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Chat (Element)

Private Matrix chat with end-to-end-encrypted rooms, DMs, and voice/video calls · https://chat.fmm.house

What it's for

Chat is our private messenger. It's an Element web client talking to our own Matrix homeserver (matrix.fmm.house), so conversations live here on the homelab, not on someone else's cloud. You get group rooms, one-to-one DMs, file sharing, and encrypted voice/video calls. Nothing is on the public internet, so it's just us.

Getting in

  • Open: https://chat.fmm.house — on the home Wi-Fi/LAN, or from anywhere with Tailscale connected.
  • Sign in: Use your Matrix username and password on the matrix.fmm.house homeserver. If the login screen shows a different server, click Edit and set it to matrix.fmm.house.

How to use it

Rooms and DMs

  • Join a room: click + next to Rooms (or Explore rooms) to see existing rooms and join.
  • Create a room: + → New room, give it a name, and choose whether it's private/invite-only and encrypted.
  • Start a DM: click + next to People, search for a person, and message them directly.
  • Invite people: open a room → room info (i) → Invite → enter their username.

Encryption and verifying devices

  • Encrypted rooms show a shield on messages. E2EE means only the people in the room can read them — the server can't.
  • The first time you sign in on a new device, set up key backup / a Security Key or Phrase so you don't lose access to past encrypted messages. Keep that recovery key somewhere safe.
  • Verify devices to clear the "unverified" warnings: open a person or your own session and choose Verify, then compare the emoji/number sequence on both devices until they match.

Voice and video calls

  • Open a room and use the call / video button to start an Element Call group call — everyone in the room can hop in.
  • You'll be asked for mic/camera permission the first time; you can join audio-only too.

Note

Element Call is tailnet-only right now — start or join calls while you're on the home network or connected to Tailscale.

Email that lands in a room

There's an email→Matrix bridge: mail sent to <name>@fmm.house shows up as messages in a Matrix room. Handy for piping notifications or forwarding a message into chat without leaving your inbox open.

Tips

Tip

Set up recovery (Security Key/Phrase) before you need it — without it, a fresh login can't read old encrypted messages.

  • Take a minute to verify each of your devices; it removes the shield warnings and makes new sessions trusted.
  • If login fails, double-check the homeserver is matrix.fmm.house on the sign-in screen.