Hush (device)
Open-hardware speaker with NFC reader and offline-first audio cache. Firmware fetches playlists from your dashboard and plays locally. Optional cloud sync for multi-device households.
firmware · NFC · audio Developer guide
Build, fork, ship.
OpenHush is a TypeScript monorepo: a Next.js dashboard, an SDK for authoring Whispers, and firmware that talks to both. Web standards. Boring tech. Cloneable in a minute.
Three pieces, one stack.
Every layer speaks the same language and shares the same types. No hidden services, no proprietary protocols.
Whispers (cards)
NFC tags bound to playlists in your library. Pre-printed sets ship with art and audio; blank cards let you bind anything to anything. Tap → play. Remove → stop.
NFC · playlists · binding Dashboard
Next.js app for authoring Whispers, uploading audio, managing devices, and seeing what's been played. Self-host on your LAN, a Pi, or a VPS — your call.
Next.js · Drizzle · self-hosted From clone to first Whisper in under five minutes.
No accounts to create, no API keys to wait for. Everything runs locally first; sync to the cloud only if you want to.
-
Clone the repo
Pull the monorepo. The website, dashboard, and firmware all live together.
terminal git clone https://github.com/OpenHush/website.git cd openhush -
Install dependencies
Everything is pnpm-based. One command, the whole stack.
terminal pnpm install -
Run the dashboard
The dashboard is where you author Whispers, manage devices, and bind cards.
terminal pnpm --filter dashboard dev # Open http://localhost:3000 -
Configure your Hush
Point your Hush at your dashboard URL. Local dev works over your home network — no public tunnel required.
hush.config.ts // hush.config.ts export default { dashboard: "http://192.168.1.42:3000", cache: "./.audio-cache", ledColor: "warm", } satisfies HushConfig; -
Author your first Whisper
Upload audio, drop tracks into a playlist, scan a blank NFC card, and you're done. Tap on Hush — it plays.
scripts/seed-whisper.ts // scripts/seed-whisper.ts import { createWhisper } from "@openhush/sdk"; await createWhisper({ title: "Bedtime stories", tracks: [ { src: "./audio/01-the-moon.mp3", title: "The moon" }, { src: "./audio/02-the-fox.mp3", title: "The fox" }, ], cardUid: "04:A2:B7:33:5E", });
What's under the hood.
Boring, well-supported, well-documented technology. On purpose.
- TypeScript — strict mode, end to end.
- Next.js + React — for the dashboard and authoring tools.
- Drizzle ORM + SQLite — local-first database, runs anywhere.
- NextAuth — authentication for the dashboard.
- pnpm workspaces — one repo, many packages.
- Astro — for this very website.
- Open hardware — schematics in the repo, BOM listed, no NDAs.
Author Whispers programmatically.
The SDK is a thin TypeScript wrapper over the dashboard API. Build importers, scripts, or full integrations.
import { OpenHush } from "@openhush/sdk";
const hush = new OpenHush({
baseUrl: process.env.DASHBOARD_URL!,
token: process.env.OPENHUSH_TOKEN!,
});
const whisper = await hush.whispers.create({
title: "Forest sounds",
description: "Ambient loop for quiet time.",
tracks: ["./audio/birds.mp3", "./audio/leaves.mp3"],
});
await hush.cards.bind({
cardUid: "04:A2:B7:33:5E",
whisperId: whisper.id,
});import { onPlayback } from "@openhush/sdk/events";
onPlayback(async (event) => {
// Log, analyze, or react however you like.
console.log(`[${event.deviceId}] ${event.whisper.title}`);
if (event.track.title === "The moon") {
await dim_lights_in_kids_room();
}
});This is a community project.
Bugs, ideas, hardware mods, audio packs, translations — all welcome. Open an issue, send a PR, or just say hi.
Code of conduct, contribution guide, and roadmap live in the repo. Licensed under MIT.