Best Raspberry Pi 5 kit and parts for Home Assistant (2026)

Your Home Assistant box should disappear into the background. Buy the right Pi parts once, and you can get back to the fun stuff: buttons that do things, lights that behave, and a dashboard worth showing off.

Our pick for a parts-built HA OS host: Raspberry Pi 5, the official 27W supply, Active Cooler, standard M.2 HAT+ and Kingston NV3 500GB 2230 SSD. Start with 4GB if you already have the board; choose the linked 8GB board for extra headroom. Want a ready-to-assemble SD-card bundle? The CanaKit Starter Kit PRO puts the essentials in one box. Want a closed NVMe case? The Argon ONE V3 M.2 is the alternative, with a software-control detail worth settling first.

Specs and compatibility come from the makers and Home Assistant docs; this is a research-based buying guide.

The parts lists include alternatives, not a cart to buy in full. Pick one storage-and-case path below. For the actual install, jump to our Pi 5 NVMe build guide.

The board: 4GB is plenty; 8GB gives you room

Home Assistant’s Pi installation guide calls for at least 2GB of RAM. For a dedicated host running your automations, dashboards and everyday integrations, 4GB is a sensible starting point. The 8GB version gives you more room as you add apps and history; it does not make a door sensor report faster.

The linked board is the Raspberry Pi 5 8GB. You get Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports and a PCIe connection for the storage board. Those are Pi 5 hardware features, not extras unlocked by buying more RAM.

Already own a 4GB Pi 5? Build around it. Save the upgrade decision for a workload that actually needs more memory. Planning several virtual machines instead? Skip ahead to the mini-PC option.

Power: buy the right 5V supply, not the biggest number

Choose the official Raspberry Pi 27W USB-C supply. Its useful detail is the 5.1V, 5A output. With the appropriate supply, the Pi can raise the current available to USB peripherals from 600mA to 1.6A, as the official supply brief explains.

A phone charger with an impressive wattage on the box may deliver that power only at a higher voltage. It is the low-voltage profile that matters here. Home Assistant also warns against unsuitable mobile chargers.

The alternative is the CanaKit bundle’s PD supply: its 45W supply documentation includes a 5V/5A profile. That rating describes what the supply can provide, not what your Pi constantly consumes. Neither route removes the need for a powered USB hub if your growing collection of peripherals needs its own power.

A Pi can also become a printer host: our local 3D printer control guide explains which parts carry over to Klipper or OctoPrint, and when Bambu LAN-only needs no Pi at all.

Cooling: Active Cooler or case fan, not a pile of both

For the official open NVMe stack, buy the Active Cooler. It clips onto the board and combines a heatsink with a temperature-controlled blower connected to the Pi’s fan header. The maker’s cooler page describes the hardware; the standard M.2 HAT+ leaves room for it underneath.

For a simple SD-card build in the official Pi 5 case, use the case’s included fan and heatsink. That is a different cooling arrangement, already in the box. The official case is a sensible first-try enclosure without buying a second fan assembly.

The Argon ONE V3 M.2 has its own cooling hardware too. Choose the enclosure first, then buy the cooling it needs.

Storage and case: get the HAT size right

Want to make a Pi mount of your own? Our 3D printer picks for homelab projects help you choose the machine before designing the bracket.

Official NVMe stack: standard HAT+ and a 2230 drive

The standard Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ accepts 2230 and 2242 devices. The Kingston NV3 500GB SNV3SM3/500G is the short 2230 version, confirmed in Kingston’s NV3 datasheet. Do not accidentally substitute the longer 2280 version from the same family.

The HAT connects to the Pi’s PCIe interface; its box includes the ribbon cable, mounting hardware and stacking header. You do not need a separate USB-to-NVMe enclosure for this build. The Pi uses a PCIe 2.0 link, so choose the SSD by its physical fit rather than its headline PCIe 4.0 speed.

Here is the fit detail that saves a frustrating afternoon: the standard HAT+ only fits the official case with its lid and supplied case fan removed. Use the Active Cooler underneath, and treat that case as an open base. The Raspberry Pi HAT documentation spells out both arrangements.

Want the official case fully closed? You need the M.2 HAT+ Compact, which takes 2230 storage and fits around the included case fan. The Active Cooler does not fit beneath the Compact. The maker link above covers it; the Amazon HAT in our parts list is the standard version.

Closed-case alternative: Argon ONE V3 M.2

The Argon ONE V3 M.2 NVMe case combines the enclosure, NVMe expansion board and cooling hardware. Argon specifies M-key NVMe support up to 2280, covering the short Kingston drive as well as longer options. You leave the separate HAT+, official case and Active Cooler out of this cart.

It is the pick for a finished enclosure if you are happy handling its software side. Argon’s setup documentation documents full fan and power-button control through Raspberry Pi OS scripts, rather than a native HA OS setup. Settle that control path before choosing it for HA OS; the official fan-header route is our straightforward recommendation for this operating system. Do not paste a Raspberry Pi OS installer into the HA terminal.

First try: an A2 microSD card

If you want to start with fewer parts, use the SanDisk Extreme 128GB A2 microSD and official case. Home Assistant recommends A2 cards with at least 32GB, and SanDisk identifies this exact 128GB model as A2.

This route skips the NVMe drive and HAT entirely. Keep downloadable backups whichever storage you choose; moving to an SSD does not replace a backup plan.

One-box kit: CanaKit Starter Kit PRO

The CanaKit Raspberry Pi 5 Starter Kit PRO, 8GB/128GB, Turbine Black is the bundle pick. The matching maker kit combines the board, case, fan and heatsink, microSD card, USB card reader, PD power supply and two micro-HDMI cables.

It is a complete SD-card starting point, not an NVMe kit. Its preloaded card runs Raspberry Pi OS: you will replace that with Home Assistant OS using the existing install guide. The maker allows different card brands and does not promise A2 in the kit specification, so use the separately listed A2 card if the supplied card lacks that marking.

A monitor and the bundled HDMI cables are optional for your finished HA box. Keep Ethernet connected for installation and everyday reliability.

Complete shopping lists: choose one column

Each listed component is one item unless noted. The USB extension is sold as a three-pack; you use one cable. Supply your Ethernet patch lead and access to a computer for the install. For the linked NVMe install method, also reuse a spare microSD card, card reader, keyboard, display and micro-HDMI cable to prepare the Pi. These are setup tools, not extra permanent storage; the CanaKit bundle includes the reader and HDMI cables.

Part	Official open NVMe stack	Argon closed-case NVMe build
Board	Pi 5 8GB	Pi 5 8GB
Power	Official 27W USB-C supply	Official 27W USB-C supply
SSD	Kingston NV3 500GB 2230	Kingston NV3 500GB 2230
NVMe connection	Standard M.2 HAT+, included ribbon and mounts	Included Argon NVMe board
Cooling	Active Cooler on Pi fan header	Included Argon cooling; resolve HA OS control as above
Enclosure	Official case base; remove lid and supplied fan	Argon ONE V3 M.2 case
Zigbee	SONOFF Dongle Plus MG24	SONOFF Dongle Plus MG24
Radio spacing	One USB 2.0 extension from the Cable Matters three-pack	Same

If you choose the CanaKit or SD-card route instead, leave both NVMe columns behind. Buying all the alternatives is how a small project turns into a drawer of spare fans.

Radio: put Zigbee on the end of a cable

Add the SONOFF Dongle Plus MG24 for Zigbee, connected through a USB 2.0 extension to one of the Pi’s USB 2.0 ports. Place it away from the board and USB 3.0 gear: ZHA’s interference advice recommends that separation.

Our Zigbee/Thread coordinator guide handles the radio choice and firmware roles. For a coordinator placed somewhere other than beside the Pi, follow the network/PoE coordinator guide. Keep the host tidy and put the radio where it can do its job.

When Green or a mini PC fits better

Want your next project to send an off-grid text? Start with our Meshtastic node buying guide before choosing a radio for a future Pi-connected project.

Choose Home Assistant Green if your goal is automations, not assembling a computer. It removes the board/case/cooling/storage shopping puzzle. Follow the starter-kit guide for that host route and your first devices; add the radio your sensors need.

Choose a Beelink EQ14 or another mini PC if you want Proxmox guests or a broader self-hosting box alongside HA. Our mini-PC buying guide explains the N150 option, while the mini-PC/Proxmox install guide covers the steps. More Pi RAM does not turn it into that platform.

For a closer look at the supply profile and current draw, use the USB-C power meter guide. It explains the official PSU’s 5.1V/5A profile and how to read a removable cable’s e-marker without forcing a higher voltage into the Pi.

Give your new box a storage warning light

Add System Monitor under Settings → Devices & services → Add integration. Enable the Disk usage (%) entity for the mount holding your HA data; System Monitor entities start disabled. Choose the percentage sensor, not a sensor showing gigabytes or a temporary mount.

Create an automation with two triggers: Numeric state above 85, and Time at a daily time you choose. Add a numeric-state condition that the same sensor is above 85, then use Persistent Notification: Create. The time check catches storage that was already high when you enabled the automation; numeric-state triggers fire on a crossing.

Here is the example in YAML. Replace the sensor ID with your actual entity; 85% and 09:00 are adjustable examples.

alias: Pi storage warning
triggers:
  - trigger: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.your_disk_usage_percent
    above: 85
  - trigger: time
    at: "09:00:00"
conditions:
  - condition: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.your_disk_usage_percent
    above: 85
actions:
  - action: persistent_notification.create
    data:
      notification_id: pi_storage_warning
      title: Give Home Assistant some breathing room
      message: Storage is above 85%. Review stored backups and data.
mode: single

The fixed notification ID updates one notification in HA rather than piling up duplicates; dismiss it after dealing with the space. This is an HA notification, not a phone push.

Save the automation, then test delivery with Run actions. Then use Developer tools → States to temporarily set the sensor to 20 and then 90: that tests the crossing without filling a drive. The next real sensor update restores the reading. Save the automation, and choose your daily check time using the Time trigger.

Buy the parts that fit one build, follow the NVMe install guide, and give the box a useful warning light. Then move on to the fun bit: making your first device do something brilliant.