Self-Hosted UpaSmartHome: Run It Completely Offline, No Cloud Required

UpaSmartHome doesn't require a cloud account to work. Choose the Self-Hosted plan during setup and your Pi never contacts upanet.org at all - not for daily use, not for pairing, not even for updates. Everything - Zigbee sensors, heating schedules, relay automation, Apple HomeKit - runs entirely on your own network.

1. Flash the golden image onto the Pi

Open Raspberry Pi Imager on your computer, press Ctrl+Shift+X (Cmd+Shift+X on macOS) to open its hidden settings panel, and add https://upanet.org/imager/os_list.json as a "Custom repository JSON URL". UpaSmartHome then appears in Imager's OS list like any built-in option - choose it, pick your SD card, and flash. See our flashing guide for the full walkthrough, including a direct download link if you'd rather flash manually with a different tool.

2. Boot the Pi and open the setup page

Once your Pi has booted and joined your Wi-Fi (see our Bluetooth Wi-Fi setup guide if it's not already on Ethernet), open http://smarthome.local/setup in a browser on the same network.

3. Choose Self-Hosted

The setup page offers two plans side by side. Pick Self-Hosted instead of entering a pairing code - there's nothing to enter, since this unit will never be claimed against our cloud.

4. Set your own login, or let one be generated

Type a username and password you'll remember, or leave both fields blank and one will be generated for you. Either way, write it down - it's shown exactly once, on the page right after setup finishes, and there's no account or confirmation email to recover it from later.

5. Get the app and point it at your Pi

Download UpaSmartHome free for iOS or Android. On the login screen, choose "Custom API Server" and enter:

http://smarthome.local/api/

Also set the Custom WebSocket URL field to ws://smarthome.local/ - don't leave it to auto-derive, its default guess doesn't match this setup. Log in with the username and password from step 4.

What works, and what doesn't

Fully working, entirely on your own Wi-Fi: live sensor readings, heating schedules, relay control, Zigbee pairing, and Apple HomeKit.

Not available on this plan, since they all ride the cloud relay it never connects to: remote access away from home, push notifications, Amazon Alexa, and automatic updates - you'd rebuild and redeploy new versions yourself from the open-source firmware.

Want remote access without giving up self-hosting entirely? See running your own backend instead - a step up from Local Only that keeps you fully independent while still working away from home.