NODERED
Use Home Assistant NodeRED devices
NodeRED is a graphical programming language that’s ideally suited to IoT, electronics and home automations, reveals Matt Holder.
OUR EXPERT
Matt Holder has worked in IT support for over a decade. He’s has always tried to utilise Linux alongside the other installed systems.
NodeRED is an open source graphical programming environment that can be used to complete a large number of tasks. Graphical programming languages tend to be more intuitive than textual programming languages and can be easier to learn. Support is built into Raspberry Pi OS. Useful libraries are pre-installed, which include access to the Pi’s General Purpose Input Out (GPIO) pins, so that programs can access input and output devices in the real world. Using this library, the NodeRED system can use real-world data to perform tasks. NodeRED uses the terminology of Flows to represent programs, while Nodes are added to the canvas to build flows.
This article will focus on both the NodeRED integration with Home Assistant and how it can be used to create powerful automations based on many different data sources as well as its usage from within Raspberry Pi OS. First of all, Raspberry Pi OS will be used. This can be installed by using the Raspberry Pi Imager tool. Download and open the GUI (www. raspberrypi.com/software) and select which memory card the image should be written to:
When running the latter command, follow the prompts in the wizard to set options. Once a username and password has been set, enable the service: