Local-first Matter-over-Thread smart home automation system tailored for Indian apartments.
ApartmentThread is a zero-cloud, pattern-based home automation deployment architecture. It replaces brittle cloud apps (Tuya/SmartLife) with a resilient, 100% local mesh that suffers zero degradation when internet fiber drops, while preserving standard 24/7 mechanical rocker switch overrides in Indian modular switchboards.
- 100% Local-First / Zero Cloud: Every automation, thread route, and sensor report runs strictly inside the home LAN.
- Decentralized In-Wall Actuation: Room switchboards use Tinxy 4+1 modular switch plates with fan speed controllers, keeping manual mechanical switches fully operational even if the server is offline.
- Low-Power Matter-over-Thread Sensing: Custom low-voltage sensors (Sentinel 24GHz mmWave radar, magnetic reed switches) communicate over IEEE 802.15.4 Thread mesh to an OpenThread Border Router (ESP32-H2) hosted on a Radxa Zero 3E SBC running Home Assistant in Docker.
The full architectural blueprint, bill of materials, hardware pinouts, and staging sequences are maintained in the wiki/ directory:
- Wiki Index & Architecture — System architecture overview and design principles.
- Room Patterns & Requirements — Behavior specifications, hallway timers, presence sensing, and state transitions.
- Hardware Components:
- Host Server (
SRV-1) — Radxa Zero 3E SBC, Armbian, and Docker runtime. - Thread Border Router (
BR-1) — M5Stack ESP32-H2 802.15.4 radio on 3.3V UART2. - Presence Sensor (
PS-1) — Sentinel 24GHz mmWave radar (LD2410S + XIAO nRF52840). - Door Contact Sensor (
DS-1) — Matter-over-Thread door contact (XIAO ESP32-C6 + MC-38 reed switch). - Modular Switch Plates (
SW-1) — In-wall Tinxy 4+1 retrofits with fan regulators.
- Host Server (
- Bill of Materials (BOM) — Complete parts list, pricing, and component procurement links.
- Installation Guide — 5-stage sequential physical build, flashing, and commissioning instructions.
- Sensing Reference — mmWave radar wave propagation, enclosure tuning, and radar vs. PIR physics.