What is Sparrow Home?

Sparrow Home is a self-hosted, local-first smart home platform that runs entirely on your own server. It connects and controls Zigbee devices through Zigbee2MQTT, giving you a live dashboard, automations and notifications without sending any data to the cloud. Everything from initial setup to daily use happens on hardware you own and fully control, with no manufacturer server in between.

What makes Sparrow Home different from cloud-based smart home systems?

Cloud smart home platforms route your commands and data through a manufacturer's servers, so an outage or a shutdown on their end can stop your devices from working correctly. Sparrow Home keeps automations, the dashboard and your data on your own hardware, so it keeps running with or without an internet connection. There is no cloud account and no dependency on a third-party service to operate your home.

Who is Sparrow Home designed for?

Sparrow Home is built for homeowners who want full control over their smart home, developers who want an extensible platform to build on, and technology enthusiasts who prefer self-hosted software over cloud subscriptions. It suits anyone comfortable running a small server, such as a Raspberry Pi, and who values owning their data over convenience add-ons.

Is Sparrow Home free to use?

Yes. The entire platform is free and open source under the MIT license, with no paid tiers, subscriptions or feature paywalls anywhere in the product. You can install it, modify it and run it on your own hardware at no cost, today and in the future.

Is Sparrow Home open source?

Yes. Sparrow Home is an open-source project available on GitHub, where you can inspect the full source code, report issues and contribute improvements directly. Development is shaped by community feedback through GitHub Issues rather than a closed, vendor-controlled roadmap.

Where can I download Sparrow Home?

The latest version is available on the official Sparrow Home GitHub repository, along with setup instructions, configuration examples and release notes for every version. New releases are published there as they become available, with no separate download portal or account required.

Does Sparrow Home store my data in the cloud?

No. Your data stays on your own server at all times, and Sparrow Home does not require a cloud account to operate. Device states, automations and history are all stored locally in your own database, under your control rather than a manufacturer's.

Who owns the data collected by Sparrow Home?

You own your data. Sparrow Home follows a privacy-first approach where every piece of information generated by your smart home, from sensor readings to automation logs, remains under your control rather than a vendor's, with no external party able to access or monetize it.

Is my smart home data shared with third parties?

No. Sparrow Home never sends your data to any third party, and there is no analytics or telemetry service built into the platform. The only way data leaves your network is if you deliberately configure remote access yourself, such as through Tailscale VPN.

Does Sparrow Home require an online account?

No. There is no cloud account to sign up for, and no email address or vendor login is needed to use the platform. You create your own local user during setup, and that account lives entirely on your server.

Can Sparrow Home work completely offline?

Yes. Automations, the dashboard and device control all work without an internet connection, since everything runs on your local network rather than a remote service. An internet connection is only needed for software updates and for remote access from outside your home.

Why is local-first better for privacy?

With a local-first design, your data never leaves your network unless you choose to expose it, which removes the risk of a third-party data breach affecting your home. It also means no company can change its privacy policy, get acquired, or shut down and take your smart home's history and configuration with it.

Does Sparrow Home work without an Internet connection?

Yes. Sparrow Home is designed as a local-first platform, so automations, dashboards and device control continue to work even if your Internet connection is unavailable. Only remote access from outside your home and software updates depend on being online, and both are optional day to day.

What happens if my Internet provider has an outage?

Nothing changes on your local network. Your devices, automations and dashboard keep working exactly as before, since none of that traffic depends on your internet connection reaching the outside world, unlike cloud-based platforms that route commands through a remote server.

Will automations continue to run without Internet?

Yes. Automations run locally on your own server, so a lost internet connection has no effect on scheduled actions or device-triggered rules. Schedules, conditions and device actions all execute on your local network exactly as configured.

Can I still control my lights during an Internet outage?

Yes, as long as you're connected to your local network, since the dashboard and device control run entirely on your own server rather than a remote service. Control from outside your home network requires internet only for the Tailscale VPN connection itself.

Which features require Internet access?

Only two things need internet: installing software updates from the GitHub repository, and remote access from outside your home network through Tailscale VPN. Everyday use on your local network, including automations, device control and the dashboard, works entirely offline without any external dependency.

How do I install Sparrow Home?

Clone the repository and start it with a single Docker Compose command, which sets up the database, MQTT broker, Zigbee2MQTT, backend and frontend automatically in their own containers. Step-by-step setup instructions, including the required configuration file, are available on the official GitHub repository.

Does Sparrow Home require Docker?

Docker is the recommended deployment method, since it bundles every required service, from the database to Zigbee2MQTT, into containers that start with one command. A local installation without Docker is also possible and is available as an option for development use.

Can I install Sparrow Home without Docker?

Yes. A local installation path is available for development use, where you run the frontend and backend directly on your machine with your own database and MQTT broker. Docker is still recommended for anyone running Sparrow Home as their day-to-day smart home system.

Which operating systems are supported?

Sparrow Home is tested on Ubuntu and Raspberry Pi OS, both of which run reliably on Raspberry Pi hardware and standard x86 servers. Any Linux system capable of running Docker should work as well, since the platform ships entirely as containers.

Can Sparrow Home run on a mini PC?

Yes. Any machine that can run Docker and has enough resources for the database and MQTT services will work, whether that's a Raspberry Pi, a mini PC, or a small home server. There's no hardware lock-in tying Sparrow Home to a specific device.

Can I migrate an existing installation?

You can migrate by copying your server's configuration files and Docker data volumes to the new machine, then restarting the containers there to pick up right where you left off. A guided, one-command migration tool is under consideration for a future release to simplify this further.

Why is Sparrow Home faster than cloud platforms?

Commands run on your local network instead of making a round trip to a remote server, so there's no internet latency involved in turning on a light or checking a sensor. Everything responds as fast as your local Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection allows, typically well under a second.

Does local automation reduce latency?

Yes. Automations execute directly on your server without a cloud call, so a motion sensor triggering a light happens in milliseconds rather than waiting on a round trip to the internet and back. This also means automations keep working smoothly even on a slow internet connection.

How much RAM does Sparrow Home require?

There's no strict published minimum, but a Raspberry Pi with a few gigabytes of RAM comfortably runs the full Docker stack, including the database, MQTT broker and Zigbee2MQTT, for a typical home. Larger Zigbee networks or heavier automation use may benefit from a bit more headroom.

Can Sparrow Home run on low-power hardware?

Yes. Raspberry Pi is a supported and tested setup, making Sparrow Home practical to run on affordable, low-power hardware that can stay on around the clock without a noticeable impact on your electricity bill.

Which Zigbee coordinators are supported?

Sparrow Home works with any Zigbee coordinator supported by Zigbee2MQTT, which covers a wide range of USB adapters from different vendors and chipsets. See the Zigbee2MQTT supported adapters list on GitHub for the current compatibility details before buying hardware.

Does Sparrow Home work with Zigbee2MQTT?

Yes. Sparrow Home connects to your Zigbee devices through Zigbee2MQTT, which handles the low-level radio communication and exposes devices over MQTT for Sparrow Home to control, automate and monitor.

Can I connect hundreds of Zigbee devices?

Zigbee mesh networks are designed to scale to large numbers of devices, with mains-powered devices acting as routers that extend range and reliability as the network grows. Practical limits depend more on your coordinator's capacity and network layout than on any restriction inside Sparrow Home.

Can different Zigbee brands work together?

Yes. Devices from many manufacturers can work together in the same network and even the same room, as long as they're supported by Zigbee2MQTT. Sparrow Home doesn't require matching brands or a single vendor's ecosystem to function.

Which Zigbee adapters are recommended?

Any USB Zigbee coordinator compatible with Zigbee2MQTT will work with Sparrow Home, since it relies on Zigbee2MQTT for device communication. The setup guide on GitHub lists a few tested adapters to help you choose one with confidence.

Does Sparrow Home use MQTT?

Yes. Sparrow Home connects to your devices through MQTT, using Zigbee2MQTT as the bridge between the Zigbee radio network and the application itself. This keeps the architecture modular and lets other MQTT-aware tools observe the same messages if needed.

MQTT is a lightweight, reliable messaging protocol built for exactly this kind of local device communication, which is why Zigbee2MQTT relies on it to expose Zigbee devices. It keeps message overhead low, which matters on modest hardware like a Raspberry Pi running several services at once.

Does Sparrow Home include its own MQTT broker?

Yes. The Docker Compose setup provisions a Mosquitto broker automatically as part of the stack, so MQTT messaging works out of the box without any separate installation or manual configuration on your part.

Yes. Mosquitto is the broker Sparrow Home provisions by default as part of its Docker Compose setup, so it's already running and configured once you start the stack, without any extra steps needed.

Can I connect my own MQTT broker?

The default setup provisions its own Mosquitto broker through Docker Compose, which is the supported and tested configuration today for reliability. Support for pointing Sparrow Home at an external, self-managed broker is under consideration for a future release.

Yes, for Zigbee device communication, since Zigbee2MQTT relies on it to bridge devices to Sparrow Home in real time. It runs automatically as part of the Docker Compose setup, so no manual configuration or separate installation is needed.

Can I create automations without programming?

Yes. Sparrow Home includes a visual no-code automation editor where you build rules from conditions and actions, without writing a single line of code or touching a configuration file. Anyone comfortable with drag-and-drop interfaces can set up their own automations.

Does Sparrow Home include a visual automation editor?

Yes. You build automations by combining conditions and actions in a drag-and-drop editor, which then runs locally on your server without any coding required. Schedules and device triggers can be layered together to create more complex behavior.

Can automations trigger other automations?

Chaining automations together isn't a supported pattern today, since each automation currently runs independently based on its own schedule or device trigger. This kind of automation-to-automation triggering, sometimes called cascading automations, is under consideration for a future release.

Can automations run completely offline?

Yes. Automations run locally on your own server, so they keep working during an internet outage exactly as they would with a connection, since there's no cloud service involved in evaluating conditions or executing actions.

Can automations use device states?

Yes. Actions can be scheduled to change a device's state, such as turning a plug on or off at a specific time, or in response to another device's current status, like a sensor detecting motion.

Can I schedule automations?

Yes. You can set actions to run at specific times or on specific days of the week, with the flexibility to assign different schedules to different actions within the same automation for more precise control.

Does Sparrow Home provide a live dashboard?

Yes. Sparrow Home provides a live dashboard that displays the current state of your smart home devices, sensors and automations in real time. Changes appear instantly without relying on cloud services, since the dashboard talks directly to your local server.

Can I customize the dashboard?

Yes, within the current feature set. You can choose which devices appear as favorites and pick their quick actions, so the most-used controls, like a specific light or plug, stay front and center on the main screen.

Can I create multiple dashboards?

Sparrow Home currently focuses on a single main dashboard that surfaces your favorite devices and overall home status at a glance. Support for multiple custom dashboards, for example one per room or one per household member, is under consideration for a future release.

Does the dashboard update in real time?

Yes. Device states and sensor readings update live as they change, so the dashboard always reflects what's actually happening in your home without needing a manual refresh.

How does Sparrow Home protect my account?

Sparrow Home uses JWT-based authentication to secure logins and API requests, so only authenticated sessions can control your devices or view your data. Tokens are verified on every request, without relying on a third-party identity provider.

Does Sparrow Home use JWT authentication?

Yes. JWT tokens secure logins and API access, verifying every request without needing to store session state on the server. This keeps authentication fast and self-contained, entirely within your own installation.

Is remote access encrypted?

Yes, when using the recommended Tailscale VPN, since Tailscale connections are end-to-end encrypted using WireGuard. This keeps traffic private even when you're accessing your home from a coffee shop or another country.

Self-hosted • Open source • MIT licensed

Home automation running entirely on your local network — without sending data to the cloud

Only your network • Your rules • Your security.
Devices, automations, and a live dashboard — all running on your own server. No cloud, no subscription, no vendor lock-in.

Quick setup View documentation

Runs on any machine on your network
Quick setup
Free license
Native Zigbee2MQTT & MQTT support

My Rooms＋

🔍 Search rooms, devices…

6 devices

Living Room

3 lights · 1 thermostat · 21.5°C3 ON

4 devices

Bedroom

Radiator valve · motion sensorSleep mode

＋ Add Room

Problem

Are you aware of these problems without our app?

Your home's data lives on someone else's server

Every bulb, sensor and lock reports back to a manufacturer's cloud — one you don't control and can't inspect.

One outage, and your lights stop working

Cloud-dependent devices fail the moment the vendor's servers go down — even for something as simple as a light switch.

Every brand wants its own app and subscription

A house full of devices means a phone full of apps, each with its own account, its own fee, its own silo.

You don't know how to manage multiple devices at once

Now you have many devices in one app, in one place, without connecting to the outside world.

Benefits

What you actually gain

No cloud, no subscription, no vendor lock-in.

All data stays on your server, and the system works even without internet. You pay no one a monthly fee to access your own home.

Full control over your own data.

No one but you has access to what happens in your home. You export, back up, and manage everything yourself, whenever you want.

An open ecosystem with no limits.

You connect devices from different brands in one place, with no artificial vendor barriers. You expand the system exactly the way you need.

One app. Total home control.

Manage your entire smart home from a single place. Lights, sensors, alarms, and automations — all accessible instantly, without juggling multiple apps.

Furthermore

See it in action

A real dashboard, real data, on your own hardware

Sparrow Home dashboard showing live home temperature, device status, and quick controls for connected devices

100% local

runs fully offline, on your network

Zigbee2MQTT

works with thousands of devices

MIT

free and open source, forever

Docker

one command to deploy

How it works

From Zigbee adapter to automated home

No cloud account, no pairing app, no subscription — set it up once on your own hardware.

Plug in a Zigbee adapter

Any supported USB Zigbee coordinator connects Sparrow Home to your devices.

Devices are discovered

Zigbee2MQTT finds and pairs your bulbs, sensors, and switches automatically.

Build automations

Drag conditions and actions together in the no-code editor — no scripting required.

Watch the dashboard

See every room's live state, plus history and energy stats over time.

Keeps running offline

Internet drops, your automations don't — everything stays on your local network.

Devices & Integrations

Works with the devices you already own

Zigbee2MQTT under the hood — no proprietary hub required.
Thousands of supported devices across dozens of brands.
Auto-discovery pairs new devices in seconds.
MQTT-native — bring your own sensors and scripts too.
Mix and match brands in the same room without friction.

My Devices＋

🔍 Search by name or brand…

Front door · Zigbee

Smart Lock

Aqara · battery 88%Locked

Garage · MQTT

Smart Plug

Sonoff · 42 W nowON

Automations＋

IF motion @ front door · after sunset

Porch light at dusk

→ turn on porch light, notifyON

IF everyone leaves

Away Mode

→ lock doors, lower heat to 16°COFF

Automations

Rules that run without an internet round-trip

No-code editor — conditions, actions, and schedules in a visual builder.
Scenes for "movie night," "goodnight," or any routine you name.
Runs on the device itself — no cloud call, no added latency.
Time, sensor, and presence triggers combined freely.
Versioned automations you can roll back if something breaks.

Dashboard & Stats

See the whole house at a glance

Live room view of every connected device.
Energy and usage charts over day, week, or month.
History log for every state change, searchable.
Custom layouts per room or per person.
Works on any browser — phone, tablet, or wall-mounted display.

Stats⋯

Power now

312 W

Devices online

18 / 19

Power draw — last 7 days

Alerts⚙️

Kitchen · 2 min ago

⚠️ Leak sensor triggered

Under-sink sensorAlert

3 sensors · below 15%

🔋 Low battery

Bedroom, hallway, garageWarning

Notifications

Know the moment something needs attention

Push and webhook alerts for motion, leaks, smoke, and battery levels.
Configurable thresholds — decide what counts as urgent.
Alert center with history and filters.
Delivered locally first, with optional remote relay.

Local-first data

Nothing leaves your network unless you say so

No cloud storage — logs, history, and credentials stay on your server.
JWT authentication plus recommended VPN for safe remote access.
Full data export any time, in open formats.
You control updates — nothing auto-updates behind your back.

Who it's for

Built for people who like to own their systems

Homelab & tinkerers

Already running a Raspberry Pi or a NAS? Sparrow Home slots right in alongside your other self-hosted services.

Privacy-conscious households GROWING

Want smart devices without a subscription or a data-sharing agreement? This is built for exactly that.

Why

🔌 Works with your existing Zigbee devices 🔒 Local-first — nothing leaves your network 🐳 Deploy in minutes with Docker 🧠 No-code automations 🆓 Free and open source (MIT)

Built by one developer, shaped by the community — feature requests and bug reports go straight to GitHub Issues.

Open source

Free to self-host, always

RECOMMENDED

Self-hosted

✓ Full source code, MIT licensed

✓ Unlimited devices & automations

✓ Community support on GitHub

Get started

Remote Relay ROADMAP

soon

✓ Remote access without a VPN

✓ Optional, still local-first by default

Coming soon

Are you happy?

Buy a coffee

👍 Building this project over coffee is your best reward for us

No pressure — it's just a nice gesture

Buy a coffee

We're on Buy Me a Coffee

No tiers, no paywalled features — the entire platform is free and open source under the MIT license.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Does the system work without Internet access?

Yes. Internet is only needed for software updates and remote access via VPN — everything on your local network keeps working during an outage.

Which communication protocols are supported?

Sparrow Home connects to your devices through MQTT, via Zigbee2MQTT.

How is my data protected?

Sparrow Home never stores data in the cloud. Everything stays on your own server, secured with JWT authentication.

Can I integrate devices from different manufacturers?

Yes — Sparrow Home supports the wide range of Zigbee devices covered by Zigbee2MQTT, across many brands and adapters.

Can I build automations without programming skills?

Yes, the no-code automation editor lets you build scenarios from conditions and actions without writing code.

See the full FAQ

See Sparrow Home running in your own home

Clone the repo, run one Docker command, and your devices show up in minutes.

View on GitHub Read the docs

Community

Have an idea for a new feature?

Share your suggestion below. You can also see what other users have proposed.

User suggestions 0

No suggestions yet. Be the first!

Blog

From the project log

Release notes

Why I Built Sparrow Home

After quite some time and a fair amount of work, Sparrow Home is finally available.

Read →

Roadmap

What's coming next

Remote relay, mobile companion app, and more integrations on the way.

Read →

About the author

Piotr Wróbel on why local-first, privacy-aware software matters.

Read →

Home automation running entirely on your local network — without sending data to the cloud

Are you aware of these problems without our app?

Your home's data lives on someone else's server

One outage, and your lights stop working

Every brand wants its own app and subscription

You don't know how to manage multiple devices at once

What you actually gain

No cloud, no subscription, no vendor lock-in.

Full control over your own data.

An open ecosystem with no limits.

One app. Total home control.

Furthermore

A real dashboard, real data, on your own hardware

From Zigbee adapter to automated home

Plug in a Zigbee adapter

Devices are discovered

Build automations

Watch the dashboard

Keeps running offline

Works with the devices you already own

Rules that run without an internet round-trip

See the whole house at a glance

Know the moment something needs attention

Nothing leaves your network unless you say so

Built for people who like to own their systems

Homelab & tinkerers

Privacy-conscious households GROWING

Why

Free to self-host, always

Frequently asked questions

See Sparrow Home running in your own home

Have an idea for a new feature?

From the project log

Why I Built Sparrow Home

What's coming next

About the author

Product

Resources

Community

Legal

Home automation running entirely on your local network — without sending data to the cloud

Are you aware of these problems without our app?

Your home's data lives on someone else's server

One outage, and your lights stop working

Every brand wants its own app and subscription

You don't know how to manage multiple devices at once

What you actually gain

No cloud, no subscription, no vendor lock-in.

Full control over your own data.

An open ecosystem with no limits.

One app. Total home control.

Furthermore

A real dashboard, real data, on your own hardware

From Zigbee adapter to automated home

Plug in a Zigbee adapter

Devices are discovered

Build automations

Watch the dashboard

Keeps running offline

Works with the devices you already own

Rules that run without an internet round-trip

See the whole house at a glance

Know the moment something needs attention

Nothing leaves your network unless you say so

Built for people who like to own their systems

Homelab & tinkerers

Privacy-conscious households GROWING

Why Sparrow Home

Free to self-host, always

Frequently asked questions

See Sparrow Home running in your own home

Have an idea for a new feature?

From the project log

Why I Built Sparrow Home

What's coming next

About the author

Product

Resources

Community

Legal

Why