Why build my own smart home

Off-the-shelf systems split into two camps: either they’re closed and cloud-locked (so they don’t work when the internet doesn’t), or they’re open but require gluing a dozen projects together. Kratyr is an attempt at something in between — cohesive, small, local.

Assumptions

Local. No cloud, no external sharing. Accounts and telemetry stay inside the Kratyr system — on your hardware, in your network, never in someone else’s database. Use the telemetry however you want; nothing leaves your walls unless you say so.
Custom protocol. One shared frame format across every node.
Rust, no_std. Deterministic firmware, testable, portable.
Open-core (later). Long-term plan: open-core in a GitLab-style model. For now the code stays private while the project matures.

POC hardware — Nippy Smart

For the proof of concept I’m using Nippy Smart modules. They’re based on ATmega328PB, dead simple to flash, and I already had a batch sitting around — bought them for the house before deciding to go custom. Their hardware is solid.

The stock firmware runs on MySensors, which didn’t fit my needs and, in my experience, wasn’t as stable as it could be. So I replaced it with Kratyr firmware. The modules are a stepping stone — once I have my own PCBs, they’re gone.

What’s already done

HAL architecture (core → common → platform).
First node running and talking to the gateway.
Frame parser/builder with integrity checks.

What’s next

The next few weeks: protocol stabilization, a bootloader, a second node type (6-input / 6-output).