Home-Assistant

Sooner or later almost every Proxmox host grows a USB device that needs to talk to one specific guest. A Zigbee or Z-Wave radio for Home Assistant, a TV tuner for a media server, a serial adapter for a UPS, a security dongle for some old piece of software that still checks for one. Getting that device into the right VM or container is usually simple the first time and then mysteriously stops working after the next reboot, because the setup that worked was tied to something that wasn’t actually stable. Here’s how passthrough actually works for both VMs and LXCs, and where the stability problem comes from. ...

Most people’s first smart home purchase is a cloud-connected bulb or plug, and most people’s first regret is realizing that bulb stops working the moment the manufacturer’s cloud service has a bad day, changes its app, or shuts down entirely. Home Assistant exists to fix that: a self-hosted automation hub that talks to your devices locally whenever possible, keeps the logic on hardware you control, and doesn’t care if the internet is up. For a homelab operator who already runs Proxmox and a stack of Docker containers, it’s one of the more satisfying things you can add, because it’s the one self-hosted service that actually reaches out and touches physical stuff in your house. ...