Simply Explained: Smart Home in a Container

At the 2025 RDK Tech Summit in London, Consult Red showcased a demo that sparked interest from OEMs, SoC vendors, and ISPs. We demonstrated turning a Router into a Smart Home Hub with RDK-B, Thread, and Home Assistant.

The Technology Behind the Demo

The demo setup combined two key technologies:

• Containerisation – allowing apps like Home Assistant to run securely in isolated environments.
• Thread + Matter – low-power, mesh-capable networking for smart home devices.

We used the BananaPi BPI-R4 (the official RDK-B reference platform), connected a Thread dongle, and added a Matter-compliant motion sensor and a smart plug. All components were remotely managed via the Incognito ACS using the USP (TR-369) protocol.

A Real-Life Automation Example

In the demo, movement detected by the EveMotion sensor triggered a smart plug, switching on a lightbulb. The Home Assistant app — running in a container — was available via browser and mobile app, with Matter onboarding handled directly by the router.

Why It Matters

For operators, this opens the door to:

• Remotely deployed smart home software
• Modular feature rollouts
• New subscription-based service models
• Upgrades to legacy routers with advanced capabilities

The bigger picture

Containerisation opens the door for exciting new services, like integrated firewalls, smart home controllers, ad blockers, and even antivirus software — all running directly on your smart broadband router. And it’s not just for cutting-edge hardware — containers can breathe new life into legacy devices too.