The stuff people actually want to know before they dive in.
No. The base unit will ship with firmware pre-loaded and ready to go. You'll configure channels, names, groups, and settings through the Android app or a touchscreen display - no IDE, no command line, no soldering iron required. If you can wire a 12V relay, you can run CarPotato.
Any vehicle with a 12V electrical system. Jeeps, trucks, UTVs, overland rigs, boats, RVs, trailers, work trucks, fleet vehicles - if it has a battery and accessories you want to control, CarPotato works. It's not vehicle-specific and doesn't tap into your factory wiring harness.
The relay controller itself is just a switch - there's nothing illegal about controlling your accessories electronically. For lighting, CarPotato enforces DOT/FMVSS 108 compliance by restricting emergency vehicle color combinations (red/blue) from the RGBW system. Non-DOT-compliant lighting configurations are labeled "Off-Road Use Only" in the interface. Always check your local regulations.
LoRa range depends heavily on terrain, but in open conditions the SX1262 radio can reach over a kilometer. In wooded or hilly terrain, expect a few hundred meters - still far more than Bluetooth or WiFi. The portable remote also has WiFi as a fallback for close-range operation.
Absolutely. The dash display and portable remote are standalone - they don't need a phone at all. You can also use DTMF control (touch-tone phone calls) through the Cellular CarTot from any phone, including a basic flip phone. The Android app is one of many control options, not a requirement.
The system supports scaling to 200+ relay and I/O channels through multiple CarTot modules. Each connects via a single communication cable. The practical limit depends on your power budget and how many accessories you're actually running - but the architecture won't be your bottleneck.
The base unit itself draws very little current. More importantly, Dead Battery Prevention is a core safety feature - it monitors your vehicle's battery voltage and automatically sheds non-essential relay loads when voltage drops below safe thresholds. Your vehicle always starts.
No. CarPotato is proprietary software developed by BrenduhNet. The firmware, app, and hardware designs represent thousands of hours of original engineering work, and we've chosen to keep the source code closed to protect that investment. We're a small team that takes pride in what we've built - and keeping it proprietary is how we sustain continued development.
No. Zero data collection, zero analytics, zero tracking. Everything stays on your device. No accounts, no cloud, no servers. Read our full privacy policy for the details, but the short version is: we don't collect your data because we don't want your data.
HomePotato is a purpose-built hardware + firmware + app ecosystem - not a software platform you run on a spare PC or NAS. The hub is a dedicated ESP32-based device with native I/O, designed to be installed and forgotten. It runs the same firmware architecture as CarPotato, so if you already use CarPotato in your vehicles, your home system shares the same app and the same protocols. It's designed for people who want something that just works out of the box, not a DIY server project.
No. Core operation is fully local - automation rules fire, relays switch, and sensors respond with no internet connection required. The only features that require internet are remote access from outside your network (via cloud-assisted tunnel, no port forwarding needed) and push notifications to the mobile app when you're away from home. Everything else runs offline on the hub itself.
HomePotato bridges Zigbee 3.0, Z-Wave 700/800, and Matter - which covers the vast majority of the smart home market. Zigbee-compatible devices from Philips Hue, Ikea Tradfri, Aqara, Sonoff, and thousands of others work natively through the Fry-Z coordinator node. Z-Wave covers locks, sensors, and switches from major security brands. Matter support future-proofs the platform as the industry standardizes. If a device speaks one of these protocols, it should work.
Yes. HomePotato exposes connected devices as a Matter Bridge, which gives you native integration with Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa simultaneously - without needing separate setup for each. You don't have to pick an ecosystem. Your devices show up in the Home app, Google Home, and Alexa at the same time, all controlled locally through the bridge.
ClimateGuard is HomePotato's built-in multi-zone temperature safety system. It monitors temperature sensors across your home and triggers configurable actions when thresholds are crossed - push alerts when the attic hits a dangerous temperature, relay activation to run a heater when a pipe-freeze risk is detected, fan control in server rooms, and similar safety automations. It's always running, even during internet outages, because it processes locally on the hub.
Home Fry nodes communicate with the HomePotato hub over WiFi (Fry-W and Fry-WL) or LoRa (Fry-WL as fallback). The Fry-WL model automatically falls back to LoRa if WiFi goes down, which means nodes in outbuildings or areas with spotty WiFi coverage stay connected even when the router hiccups. The Fry-Z Zigbee coordinator connects via WiFi and extends the Zigbee mesh into whatever room or building it's placed in.
No subscriptions. You buy the hardware, you own it. Local operation is completely free forever. The cloud-assisted remote access tunnel (which lets you control your home from outside your network without port forwarding) is provided as part of the platform - we'll be transparent about any future changes if that ever changes, but the core local functionality will always be yours with no recurring cost.
Yes - and this is one of the core ideas behind the BrenduhNet platform. Both products run the same firmware architecture and the same Android app. When you get home, the app shows both your vehicle system and your home system. Geofencing can trigger home automations when your vehicle arrives - garage door relay, porch lighting, driveway alerts. It's the same ecosystem, just split across the two environments where you actually live.