Self-hosting Home Assistant on Ubuntu Server with a Mini-PC, NUC or Homelab Server: A Beginners Guide

Published: May 5th 2025 @ 10:37PM

Unlocking the Power of x86 Hardware for Your Smart Home

Welcome to your first step towards a smarter, self-hosted smart home. This guide walks you through setting up Home Assistant on an MSI Cubi NUC Desktop, leveraging the power of Ubuntu Server 24.04. Using an x86 mini PC provides more power, faster performance, and greater reliability compared to the ARM-based Raspberry Pi, especially when handling many smart home integrations and automations. Let's get started!

Step 1: What You Need

MSI Cubi NUC Desktop (1MG-011US) or similar mini PC or any home-lab x86 server
USB flash drive (8GB or larger recommended)
Monitor, keyboard, and mouse
Ethernet cable connected to your network
Basic knowledge of using Ubuntu Server

Step 2: Download Ubuntu Server 24.04 or Higher

Go to Ubuntu Server Download Page
Download the latest Ubuntu Server 24.04 ISO file

Step 3: Flash Ubuntu ISO onto a USB Stick Using Balena Etcher

Download Balena Etcher and install it
Insert your USB flash drive into your computer
Launch Balena Etcher
Click "Flash From File"
Select your USB flash drive as the target drive
Click "Flash!" to write a bootable Ubuntu installer onto the USB stick

Warning: Using Balena Etcher to flash the Ubuntu image onto your USB drive will overwrite all existing data on the USB drive.

Step 4: Install Ubuntu Server onto Your Mini-PC or Server

Plug the USB drive into the MSI Cubi NUC Desktop
Connect the keyboard, mouse, monitor, and ethernet cable
Turn on the Mini-PC and immediately press F11 (or relevant boot key) to access the boot menu
Select the USB drive as your boot device
Follow the Ubuntu installer prompts:
- Choose language, keyboard layout, and network settings
- Select your internal storage drive as the installation location
- Set up your user account with a strong password
- Complete installation and reboot your system

Step 5: Prepare Ubuntu Server

Log in with your credentials
Ensure you have a connection to the internet
$ ping www.google.com
Update and upgrade the system
$ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 6: Install Docker on Ubuntu

Home Assistant runs best using Docker. Let's install it using Docker's latest instructions here: Install Docker Engine on Ubuntu

Step 7: Install Home Assistant Container

Create a directory for your Home Assistant configuration
$ mkdir ~/homeassistant
Run Home Assistant in Docker:
$ sudo docker run -d \
--name homeassistant \
--privileged \
--restart=unless-stopped \
-e TZ=America/New_York \
-v ~/homeassistant:/config \
--network=host \
ghcr.io/home-assistant/home-assistant:stable

Replace America/New_York with your local timezone if needed.

Step 8: Access Home Assistant Web Interface

From any browser on your local network, go to: http://[your-server's-local-ip-address]:8123
Follow the on-screen instructions to create your Home Assistant account and complete the initial setup.

Step 9: Final Recommendations

Consider enabling automatic updates and backups within Home Assistant
Familiarize yourself with Home Assistant's extensive library of integrations to make the most of your smart home

Congratulations, your powerful, self-hosted Home Assistant is now running on a local machine with Ubuntu Server and Docker!

MSI Cubi NUC Desktop

Where to Buy

Amazon

Supported Connectivity

wifi

bluetooth

local