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Introduction

ESP RainMaker offers two types of apps:

  • ESP RainMaker: Native app which is Open-source and can support any type of device/param by automatically drawing the UI based on the node config and can be customised by modifying the code.
  • Nova Home: Hybrid app which is ready to use specialised app that supports some standard device types. It is primarily meant for non developers.

Here are some salient features of Nova Home:

  • Product specific friendly UI: Built for common use cases like lights, switches, mesh networks, etc.
  • Simple Setup: Since the firmware to be used with Nova Home apps is pre-built, it is easy to setup.
  • No Coding Required: Unlike the developer version, users don't need to have coding knowledge or experience to use Nova Home.

Overall, ESP RainMaker's Nova Home app and firmware, together provide a user-friendly and accessible way for non-developers to experience ESP RainMaker's features. However, to use it in production, please get in touch with our sales team at sales@espressif.com.

Quick Start​

At the beginning, you need to prepare a suitable development kit as the device hardware, the subsequent instructions similar to the developer version uses LED firmware as an example and recommends using the ESP32-C3-DevKit and ESP32-S3-DevKit as experiments. You can also try to flash your own developed firmware, but the firmware architecture needs to meet the firmware development architecture of ESP RainMaker.

App Download​

You can download Nova Home directly from the Google Play and Apple APP Store at the following links:

Preparing the hardware​

In the developer version firmware flashing needs to be performed in the IDF environment, and here you will use LaunchPad for flashing. LaunchPad is an online tool provided by Espressif, which has build in some sample firmware, so you can directly select the firmware you want to flash for testing. The specific steps are as follows:

1. Connect devkit to the LaunchPad​

Firstly you need to connect the development kit to the computer via the USB port，and open LaunchPad website，which is shown below：

Click the up right control button Connect , and the interface will pop up the USB serial port location, as shown in the following figure.Then select the serial port connected to the development kit and click confirm:

2. Flash the firmware​

After connecting the board to the LaunchPad, you need to erase the original firmware from the devkit to prevent flash-in failure. You need to click the DIY ，and then click Erase Flash 。After these operations, you can check if the erase is successful in Console page.

When finishing the erase，you need to go back to home page and click the Quick Starton the up right on the feature tab，and use Select Application to choose an firmware. Then you should choose ESP32-C3 in ESP Chipset Type , and click Flash。

If the flash is finished, there will be a window popping out to remind you the project is flashed successfully.

3. Prepare for configuration​

You need to go to the Console page，and click Reset Device to reset the devkit which is required when you flash the new firmware，The terminal console in the center of the page will show the working status and the device QR Code will appear, which is as shown below.

Device Configuration​

To configure the device, you need to first signup for an account (if you are already an ESP RainMaker user, just continue with sign-in).

As shown in the picture below, you need to fill in your email address and set your password, and then you need to verify your email address to create your account.

Thereafter, follow these steps:

  • Log in the APP, and click ＋ top right corner on the home page, then choose Scan QR code.
  • After the scan is completed, you will enter the device network interface, and you need to select the network that the device will join.Click Nextto begin configuration.
  • After completing the wiring, enter the device setup interface, you need to name the added devices.
  • After the information is set, you can go to the main application interface, and can see the added device control card is already on the home page.
  • You can click the Switch button to control the status of devices. Click the device card and you can try more Rainmaker features.

At this point you have completed the entire ESP RainMaker process from firmware flashing to networking, and you can experience the features and services offered by ESP RainMaker by selecting a different firmware flashed in the same way as the LaunchPad.

For further usage info, head over to the App usage guide.