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Freedomotic tutorial

What is Freedomotic?

Freedomotic is an open‑source, modular home automation platform designed to let you control devices, build scenes and automate tasks using a flexible, plugin‑based architecture. It supports multiple protocols and can run on lightweight hardware, making it suitable for DIY smart homes.

Why choose Freedomotic?

• Open source: no vendor lock‑in and extensible codebase.
• Modular plugins: add protocol support or features as needed.
• Lightweight: runs on Raspberry Pi and small servers.
• Visual tools: dashboard and flow editors for building automations.

Installation (assumes Linux / Raspberry Pi)

1. Install Java 11+:
   • Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt update && sudo apt install openjdk-11-jre
2. Download Freedomotic:
   • Get the latest release ZIP from the project releases page and extract it to /opt/freedomotic.
3. Run the server:
   • cd /opt/freedomotic && ./freedomotic.sh start
4. Open the web console:
   • Access http://:8081 in your browser (replace with your Pi IP).

Basic setup

1. Create an admin account in the web console.
2. Configure network and security settings (change default ports, enable TLS if exposed).
3. Install plugins for devices/protocols you need (e.g., MQTT, Z-Wave, Modbus).
4. Add devices (nodes) via the Devices panel or by importing configurations.

Creating automations

• Use the Flow Editor to create rules: define triggers (time, sensor events), add conditions, and set actions (turn devices on/off, send notifications).
• Example: Turn on lights at sunset
  1. Trigger: Sunset/time event.
  2. Condition: Presence detected OR house mode = Home.
  3. Action: Set living-room light = ON, brightness = 80%.

Dashboards and visualization

• Build customizable dashboards with widgets for switches, sensors, graphs and cameras.
• Use charts to track temperature, energy use, or occupancy over time.

Integrations and plugins

• Common plugins: MQTT for IoT devices, Modbus for industrial sensors, HTTP/API bridge, DB storage.
• To add a plugin: open Plugin Manager → Install → Configure credentials/ports → Restart if required.

Security best practices

• Run behind a firewall or VPN if accessible from the internet.
• Use TLS for remote access and strong admin passwords.
• Keep the system and plugins updated.

Backups and maintenance

• Regularly export configurations and database snapshots.
• Automate backups to an external drive or cloud storage.
• Monitor logs for errors and resource usage.

Troubleshooting tips

• If devices aren’t discovered: verify network connectivity and protocol ports.
• Check Freedomotic logs in the logs directory for stack traces.
• Restart the service after installing plugins or making major config changes.

Resources

• Project documentation and community forums (search for Freedomotic docs and community).

If you want, I can: 1) provide step‑by‑step commands for a specific OS, 2) write a sample flow JSON for the sunset lights example, or 3) list current popular plugins.