WanderNode Hub
Plug in ethernet. Plug in power. Your smart home, local uncensored AI, camera detection, VPN, and private cloud — all running on hardware you own. No cloud required. No subscription required to function. If WanderVerse shuts down, it keeps working.
Home Server Local AI Smart HomeWhat it is
WanderNode Hub is a pre-configured home server that runs the full WanderVerse local ecosystem. Smart home automation, AI-powered cameras, local uncensored AI, your own VPN, private cloud storage, password manager, and media server — all on one box, all on your network, all without a cloud account. Hand-assembled by supported employment workers. Ships with everything configured. You do not need a terminal, a YAML file, or a YouTube tutorial. Open a browser, answer six questions, done.
Three SKUs
- Raspberry Pi 5 8GB — soldered RAM, no upgrade path
- 1TB WD SN770 M.2 NVMe SSD via Argon NEO 5 M.2 PCIe case
- Official 27W USB-C PSU
- Google Coral USB TPU — hardware AI camera inference
- SLZB-06 network-attached Zigbee coordinator (PoE, ethernet)
- RAK USB LoRa concentrator — WanderAway long-range sensors
- AI inference: Llama 3.2 3B only (~3–5 tok/sec)
- Full smart home stack runs comfortably in 8GB
- Power draw: 4–8W idle, 12W under load
Lite is the right pick if you want the full WanderVerse smart home and privacy stack and don't need deep AI reasoning. 3B models handle automations, quick lookups, and routine tasks. Upgrade path: send it back ($40 + board cost), we swap the board, your SSD and every automation carries over automatically.
- Raspberry Pi 5 16GB — soldered RAM, no upgrade path
- 1TB WD SN770 M.2 NVMe SSD via Argon NEO 5 M.2 PCIe case
- Official 27W USB-C PSU
- Google Coral USB TPU — hardware AI camera inference
- SLZB-06 network-attached Zigbee coordinator (PoE, ethernet — no USB port used)
- RAK USB LoRa concentrator — WanderAway long-range sensors
- AI inference: Dolphin 8B at ~1–2 tok/sec (background tasks)
- Fast model: Llama 3.2 3B at ~3–5 tok/sec (real-time automations)
- All services + 8B model: ~14GB RAM — fits comfortably in 16GB
- Power draw: 5–10W idle, 15W under load
Pi 5 RAM is soldered — the tier is permanent on any given board. 8GB handles all smart home services but caps AI at the 3B model class permanently. Upgrade path: send it back (we swap the board, your SSD stays in, every sensor and automation reconnects automatically, $40 + board cost) or self-swap an approved board yourself. Either way your Hub is the same Hub — just a faster engine.
- Minisforum UM890XTX or Beelink SER8 (Ryzen 8845HS, 32GB RAM, 1TB NVMe)
- 2TB NVMe expansion (second M.2 slot)
- Google Coral USB TPU — camera inference
- SLZB-06 network-attached Zigbee coordinator
- RAK USB LoRa concentrator
- Radeon 780M GPU (12 CU, 2.7 TFLOPS) — Ollama GPU offload via ROCm
- AI inference: Dolphin 8B at 30–40 tok/sec (real-time, instant-feeling)
- Fits 13B models comfortably alongside all services
- Power draw: 15–25W idle, 45W under load
Why Pro: 30–40 tok/sec is the difference between AI that feels instant and AI that makes you wait 60 seconds for a response. If the AI is a daily tool — safety planning, quick research, automations — Pro is worth it. If it's occasional background tasks, Hub is sufficient.
Why local uncensored AI
WanderNode Hub runs Dolphin 3.0 Llama 3.1 8B — an uncensored local model with safety filters removed. It knows your WanderVerse profile: which devices you have, your household configuration, your stated situation (opt-in, encrypted, never leaves the device), your city and state, relevant local laws, your language. It speaks directly. It does not add disclaimers. It does not refuse. The AI is a tool you control, not a corporate filter.
WanderNode answers them.
The AI runs locally. Nothing you ask leaves the device. No logs sent to a server. No moderation filter between you and an answer.
Your AI. Your personality. Your name.
Every other AI gives you one personality and expects you to accept it. WanderAssist is yours to reshape. Name it whatever you want. Give it pronouns. Make it your bitchy gay best friend who tells you the truth wrapped in love, your deadpan coach who doesn't sugarcoat, your warm big sister who shows up — or anything in between. The voice changes completely. The values don't.
- Name — anything you want, it responds to it
- Pronouns — she/her, he/him, they/them, whatever fits
- Personality archetype — presets or fully custom in plain language
- Warmth, sass, directness, formality — individual dials
- Relationship frame — friend, coach, big sister, chosen family
"Your blood pressure on Tuesday was elevated. You may want to flag this for your doctor."
Gay best friend, high sass: "Okay babe that BP was NOT giving what it should. You need to call your doctor. I'm not letting you ignore this."
Blunt coach: "BP was high Tuesday. Schedule the appointment. Don't wait."
Warm and gentle: "Hey — I noticed your blood pressure was a bit high on Tuesday. How are you feeling? Might be worth a quick call to your doctor."
Setup in one conversation: "I want it to feel like texting my gay best friend who doesn't sugarcoat things" — WanderAssist figures out the rest. Preset archetypes to start from: gay best friend · stern professor · hype person · deadpan · big sister · coach · chaos gremlin. Or describe exactly what you want.
One Hub, every person in the household — each with their own AI
Every person in your household gets their own complete profile: their own AI name and personality, their own private health signal log, their own memory. A shared Hub does not mean shared data. Your health signals are not visible to your partner's AI. Your roommate's context doesn't bleed into yours.
Request from your WanderPhone → automatically your profile. WanderSpeaker recognizes your voice. WanderBand in range confirms your presence. WanderDash shows whoever's logged in. Most of the time it just knows. When it doesn't, it asks before touching any personal data — it never guesses and serves someone else's health signals.
Health signals, mood patterns, pinned facts, conversation context — each person's data lives in their own namespace. No query crosses profile boundaries. Your AI doesn't know what your partner said to theirs. Your housemate's 3am spiral doesn't end up in your morning briefing.
Staff profiles control facility automation. Resident profiles are completely isolated — staff AI context cannot see resident signals or conversations. Residents can be anonymous (no real name required). When a resident leaves, their profile leaves with them or is wiped. The Hub manages the space. It doesn't surveil the people in it.
Leave notes for each other
The digital sticky note on the fridge — delivered at the right moment by each person's AI. Leave a note for someone in the house. Their AI surfaces it when they walk in the door, at a time you specify, at their next conversation, or when the topic comes up.
- "Leave a note for Jamie that I'm running late"
- "Tell Marcus when he gets home that I fed the cat"
- "If she asks about the car, tell her it's at the shop"
- "Tell everyone in the house we're out of coffee"
- "Remind Sarah at 8pm to call the doctor back"
- Shared shopping list — any profile adds to it, anyone can check it
- House announcements — broadcasts to all profiles at next interaction
- Shared calendar events — "add dinner Thursday" — every profile knows
- Notes expire after delivery by default — no permanent record
- Sender can recall a note before it's been read
Shelter and communal use: staff leaves notes for residents ("your case worker called"), residents leave notes for staff ("hot water in room 3 is broken"). More dignified and private than a whiteboard in a hallway. Notes are delivered to each person's AI — not posted publicly.
AI model stack
- Developer: Eric Hartford (cognitive computations)
- Base: Meta Llama 3.1 8B
- RAM required: ~5.5GB (Q4_K_M quantization)
- Hub speed: ~1–2 tok/sec (background tasks, safety planning, research)
- Pro speed: ~30–40 tok/sec (real-time, instant-feeling)
- "Uncensored" means it won't refuse the things this community actually needs help with: DV planning, harm reduction, trans health, abuse documentation, sexuality as a health topic. It does not mean anything goes — harmful content (CSAM, dehumanizing content, abuse facilitation) is still off the table. Sexual conversations between adults, companion-style interaction — not a problem. The line is harm, not discomfort.
- Will not refuse DV exit planning
- Will not add disclaimers to harm reduction
- Will not lecture a trans person about their health choices
- Speaks from dignity — won't produce content designed to dehumanize, demean, or harass. Won't write incel manifestos, racist characterizations, or harassment scripts. Won't find "both sides" when someone is describing being abused. Not because of a filter — because that's who Auren is.
- Has a short list of hard-coded legal prohibitions that have nothing to do with corporate risk aversion: CSAM, non-consensual intimate imagery, targeted violence planning against a named person, WMD synthesis routes, human trafficking facilitation, mass violence planning (terrorism, mass shootings, spree attacks — motive doesn't matter), and covert surveillance of non-consenting adults. These are legal absolutes, not social restrictions.
- Llama 3.2 3B: ~2.5GB RAM · ~3–5 tok/sec on Hub
- Use: quick automations, real-time WanderAssist responses, Node-RED integrations
- Future 13B (Dolphin/Hermes): ~8.5GB Q4 — fits tight on Hub (14.5GB total), comfortably on Pro
- Model updates via WanderAssist: "Update my AI model" — downloads, verifies, swaps
- Customer chooses: auto-update to latest recommended or pin version
- All models run fully offline — no API calls, no data leaves the device
WanderOS software stack — pre-installed on every Hub
| Service | What it does | RAM |
|---|---|---|
| Home Assistant OS | Smart home hub — all WanderVerse devices | 700MB |
| Mosquitto MQTT | Device message bus (Zigbee2MQTT backbone) | 50MB |
| Zigbee2MQTT | Zigbee device management via SLZB-06 | 200MB |
| Matter / Thread border router | WanderLock + future Thread devices | 100MB |
| WireGuard server | All user devices tunnel home through Hub | 50MB |
| Frigate NVR | AI camera detection — person, vehicle, animal on Coral TPU | 2GB |
| AdGuard Home | DNS ad and tracker blocking for entire network | 80MB |
| Nextcloud | Local cloud — photos, docs, calendar, contacts | 600MB |
| Syncthing | Local file sync across WanderVerse devices | 300MB |
| Vaultwarden | Self-hosted password manager | 30MB |
| Jellyfin | Local media server — direct play, no transcoding cloud | 600MB |
| Node-RED | Complex automation flows | 200MB |
| Ollama | Local AI model server — Dolphin 8B + Llama 3B | model-dependent |
| WanderAssist daemon | Plain-language request handler for all WanderVerse devices | 100MB |
| Total (typical) | All services running concurrently | ~5–6GB |
Hub headroom after all services: ~8–9GB available for Ollama. Dolphin 8B (5.5GB) fits with room to spare. 13B (8.5GB) fits tight but workable. Pro with 32GB runs 13B comfortably alongside everything.
Auren pays attention across time. Mention "my back is killing me" in passing today and again next week — Auren has noticed, and will gently check in. Not an alarm, not a diagnosis. Just the attentiveness of someone who's been listening. Health signals, mood patterns, safety mentions — logged locally on your Hub, used entirely for your benefit, never transmitted anywhere. You can see and delete every logged signal at any time.
Google and Amazon do the same thing with your Assistant conversations. The difference is they sell the patterns to insurance companies and advertisers. Auren stores them on hardware you own and uses them to ask if you're okay.
Device ecosystem — what connects
| Device | Protocol | Hub service |
|---|---|---|
| WanderAway sensors | Zigbee + LoRa | Zigbee2MQTT + RAK gateway |
| WanderLock | Zigbee / Thread | Zigbee2MQTT / Matter |
| WanderCam (IP cameras) | PoE ethernet | Frigate NVR + Coral TPU |
| WanderSensor (mmWave, door, motion) | Zigbee | Zigbee2MQTT |
| WanderBulb | Zigbee | Zigbee2MQTT |
| WanderTherm | Zigbee / Z-Wave | Zigbee2MQTT / Z-Wave JS |
| WanderBot (vacuum) | WiFi | Home Assistant |
| WanderDoor | Zigbee | Zigbee2MQTT |
| WanderDisplay panels | WiFi | WanderDash served from Hub |
| WanderSpeaker | WiFi | Home Assistant TTS |
| WanderPC / WanderPhone / WanderTablet | WireGuard tunnel | WireGuard server |
| WanderBand / WanderWatch | BLE → WanderPhone bridge | HA via phone |
| WanderDrive (NAS expansion) | USB 3.0 / ethernet | Nextcloud + Syncthing |
Radio stack on Hub: Zigbee via SLZB-06 (ethernet, no USB port used) · LoRa via RAK USB · Thread/Matter via HA Skyconnect dongle ($15 add-on) · BLE via Pi 5 built-in · WiFi via Pi 5 built-in (AP mode during setup only) · Z-Wave optional USB stick for legacy devices.
Plug in and it works — for everyone, at every stage
WanderNode Hub is designed for people who don't want to touch a home automation interface — and for people who want full access to everything underneath. Both work. Neither is required.
Workers pair every sensor before boxing. You plug in power and ethernet. Open a browser. Your fully configured dashboard is already there — every device named, every automation running, every camera live. No app. No pairing. No setup.
WanderAssist handles it in plain language. "I got a new door sensor." "Add a camera to the backyard." "I bought a smart bulb for the bedroom." WanderAssist pairs it, names it, puts it in the right room. You never see the Zigbee coordinator. The technical interface is always available if you want it — never required.
Self-swap kit (recommended): WanderVerse ships you the new board. WanderAssist walks you through the 10-minute swap. Your data stays home. $15 + board cost.
Send it back — SSD removed: remove your SSD in 60 seconds before shipping (WanderAssist guides you). We receive an empty chassis, swap the board, ship it back. You re-insert your SSD and boot. $40 + board cost.
Any approved board, yourself: order from parts store, self-swap, WanderOS auto-configures. Zero involvement needed.
Your SSD is your Hub — and it's encrypted. Every Hub ships with full-disk encryption. A lost or stolen SSD without your passphrase is unreadable to anyone, including WanderVerse. Your board is just the engine.
Encrypted at rest. Safe if lost, seized, or taken.
Every WanderNode Hub ships with full-disk encryption enabled by default. Your SSD is unreadable without your passphrase — to anyone who finds it, steals it, or takes it. Including WanderVerse.
- LUKS full-disk encryption — industry-standard Linux encryption, enabled on every Hub before it ships. Not a paid add-on. Not a setting you have to find. Default.
- Your passphrase, only yours — set during first setup. WanderVerse never stores it, never sees it, has no recovery path. If someone takes your Hub, they have a brick. If you lose your passphrase, the data is gone — which is the point.
- TPM auto-unlock (optional) — for convenience: seal the decryption key to the Hub's hardware chip. Hub boots without passphrase entry, but only on that specific chassis. Remove the SSD and it's encrypted again — unreadable without the passphrase.
- Encrypted config backup — WanderAssist creates an encrypted backup of all automations, device configs, and network settings. Store it on a USB drive you keep separately. If the Hub is lost or destroyed, restore on a new Hub in minutes.
- WireGuard key revocation — if Hub is stolen while running, revoke all its WireGuard keys from WanderPhone or any WanderAssist-connected device. Peer devices stop accepting the stolen Hub's tunnels immediately.
- Emergency lockdown — WanderAssist panic button drops decryption keys from RAM, suspends all services, closes all tunnels. Leaves an encrypted brick. Can be triggered from WanderPhone before a door opens.
Sending it back for service? Remove your SSD first. WanderAssist "Prepare for service" mode guides you through it — 60 seconds, one Phillips screw. You keep your data. We receive an empty chassis. Our service policy: returned units are never booted with customer storage. Workers use a blank diagnostic SSD only. This isn't just a privacy gesture — for this community, it's a safety protocol.
Backed up automatically. Restorable in minutes.
Manual backups don't happen. WanderNode Hub backs itself up automatically — to wherever you tell it. WanderAssist sets everything up in one conversation. If your Hub is lost, stolen, destroyed, or just fails, restore onto a new Hub in minutes. No rebuilding automations from memory.
Plug in a USB drive once. WanderAssist detects it, asks permission, and starts a nightly encrypted backup automatically. Deduplicated and incremental — the drive doesn't fill up. Unplug it and keep it somewhere safe. Restore from USB onto a new Hub in under 10 minutes.
WanderBackup Config — $3/mo: WanderVerse manages encrypted off-site storage for your Hub's brain — automations, device pairings, WireGuard config, WanderOS settings (~5GB max). We never have your key. This is your always-restorable foundation.
Large data (photos, video, camera recordings) — bring your own storage: WanderAssist walks you through setting up your own Backblaze B2, Wasabi, or S3 account in one conversation. You pay the storage provider directly at their rates (~$6–7/TB/mo). WanderVerse is never involved in your files or billing. Your photos don't pass through us.
Back up encrypted to a trusted person's WanderNode Hub over WireGuard. They store it. They cannot read it — the key never leaves your Hub. If your whole home situation changes and you need to start over somewhere else, your config comes with you. Your data, held by someone who cares about you, readable only by you.
- Config backup (small, critical): Home Assistant config, all automations and scenes, Zigbee device database (pairings survive Hub replacement), WireGuard config, WanderOS settings. Max ~5GB. Always backed up. $3/mo WanderBackup or free via USB/chosen-family Hub.
- Large data backup (opt-in, BYOS): Nextcloud files, photos, camera recordings, Jellyfin media. Can be gigabytes to terabytes — WanderAssist sets up your own B2/Wasabi/S3 account so you pay the provider directly. WanderVerse never handles your files or billing.
- Encrypted before it leaves: Everything is encrypted with your passphrase on the Hub before transmission. Storage providers receive encrypted binary blobs — no filenames, no content, nothing scannable. WanderVerse has no key and no visibility into what you back up. What you store is between you and your passphrase.
- WanderDash status: "3 backups configured: USB (2h ago ✓) · off-site config (6h ago ✓) · chosen-family Hub (1d ago ✓)." Failed backup triggers a WanderAssist notification. You always know when the last good backup ran.
How full restoration works
There are two recovery scenarios. Both are covered.
Move your SSD to the new board. WanderOS boots from your existing data. TPM-sealed unlock doesn't transfer to new hardware — enter your passphrase once on first boot. After that, everything is exactly as you left it. All automations running. All devices connected. No restore step needed — your SSD is your Hub.
New Hub, blank SSD. WanderOS boots to first-run. WanderAssist prompts: "Restore from backup?" → Yes → point at USB drive, B2 credentials, or chosen-family Hub address → enter passphrase. Restic pulls everything. Services restart with full config intact.
What comes back: every automation, every scene, every room assignment, every device name. Zigbee devices are still paired — same network key — they reconnect within ~60 seconds as they detect the coordinator. WireGuard peers reconnect automatically. Cameras come back online.
WanderAssist confirms: "Restore complete. 47 automations loaded. 23 Zigbee devices online. WireGuard tunnel active. 2 cameras live." Then optionally kicks off Nextcloud file restore in the background.
Timeline: config restore ~10 minutes. Nextcloud files: depends on your data size and connection — runs in the background while Hub is already fully operational.
WanderBackup Config ($3/mo) covers your Hub's configuration — the critical stuff that must survive any hardware failure. Large data backup (photos, video, recordings) uses your own storage account at cost: Backblaze B2 is ~$6/TB/mo, Wasabi ~$7/TB/mo, or any S3-compatible provider. WanderAssist sets it up for you. USB drive and chosen-family Hub backup are always free. All backup uses the same open-source Restic engine.
WanderOS installer — free software-only path
Already have always-on hardware? Run WanderOS on it free. Same stack that ships on Hub hardware. Three install formats:
curl -fsSL https://wanderingwithpride.com/wanderos/install | bash
docker compose up -d
Start with software on hardware you have. When you want polished hardware + supported employment assembly + warranty + WanderAssist pre-config, buy the Hub. Your software config migrates automatically.