is also considered future-proof because it allows easy brain module upgrades with newly released Raspberry Pi Compute Modules.
When considering reliability, since Yellow is designed for power users, it may require more optimization to ensure optimal performance.
On the other hand, Home Assistant Blue is a single-board computer with a quad-core ARM Cortex-A72 CPU and 5.0 wireless technology. It is compatible with most add-ons and has been thoroughly tested to ensure excellent performance and reliability. It also comes with 128GB of eMMC storage that protects data from a sudden loss of power.
However, Home Assistant Yellow comes with pre-installed Zigbee (3.0 firmware EZSP) via the Silicon Labs MGM210P Mighty Gecko module. While Home Assistant Blue does not come pre-installed with Zigbee, you can use a Zigbee stick.
Feature 4: Storage Capability and Availability of No Lock-in
Home Assistant Yellow is built on the Raspberry Pi 4 platform with Up to 32 GB eMMC storage capacity. This storage capacity is more than enough storage to run Home Assistant and various add-ons.
It also has a built-in Zigbee 3.0 (which can be upgraded to the latest version too) and Thread radio, which helps to connect many smart devices.
However, if needed, you can add an M.2 Extension port to expand the storage on your Home Assistant Yellow.
On the other hand, Home Assistant Blue is built on the Odroid N2+ platform, which delivers higher performance than Raspberry Pi 4.
It also offers a 128GB eMMC Flash storage capacity. This means you will get better speeds and reliability for your Home Automation system.
However, HA Yellow does not involve any vendor lock-in, which means you will have the complete freedom to customize the system as you wish, and it even works without an internet connection. Unfortunately, this benefit is not available in HA Blue.
Home Assistant Yellow Vs. Blue: Which One to Choose?
Home Assistant Yellow and Blue each have their own set of pros and cons. So, the final choice will highly depend on your specific requirements and preferences.
However, the following key pointers may help you decide on the right choice_
- If you need more power and built-in radio connectivity, Home Assistant Blue will be your ideal match.
- Do you also consider the look while choosing such things? Then, Home Assistant Blue will be perfect because it is known for its “eye-catching” look. Also, the custom-made “Aluminum case” designed by Hahn Werke that comes with it makes it more appealing.
- But if you are looking for more flexibility and expandability, where you can easily configure it later, Home Assistant Yellow will be perfect. It is also future-proof for those who require more customization and power.
- Home Assistant Yellow is designed to be an all-in-one solution, while Home Assistant Blue is more of a DIY hardware option but well-suited for most home automation needs.
- Home Assistant Blue will be a better option if you need a more powerful processor. However, if you prefer more USB ports, consider Home Assistant Yellow.
What exactly does the Home Assistant Yellow do?
Home Assistant Yellow will allow you to-
1. Integrates with over 1000 devices and services for home automation purposes,
create powerful automation,
2. Get insights into energy usage, as well as
3. Automate and control various home devices, such as lights, thermostats, TVs, music, security systems, and more.
Is there an alternative to Home Assistant Yellow?
Yes, there are. Besides Home Assistant Yellow, you can try one of the following:
1. Home Assistant Raspberry Pi,
2. Home Assistant Blue,
3. Intel® NUC (Next Unit of Computing) Solutions, or
4. Dusun IoT Home Assistant Gateway.
Can I run Home Assistant Blue with my current ODROID-N2+?
Yes, you can run Home Assistant Blue on that.