mHomeNode

mHomeNode

What It Is

mHomeNode is the native iOS companion app for the HomeNode ecosystem. It gives you direct control over your home from your iPhone — device control, dashboards, sensor readings, and notifications.

Crucially, mHomeNode also acts as the Matter Commissioner for the HomeNode network, handling secure device onboarding directly from the phone.

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Matter Commissioner Role

In the Matter protocol, commissioning is the process of securely adding a new device to the fabric. mHomeNode is the commissioner — it initiates and completes this process from the iPhone, leveraging the iOS Matter APIs.

Once a device is commissioned onto the fabric, it can be controlled by the HomeNode Server acting as the Matter controller.

New Matter Device
       │
       │  Commissioning (BLE + Wi-Fi / Thread)
       ▼
  mHomeNode (iOS)  ←── scans QR code / NFC, runs commissioning flow
       │
       │  Adds device to the Matter fabric
       ▼
 HomeNode Server  ←── takes over as controller / bridge

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Responsibilities

Matter Commissioning

• Scans QR codes or NFC tags to onboard new Matter devices
• Runs the full Matter commissioning flow via iOS Matter APIs
• Adds devices to the shared Matter fabric accessible by HomeNode Server

Device Control

• Turn devices on/off, dim lights, adjust thermostats
• Read sensor data: temperature, humidity, air quality, motion, presence
• Battery status monitoring
• Firmware update management

Dashboard & HMI

• Configurable room and device dashboard
• Ambient and environmental overview
• Scene activation
• Device grouping and zone management

System Features

• Home scanning (discovers devices on the local network)
• Presence detection and proximity triggers
• Voice assistant integration
• Notification delivery for home events

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Relationship to HomeNode Server

mHomeNode and HomeNode Server share the same Matter fabric. Their roles are distinct but complementary:

	mHomeNode (iOS)	HomeNode Server
Matter role	Commissioner	Controller or Bridge
Primary use	Onboarding, direct manual control	Automation, always-on control, bridging
When active	When the user has the app open	Always running

See HomeNode Server — Matter Roles for how the server's role is determined.

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Relationship to mChat

mHomeNode handles direct device control over the local network. mChat + the HomeNode Agent handle conversational interaction and group notifications via Nostr.

The two apps are complementary:

• Use mHomeNode to commission a new device or control something directly
• Use mChat to ask the Agent to do something or receive proactive alerts in a shared group

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Repository

Repository	Description
zehrer/mHomeNode	iOS app source

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Related

• Architecture — how mHomeNode fits in the full system
• HomeNode Server — acts as controller/bridge after commissioning
• mChat — companion chat app with the Agent bot
• Protocols — Matter, Thread, BLE commissioning details