Home Assistant is a home automation platform for managing all of your smart home devices in one place. It’s open-source, runs locally, and was built with security and privacy in mind. I won’t go into detail explaining Home Assistant to keep this article short and to the point, but you can find out more information here.

What you'll need:
-thin client computer
-SSD
-2GB+ flash drive
-mini screwdrivers

What you might need:
-22 Pin SATA extension cable

What you might want:
-Torx screwdriver
-pliers

What I used:
-Dell Wyse Zx0 7010 w/ 4GB RAM, no hard drive; eBay - $25
-Kingston 120GB SSD; Amazon - $20
-22 pin SATA extension cable; Amazon - $5
-needle nose pliers
-mini screwdrivers
-time
-patience
-32GB flash drive

For this project, you’ll need a thin client, an SSD, you may possible need a SATA extension cable, and you’ll need a flash drive. Some extra tools may make the job a little easier, and I’ll explain why when we get there.

Opening the thin client

To begin, we need to open the thin client. Using a mini screwdriver, start taking out the small screws in the case. Once you take out the right screws, the side of the case will come off. Inside the computer, there’s a 22 pin combined SATA + power port. This is where your SSD will connect. However, the SSD won’t fit as is. You have one or two options here.

Obtaining and Plugging In the SSD

Option 1: Use the extension cable to connect the SSD to the port. This should be pretty simple, assuming the SSD fits in the case. I did not go this route.

Option 2: Open the SSD. If you didn’t know (I sure didn’t), the actual contents inside the SSD’s enclosure are considerably smaller than the actual SSD enclosure itself. PIC GOES HERE On the Kingston SSD I bought, there are 4 Torx screws holding the enclosure together. If you have access to the right screwdriver (I did not), just take the screws out, open up the enclosure, and pull out the contents. If you don’t have access to the right screwdriver, you’ll have to get more creative.

Here’s what I did. Do this at your own risk. Using a flathead screwdriver, or some other tool capable of prying, I VERY CAREFULLY started prying apart the enclosure. Using needle nose pliers, I started peeling the metal out of the way. Eventually I was left with the two screws going through the actual SSD itself and holding it in place within the enclosure. Using a mini flathead screwdriver, I managed to unscrew the screws. It took a lot of force and patience, but I eventually got them loose.

At this point you should have the SSD out of the enclosure. Depending on the thin client you have, you may be able to plug the SSD directly into the 22 pin SATA port. In my Dell Wyse Zx0 7010, there’s a heatsink in the way. I had to use an extension cable. Either way, plug in the SSD.

Making an Ubuntu Live Disk

For the next part, you’ll need a live Linux USB drive. I used Ubuntu. If you’re on Windows, you can download the Ubuntu ISO and use Balena Etcher to create a live bootable disk with the flash drive. Once you’re ready, plug the flash drive into the thin client. Boot up the computer and be ready to get into BIOS. You may need to change the boot order in the BIOS, and you may need to enable/disable secure boot and UEFI. You may need to play with the settings until you get it to work.

Imaging the SSD

Boot up into Ubuntu. Once Ubuntu is running, click Try Ubuntu to boot into live mode. Once you’re booted, you’ll need to download the HASSOS Intel NUC file. Once you have the file, you need to know the what your SSD device is called. I opened GParted and saw that mine was /dev/sda. After figuring this out, open a terminal and run this command, substituting /dev/sda for whatever your SSD device name is if it’s something different.

xzcat ~/Downloads/NameOfFile.xz | sudo dd of=/dev/sda bs=32M

Connecting to Home Assistant

This may take a few minutes. When it’s done, you can reopen GParted and see that there’s now a bunch of stuff on the SSD. If it seemed to have worked, reboot the computer. Make sure you unplugged the flash drive. Home Assistant should start running; after a minute or so, you’ll be asked to login. Use “root”. Next, type “login”. Now you’ll be able to check the IP of your Home Assistant setup. Type “nmcli”. You should be able to find the IP. On a web browser on a different machine, go to this IP address, putting port 8123 on the end (e.g. 192.168.1.67:8123). After Home Assistant is done with initial setup, you’ll be able to create your login info and sign in.

Congrats

You did it!