The trend of home automation is on a steady upswing and Home Assistant is leading the charge, providing a one-stop solution to manage all your smart devices. However, the setup of a Home Assistant ecosystem can be daunting, particularly if you're just dipping your toes in the water. One of the key elements in this process is the microSD card, which houses the Home Assistant operating system and its myriad of files. This piece will delve into why picking the right microSD card is vital and introduce you to Samsung's newest offering, the PRO Endurance Memory Card, that boasts unbeatable durability and performance.
Don't gamble on any regular microSD card
For Home Assistant novices, don't sweat over your code potentially stirring up trouble. Your real concern should revolve around the resilience of the microSD card in your Raspberry Pi. As I've hinted before, if you intend to use your Raspberry Pi for more than just dabbling with Home Assistant, choosing an apt microSD card is key. And here's some good news: Samsung has just rolled out a spanking new microSD card that gets my seal of approval for any Raspberry Pi setup.
The tough love Home Assistant shows to microSD cards
With Home Assistant consistently reading from and writing to the microSD card, your regular microSD card will throw in the towel before long. Unless the card is designed specifically for devices that require continuous recording, like security cameras or dashcams, it simply won't cut the mustard.
Enter endurance cards – the knight in shining armour for Raspberry Pis running Home Assistant. Samsung's latest PRO Endurance Memory Card is a game-changer, offering a staggering 16 years (140,160 hours) of continuous recording, leaving its competitors in the dust.
The trade-offs
Sure, its read and write speeds of 100/40 MB/s may not be as lightning-fast as some microSD cards designed for breakneck speeds, but they're unlikely to cause any hiccups in your system. If you're sticking with a Raspberry Pi, I'd still suggest considering the move to an external SSD. But if that's not in your play book, Samsung's new PRO Endurance Memory Card will certainly hit the spot.
