Ditching RV App Clutter: Why I Installed Home Assistant in My Camper

When we got our first hard-side camper in 2023, the factory app handled the basics over Bluetooth—lights, awning, and viewing holding tank levels. It was simple enough at first. But as we began to tailor the rig to our needs—adding Mopeka propane sensors, indoor/outdoor climate monitoring, and upgrading to a Victron solar controller—the "convenience" started to fracture. Every time we added a better sensor or a more reliable component, we were forced to add another app to our phones just to see the data.

Before long, we were juggling half a dozen different interfaces just to check the status of a single weekend. It was the definition of application bloat. More importantly, it was the opposite of the TenFootStripes mindset; instead of slowing down to enjoy the environment, we were stuck staring at our screens, toggling between Bluetooth connections just to see if we had enough propane for the night, check our battery's status, or to see the outside temperature and humidity to know if we needed the tank heaters for the night.

The Home Assistant Solution

That friction is what finally pushed me toward Home Assistant. I’d used it at home for years, but I’d never thought about running it in the camper until now. The goal was to move away from the "app for everything" model and back to a centralized, intentional view of our home on wheels.

By consolidating the chaos into a single interface, we finally had a tool that matched our pace. No more juggling apps, and no more needing to be within Bluetooth range just to check on our systems.

A single, intentional view: Consolidating Victron solar, Mopeka propane, and climate sensors into one Home Assistant dashboard to eliminate app clutter.

The Logic of the Dashboard

Building a dashboard for a rig that moves requires a different level of detail than a standard home setup. When I sat down to design the TenFootStripes interface, I didn’t want a screen full of numbers for the sake of having numbers. I wanted "Glanceable Clarity."

• The Power Priority: By integrating the Victron solar controller, I can see at a glance if we are net-positive or net-negative on power. On a rainy day at camp, that single data point determines our entire energy strategy.
• The "Midnight" Check: We’ve all had that moment of wondering if the propane will last through a cold night. Having the Mopeka sensors feed directly into this dashboard means I can check our levels from the warmth of the bed.
• Climate Context: Managing indoor/outdoor temperature and humidity isn't just about comfort; it’s about protecting the rig. Knowing the delta between the inside and outside helps us manage condensation, to know whether we need to run the holding tank heaters to keep them from freezing and ensure our gear stays in top shape.

Some Assembly Required

I won't be showing you every single step for getting Home Assistant set up on a Raspberry Pi 5. Honestly, the team over at Home Assistant has an excellent, Official Installation Guide that is kept up-to-date better than any blog post could be. I’d rather focus on the custom logic that makes this system work for a life in motion

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While You’re Here...

Managing a smart camper is just one part of the journey. If you found this guide to ditching app clutter helpful, you might want to look at how we handled the location data of the project in DIY Camper GPS: Feeding Accurate Location Data into Home Assistant. You can also see the philosophy applied to our vehicle setup in our look at the REDARC Tow-Pro Liberty, or see what happens when we apply that same level of detail to outwitting a scammer in AT&T 30% Discount Scam: My 65-Minute Call with a Scammer.