Smart home automation with Home Assistant: Which hub is right for you?

Imagine this: you're on your way home after a long day, and your smart home is already springing into action. The thermostat sets the perfect temperature, the lights turn on when you arrive, and your smart speaker welcomes you with your favorite playlist. Sounds like music to your ears, right? With Home Assistant, it becomes a reality! But which hub should you choose for your setup? Today, we're comparing three popular models—the Home Assistant Green , the Home Assistant Yellow , and a MiniPC/Server like the Home Assistant Server (MLLSE G2 Pro) —on specs, performance, and future-proofing. We'll help you choose the best one for your needs, including a recommendation for heavy-duty add-ons like Frigate . Let's dive in!

Which Home Assistant hub is right for your smart home?

Before we dive into the technical details, let's take a quick look at what you need. Are you a beginner who just wants to control some smart lights with sensors and smart plugs? Or are you a tech geek who wants to run a whole house full of automations and cameras with Frigate? We'll compare the specs and performance of the hubs so you can make the best choice. Oh, my LED strips on the ceiling are flickering, which according to my automation means someone is in my driveway. Let me check what's going on... It was the mailman!

Specs and Performance: Which Home Assistant Hub Is Best for You?

Below you'll find an overview of the three hubs. We've neatly compiled the specs into a table so you can compare everything at a glance:

What does this mean to you?

• Home Assistant Green :
  A compact, plug-and-play hub for beginners. With 4 GB of RAM and an efficient processor, it's perfect for simple automations (e.g., smart lights, thermostat). It runs Home Assistant OS (HAOS) with standard features like the Energy Dashboard without any issues.
• Home Assistant Yellow :
  A flexible middle ground, now compatible with both the Raspberry Pi CM4 and the newer CM5 (supported from HAOS 14). The CM4 is 2-3x faster than the Green, while the CM5 is up to 4-6x faster, ideal for advanced users with many devices or add-ons like Node-RED for complex automation. The CM5 offers extra speed for local speech processing or ESPHome compilations.
• Home Assistant Server (MLLSE G2 Pro) :
  A powerful mini PC with an Intel N150 processor and 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, it's 5-10x faster than the Yellow with CM4 and 2-3x faster than the Yellow with CM5 for demanding tasks. With a generous 512GB SSD, it's a powerhouse for intensive applications like Frigate.

Price comparison (at the time of writing)

• Home Assistant Green :
  €129 – Affordable and ideal for beginners. Meet Home Assistant!
• Home Assistant Yellow :
  €209 to €309 – Not available from us due to the need to assemble it yourself and the many CM4 and CM5 modules (price depends on the CM4/CM5 configuration)
• Home Assistant Server (MLLSE G2 Pro) :
  €299 – A future-proof investment for power users who want to get the most out of their Smart Home!

Future-proofing: What's the best hub for Home Assistant?

A smart hub shouldn't just work now, but also be future-proof. The best hub for you depends primarily on your smart home future plans. Here's how the models stack up:

• Home Assistant Green :
  User-friendly with HAOS pre-installed and regular updates from the Home Assistant community. The hardware is not expandable, but sufficient for stable, simple setups.
• Home Assistant Yellow :
  Highly flexible thanks to the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 or 5. You can upgrade storage with an NVMe SSD or replace the CM4 with a CM5 for a 2-3x performance gain, ideal for advanced features like Zigbee/Thread, Matter, or local speech processing.
• Home Assistant Server (MLLSE G2 Pro) :
  With its powerful hardware, this hub is ready for future applications such as AI processes, demanding add-ons like Frigate, and extensive automation. The large storage and fast processor make it a sustainable choice.

Conclusion :
The Home Assistant Server (MLLSE G2 Pro) is the most future-proof, followed by the Home Assistant Yellow with CM5 support. The Home Assistant Green is perfect for those looking for a simple setup. Should you decide to switch to a different hub in the future, switching is easy thanks to Home Assistant's built-in backup/restore function.

Zigbee and Thread: Do you need an extra stick?

Many smart devices (such as Philips Hue or Aqara) use Zigbee or Thread. Not every hub supports it as standard:

• Home Assistant Green :
  No built-in Zigbee/Thread. You'll need a Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 (€42.95 at the time of writing), which works plug-and-play with HAOS and offers Zigbee 3.0 for stable connections.
• Home Assistant Yellow :
  Features native Zigbee 3.0 and Thread support (including Matter with CM5), so no extra stick needed.
• Home Assistant Server (MLLSE G2 Pro) :
  No built-in Zigbee/Thread. Use a Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 , which works plug-and-play with HAOS.

Important :
With the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1, you can achieve the same Zigbee functionality on the Home Assistant Green and Home Assistant Server (MLLSE G2 Pro) as on the Home Assistant Yellow . All hubs run HAOS, so you can get started right away without complicated installations.

Local voice control: make your home even smarter

Want to control your home hands-free without sending your data to the cloud? The Home Assistant Voice (Preview Edition ) (€59.95 at the time of writing) is a stylish solution. With dual microphones, an LED ring, and a hardware mute switch for privacy, simply say "OK Nabu, turn on the lights!" and it happens. It integrates seamlessly with any hub.

Which hub is suitable for Frigate?

Frigate is an open-source video surveillance software with AI object detection, which requires a lot of processing power. Want to give Frigate a boost? Check out our article on the Google Coral USB Accelerator . Here's our analysis:

• Home Assistant Green : With 4 GB of RAM and a limited processor, this isn't suitable for Frigate. It quickly becomes overloaded.
• Home Assistant Yellow : Can run Frigate with 8GB of RAM and an NVMe SSD, especially with the CM5, but is limited with multiple cameras or intensive AI tasks.
• Home Assistant Server (MLLSE G2 Pro) : The best choice for Frigate. The Intel N150, 12GB LPDDR5 RAM, and 512GB SSD can effortlessly handle multiple camera feeds and AI processes.

Recommendation for Frigate : Choose the Home Assistant Server (MLLSE G2 Pro) for top performance, or consider a Home Assistant Yellow with CM5 for enhanced performance.

Which hub is right for you?

Here's our recommendation based on your situation:

• Beginner or small household : Choose the Home Assistant Green
  Affordable, easy to use and perfect to start connecting smart devices (e.g. lights, thermostat).
• Tech enthusiast with growth plans : Go for the Home Assistant Yellow
  Flexible hardware, native Zigbee/Thread/Matter and suitable for complex automations, with CM5 support for extra speed.
• Power user or Frigate user : The Home Assistant Server (MLLSE G2 Pro)
  One of the strongest hubs, future-proof, ideal for heavy-duty applications and extensive setups.

Conclusion: build your dream house

Whether you're just starting out or a smart home expert, there's a Home Assistant hub for you. At slimhuisje.nl , you'll find everything you need to create your smart home, from the Home Assistant Green to accessories like the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 and Home Assistant Voice . Want more tips? Check out our blog or join the Home Assistant community !

What do you think? Which hub will you choose, and what plans do you have for your smart home? Share them below and start planning your smart home today!