OUR PHILOSOPHY
Technology Should Serve People
Not the other way around. We build on proven open-source infrastructure with no proprietary lock-in.
Local-First
Your data stays on hardware you own
Open Source
No vendor lock-in, ever
Service Over Software
We manage it so you don't have to
Professional Infrastructure, Not DIY Experiments
Your smart home runs on proven, production-grade systems—designed to catch problems before you notice them. Think of it as having your own IT department, but as a managed service.
Smart Monitoring
- • Real-time health tracking: We see when something's not right
- • Early problem detection: Issues flagged before they affect you
- • Predictive maintenance: Equipment problems caught early
- • Performance optimization: Your system runs efficiently
- • Smart automations: Occupancy detection, energy savings, adaptive lighting
Secure by Design
- • Network isolation: Smart devices separated from your computers and phones
- • Encrypted connections: Secure tunnels for remote access
- • Professional hardware: Business-grade networking equipment
- • Remote management: We maintain your system securely, without exposing it to the internet
- • Backup & recovery: Your configuration is protected
The result? Professional-grade systems, managed as a service. We handle the complexity—monitoring, security, updates—while you simply enjoy reliable automation.
How It Works
Your smart home runs on hardware at your location. Your data stays yours. Your system alerts us when something needs attention, and we maintain everything remotely.
Your System
At your home or property
Small, quiet hardware that runs everything locally. Stores your data, controls your devices, works even if internet goes down.
- • All your data stays here
- • Controls smart devices locally
- • Offline operation capability
- • Hardware you own
Somni Operations
Remote management & alerts
Your system alerts us when something needs attention. We deploy updates and fix issues remotely.
- • Automated health alerts
- • Remote updates & maintenance
- • Self-healing infrastructure
- • Support when you need it
For the Technically Curious: Complete Architecture
How We Manage Your System Remotely
System Management: Your local system runs multiple services that we can update and scale remotely. Updates happen automatically in the background—your lights don't turn off while we upgrade your system. If an update causes issues, we can instantly roll back to the previous version.
Your Local Access: Access all dashboards from any device on your local network. Home Assistant, energy monitoring, tenant management (property owners) - all available at home.local or 192.168.x.x addresses. No internet required for daily use.
Your Remote Access (Optional Add-On): Secure remote access lets you control your home from anywhere. Access your dashboards from your phone while traveling—no port forwarding, no complicated setup, just secure HTTPS. Completely separate from our management access.
Our Management Access (Included): We connect to your system through a secure, encrypted tunnel that's completely separate from your home network. We can push updates and troubleshoot remotely without opening any ports on your router—hackers can't even see there's anything to attack. Your access and our management access are on separate networks. (Technical: Tailscale VPN with WireGuard encryption)
Complete Open-Source Stack (20+ Services)
Core Platform
- • Home Assistant - Device integration & automation
- • Service Manager - Keeps all services running smoothly
- • Tailscale - Secure VPN mesh network
- • Cloudflare - Zero Trust tunnels & CDN
Data & Storage
- • PostgreSQL - Primary database
- • Nextcloud - File storage & sync
- • Paperless-ngx - Document management
- • Homebox - Home inventory
Property Management (Optional)
- • Grocy - Inventory & chores
- • Custom dashboards - Tenant & lease tracking
- • Infisical - Secrets management
Automation & AI
- • Node-RED - Visual automation flows
- • Ollama - Local LLM runtime
- • LocalAI - Self-hosted AI models
- • Music Assistant - Multi-room audio
Security & Monitoring
- • Wazuh - Security monitoring (SIEM)
- • Pi-hole - Network-wide ad blocking
- • Bitwarden - Password management
- • Frigate - NVR with AI detection
Computer Vision
- • Frigate - Smart camera NVR
- • CompreFace - Face recognition
- • Double-Take - Person detection
- • Scrypted - Video integration
Notifications
- • ntfy - Push notifications
- • Gotify - Self-hosted notifications
Development
- • Rally - Project management
- • Automated Deployments - Updates pushed remotely
How It Works
Your Local System: A small, quiet computer at your location runs everything. All your data stays in your home—nothing goes to the cloud unless you choose to back it up.
Self-Healing: If something crashes, it automatically restarts within seconds. The system monitors itself and fixes problems without waiting for us to intervene.
Room to Grow: Start with basic automation. Add more capabilities later if you want local AI, video processing, or advanced features. The system adapts as your needs change.
How We Support You: Your system sends us health alerts through a secure connection. We see dashboards showing how everything is running—and get notified if something needs attention.
Seamless Updates: We push updates remotely. Your system installs them without interruption—your lights keep working while we upgrade software. If anything goes wrong, it automatically rolls back.
Works Offline: If your internet drops, your smart home keeps working. Local control, automations, everything functions. You only lose remote access until internet returns.
Why This Matters: Complete Portability
Every service listed above is open-source and exportable. If you ever leave Somni, you could:
- • Hire another systems engineer to manage your cluster
- • Manage it yourself if you're technical (we'll provide documentation)
- • Export all data and migrate to another platform
You own the hardware. You own the data. You own the configurations. We're just the operations team managing it for you.
Custom Somni Components
Custom software we've built to make your smart home work better. Open source, actively maintained, deployed across 5+ homes and properties.
Somni Global
DEPLOYEDCore integration providing global services, system coordination, and unified state management across all Somni components.
Somni AI
IN DEVNatural language processing for voice/text commands. Context-aware responses with local LLM support and cloud fallback.
Somni ML
IN DEVMachine learning for pattern recognition, anomaly detection, and predictive maintenance across building systems.
Somni Lights
DEPLOYEDIntelligent lighting control with adaptive brightness, circadian rhythm support, and occupancy-aware automation.
Somni Occupancy
DEPLOYEDMulti-sensor occupancy detection combining motion, door sensors, and device presence for accurate room status.
Somni Spatial
DEPLOYEDRoom adjacency graph with digital twin visualization. Events propagate intelligently across connected spaces based on configurable weights.
Apple HomeKit Bridge
DEPLOYEDControl your smart home from iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Works with Siri and Apple Home app.
Open Source Foundation
Every Somni component is built on open-source technology. No hidden behaviors, no backdoors, no vendor lock-in.
No Black Boxes
Full transparency in every component
No Lock-In
Switch providers or self-manage anytime
Community-Driven
Built on Home Assistant's millions of users
Your Private Application Library
Replace cloud subscriptions with self-hosted alternatives. All applications use a single login with multi-factor authentication—no more password sprawl or monthly fees to a dozen different services.
Home Assistant
Nextcloud
Bitwarden
Grafana
AdGuard
Prometheus
Obsidian
Node-RED
Pi-holeHome AssistantNextcloudBitwardenGrafanaAdGuardPrometheusObsidianNode-REDPi-holeHome AssistantNextcloudBitwardenGrafanaAdGuardPrometheusObsidianNode-REDPi-hole
PostgreSQL
Docker
Kubernetes
Tailscale
Cloudflare
Redis
n8n
Calibre
Ollama
Traefik
ESPHomePostgreSQLDockerKubernetesTailscaleCloudflareRedisn8nCalibreOllamaTraefikESPHomePostgreSQLDockerKubernetesTailscaleCloudflareRedisn8nCalibreOllamaTraefikESPHomePhotos & Media
Never pay for cloud photo storage again
- +Immich - Full Google Photos replacement with AI search, face recognition, mobile backup
- +Calibre-Web - E-book library with Kindle sync
- +Music Assistant - Multi-room audio control
Security & Privacy
Enterprise-grade security for your home
- +Bitwarden - Password manager for you and your family
- +Frigate - AI-powered camera system with person/vehicle detection
- +AdGuard - Network-wide ad blocking and privacy protection
Files & Documents
Dropbox and Google Drive alternatives
- +Nextcloud - File sync, calendar, contacts, and collaboration
- +Paperless-NGX - Scan, OCR, and organize all your documents
- +Obsidian - Knowledge management and note-taking
Smart Home
The core of your automation
- +Home Assistant - Central hub connecting 3,000+ device types
- +Node-RED - Visual automation flows for complex scenarios
- +ESPHome - Custom sensors and devices
Household Management
Organize your home and life
- +Grocy - Grocery lists, meal planning, chore tracking
- +Homebox - Home inventory with QR labels
- +Firefly III - Personal finance and budgeting
Business & Productivity
For home offices and side businesses
- +Invoice Ninja - Professional invoicing and client management
- +DocuSeal - Document signing (DocuSign alternative)
- +Cal.com - Scheduling and booking (Calendly alternative)
Replace $100-200/month in Subscriptions
Google Photos, Dropbox, 1Password, DocuSign, Calendly—those subscriptions add up. Self-hosted alternatives give you the same features with no monthly fees and complete privacy.
- + No per-user pricing
- + Share with your whole family
- + Your data never leaves your home
- + We handle all updates and maintenance
Total applications available:
77+
Pre-configured and ready to deploy. All with single sign-on and multi-factor authentication.
See the Math: Cloud Subscription Costs vs Self-Hosted
Typical Family Cloud Subscription Stack
Based on 2024-2025 pricing for a household of 4-6 people
| Category | Cloud Service | Monthly | Self-Hosted Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo Storage | Google One / iCloud (2TB) | $9.99 | Immich - Free |
| Cloud Storage | Dropbox Family / M365 | $12.99-16.99 | Nextcloud - Free |
| Password Manager | 1Password Families | $4.99 | Bitwarden - Free |
| Document Signing | DocuSign Personal | $10-15 | DocuSeal - Free |
| Scheduling | Calendly Standard | $10-12 | Cal.com - Free |
| Note Taking | Evernote Personal | $14.99 | Joplin - Free |
| Budgeting | YNAB | $14.99 | Actual Budget - Free |
| Media Server | Plex Pass | $6.99 | Jellyfin - Free |
| VPN | NordVPN / ExpressVPN | $4-8 | WireGuard - Free |
| Camera Storage | Ring / Nest Subscription | $10-20 | Frigate NVR - Free |
| Conservative Total | $100-120/mo | $0/mo | |
The Per-User Pricing Trap
Many services charge per seat. For a family of 4-6, costs multiply quickly:
- • Evernote Personal: $15/user/mo × 4 users = $60/month just for notes
- • Calendly Teams: $16/user/mo × 2 users = $32/month
- • DocuSign Standard: $25/user/mo for unlimited signatures
- • Notion with AI: $18/user/mo × 4 users = $72/month
This is why realistic family costs often reach $150-200/month or more.
Conservative Savings
$1,200
per year
Typical Family Savings
$1,800
per year
Power User Savings
$2,400+
per year
Hardware You Own
Your Smart Home Hardware
Beelink Mini S12 Pro - Quiet, energy-efficient mini PC
For property owners: A single mini PC manages your entire small multi-unit building (2-4 units) with one centralized system.
You Own All Hardware
These aren't leased devices. When you pay the setup fee, this hardware is yours. If you ever leave Somni, you keep everything.
Hardware & Vendor Ecosystem
We use preferred vendors who share our commitment to local control, open standards, and reliability. No proprietary ecosystems, no cloud dependencies.
Ubiquiti: Foundation for Everything
Every Somni deployment starts with Ubiquiti UniFi infrastructure. Professional-grade networking, security cameras, and access control that just works. Somni integrates deeply with UniFi, expanding its utility with intelligent automation and centralized management.
UniFi Network
- • Dream Machine / Dream Router
- • UniFi switches for PoE devices
- • WiFi 6/7 access points
- • Smart devices isolated from your main network
- • Traffic analytics and monitoring
UniFi Protect
- • AI-powered security cameras
- • Local NVR recording (no cloud)
- • Person/vehicle detection
- • Integrated with Home Assistant
- • Event-driven automation triggers
UniFi Access
- • Smart door locks and readers
- • Access control management
- • Per-tenant access codes (property owners)
- • Entry/exit logging and analytics
- • Integrated with work orders
Somni's Integration: We connect UniFi's camera events, network presence, and access logs to your automation system. Cameras detect motion → lights turn on. Door unlocks → HVAC adjusts. Network traffic anomalies → security alerts.
Lighting Control: Your Choice
Philips Hue
Premium smart lighting
- • Wide bulb selection (color, white, ambiance)
- • Local API control via Hue Bridge
- • Reliable, battle-tested hardware
- • Perfect for homes and apartments
- • Entertainment sync capabilities
Lutron Caseta
Professional-grade dimmers & switches
- • In-wall dimmers and switches
- • Works with any dimmable bulb
- • Pico remote controls
- • Rock-solid local control
- • Ideal for permanent installations
Shelly Relays
WiFi smart switches & relays
- • Retrofit existing switches
- • No neutral wire required (some models)
- • Local MQTT and HTTP control
- • Budget-friendly option
- • Works with any fixture
Mix and match based on room requirements and budget. All integrate seamlessly with SomniLights for unified control.
Apollo Automations: Preferred Sensors
Apollo Automations builds exactly what we need: local-controlled, fully open-source sensors designed for professional deployments. No cloud dependencies, no proprietary protocols, just reliable hardware that respects your data.
MSR-1 Multi-Sensor
- • mmWave presence detection (human presence, not just motion)
- • Temperature, humidity, light level
- • CO2, VOC air quality monitoring
- • 100% local ESPHome integration
- • Perfect for SomniOccupancy and HVAC control
MTR-1 mmWave Motion Sensor
- • Detects presence even when stationary
- • No false negatives (unlike PIR sensors)
- • Tunable sensitivity and zones
- • Open-source firmware (ESPHome)
- • Powers intelligent lighting automation
Why Apollo Automations?
Fully Open Source
ESPHome-based firmware. You can modify, audit, and customize every sensor.
100% Local Control
Zero cloud dependency. Sensors talk directly to Home Assistant via local network.
Built for Pros
Designed for integrators and automation professionals, not just DIY hobbyists.
Real-world impact: Apollo sensors power SomniOccupancy's accurate presence detection, enabling truly hands-free automation. Walk into a room, lights adjust automatically. Leave, everything turns off - no motion sensor delays or false triggers.
Additional Trusted Vendors
Climate Control
- • Ecobee thermostats
- • Nest (local API)
- • Sensibo AC controllers
Smart Locks
- • Yale Assure series
- • Schlage Encode
- • August (WiFi models)
- • UniFi Access locks
Leak Detection
- • Aqara water sensors
- • Shelly Flood sensors
- • Smart water shutoffs
Energy Monitoring
- • Emporia Vue
- • Sense Energy Monitor
- • Shelly EM
3,000+ Compatible Devices
Thanks to Home Assistant's massive ecosystem, you're not locked into specific vendors. We recommend the above based on reliability and local control, but Somni works with thousands of brands and devices.
See It In Action
Want to discuss how this technology fits your specific home or property? Let's talk.