PiHome is an open home automation system — physically at your place, built on open-source hardware and software. Lights, blinds, heating, and sensors run on your infrastructure without reliance on a vendor or the cloud.

Your home. Your data. Your rules.

All control electronics are integrated in a single low-voltage home distribution board that manages lighting, blinds, heating, and sockets, collects data from sensors, and governs the logic of the entire household. If you are building or renovating a house, cottage, or apartment and want a secure smart home that grows with your needs, PiHome is designed precisely for you.

What can PiHome do?

• Power circuit control – lighting, sockets, heating, blinds, irrigation, etc.

• Sensor data collection – temperature, humidity, motion (optionally others such as CO₂, electricity and water consumption, water tank volume, etc.)

• “If-then” logic – simple scenarios without the need for programming

• Modern web interfaces – responsive and customizable UI in OpenHAB or Home Assistant, with Grafana available

• Unlimited expansion possibilities – without licenses or system lock-in

Home Assistant and OpenHAB support hundreds of integrations — from photovoltaics to electric cars to voice assistants. Whatever you don’t need today, you can add anytime without changing the hardware.

PiHome vs commercial systems?

The main advantage of PiHome is independence from a specific vendor and the ability to customize and expand – which is crucial for a sustainable and long-term functional smart home solution. In real-world use, the needs, scenarios, and configuration naturally evolve over time.

Thanks to the low cost of the components used, you can also afford redundant elements (e.g., a control unit), which significantly increases system reliability and robustness – often beyond what typical proprietary solutions offer.

PiHome is built on components that are widely available and long-term supported. Raspberry Pi has a rich history and is widely used in both industry and homes. Arduino is effectively the standard for prototyping in smart home systems and is reliable enough for normal household deployment. Home Assistant and OpenHAB have tens of thousands of active users.

Openly: Who is PiHome suitable for, and who is it not

You don’t need to be a programmer or a Linux expert. A large community, Czech guides on opentux.eu, and tools like ChatGPT can lend a hand for the first steps. For more advanced configurations, we offer remote and in-person assistance.

How does PiHome work?

The heart of the system is the Raspberry Pi — a small, powerful, and industrially certified microcomputer. It runs the open-source platform Home Assistant or OpenHAB, which provides control, automation, and a clear web interface accessible from phone, tablet, or computer.

The switching logic and sensor data collection in individual rooms are handled by Arduino Mega boards — acting as a home PLC and operating independently of the software layer. Communication is “wired” via the MQTT standard.

All outputs are routed to RSA terminals, which your electrician connects to installation relays in the high-voltage distribution board. No special company or proprietary wiring is needed — a standard electrician and a normal electrical high-voltage installation with star topology are sufficient.

Want to use PiHome in your home?

In the How To section, we walk you through the complete process. For less technically experienced users, the fastest way is Pi-Home Pro — a pre-installed and tested setup in a low-voltage distribution board matching a model home configuration, optionally customized for your property. Simply place it next to the high-voltage distribution board, connect sensors and buttons via UTP cable, and link outputs to installation relays in your high-voltage board via your electrician.

Screenshots

Home Assistant Edition UI

OpenHAB Edition UI

PiHome Pro Hardware