Automations & hardware

Set up a Raspberry Pi

Turn a Raspberry Pi into an automation controller — drive locks, lights, dimmers, and read temperature, humidity, and door sensors, with a one-line installer.

A Raspberry Pi can act as a powerful automation controller: drive several relays and dimmers and read multiple sensors from one unit, with no firmware to flash. You image the Pi once, run a one-line installer, and it pairs with your POS automatically.

What you'll need

• A Raspberry Pi (a Pi 4 or Pi 5 is recommended) with a power supply and a microSD card.
• A microSD card reader and the free Raspberry Pi Imager app on your computer.
• Your wiring: a relay board for anything you want to switch (locks, lights), and any sensors you want to read.

Step 1 — Image the Pi

1. Open Raspberry Pi Imager and choose Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit).
2. In the Imager's settings (the gear / "Edit settings"), set a hostname, enable SSH, and enter your Wi-Fi name and password so the Pi joins your network on first boot.
3. Write the card, put it in the Pi, and power it on. Give it a minute to start up.

Step 2 — Create the device

1. In the Automations area, go to Devices → Set up a Pi (or New device and choose Raspberry Pi).
2. Add a channel for each thing you want to control or read. Pick the type that matches the hardware:
   • Relay — locks, lights, fridge power (on / off / timed pulse).
   • PWM / analog out — dimmers, fan speed, servos.
   • Digital in — door or reed switches, buttons.
   • Temperature — DS18B20 probes (fridge, ambient).
   • Humidity — DHT22 sensors.
   • Counter — pulse / flow / footfall counting.
   • Analog in — general analog sensors via an add-on ADC.
3. Save the device. You'll see a pairing code and a ready-to-paste install command.

Step 3 — Run the installer

1. Connect to the Pi over SSH (for example ssh <username>@<hostname>.local from your computer's terminal).

2. Paste the install command shown on the device page. It looks like this, with your own host and code filled in:

   curl -fsSL https://<your-automations-host>/api/pi/install.sh \
     | sudo bash -s -- --code ABC123 --pair-url https://<your-automations-host>/api/pair
   

3. The installer sets everything up and starts the agent as a background service. Within a few seconds the device shows online on its page.

That's it — the agent restarts automatically on reboot and reconnects on its own, so you only do this once per Pi.

Step 4 — Put it to work

• Use the On / Off / Pulse buttons on the device page to test a relay.
• Build a Rule to automate it — for example, pulse the lock relay when an order is paid, or send an SMS when the fridge temperature goes above a limit.
• Group several commands into a Scene to run them together.

Wiring tips

• Power your locks, lights, and motors from their own supply, switched through the relay — never directly from the Pi.
• For a fridge or freezer lock, use a timed pulse so it always re-locks even if something is interrupted, and add a door switch so a rule can confirm the door actually closed.
• Mount sensors away from heat sources for accurate readings.

Troubleshooting

Need a hand? Contact support.