ZephyrHomeHub 🌟

A privacy-first, locally hosted smart home hub platform built on Zephyr RTOS

ZephyrHomeHub is an open-source, self-hosted home automation system that runs entirely on your local network. No cloud dependencies, no monthly fees, complete data ownership. Plug-and-play sensor nodes approach.

🏠 Project Overview

ZephyrHomeHub connects various IoT devices (nodes) to a central hub using lightweight, efficient protocols. The system is designed for real-time sensor monitoring, video streaming, and voice command processing - all running locally in your home.

Key Features

• 🔒 Privacy-First: Everything runs locally - no data leaves your network
• ⚡ Real-Time Performance: Zephyr RTOS ensures deterministic, low-latency responses
• 🔧 Modular Architecture: Easily add new sensor types and capabilities
• 🌐 Standards-Based: Built on CoAP and mDNS for interoperability
• 📱 Rich Visualization: Built-in display support for real-time monitoring

🛠️ Hardware Architecture

Hub Controller

• Primary Board: STM32F746G Discovery Board
• Features: Built-in display, Ethernet, ample processing power
• Role: Central server, data aggregation, user interface

Sensor Nodes

Node Type	Board	Sensor	Purpose
Temperature/Humidity	ESP32-S3 DevKitM	BME280	Environmental monitoring
Camera	ESP32-S3 XIAO	Camera module	Video streaming & capture
Voice Commands	B-L475E-IOT01A1	Microphones	Voice recognition processing

📁 Project Structure

The project is structured in a hub folder for the main hub server and a nodes folder withe the app of each node. Each node app has its own README.md file.

ZephyrHomeHub/
├── apps/
│   ├── hub/                 # Main hub application (STM32F7)
│   │   ├── src/
│   │   └── boards/
│   └── nodes/               # Various node applications
│       ├── wifi_based_node/      # Based network node for other purpuses
│       ├── temperature_node/     # ESP32-S3 with BME280
│       ├── camera_node/          # ESP32-S3 XIAO camera
│       └── voice_command_node/   # ST B-L475 voice recognition
├── docs/                    # Documentation
├── scripts/                 # Build and utility scripts
└── west.yml                 # Zephyr west with Zephyr version

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Zephyr RTOS development environment
• West tool for Zephyr project management
• Hardware boards as listed above

Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/ZephyrHomeHub.git
   cd ZephyrHomeHub

2. Initialize West workspace

   west init -l apps/
   west update

3. Build the hub application

   cd apps/hub
   west build -b stm32f746g_disco
   west flash

4. Build a node application

   cd apps/nodes/temperature
   west build -b esp32s3_devkitm
   west flash

📡 Communication Protocol

Discovery (mDNS)

Nodes automatically advertise their services using multicast DNS:

Service: _zephyrhomehub._udp.local
TXT Records: node_type, capabilities, version

Data Exchange (CoAP)

Lightweight request-response protocol for efficient IoT communication:

coap://[node-ip]:5683/sensors/temperature
coap://[node-ip]:5683/camera/stream
coap://[node-ip]:5683/voice/command

🔧 Configuration

Network Setup

The system supports both Ethernet and WiFi connectivity:

• Hub: Typically uses Ethernet for reliability
• Nodes: Use WiFi for flexible placement
• Automatic Discovery: No manual IP configuration needed

Adding New Nodes

1. Implement the node application in apps/nodes/
2. Define mDNS service advertisement
3. Implement CoAP resources for data exposure
4. Build and flash to target hardware

🎯 Current Capabilities

✅ Implemented Features

• Network initialization (Ethernet/WiFi)
• Temperature/humidity sensing
• Basic hub-node communication framework

🚧 In Development

• CoAP client/server communication
• mDNS service discovery
• Camera video streaming
• Voice command processing
• Web interface for remote monitoring
• Data logging and visualization
• Mobile app integration

🤝 Contributing

We love contributions! Here's how you can help:

Development Areas Needed

1. Device Drivers: Support for new sensors and cameras
2. Protocol Implementation: Enhanced CoAP features, DTLS security
3. User Interfaces: Web dashboard, mobile apps
4. Documentation: Tutorials, API references, hardware guides
5. Testing: Automated testing, hardware validation

Contribution Process

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

First Time Contributors

Check out our Good First Issues to get started!

📊 Supported Hardware

We're continuously expanding hardware support:

Tested Boards

• STM32F746G Discovery
• ESP32-S3 DevKitM
• ESP32-S3 XIAO
• ST B-L475E-IOT01A1

Planned Support

• Raspberry Pi Pico W
• nRF5340 DK
• Other ESP32 variants

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

• mDNS not working: Ensure multicast is enabled on your router
• CoAP timeouts: Check firewall settings for UDP port 5683
• Build errors: Verify Zephyr environment variables are set

Getting Help

• 📖 Check the documentation
• 🐛 Create an Issue
• 💬 Join our Discussions

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Zephyr Project for the amazing RTOS foundation
• STMicroelectronics for hardware support
• Espressif for ESP32 tooling and support
• All contributors who help make this project better

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Ready to get started? ⭐ Star this repo and check out our Getting Started Guide!

ZephyrHomeHub - Your home, your data, your control.