Welcome to HydroNode: a tour for your first evening

What HydroNode does, where everything lives and which path fits your hardware. A walk through sensors, charts, incidents, Fleet and the apps, one stop at a time.

HydroNode Updated 7 min read
The HydroNode dashboard with the nearest station, incidents and live chartsThe HydroNode dashboard with the nearest station, incidents and live charts

You have a sensor on your desk and want to see what it measures. Without running a database, without a server and without coding a dashboard first. That is what HydroNode is for. This tour shows you where everything lives and which path fits your hardware, in one evening.

What HydroNode is

HydroNode is a free platform for environmental sensors. Your device sends readings, HydroNode stores them, draws the charts, learns what normal looks like and gets in touch when something drifts out of line. It works for hydroponics, greenhouses, weather stations, indoor air, soil moisture and water tanks.

FreeUp to 20 sensors per account, every feature included, no card.
30+ measurementsAir, water, soil, weather, power and device diagnostics.
Two ways inSigned HTTPS over WiFi, or LoRaWAN through TTN, ChirpStack and Helium.
Readable anywhereIn the browser, the iPhone app, widgets and Home Assistant.

Your first sensor

In HydroNode a sensor is the identity of your device. It gets an ID and a secret, and every request is signed with them. Here is how to create one:

  1. Open the sensor listClick Sensors in the top navigation, then Create New on the right.
  2. Give it a nameFor example Growbox A or Balcony. The name shows up everywhere: charts, push messages and Home Assistant.
  3. Pick the environmentIndoor for rooms, grow boxes and greenhouses, Outdoor for anything outside. It decides which guidelines apply and what counts as normal. Only outdoor sensors can later appear as a station on the map.
  4. Create itPress Create sensor and you are done. The Sensor ID and secret are always under SettingsConnection.
The form for a new sensor with name and environmentThe form for a new sensor with name and environment
A name, an environment, done. On the right you see how many of your 20 free slots are left.

Which path fits your hardware?

Before you solder or install anything, have a look at the options:

You haveUseGuide
An ESP32 or ESP8266, no time for codeThe Device Builder in your browserESP32-C3 without code
Your own Arduino sketchThe HydroNode Arduino libraryArduino quickstart
A device running ESPHomeThe external ESPHome componentESPHome
A LoRaWAN deviceA webhook from TTN, ChirpStack or HeliumLoRaWAN guide
Home AssistantThe integration from HACSHome Assistant

What happens to a reading

Whichever path you pick, every value goes through the same chain. It is checked, stored, compared with what HydroNode has learned and then shows up everywhere at once.

  1. DeviceESP32, ESPHome or LoRaWAN
  2. Signed requestHMAC SHA256 or webhook token
  3. ChecksTargets, guidelines, learned band
  4. EverywhereWeb, app, widgets, Home Assistant
From the device to your phone usually takes less than two seconds.

The sensor page

Click a sensor in the list. At the top you see the current value, below it the chart with the learned band as a soft shaded area. On the right sits the anomaly panel with open incidents and the latest AI explanation. At the very bottom waits the device console, which opens with the ` key.

The sensor list with air quality and the latest readings per sensorThe sensor list with air quality and the latest readings per sensor
The sensor list shows the air quality index, the latest values and when each sensor last reported.
Good to know The first value is enough for the chart and your limits. The learned band needs about 20 readings over six hours, and HydroNode learns the daily pattern during the first three to seven days.

Incidents instead of alarm floods

HydroNode compares every value with three things: your own targets, published guidelines such as the WHO values, and the learned normal range. Findings that belong together become one incident instead of ten messages. How to tune that is in Anomalies without the noise. And when a sensor goes silent altogether, read Know when a sensor goes quiet.

Fleet and updates over the air

As soon as you have more than one device, Fleet becomes your control room. It shows every device with its firmware, config and last contact. A board you flashed once with the Device Builder gets new settings and new firmware over WiFi from then on. What that looks like day to day is in Update every device over the air.

On your phone and in Home Assistant

  • iPhone and iPad: the HydroNode app with home and lock screen widgets and Live Activities that keep updating while they run.
  • Android: in development, with the same widgets and push notifications.
  • Home Assistant: every sensor as a native entity, live over WebSocket.

Next steps

  1. Create your first sensor.
  2. Pick your path in the table above and follow its guide.
  3. When the first value arrives, open the console and watch it come in.

Questions this tour does not answer are in the FAQ.