Home Assistant Guide

What are Tags in Home Assistant?

Tags in Home Assistant are a simple way to trigger automations using physical objects. Most commonly, tags are NFC (Near Field Communication) stickers or cards, or QR codes you scan. You can place them around your home, on keyrings, or anywhere convenient, then scan or tap them with your phone to make things happen - like turning on a light, starting a script, or logging your arrival.

How to Access the Tags Page

1. Open Home Assistant.
2. From the sidebar, click Settings (or Configuration in older versions).
3. Choose Tags from the menu.

Here, you'll see a list of all your tags, and options to create, edit, or delete them.

Creating a New Tag

There are two main types of tags in Home Assistant:

• NFC Tag: A physical tag you can tap with your phone (most phones support NFC).
• QR Code: A code you can scan with your camera app.

1. Click the Add Tag button on the Tags page.
2. Choose NFC Tag or QR Code as your tag type.
3. For NFC: Place a blank NFC sticker/card near your phone when prompted. Home Assistant will write a unique ID to it.
4. For QR: Home Assistant will generate a QR code you can print or display anywhere.
5. Give your tag a friendly name (for example, "Front Door", "Work Desk", or "Coffee Start").
6. Optionally, add a description so you remember what it's for.
7. Click Create.

Editing or Deleting Tags

• To edit a tag's name or description, click the ⋮ (three dots) next to the tag and select Edit.
• To delete a tag, use the ⋮ menu and choose Delete.

Deleting a tag will remove it from Home Assistant and break any automations that rely on it.

How to Use Tags

Tags become powerful when you link them to automations. For example:

• Arriving Home: Tap a tag near your door to trigger a "welcome home" routine - lights, heating, music, etc.
• Bedtime: Scan a bedside tag to turn everything off and arm your alarm.
• Task Logging: Use a tag to log medication taken or start a timer.
• Kids' Routines: Let kids scan a tag to start homework time, set a scene, or mark chores complete.

To set this up, just create an automation that uses the Tag trigger and select your tag from the list.

Scanning Tags

• NFC Tag: Once you've written the tag, just hold your phone close to it - Home Assistant will auto-detect it (on supported devices) without needing to open additional menus.
• QR Code: Use your phone's camera to scan the code. Home Assistant will recognise the tag and trigger any linked automations.

Tip: The Home Assistant app must be installed for automations to trigger automatically when scanning tags.

Common Use Cases for Tags

• Easy Automations: Let guests or family control lights/music with a quick scan - no app required.
• Access Control: Place a tag at your gate, shed, or garage to unlock it securely.
• Presence Detection: Log who is home or entering/exiting certain areas.
• Routines for Kids: Make routines fun and easy - stick a tag on a school bag to log when a child gets home.
• Event Check-ins: Use tags for quick check-in at events or parties.

Good to Know

• Any phone that supports NFC or scanning QR codes can use tags - no special hardware needed.
• You can re-use or rewrite most NFC tags if you want to change their purpose.
• Tags do not store personal data - just a unique ID linked to your Home Assistant.
• For extra flexibility, you can have more than one automation linked to the same tag.