HomeGenie - Dashboard - Demo Setup
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HomeGenie runs on a computer in your home, and you can access its web interface from any PC, tablet, or phone. To get started, download the ZIP archive for your operating system, extract the files, and run the included startup script. Then use the Setup guide for step-by-step configuration.
How to Install HomeGenie Software
Download the ZIP archive and extract its contents to a folder where your user account has write permissions. HomeGenie stores all configuration settings and data directly in this folder.
If you already have HomeGenie installed, visit the Maintenance section to update it. Follow the steps below for a first-time installation.
1. Download HomeGenie
Choose your preferred download method:
Direct Browser Download
The easiest way to get started is to download the ready-to-run ZIP archive for your operating system from the HomeGenie releases on GitHub.
After downloading, extract the ZIP archive into your chosen folder, then see Step 2 to launch HomeGenie.
Choose the right ZIP archive
On the GitHub releases page, expand the list of downloadable files. Choose the ZIP archive matching your operating system and hardware architecture. Use the following table to find the correct filename suffix:
| Your computer | Filename suffix |
|---|---|
| Windows PC with an Intel or AMD 64-bit processor | win-x64 |
| Linux PC or server with an Intel or AMD 64-bit processor | linux-x64 |
| Raspberry Pi or another supported ARM board running 64-bit Linux | linux-arm64 |
| Supported ARM board running 32-bit Linux (such as Raspberry Pi 2) | linux-arm |
| Mac computers with Intel or Apple Silicon processors | osx-x64 |
For Raspberry Pi, check whether your installed operating system is 32-bit or 64-bit, and choose the matching download. Note that a 64-bit Raspberry Pi board can still run a 32-bit operating system. On macOS, the osx-x64 release automatically supports Apple Silicon acceleration via Metal.
Complete releases with GPU acceleration
Hardware acceleration speeds up both local language models (Lailama) and real-time computer vision (VisionCore). The standard ZIP archive provides a complete, CPU-only installation for maximum stability. For systems with dedicated graphics cards, you can download a full GPU-accelerated release instead:
- NVIDIA CUDA (
cuda12): Complete standalone release for Windows and Linux systems with compatible NVIDIA graphics cards. It uses CUDA 12 to accelerate both local language models and computer vision. - Vulkan (
vulkan): Complete standalone release for systems with AMD, Intel, or other compatible GPUs. It accelerates local language models via Vulkan. On Windows, computer vision is accelerated through DirectML, while on Linux vision tasks run on the CPU.
GPU acceleration is optional. You do not need a dedicated graphics card to control devices, build automations, or use cloud assistants like Gemini Genie. Review the Local AI guide and the VisionCore guide for hardware recommendations and configuration details.
Download from a terminal
You can also download and extract HomeGenie using terminal commands. This method is ideal for headless systems without a desktop interface, such as Raspberry Pi OS Lite.
Select the operating system and processor type of your target computer. Then copy the commands below and paste them into your terminal:
Choose your system:
Enter the following commands in a PowerShell terminal:
# Download the archive
curl.exe -L -o homegenie_2.0.35_win-x64.zip "https://github.com/genielabs/HomeGenie/releases/download/v2.0.35/homegenie_2.0.35_win-x64.zip"
# Unzip the archive
Expand-Archive -Path homegenie_2.0.35_win-x64.zip -DestinationPath . -Force
Enter the following commands in a PowerShell terminal:
# Download the archive
curl.exe -L -o homegenie_2.0.35_win-x64-cuda12.zip "https://github.com/genielabs/HomeGenie/releases/download/v2.0.35/homegenie_2.0.35_win-x64-cuda12.zip"
# Unzip the archive
Expand-Archive -Path homegenie_2.0.35_win-x64-cuda12.zip -DestinationPath . -Force
Enter the following commands in a PowerShell terminal:
# Download the archive
curl.exe -L -o homegenie_2.0.35_win-x64-vulkan.zip "https://github.com/genielabs/HomeGenie/releases/download/v2.0.35/homegenie_2.0.35_win-x64-vulkan.zip"
# Unzip the archive
Expand-Archive -Path homegenie_2.0.35_win-x64-vulkan.zip -DestinationPath . -Force
Enter the following commands in a terminal:
# Download the archive
curl -L -O "https://github.com/genielabs/HomeGenie/releases/download/v2.0.35/homegenie_2.0.35_osx-x64.zip"
# Unzip the archive
unzip homegenie_2.0.35_osx-x64.zip
Enter the following commands in a terminal:
# Download the archive
wget https://github.com/genielabs/HomeGenie/releases/download/v2.0.35/homegenie_2.0.35_linux-x64.zip
# Unzip the archive
unzip homegenie_2.0.35_linux-x64.zip
Enter the following commands in a terminal:
# Download the archive
wget https://github.com/genielabs/HomeGenie/releases/download/v2.0.35/homegenie_2.0.35_linux-x64-cuda12.zip
# Unzip the archive
unzip homegenie_2.0.35_linux-x64-cuda12.zip
Enter the following commands in a terminal:
# Download the archive
wget https://github.com/genielabs/HomeGenie/releases/download/v2.0.35/homegenie_2.0.35_linux-x64-vulkan.zip
# Unzip the archive
unzip homegenie_2.0.35_linux-x64-vulkan.zip
Enter the following commands in a terminal:
# Download the archive
wget https://github.com/genielabs/HomeGenie/releases/download/v2.0.35/homegenie_2.0.35_linux-arm.zip
# Unzip the archive
unzip homegenie_2.0.35_linux-arm.zip
Enter the following commands in a terminal:
# Download the archive
wget https://github.com/genielabs/HomeGenie/releases/download/v2.0.35/homegenie_2.0.35_linux-arm64.zip
# Unzip the archive
unzip homegenie_2.0.35_linux-arm64.zip
2. Starting the HomeGenie Application
Open the folder where you extracted the files. This directory contains the application files and startup scripts—keep them all together in the same directory.
Start HomeGenie with the script for your operating system:
- Windows: Double-click
start.bat. - macOS: Run
start.command. - Linux / Raspberry Pi: In a terminal, run:
bash ./start.shThe terminal displays HomeGenie's startup logs. If a desktop environment is available, the startup script also attempts to open the web interface in your browser. On systems without a display or desktop interface, keep HomeGenie running and connect from a browser on another computer, as described in Step 3.
Keep the terminal window open while HomeGenie is active. To stop HomeGenie, switch to the terminal window and press Ctrl+C. The startup script will also restart HomeGenie automatically whenever an update is applied.
The video above shows how to install HomeGenie on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W. It also demonstrates how to set up Raspberry Pi OS Lite (32-bit) using the official Raspberry Pi Imager tool.
3. Open the interface
You can open the web interface directly on the host computer or connect from another device on the same local network:
http://SERVER_IP:PORT/Replace the placeholders in the URL with your network details:
- SERVER_IP: The local IP address of your HomeGenie server.
- PORT: The network port assigned to HomeGenie.
For example, if your server runs at IP address 192.168.1.150 on port 8080, open:
http://192.168.1.150:8080/When browsing from the same computer running HomeGenie, you can also use:
http://localhost:PORT/Use the same port number as shown in the previous example.
HomeGenie first attempts to bind to port 80 by default. If port 80 is unavailable, it tries alternative ports starting at port 8080. The startup logs indicate which port is actively used. You can also find the current URL in this file:
homegenie/serviceaddress.txtOn Linux or macOS, run this command in your terminal to display the address:
cat homegenie/serviceaddress.txtOn Linux or macOS, run this command from the folder containing the extracted files. On Windows, open the file in a text editor.
The file contains the configured host and port. A plus sign (+) in the host setting acts as a wildcard. In this case, use the local IP address of your HomeGenie computer when entering the address in your browser.
After opening the web interface, use the Setup guide for step-by-step initial configuration. The guide explains how to choose your language and regional settings, add demo devices, configure hardware interfaces, or restore an existing configuration.
To change the server address or port later, visit the Maintenance page in the settings menu.
Secure your installation
A fresh installation has no password configured. Before allowing other client devices to connect, enable Password protected access under HTTP in the Maintenance menu. Without a password, any client that can reach the service can access its administrative APIs. Always run HomeGenie as a dedicated, unprivileged user and restrict network access; prefer a secure VPN for remote connections instead of direct Internet port forwarding.
Running HomeGenie as a service
The startup script is a convenient way to try HomeGenie. To keep HomeGenie running in the background without an open terminal window, you can configure it as a system service. Review the system service instructions to set this up.
Automation programs, including code generated by AI, run with the same permissions as HomeGenie itself. The user account running HomeGenie must have access to the installation folder and any required hardware devices. HomeGenie does not run generated code in a sandbox or isolated environment.