How to Remove the Login Password in Windows 11, Power On with Home Assistant and keep your Steam Games up to Date

I use my Desktop PC like a console since it is only used for gaming. Unfortunately, Windows is not a good operating system when you have it running occasionally.

The Problem

By occasionally I mean sometimes weeks or even months. But then a friend contacts me:

Friend: Are you up for an hour of Hunt Showdown/Space Marine 2?
Me: Hell yeah.
Friend: Have you got the 100GB update yet from last week?
Me: 😮‍💨

When I boot the machine I have to wait for the password prompt for logging in and only then does Windows start everything. It is not only games though:

• Windows Updates (and the needed reboots)
• Graphics Driver Updates
• Game Launcher Updates (Steam, Battlenet, Epic, etc.)
• Game Updates
• etc.

This should not be a problem!

Desired State

Often these gaming requests come in the evening, while I am cleaning the kitchen. My desired goal:

• Turn on my gaming PC from everywhere, even when I am not at home
• Update the important games immediately

Remove password for Windows 11 login

First, we need to remove the password prompt to let applications like steam start. Start with the shortcut Win+R and then type in netplwiz and hit enter/run:

Then align the setting, so that there is no password needed and boot:

That is it for the Windows part. Now my PC starts, logs me in and all applications will be started.

Steam Update Settings

I do not fully understand Steam's automatic downloads, but I do know that you can overwrite the setting per game. So, the two games I play at the moment are Hunt Showdown and Space Marine 2.
Those get the High Priority setting, and as soon as Windows starts and Steam starts, the games get the necessary updates.

Remotely start my Gaming PC with Home Assistant

For that, I developed the PokyPow. It's a small PCB you put into your PC and then you can remotely Power On/Off and monitor the Power On state.

PokyPow

Remotely power and monitor your computer with Home Assistant

Crowd Supply

Now I can use Home Assistant and power on my PC! 🎉

Here is a small demo:

That is it for now. I wish you a great day! 🌄