From first visit to upkeep.
First we look at what is in your house. Then we choose the box that suits it. After that, we stay involved.
In six steps
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Getting to know the house
We walk through the house together. We note what is already there: which brands, which systems, how the network runs.
That way we know beforehand what Lenou can connect, and what it cannot.
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Choosing the box
Lenou runs on a small computer in the house: the box. It comes in three forms. Which one it will be depends on your house. You can read about them below.
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Installation
The installer puts the box in the meter cupboard or the technical room. It gets power and a network cable.
From then on it starts by itself, also after a power cut.
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Connecting the systems
The installer adds your systems, one by one. Each connection is tested first. Only when it answers is it added.
What already works in your house keeps working.
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The app and the wall screen
Everyone in the house gets their own sign-in for the app on iPhone or iPad.
If you like, you can also hang a wall screen: a tablet or a TV on the wall. The wall screen only works at home, on your own network.
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Looking after it from a distance
After the installation we stay involved, without you having to do anything.
- A backup every night. At three in the morning. Encrypted, and the last two weeks are kept.
- Automatic updates. Half an hour after the backup the box looks for a new version. If that one does not start properly, the box puts the previous one back by itself.
- A fleet overview. Every five minutes the box briefly reports that it is alive: which version, how much disk space, how the last backup went. No names of devices or people are in it. If a box goes quiet, the installer sees it.
- Safe access from outside. The box dials out by itself, through a Cloudflare tunnel. No port is opened on your router. For maintenance the installer can also reach it through Tailscale, a closed private network. On a Mac mini the tunnel comes later; there, maintenance runs through Tailscale.
The box, in three forms
All three do the same job. The same Lenou, the same app. The difference is where they sit and how they are powered.
A small mini computer
A quiet little case about the size of a book, such as an Intel NUC. Linux, with Lenou in Docker, a sealed package that is replaced in one go.
Frugal, with plenty of computing power. Good for larger houses with many systems.
A Mac mini
Lenou runs directly on macOS. It starts when the Mac starts, even when nobody is signed in.
For people who already have a Mac mini, or want to use it for something else too.
A Revolution Pi
An industrial Raspberry Pi. It clicks onto a DIN rail in the distribution board, next to your circuit breakers, and runs on 24 volts.
Sturdy and made for the cabinet. For an installation that belongs with the electrics.
| Feature | Mini computer | Mac mini | Revolution Pi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | On a shelf in the meter cupboard or the technical room | In the technical room, or next to the router | On the DIN rail in the distribution board |
| Power | An ordinary adapter in the socket | An ordinary plug in the socket | 24 volts, from a power supply in the cabinet |
| How Lenou runs | Linux, in Docker | Directly on macOS | Directly on Linux |
| Strong at | Quiet, frugal, plenty of computing power | Fits a Mac that is already there | Sturdy, belongs in the cabinet |
| For whom | Larger houses with many systems | People who already have a Mac or want to combine one | An installation that belongs with the electrics |
| From outside | App through the tunnel, maintenance through Tailscale | Maintenance through Tailscale. The tunnel for the app comes later. | App through the tunnel, maintenance through Tailscale |
At home, on your own Wi-Fi, the app works on all three. Even without internet.
Add-ons
Sometimes a house needs something extra to talk to the box. A go-between, or a few extra connections.
KNX IP interface
Connects the KNX bus in the wall to the network. That is how Lenou reads and controls your switches, lights and blinds.
Modbus over RS485
RS485 is a simple wire for meters and heat pumps. Through the RS485 port of the Revolution Pi, or a small USB adapter.
Zigbee stick
A USB stick for wireless lamps, plugs and sensors. The program Zigbee2MQTT runs alongside it and passes everything on to Lenou.
DALI gateway
DALI is a system for lighting. A Lunatone gateway connects it to the network. Lenou then dims each lamp on its own.
I/O modules for the Revolution Pi
Extra modules next to the Revolution Pi, with inputs and outputs. For a door contact, a relay or a wired sensor.
The connection in Lenou is still being built. Until it is there and checked on a real module, it controls nothing.
UPS
A small battery between the socket and the box. During a short power cut the box and the network stay on.
Lenou does not read the UPS itself.
What “in progress” means is set out under Platforms.
Ready to start?
Write to info@lenou.be. Say briefly what is in your house. We will then get in touch to arrange a first visit.
Already have Lenou, and something is not working? See the support page.