Troubleshooting
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Smart Home Glossary
Glossary
Reference
A-Z
A complete dictionary of all the terms, abbreviations and technologies you’ll encounter in the smart home world.
Automation
Section titled “Automation”A rule that automatically performs actions based on triggers and conditions. E.g., “Turn on lights when motion is detected”.
API (Application Programming Interface)
Section titled “API (Application Programming Interface)”Interface that allows software to communicate with each other. Home Assistant uses APIs to control devices.
Add-on
Section titled “Add-on”Extension for Home Assistant that runs in a separate container. Examples: Zigbee2MQTT, Node-RED, MariaDB.
Binding
Section titled “Binding”In Zigbee: direct connection between two devices without a hub. E.g., a switch bound to a bulb.
Blueprint
Section titled “Blueprint”Pre-defined automation template in Home Assistant that can be customized with your own devices.
Border Router
Section titled “Border Router”Device that connects a Thread network to your IP network. Required for Matter devices on Thread.
Bridge
Section titled “Bridge”Device that translates between different protocols. E.g., Hue Bridge (Zigbee to WiFi).
CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol)
Section titled “CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol)”Lightweight protocol used by Shelly devices for local communication.
Coordinator
Section titled “Coordinator”The central device in a Zigbee network. Manages the network and keeps track of all devices.
Condition
Section titled “Condition”Requirement in an automation that must be met before actions execute. E.g., “only if sun is down”.
Custom Component
Section titled “Custom Component”Third-party integration for Home Assistant, often installed via HACS.
Dashboard
Section titled “Dashboard”User interface in Home Assistant showing status and controls. Also called Lovelace.
Device Class
Section titled “Device Class”Categorization of entities in Home Assistant. E.g., “motion” for motion sensors.
Docker
Section titled “Docker”Container technology that isolates software. Home Assistant Container runs in Docker.
Domain
Section titled “Domain”Category of entities in Home Assistant. E.g., light, switch, sensor, climate.
End Device
Section titled “End Device”In Zigbee: battery-powered device that only communicates with its parent (router or coordinator).
Entity
Section titled “Entity”Representation of a device or sensor in Home Assistant. Has a unique ID like sensor.living_room_temperature.
ESPHome
Section titled “ESPHome”Firmware platform for ESP32/ESP8266 that generates YAML-based configuration.
Occurrence in Home Assistant that can be used as a trigger. E.g., “state_changed” or “call_service”.
Firmware
Section titled “Firmware”Software running at hardware level in devices. Can often be updated OTA.
In Node-RED: collection of nodes that form an automation.
GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output)
Section titled “GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output)”Physical pins on microcontrollers (ESP32, Raspberry Pi) for connecting sensors and actuators.
Collection of entities that can be controlled as one. E.g., all lights in the living room.
HACS (Home Assistant Community Store)
Section titled “HACS (Home Assistant Community Store)”Unofficial integration store for Home Assistant with custom components and frontend cards.
HAOS (Home Assistant Operating System)
Section titled “HAOS (Home Assistant Operating System)”Dedicated operating system optimized for running Home Assistant.
Helper
Section titled “Helper”Virtual entity in Home Assistant. E.g., input_boolean, input_number, timer.
Central device that connects and controls smart home devices. Home Assistant is a hub.
Integration
Section titled “Integration”Component in Home Assistant that connects to external services or devices.
IoT (Internet of Things)
Section titled “IoT (Internet of Things)”Collective term for internet-connected devices - the foundation of smart home.
Jinja2
Section titled “Jinja2”Template language used in Home Assistant for dynamic content and calculations.
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
Section titled “JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)”Data format used for configuration and API communication.
Lambda
Section titled “Lambda”In ESPHome: C++ code block for advanced logic.
LAN (Local Area Network)
Section titled “LAN (Local Area Network)”Local network in the home. Many smart home devices only communicate on LAN.
Lovelace
Section titled “Lovelace”Home Assistant’s dashboard system. Named after Ada Lovelace.
LQI (Link Quality Indicator)
Section titled “LQI (Link Quality Indicator)”Measurement of signal quality in Zigbee networks. Higher is better.
Matter
Section titled “Matter”New smart home standard ensuring interoperability between manufacturers. Uses Thread or WiFi.
MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport)
Section titled “MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport)”Lightweight messaging protocol widely used in smart home. Zigbee2MQTT uses MQTT.
Mesh Network
Section titled “Mesh Network”Network where devices relay messages. Zigbee and Z-Wave use mesh.
mmWave
Section titled “mmWave”Millimeter wave radar used in presence sensors. Can detect stationary people.
In Node-RED: building block that performs a function. Can be trigger, condition, or action.
Node-RED
Section titled “Node-RED”Visual programming tool for automations. Popular supplement to HA automations.
OTA (Over-The-Air)
Section titled “OTA (Over-The-Air)”Wireless firmware update. Most smart home devices support OTA.
PIR (Passive Infrared)
Section titled “PIR (Passive Infrared)”Technology in motion sensors that detects heat radiation from bodies.
Polling
Section titled “Polling”Technique where the system regularly queries devices for status. Opposite of push.
Proxmox
Section titled “Proxmox”Virtualization platform popular for running Home Assistant as a VM.
When devices send status updates themselves. More efficient than polling.
Recorder
Section titled “Recorder”Home Assistant component that stores history in a database.
Router
Section titled “Router”In Zigbee: powered device that relays messages and extends the network.
RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator)
Section titled “RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator)”Measurement of WiFi or Zigbee signal strength. Lower (less negative) is better.
Pre-defined state for multiple devices. E.g., “Movie” that dims lights and turns on TV.
Script
Section titled “Script”Sequence of actions in Home Assistant that can be called as a service.
Service
Section titled “Service”Function that can be called in Home Assistant. E.g., light.turn_on.
Current condition of an entity. E.g., “on”, “off”, “25.5”.
Supervisor
Section titled “Supervisor”Component in HAOS that manages add-ons and system functions.
Tasmota
Section titled “Tasmota”Open source firmware for ESP8266/ESP32 devices. Popular alternative to factory firmware.
Template
Section titled “Template”Dynamic text in Home Assistant using Jinja2 for calculations.
Thread
Section titled “Thread”Low-energy mesh network protocol. Used by Matter devices as alternative to WiFi.
Trigger
Section titled “Trigger”Event that starts an automation. E.g., motion detected, time reached, state changed.
UUID (Universally Unique Identifier)
Section titled “UUID (Universally Unique Identifier)”Unique ID used to identify devices and entities.
VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network)
Section titled “VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network)”Virtually separated network. Recommended for isolating IoT devices.
VM (Virtual Machine)
Section titled “VM (Virtual Machine)”Virtual computer running on physical hardware. Proxmox can run HA in a VM.
Webhook
Section titled “Webhook”URL that receives data from external services. Used for integrations.
WebSocket
Section titled “WebSocket”Two-way communication protocol. Home Assistant frontend uses WebSocket.
YAML (YAML Ain’t Markup Language)
Section titled “YAML (YAML Ain’t Markup Language)”Configuration format used in Home Assistant and ESPHome.
Z-Wave
Section titled “Z-Wave”Wireless protocol for smart home devices. Competitor to Zigbee, requires separate coordinator.
ZHA (Zigbee Home Automation)
Section titled “ZHA (Zigbee Home Automation)”Native Zigbee integration in Home Assistant.
Zigbee
Section titled “Zigbee”Wireless mesh protocol popular for sensors and actuators. Requires coordinator.
Zigbee2MQTT
Section titled “Zigbee2MQTT”Add-on that connects Zigbee devices to Home Assistant via MQTT.
Protocol Comparison
Section titled “Protocol Comparison”| Protocol | Mesh | Battery | Range | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zigbee | ✅ | ✅ Good | Medium | Low |
| Z-Wave | ✅ | ✅ Good | Good | High |
| Thread | ✅ | ✅ Good | Medium | Medium |
| WiFi | ❌ | ❌ Poor | Good | Low |
| Bluetooth | ❌ | ✅ Good | Short | Low |
📚 See Also
Section titled “📚 See Also”Getting Started
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Last updated: December 2025