“HA over iHost” Open Source Project is Officially Live — Try It Out and Join the Community!
Hello Home Assistant community! 
We’re excited to introduce a new experimental open source project — HA over iHost — an adaptation of Home Assistant Operating System for the SONOFF iHost (RV1109 / RV1126 platform). The project is now officially available. We encourage you to try it, share your thoughts, and participate in its development.
About iHost & Project Background
iHost is a locally focused smart home gateway designed specifically for home automation. It comes equipped with Zigbee, Matter, Wi-Fi, BLE, Ethernet, microphone, and speaker hardware resources, aiming to deliver a stable, flexible, and reliable local smart home solution.
To better meet user needs and expand ecosystem possibilities, we launched the iHost Open Source Project. The goal is to open up the uboot, kernel, and operating system, creating a truly open hardware platform that allows users to freely install any Linux-based system — similar to the experience offered by the Raspberry Pi.
As the first milestone of this initiative, we have released the “HA over iHost” experimental project, which successfully brings the Home Assistant Operating System to iHost, offering users a new way to run HA on local hardware.
Why Did We Build HA over iHost?
HA over iHost was not created in a vacuum — it was born from real community needs and user-driven technical exploration .
We’ve seen iHost users deploying HA Core in Docker on the native iHost system to leverage its hardware capabilities alongside Home Assistant. Some advanced users went even further — compiling and modifying the system to run a fully functional Home Assistant Operating System directly on iHost hardware.
We especially thank a GitHub contributor whose early exploration helped inspire this project:
This project is a derivative development based on Darkxst’s ha-operating-system project on GitHub. We sincerely appreciate the original author for his foundational contributions.
These community-driven initiatives clearly demonstrate: running Home Assistant on iHost is not only in demand — it’s technically feasible.
So we’ve taken the next step to standardize, open source, and productize the solution — bringing you a maintainable, deeply integrated HA over iHost platform .
Why Choose iHost?
iHost is more than just a device capable of running Home Assistant — it’s a deeply optimized edge hub designed for local smart home ecosystems. It offers superior cost-performance, connectivity options, and out-of-the-box usability compared to similar products.
1. Balanced Performance, Affordable Price
- RV1109 dual-core version (DDR4 2GB): $71.90
- RV1126 quad-core version (DDR4 4GB): $89.90
2. Consumer-Grade Industrial Design
- 5 buttons, 1 RGB light strip
- Ready for home use
3. Plug-and-Play
Built-in Ethernet Port
Provides a stable network connection, ideal for local automation scenarios.- Built-in Zigbee MG21 Chip
Natively supports ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT without requiring an external dongle, making deployment more convenient. - Built-in Matter Certificate (CSA Certified)
iHost comes with an official Matter device certificate issued by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) .
When used as a Matter Bridge, it is securely recognized and reliably connected by Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa , and other major platforms — providing platform-level trust and a smoother user experience. - Built-in Wi-Fi / Bluetooth Support
Powered by the RTL8723DS module , enabling both wireless networking and Bluetooth functionality for more flexible deployments. - Integrated Speaker and Microphone
Audio input and output capabilities are built in at the hardware level for future use.
4. Companion add-ons
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Now available:
- iHost Hardware Control Add-on
Control physical buttons, RGB indicators, and light strips directly from Home Assistant.
Map hardware inputs to automations for seamless interaction between physical and virtual environments.
- iHost Hardware Control Add-on
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Coming soon:
- MG21 Flashing Add-on : Upgrade MG21 firmware, with optional support for flashing either Zigbee or Thread stacks.
- Matter Bridge Add-on : Bridge local devices to the Matter ecosystem for cross-platform integration.
- eWeLink Smart Home Add-on : Connect to the eWeLink cloud to expand device compatibility and control.
We’re not just making iHost capable of running Home Assistant — our goal is to make it a powerful, hardware-integrated edge platform with deep ecosystem compatibility and a smooth user experience, built for smart home enthusiasts with real needs.
How to Get Started?
We currently provide a method for installing the Home Assistant Operating System via TF card , allowing users to switch freely between the original iHost eWeLink CUBE system and Home Assistant .
For detailed steps, please refer to the Quick Installation Guide.
We’re also evaluating more convenient startup methods in the future — aiming for a true out-of-the-box experience without requiring a TF card .
Feel free to leave your thoughts and questions in the comments — we’ll actively respond to every message. Developers are also welcome to contribute via PRs or Issues on GitHub.
Thank you for supporting the HA over iHost project.
We believe that, with the help of the community, we can build a smarter, more open, and truly local smart home platform — together.
Disclaimer
Thank you for your interest in and use of the HA over iHost project! To help users better understand the scope and risks of using this project, we hereby provide the following statement:
1. Risk Notice
HA over iHost is an open-source experimental project that involves low-level system flashing and switching.
We provide official installation procedures and verified system images, designed with consideration for data isolation and system compatibility .
Please note:
If you choose to perform system flashing using non-recommended methods — including but not limited to using unofficial images, modifying partition layouts, or replacing the bootloader — you may encounter the following risks:
- Failure to boot the original iHost system
- Malfunction or loss of the system switching mechanism
- Irreversible data loss or corruption
Please carefully read the documentation, review all prerequisites, and back up your data before proceeding. If you are unsure about any step, we strongly recommend consulting the community before continuing.
2. Community-Driven Maintenance
This project is developed and maintained by the open-source community . It is still under active development and may contain instability or limitations.
If you encounter issues or discover bugs, please submit a GitHub Issue or refer to the documentation.
While official technical support is not provided , assistance may be available from other community members based on voluntary contributions.
3. Modification & Redistribution
This project is licensed under the Apache-2.0 License .
You are free to use, modify, and redistribute the project code under the following conditions:
- You must retain all original copyright and license notices
- You must clearly indicate the source of the project
- You must not violate any terms of the Apache-2.0 License
4. Limitation of Liability
This project is provided “as is” , without any express or implied warranties — including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.
We shall not be held liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages resulting from the use, modification, or deployment of this project.
