See your electric & gas usage as it happens.
Plug in an RTL-SDR USB dongle and Utilify starts reading your utility meters over the air in seconds. No utility company account. No cloud. Your data stays on your device.
🇺🇸🇨🇦 Works best in US & Canada — your meter must use the ERT, SCM, or IDM protocol.
RTL-SDR USB Dongle
- Any RTL2832U-based USB software-defined radio (SDR) dongle
- Most dongles with the R820T or R820T2 tuner work out of the box
- Popular starter kit: RTL-SDR Blog V4 ↗ (~$30 USD)
- Works with cheap generic RTL2832U sticks from Amazon or AliExpress
Meter compatibility: Reads SCM and R900 protocol packets broadcast by most North American electric and gas smart meters (ERT/AMI) on 912 MHz. Check your meter for the ERT icon or ask your utility if you're unsure. Learn more at rtl-sdr.com ↗.
Connection: Android phone or Chromebook via USB OTG cable — or plug into a Linux / Windows PC running the headless server (see below).
Plug in the dongle
Connect an RTL-SDR USB stick to your Android phone (via OTG adapter), Chromebook, Linux PC, or Windows PC.
Start listening
Utilify tunes to 912 MHz and decodes SCM/R900 packets broadcast by your electric and gas meters every 30 seconds.
Watch the numbers
Readings roll in live. Charts fill up over days and weeks — all stored locally in an on-device SQLite database.
Use Utilify however fits your home. The dongle can live on a phone, a dedicated PC, or a spare computer in a closet — your other devices connect as viewers.
📱 Android phone or Chromebook
The simplest setup. Plug the dongle straight in and start reading.
Listen + view on the same device
Share live data to a TV or second phone over LAN
🖥️ Linux or Windows PC (headless server)
Run the server on a dedicated machine near a window. Any phone, tablet, or browser on the same network can view live data.
↓ serves JSON API on port 8765
Utilify mobile app (Viewer mode) connects over LAN
Enter
http://<pc-ip>:8765 in the Viewer tab
🌐 Remote access from anywhere
Host on a phone or PC at home. View live readings from work, a coffee shop, anywhere.
Viewer scans QR or enters tunnel address
Fully end-to-end encrypted frp tunnel
Data never stored on our servers
🍎 Mac desktop app
Native macOS app for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. Connects to your RTL-SDR via USB or relays to the mobile viewer app.
Works as both host and viewer
A self-contained binary that reads your RTL-SDR dongle and serves the same JSON API the mobile app uses. No GUI required — run it in a terminal or as a system service. Connect from the Utilify mobile app (Viewer mode) or from any browser.
🐧 Linux x64
Compiled native binary for 64-bit Linux. Tested on Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+, Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit).
Download (.tar.gz)sudo apt install libusb-1.0-0 libsqlite3-0- Unload DVB kernel driver if loaded:
sudo rmmod dvb_usb_rtl28xxu rtl2832
🪟 Windows x64
Native binary for 64-bit Windows 10/11. Requires the WinUSB driver for your RTL-SDR dongle (install once via Zadig).
Download (.zip)- Download Zadig ↗
- Select your RTL-SDR dongle → install WinUSB
Quick start
Linux
tar xzf utilify-server-linux-x64.tar.gz
cd utilify-server
# Add udev rule so you don't need sudo (once):
echo 'SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="0bda", MODE="0666"' \
| sudo tee /etc/udev/rules.d/99-rtlsdr.rules
sudo udevadm control --reload && sudo udevadm trigger
./utilify_server
# → API running on http://0.0.0.0:8765
Windows
REM Unzip utilify-server-windows-x64.zip, then: utilify_server.exe REM → API running on http://0.0.0.0:8765
Connect Utilify mobile app
- Open Utilify on your phone → tap Share Data
- Switch to the Viewer tab
- Enter your PC's local IP address:
http://192.168.1.x:8765 - Tap Connect — live readings appear within seconds
Not sure what your PC's IP is? On Linux: ip addr show — on Windows: ipconfig
Live meter readings
SCM and R900 protocol decoding for electric and gas meters. Readings update every 30–60 seconds, no polling required.
Daily usage charts
7-day, 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year history. Usage bars overlay temperature lines so you can see weather-driven spikes at a glance.
Weather correlation
Historical temperatures are fetched automatically and plotted alongside your daily consumption.
Bill scanning
Photograph a utility bill and the app extracts your rate via on-device OCR. No manual data entry.
Multi-device viewer
Run the listener on a phone or PC, then view live readings from any other Utilify device on the same network — or from anywhere with a Pro tunnel.
Fully local, no account
All data lives in a SQLite file on your device. No server, no sign-in, no subscription for core features.
Open JSON API
The host device serves a documented HTTP API on port 8765. Build your own dashboards, automations, or integrations with standard HTTP requests.
Smart host identity
Each host device has a stable ID embedded in the API. Viewer apps automatically detect when a different device is at a saved address and prompt you to reconnect.
Works alongside Home Assistant
Already running rtl_433 or HA? Utilify decodes the same packets in a single phone/tablet/TV app — no MQTT broker, no YAML, no Pi to maintain. Pair viewer and listener with one QR scan.
Core meter reading, history, and charts are free forever. The headless server binary is also free. Pro adds a secure remote-access tunnel for viewing from outside your home network.
- No cloud storage. Meter readings are stored in a local SQLite database on your phone or PC. There is no backend server receiving your data.
- No account required. Utilify has no sign-in, no email, and no user accounts.
- Local SDR processing. The RTL-SDR dongle and all signal decoding run entirely on your device. No third-party radio relay.
- Peer-to-peer sharing. The viewer connects directly to the host device over your local network (or the Pro frp tunnel). Readings are not routed through Adelyons servers.
- No third-party data sharing. We do not sell, share, or transmit your meter data to utility companies, advertisers, or anyone else.
Full details: Privacy Policy