Home Assistant Introduces Update Entities for Seamless Device Management

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Home Assistant Core 2022.4 introduces a significant enhancement to our favourite home automation software: update entities. This new feature simplifies the process of managing updates for various devices and services, centralising control within the Home Assistant Dashboard.

Contents

Introduction to Update Entities

Update entities streamline the way we handle updates for services such as WLED running on an ESP8266 or ESP32, Pi-hole, and Synology DSM. These entities notify Home Assistant whenever an update is available, allowing you to install these updates with a simple click, without needing to open any other dashboards or applications.

Integrating Updates into Automations

Beyond manual updates, you can incorporate update entities into your scripts and automations. For example, you could set up a notification that persistently reminds you until you install the pending update. Alternatively, if you have verified that updates won’t disrupt your devices, you can automate the process to update all your devices with a single command.

Initial Supported Services

At launch, the update entity feature supports WLED, Pi-hole, and Synology DSM. However, it is expected that ESPHome will soon be added, and Zigbee2MQTT is also anticipated to implement this feature shortly.

Conclusion

The introduction of update entities in Home Assistant Core 2022.4 marks a significant improvement in managing updates for home automation enthusiasts. This feature not only centralises control but also integrates seamlessly with existing automations, enhancing the overall user experience.

A portrait photo oif Liam Alexander Colman, the author, creator, and owner of Home Assistant Guide wearing a suit.

About Liam Alexander Colman

is an experienced Home Assistant user who has been utilizing the platform for a variety of projects over an extended period. His journey began with a Raspberry Pi, which quickly grew to three Raspberry Pis and eventually a full-fledged server. Liam's current operating system of choice is Unraid, with Home Assistant comfortably running in a Docker container.
With a deep understanding of the intricacies of Home Assistant, Liam has an impressive setup, consisting of various Zigbee devices, and seamless integrations with existing products such as his Android TV box. For those interested in learning more about Liam's experience with Home Assistant, he shares his insights on how he first started using the platform and his subsequent journey.

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