Getting Started Walkthrough

Deploy your connected device hub and start monitoring in a few steps.

Complete Walkthrough

Your Smart Home Command Center

ControlBird unifies all your connected devices into one visual interface. Whether you're monitoring a greenhouse, automating your home, or building a custom IoT project, this walkthrough gets you from zero to a working system.

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~94 min total Plans starting at $20/mo

Self-Hosting with Docker?

The Community Edition is free and runs as a single Docker container. Follow the CE walkthrough to get started without a cloud account.

CE Walkthrough

Walkthrough Steps

1

Sign Up & Login

2 min

Create your ControlBird account and access the cloud management portal.

2

Create Environment

1 min

Organize nodes by plant, project, or deployment stage with logical environments.

3

Deploy a Node

3 min

Launch a cloud-hosted ControlBird instance with your choice of resources.

4

Access ControlBird

1 min

Enter the operator-friendly desktop interface via secure SSO.

5

How ControlBird Works

3 min

Understand the architecture that makes real-time automation possible.

6

Explore Platform

3 min

Discover the built-in apps and how devices are organized.

7

Connect a Device

5 min

Add your first smart device and watch live data flow in.

8

Create Automation

5 min

Build a visual rule chain to react to data changes automatically.

9

View Historical Data

3 min

Query time-series data and analyze trends with the Historian app.

10

Monitor Alarms

3 min

Respond to alerts and manage alarm states with the Active Alarms app.

11

Manage Users

4 min

Control access with roles and permissions for your team members.

12

Advanced Access Control

6 min

Master fine-grained permissions, role hierarchy, and audit capabilities.

13

Write Scripts

5 min

Extend automation with custom JavaScript programs for advanced logic.

14

Logs & Diagnostics

4 min

Monitor service health, debug communications, and troubleshoot issues.

15

Build Dashboards

5 min

Create custom operator interfaces with drag-and-drop layouts.

16

Visual Design Tools

8 min

Create reusable models, device faceplates, and system schematics.

17

Kiosk & Location Displays

5 min

Deploy dedicated displays with auto-login and location-specific dashboards.

18

Customize Appearance

4 min

Personalize your interface with themes, colors, and white labeling.

19

Configuration Management

5 min

Version-control schemas and entity tree with git-like branching and validation.

20

Audio Output

4 min

Play sounds from browser or server for alarm notifications and audio feedback.

21

Scale with Multiple Nodes

5 min

Deploy additional nodes and understand how data stays in sync.

22

Service Fault Tolerance

5 min

Understand how services automatically fail over to keep your system running with high availability.

23

SMTP Email Alerts

5 min

Send automated email notifications when entity values change.

By the End You'll Have

A working ControlBird hub running in the cloud
Your first device connected and sending live data
Understanding of how to organize and scale your setup
The skills to add more devices and build automations

Get Started Quickly

The Starter tier at $20/mo gives you 400 data points, perfect for testing ControlBird with your devices before upgrading to Pro.

What You'll Need

Required

Modern Web Browser

Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge

Required

Email Address

For account registration

Optional

IoT Device

Modbus, MQTT, or OPC UA compatible

Ready to Get Started?

Follow the walkthrough and have your first device connected in a few steps.

Begin Walkthrough