How to Install Home Assistant on Ubuntu for Smart Home Automation

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to install Home Assistant on Ubuntu for smart home automation, and how you can pair it with high-quality smart control panels and OEM solutions from Portworld to create a seamless, modern smart home experience.

Why Choose Ubuntu + Home Assistant?

Ubuntu provides a stable, well-supported environment for running long-term services like Home Assistant. Combined with Home Assistant’s flexibility and vast device integration ecosystem, this setup gives you:

Full local control (no cloud dependency)
Easy automation creation
Compatibility with thousands of smart devices
Integration with Portworld’s touchscreen control panels for enhanced user interface

Portworld: Professional Smart Home Panels and Services

Before diving into installation, it’s important to understand how your backend software (like Home Assistant) connects with the physical control hardware. This is where Portworld comes in.

What Portworld Offers:

Service	Description
4-inch & 5-inch Touch Panels	Beautiful wall-mounted Android/Linux panels designed for Home Assistant dashboards.
PoE-Enabled Hardware	Power your smart panel and connect it via Ethernet with just one cable.
Custom OS/Firmware	Portworld provides firmware optimization services for seamless integration with your smart home backend.
CKD/SKD Assembly	Reduce costs and import duties by assembling locally with Portworld’s support.
Engineering Assistance	Tailored help with PCBA design, firmware development, and dashboard configuration.

By combining Ubuntu + Home Assistant with Portworld’s smart home control panels, users can enjoy a visually engaging interface and simplified control across all their smart devices.

Step-by-Step: Install Home Assistant on Ubuntu

We’ll install Home Assistant in a Python virtual environment (recommended for advanced control and flexibility).

✅ Requirements

Ubuntu 20.04 / 22.04 (desktop or server)
Python 3.11+
Terminal access (via SSH or direct)

Step 1: Update Your System

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Dependencies

sudo apt install python3 python3-venv python3-pip libffi-dev libssl-dev -y
sudo apt install autoconf build-essential libopenjp2-7 libtiff5 -y

Step 3: Create a New User (Optional but Recommended)

sudo useradd -rm homeassistant -G dialout,gpio,i2c
sudo su – homeassistant

Step 4: Create Python Virtual Environment

python3 -m venv homeassistant
cd homeassistant
source bin/activate

Step 5: Install Home Assistant

pip install wheel
pip install homeassistant
hass

Step 6: Access from a Portworld Control Panel

Once Home Assistant is up and running:

Open your Portworld smart panel browser (Android or Linux-based).
Set the Home Assistant IP (e.g., http://192.168.1.100:8123) to load automatically in kiosk mode.
Enjoy responsive, touchscreen control of your smart home devices.

For commercial applications or smart apartment deployments, Portworld’s 5-inch wall panel is ideal, featuring:

HD IPS display
Capacitive touch
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
Custom branding options

Portworld also offers batch configuration services for large-scale deployments—perfect for builders and integrators.

Optional: Running Home Assistant as a Systemd Service

If you want Home Assistant to start on boot:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/home-assistant@homeassistant.service

Paste the following:

[Unit]
Description=Home Assistant
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=homeassistant
ExecStart=/home/homeassistant/homeassistant/bin/hass -c “/home/homeassistant/.homeassistant”

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Then enable and start:

sudo systemctl –system daemon-reexec
sudo systemctl enable home-assistant@homeassistant
sudo systemctl start home-assistant@homeassistant

Advantages of Ubuntu + Portworld Smart Panels

Feature	Benefit
Open-Source Software	Customize every detail of your smart home environment
Modular Hardware	Add cameras, sensors, relays, and more
Visual Dashboards	Lovelace UI on Portworld panels offers intuitive control
Commercial Scalability	CKD/SKD support and OEM firmware options from Portworld
Remote Maintenance	Manage and update panels via Portworld engineering tools

And when paired with Portworld’s smart control panels and tailored OEM support, you not only get functionality—you get a professional, polished interface that transforms your living or commercial space.

Whether you’re an individual DIYer or a systems integrator looking to deploy at scale, the Ubuntu + Home Assistant + Portworld combination gives you total control, elegant interfaces, and long-term flexibility.