🌡️
Climate
View temperature, system state and thermostat controls through the current Resideo integration.
WorkingFree • Local-first • Raspberry Pi + mobile
Your home.
Your controls.
Your data.
LinkCrib brings lights, climate, cameras, entertainment and household automations into one approachable dashboard—without turning your home into a cloud product.
Core/Web Alpha v1.24
iOS Technical Alpha
Android Technical Alpha
Free software
Private by design
One calm view of the household
LinkCrib is a practical home utility: clear enough for a casual viewer and capable enough for everyday control and automation.
💡
Lighting
Control rooms, brightness and routines using Philips Hue lights and compatible switches.
Working📷
Camera monitor
See local Reolink camera inventory and snapshots, with a limited local Front Door Live View pilot.
Working📺
Entertainment
Use Apple TV and Samsung TV controls from the same touch-friendly household interface.
Working⏱️
Automations
Run and schedule household scenes such as Morning Space and Movie Night.
Working📊
Household reports
Review thermostat runtime, daily activity, cycles and weekly comparisons through an interactive local report.
New in v1.24📱
Native iPhone companion
A SwiftUI technical alpha now provides real household status, controls, camera snapshots and limited local live video.
Technical Alpha🧩
Open direction
Future connectors are planned around local standards and documented APIs—not one required hardware brand.
PlannedWhat’s new in LinkCrib
The latest work makes the system easier to understand at a glance, faster to control and more useful over time—without making the interface busy.
Current build • Alpha v1.24
A clearer household experience
LinkCrib now separates everyday status, active control and wall-display use into purpose-built responsive views.
Daily Glance
The default calm view for temperature, weather, lights, activity and what is coming up.
Household Command
A focused control center with climate, lighting, media and favorite automation actions.
Room First
A touch-friendly wall view designed for mounted tablets and shared household displays.
Interactive Reports
A thermostat-runtime dashboard with a selectable chart, weekly totals and cycle details.
The redesigned pages adapt to desktop browsers, phones, tablets and wall displays with readable spacing and touch targets.
Structured thermostat history, privacy-aware logs, rotation and external-drive archiving establish a foundation for useful reporting.
A versioned local API supports the web experience and the developing native iPhone and Android companions.
Three ways to use LinkCrib
Use the same local-first household system from a full browser, a purpose-built wall display or the developing native mobile companions.
🌐
Web dashboard
The complete responsive dashboard works from Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android and other modern browsers on the home network.
Working🖼️
Wall Display
A focused /wall view provides larger status information and touch targets for a mounted iPad or tablet.
Room First📱
Native iPhone app
The private SwiftUI technical alpha has been tested on physical iPhone hardware. It is not yet distributed through the App Store.
In testing🤖
Native Android app
The early Android technical alpha connects to the LinkCrib Pi and is being expanded from household status into controls and camera features.
In development
● Demonstration data only
See how LinkCrib feels at a glance
This self-contained demo uses fictional rooms and devices. It cannot see or control any real household.
Fictional Home at a Glance
A safe preview of the household experience.
--:--
Demonstration
TEMPERATURE
72°
Comfortable • System idle
LIGHTS
2 on
4 fictional rooms
ENTERTAINMENT
Idle
Living room ready
COMING UP
Evening
Porch lights • 7:30 PM
Hardware and compatibility
LinkCrib recommends proven components but is being designed to support more than one household technology stack.
Recommended starting hardware
- ✓ Raspberry Pi 4 or Pi 5 with reliable storage and power
- ✓ Optional 7-inch touchscreen for a household panel
- ✓ Optional wall-mounted 10–11-inch iPad or tablet for the dedicated Wall Display
- ✓ Ethernet where practical, with a stable local network
- ✓ Reolink Home Hub for the currently tested camera experience
Compatibility direction
- Tested: Reolink, Resideo, Philips Hue, Apple TV and Samsung TV.
- Next candidates: ONVIF Profile T cameras and UniFi Protect.
- Future local paths: Matter, Zigbee, Z-Wave and MQTT.
- Portal only: restricted cloud services without a safe documented API.
Local-first privacy
The public site is not your smart home.
The working LinkCrib dashboard stays on the user’s Raspberry Pi. Camera images, room names, schedules, credentials, device addresses and household activity are not sent to this public website.
The native iPhone app communicates directly with the LinkCrib Raspberry Pi on the household network. It does not send private household data to this public site.
Public website
Product information, fictional demo data, documentation and tester interest.
Private Raspberry Pi
Real devices, controls, schedules, camera snapshots and household data.
Native iPhone app
Local household status and controls using the LinkCrib Pi connection. The technical alpha is not a public cloud relay.
Security statement
LinkCrib is an alpha-stage, local-first project. Security controls are tested and improved as the product develops, and limitations are disclosed rather than hidden.
Assessment outcome • August 25, 2026
Preventable exposure was found and corrected
A defensive review covered the live Raspberry Pi, LinkCrib web and API layer, device integrations, installer, iOS source, public site, dependencies and backups. No evidence of a current compromise or installed exploit was found. The live household service remained operational after hardening.
Current safety boundary
Private trusted network only
LinkCrib Alpha v1.24 uses local HTTP and is not approved for direct public-internet exposure. Do not port-forward LinkCrib. Remote access requires a separately designed VPN or authenticated HTTPS boundary.
Unexpected development listeners were removed and a default-deny firewall now limits LinkCrib and administrative access to approved local scopes.
Host and origin validation, request limits, JSON enforcement, security headers, login throttling, session rotation and safer local redirects were implemented.
Device credentials were removed from avoidable process arguments, private files and snapshots received restrictive permissions, and new source archives exclude secrets.
The Raspberry Pi service received tested operating-system restrictions that substantially reduced the access available to it if compromised.
The static site and its hosted responses now apply content, framing, referrer, permissions and transport protections. Development dependency advisories were reduced from 39 to three inactive-tooling findings.
The current Bullseye/Python 3.9 platform must be replaced with a current 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS so blocked application dependencies can be updated to audited patched releases.
Documentation
Download the current Yellow Bird Tech public guides. Each document has been reviewed and scrubbed for safe distribution.
Camera & Security Compatibility Guide
DOCX • Tested, planned and portal-only device direction
Download ↓
Installation & Recovery Guide
DOCX • Alpha v1.24 setup, validation, backup and recovery
Download ↓
LinkCrib iOS Technical Alpha Overview
DOCX • Native features, local connection, privacy and limitations
Download ↓
Current development status
LinkCrib Core/Web Alpha v1.24 is the active Raspberry Pi and browser build. It includes the Daily Glance household view, Household Command controls, Room First wall display and interactive thermostat reporting. The separate LinkCrib iOS technical alpha runs on physical iPhone hardware with household status, service portals, Hue lighting, Resideo climate controls, Apple TV and Samsung TV remotes, Reolink camera snapshots and a limited Front Door Live View. An Android technical alpha now connects to the same local server and is being expanded. Broader testing, security hardening and distribution preparation remain in progress.
Free to use. Clearly owned.
Ownership and permitted use
LinkCrib is offered at no charge for personal, non-commercial household use. It is not public-domain software, and its source code and documentation remain protected work.
Project ownership
Developed by Yellow Bird Tech
Copyright (c) 2026 Blaine Barrier. All rights reserved.
Project owner: Blaine "Brad" Barrier
Notice updated: August 23, 2026
What free household use means
- Individuals may install, run, configure and make reasonable recovery backups of LinkCrib for their own household.
- LinkCrib source code and documentation may not be republished, redistributed, sold, sublicensed, rebranded or commercially reused without prior written permission.
- Third-party libraries, frameworks, device services and trademarks remain governed by their respective owners and licenses.
Frequently asked questions
Plain answers for households, testers and people evaluating the project.
Is LinkCrib really free?
Yes. LinkCrib is offered at no charge for personal, non-commercial household use. Free-of-charge does not mean public domain: LinkCrib source code, documentation and branding remain copyrighted. Users supply their own Raspberry Pi and compatible smart-home hardware.
Can I copy, sell or rebrand LinkCrib?
No. Household users may install, run, configure and make reasonable recovery backups. Republishing, redistributing, selling, sublicensing, rebranding or commercially reusing LinkCrib source code or documentation requires prior written permission from Blaine Barrier / Yellow Bird Tech.
Does LinkCrib require the internet?
The dashboard and supported local integrations are designed to prioritize the home network. Some third-party services, including the current thermostat service, may still depend on their vendor’s internet service.
Do I have to use Reolink cameras?
Reolink with the Home Hub is the only camera platform tested today. ONVIF Profile T and UniFi Protect are leading candidates for future support.
Is there a LinkCrib iPhone app?
Yes. A native SwiftUI technical alpha now connects to the LinkCrib Raspberry Pi and provides Household View, service portals, lights, climate, media remotes, Reolink snapshots and a limited Front Door Live View.
Is the iPhone app available through the App Store?
Not yet. The iOS app is a private technical alpha being tested on physical iPhone hardware. Distribution, security hardening and App Store preparation are future milestones.
Is there an Android version?
An Android technical alpha now connects to the LinkCrib Raspberry Pi and displays live household information. Controls, authentication and camera features are being expanded and tested.
What does the Reports page show?
The current local report tracks thermostat cooling and heating runtime, standing-by time, daily activity, cycles and weekly comparisons. Its interactive chart and totals become more useful as LinkCrib collects additional local history.
Does the iPhone need to be on the same network as the LinkCrib Pi?
Yes for the current alpha. Bonjour discovery and direct LinkCrib controls are designed for the trusted household network. A secure remote-access design has not been released.
Can the iPhone app control real devices?
Yes. The current technical alpha can control tested Hue lights, Resideo thermostat settings, Apple TV and Samsung TV devices through the household LinkCrib Pi. Availability still depends on each configured integration.
Can every Reolink camera provide live video in the iPhone app?
No. The Camera Monitor provides read-only snapshots. Front Door Live View is the only current live-video pilot; it is local-network only, video-only, limited to one temporary session and automatically stops after five minutes.
Does LinkCrib store my ADT, Ring, Shark or Schlage credentials?
No. These restricted services are represented as official service-portal links. LinkCrib does not sign in to them or store their vendor credentials.
Will the iOS version remain free?
The current direction is to keep the native companion available at no charge for personal, non-commercial household use. Users still supply their own Raspberry Pi, iPhone and compatible smart-home hardware.
Can this public demo see my home?
No. The demo is static fictional data in your browser. It has no connection to a Raspberry Pi, cameras or smart-home accounts.
Is LinkCrib ready for public internet access?
No. Core/Web Alpha v1.24 and the native mobile technical alphas are intended for a private local network. The current local HTTP design must not be exposed directly to the public internet. Production HTTPS, complete authentication and additional hardening are separate future milestones.
Has LinkCrib had a security review?
Yes. On August 25, 2026, a defensive review examined the live Raspberry Pi, application and API, device integrations, installer, iOS source, public site, dependencies and backups. Significant preventable exposure was corrected, and no evidence of a current compromise or installed exploit was found. The review was not a destructive penetration test, Android source was not available for review, and an urgent Raspberry Pi OS migration remains open.
Help shape LinkCrib
Interested in testing a future build?
Tell Yellow Bird Tech what devices you use, what you would want LinkCrib to control, and whether you would bring your own Raspberry Pi or prefer a ready-to-use unit.