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Set up your home step by step, install firmware from this page, or look up an answer.

🚀Quick StartFrom a box of parts to your first automation, step by step. ⚡Install firmwarePut EZHome on a sensor node from your browser, or update the Main Brain's radio. 💬FAQAnswers about hardware, pairing, security and fixing problems.

Quick Start

Up and running in eight steps.

Steps 3 and 4 use your Main Brain's address. Type it here and the links and commands below fill it in.

Find it in your router's list of connected devices, or in the messages the Main Brain prints on its serial console when it starts.

  1. Get the hardware

    • Main Brain: an Elecrow CrowPanel Advanced 7″ with an ESP32-P4
    • Sensor nodes: ESP32-C6 or ESP32-S3 development boards, such as the ESP32-C6-DevKitC-1 or ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1
    • A USB cable that carries data, not just power
    • A computer with Chrome or Edge, and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi at home
    • Optional: an Android phone, and a Philips Hue bridge

  2. Install the Main Brain firmware

    If your Main Brain already runs EZHome, go on to step 3. A browser installer for the Main Brain is on the way; it will appear under Install firmware.

  3. Open the web app and pair

    On a computer on your home Wi-Fi, open the Main Brain's web app, iotemi:home. Pair this browser straight away: the first device pairs without a code, and every device after it needs one.

    Open the web app ↗ http://BRAIN-ADDRESS/

  4. Install the radio firmware

    The Main Brain's Bluetooth radio is a second chip inside the panel. It needs EZHome's radio firmware before it can talk to sensor nodes, and it's installed through the Main Brain.

    1. Download the radio firmware. Download hub_radio.bin
    2. In the web app, open Settings → Signed-in devices → Add a device to get a pairing code. Pair your computer by running this command with the code in place of CODE: 
      curl -X POST http://BRAIN-ADDRESS/api/v1/auth/pair -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"name": "My computer", "code": "CODE"}'
    3. The reply contains a token. Use it in place of TOKEN to send the firmware, from the folder you downloaded it to: 
      curl -X PUT -H "Authorization: Bearer TOKEN" --data-binary @hub_radio.bin http://BRAIN-ADDRESS/api/v1/radio/firmware
    4. The radio installs the firmware and restarts, then the Main Brain reconnects to it.

    On Windows, type curl.exe instead of curl in PowerShell.

  5. Install a sensor node

    Plug a node board into your computer and use the installer below. It recognises ESP32-C6 and ESP32-S3 boards.

  6. Add the node

    Power the node. It appears in the web app under Devices waiting to be added. Click Add, then use ⋯ to name it and put it in a room.

  7. Get the app

    In the EZHome app for Android, enter the Main Brain's address. To pair the phone, get a code on a signed-in device from Settings → Signed-in devices → Add a device.

  8. Make it yours

    Create rooms and groups in Settings, and your first rule under Automations. To use the app away from home, open Settings → Remote access and set Relay server to wss://ezhome.live:32123, the address of the EZHome Link.

Install firmware

Install from your browser.

There's nothing to download first. Connect the board to this computer with a USB cable and click Install. This works in Chrome and Edge on a desktop or laptop.

Sensor node

ESP32-C6 · ESP32-S3

The starter node: chip temperature, uptime, the BOOT button, and the on-board RGB LED with colour and blink controls. It's an easy way to try EZHome before you connect your own sensors.

Not available yet. Check back soon.

Main Brain

ESP32-P4 · CrowPanel Advanced 7″

Coming soon. The Main Brain's Wi-Fi details are currently built into its firmware, so a single download can't work in every home yet.

Main Brain radio

ESP32-C6 inside the Main Brain

The radio sits under the panel's screen, so it's updated through the Main Brain instead of over USB. Download it, then follow step 4 of the Quick Start.

Not available yet. Check back soon.

Before you start

  • Use a USB cable that carries data. Many charging cables don't.
  • On Linux, let the browser open the port: run sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER, then log out and back in.
  • If the board isn't found, hold its BOOT button, press RESET, let go of BOOT, and try again.
  • If you choose to erase the board, it also leaves its mesh. Add it to your Main Brain again afterwards.

FAQ

Questions and answers.

Getting started

What do I need to get started?
A Main Brain (an Elecrow CrowPanel Advanced 7″ with an ESP32-P4), at least one ESP32-C6 or ESP32-S3 board as a sensor node, and a USB cable that carries data. The Quick Start takes you through the rest.
Does EZHome need the internet or a cloud account?
No. Your devices, your rules and the app all work inside your home, on your own Wi-Fi. The Main Brain uses the internet only to set its clock, and for remote access through the Link if you turn it on.
Which phones and computers can I use?
The EZHome app is available for Android, and an iOS app is coming. Any browser on your home network can also use the Main Brain's web app, iotemi:home.
Does it work with Philips Hue?
Yes. Pair your Hue bridge under Settings → Integrations, pressing the link button on the bridge when asked. Your Hue lights then appear with your other devices and can be used in rules.

Devices and the mesh

How far can a sensor node be from the Main Brain?
Each node only has to reach the Main Brain or another node, because every node passes on its neighbours' messages. To cover a room that's too far away, add a node in between.
Which sensors and switches can a node use?
For now: the chip's own temperature, uptime, buttons and other on/off inputs, on/off outputs such as relays, and addressable RGB LEDs with colour and blink controls. More are on the way.
Can I set up a node with my own sensors?
A node is described by a short YAML file that lists its sensors and switches. Building a node from your own file needs the EZHome source code, which isn't public yet. Until then, the installer puts the starter node on your board.
How do I remove or reset a node?
Remove it from the Devices page (⋯ → Remove), or hold the node's BOOT button for 5 seconds and it leaves the mesh by itself. It then shows up again under Devices waiting to be added.
What happens after a power cut?
Everything comes back on its own. The Main Brain keeps your device names, rooms, groups and rules, and the nodes stay in the mesh.

Security and privacy

How is my home kept secure?
Every phone and browser pairs with the Main Brain and sends its own token with each request. A new device needs a 6-digit pairing code from one that's already signed in. The Bluetooth mesh uses a key that your Main Brain creates for your home.
Why should I pair as soon as I set up the Main Brain?
Until the first device pairs, anyone on your home network could claim the Main Brain. After that, every new device needs a pairing code.
Can the Link control my home?
No. The Link doesn't decide who can use your Main Brain: the Brain checks the token on every request, just as it does at home. Messages are encrypted on the way to and from the Link.

Troubleshooting

Where do I find a pairing code?
On a device that's already signed in, open Settings → Signed-in devices → Add a device. A code has 6 digits and lasts 10 minutes. If no device is signed in any more, the Main Brain prints a code on its serial console when it starts.
The installer says my browser isn't supported.
Installing over USB uses Web Serial, which works in Chrome, Edge and Opera on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS. It doesn't work in Firefox or Safari, or on phones and tablets.
The installer can't find my board.
Try another cable, since many only charge, and another USB port. Then hold BOOT, press RESET, let go of BOOT, and try again. On Linux, check that you're in the dialout group.
My node doesn't appear under Devices waiting to be added.
Check that the radio firmware is installed (Quick Start step 4): with the radio's original firmware, the Main Brain has Wi-Fi but no mesh. If the node was in a mesh before, hold its BOOT button for 5 seconds to reset it.
The app doesn't connect when I'm away from home.
In the web app, open Settings → Remote access and check that Relay server, the EZHome Link, is wss://ezhome.live:32123 and shows connected. Away from home, the app only uses encrypted addresses.