it's not a phone, it's a link
community communication terminal v1.0 // december 2025
linkd is an open-source, modular handheld device designed for liberatd intentional communities.
built on the principle that communities should own their communication and automation infrastructure — not carriers, not corporations, not cloud services.
the killer feature: a personal device mesh that travels with you. traditional smart home locks devices to your house. linkd flips that — your devices follow you.
rather than designing from scratch (which would require pcb design, rf engineering, fcc certification costing $500k-2m and 18-24 months), linkd uses a modular compute module approach:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ linkd block diagram │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ ┌──────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ display │ │ radxa cm5 compute module │ │ │ │ 6" amoled │◄────►│ rk3588s • 8-core • mali-g610 • 6tops npu │ │ │ │ 1080x2160 │ mipi │ 16gb lpddr4x • 128gb emmc │ │ │ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┬──────────────────────────────┘ │ │ │ │ │ ┌──────────────┐ │ b2b connectors (3x100 pin) │ │ │ cameras │ │ │ │ │ 48mp rear │◄────────────────────┤ │ │ │ 16mp front │ mipi │ │ │ └──────────────┘ ▼ │ │ ┌──────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ ┌──────────────┐ │ custom carrier board │ │ │ │ modem │◄────►│ │ │ │ │ quectel │ usb │ • mipi display connector │ │ │ │ rm520n-gl │ │ • mipi camera connectors │ │ │ └──────────────┘ │ • m.2 slot (wifi/bt) │ │ │ │ • m.2 slot (5g modem) │ │ │ ┌──────────────┐ │ • cc2652p7 uart (smart home) │ │ │ │ wifi/bt │◄────►│ • usb-c pd charging │ │ │ │ rtl8822ce │ pcie │ • battery management (bms) │ │ │ │ m.2 2230 │ │ • audio codec + amp │ │ │ └──────────────┘ │ • gpio for leds + switches │ │ │ │ • pogo pins for case connection │ │ │ ┌──────────────┐ └──────────────┬───────────────────┘ │ │ │ smart home │◄────────────────────┤ │ │ │ cc2652p7 │ uart │ │ │ │zigbee/thread │ │ │ │ └──────────────┘ │ │ │ ┌──────────────┐ │ │ │ │ battery │◄────────────────────┤ │ │ │ 5000mah │ │ │ │ │ li-po │ │ │ │ └──────────────┘ │ │ │ ▼ │ │ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ 3d printed case │ │ │ │ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ │ │ ws2812b rgb leds (40 or 96) │ │ │ │ │ │ connected via pogo pins to carrier board │ │ │ │ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ kill switches: [mic] [camera] [modem] [wifi] │ │ │ │ fingerprint sensor integrated in power button │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
1080x2160 fhd+ mipi — flexible oled with touch
sony imx586 rear + 16mp front — mipi csi
802.11ac dual-band wifi + bluetooth 5.0 — m.2 2230
ti cc2652p7 multiprotocol module — +20dbm tx power
3.7v lithium polymer with pcm protection
addressable rgb — hyperion.ng compatible
charging, audio, antennas, connectors, etc.
designed in kicad — open source (production: $15-30)
the cc2652p7 radio isn't just for smart home control — it enables a new device category: personal wireless devices that follow YOU, not your house.
traditional smart home: devices → home hub → cloud → phone app
problem: everything is location-bound
linkd approach: devices → linkd → you (wherever you are)
your personal mesh travels with you
joins existing zigbee/thread mesh or acts as primary coordinator
YOUR coordinator for your personal devices, separate from employer infrastructure
connects to shared community mesh for common lighting, hvac, access
your devices stay connected to YOU — no "hub at home" requirement
linkd + cc2652p7 = development platform for mobile-first wireless devices
linkd also works as a voice frontend to existing smart home setups:
connect via api token. all devices, automations, integrations available instantly. agent auto-discovers everything.
zigbee2mqtt runs locally. direct device control without external server. useful for travel and temporary setups.
supported: zigbee 3.0, thread 1.3, matter 1.0, ble 5.3 — philips hue, ikea, sonoff, tuya, and thousands more
linkd's core differentiator: a local AI agent with function calling that just works. voice in, action out. no cloud dependency.
the ai killer feature: give it your home assistant token and it discovers everything.
say "turn off the lights" and it just works. no cloud, no latency, no subscription.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ linkd agent architecture │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ voice input local llm tool execution │ │ ─────────── ───────── ────────────── │ │ │ │ ┌─────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐ │ │ │ mic │─────▶│ whisper │─────▶│ qwen2.5-3b │ │ │ └─────────┘ │ (npu accel) │ │ function calling │ │ │ └──────────────┘ └──────────┬───────────┘ │ │ │ │ │ ▼ │ │ ┌──────────────────────┐ │ │ │ mcp host │ │ │ │ (tool router) │ │ │ └──────────┬───────────┘ │ │ │ │ │ ┌───────────────┬───────────────┬──────────┼──────────┐ │ │ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ │ │ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌────────┐ │ │ │ shell │ │ files │ │ memory │ │ web │ │ hass │ │ │ │ mcp srv │ │ mcp srv │ │ mcp srv │ │ search │ │ api │ │ │ └───────────┘ └───────────┘ └───────────┘ └────────┘ └────────┘ │ │ │ │ response │ │ ──────── │ │ │ │ ┌──────────────┐ ┌─────────┐ │ │ │ piper tts │─────▶│ speaker │ │ │ │ (npu accel) │ └─────────┘ │ │ └──────────────┘ │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
| stage | time | component |
|---|---|---|
| voice capture | ~200ms | vad detection + buffer |
| speech-to-text | ~500ms | whisper-small (npu accelerated) |
| llm inference | ~2-3s | qwen2.5-3b @ 10-12 tok/s on npu |
| tool execution | varies | local: instant, network: 100-500ms |
| text-to-speech | ~300ms | piper tts (npu accelerated) |
standardized tool interface. linkd ships with:
linkd does NOT replace home assistant. it's a voice frontend.
your server: linkd: ┌─────────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────────┐ │ home assistant │◀────────▶│ linkd agent │ │ - all devices │ ha api │ - voice interface │ │ - automations │ token │ - local llm │ │ - integrations │ │ - portable │ └─────────────────────────┘ └─────────────────────────┘ setup: one long-lived access token. that's it.
the agent auto-discovers all entities, areas, states, and available actions. no yaml editing. no manual device exposure. just a token and it knows everything.
| layer | component |
|---|---|
| os | liberatd-os (postmarketos fork) |
| kernel | mainline linux (collabora rk3588 patches) |
| display | phosh (gnome mobile shell) |
| community | matrix server (synapse/conduit) — non-federated |
| voice/sms | jmp.chat voip ($3/mo real number) |
| cellular | data-only sim ($15-25/mo unlimited) |
| ai agent | rkllama + qwen2.5-3b + mcp servers (function calling) |
| speech | whisper-small (stt) + piper (tts) + openwakeword |
| smart home | zigbee2mqtt + home assistant companion |
| leds | hyperion.ng |
| emulation | emulationstation (byoroms) |
| event | pattern |
|---|---|
| matrix message | cyan pulse |
| incoming call | green ring |
| low battery | red breathe |
| charging | amber fill animation |
| alarm | rainbow chase |
| emulation | game-specific effects |
hardware: cern open hardware license v2 (permissive)
software: gplv3 (copyleft)
case designs: creative commons by-sa 4.0
all design files will be published to github.com/liberatd/linkd