Guides

Step-by-step builds for Home Assistant and ESPHome, with the parts, wiring and config that actually worked.

• Turn a $5 ESP32 into a Home Assistant Bluetooth proxy

  Reach Bluetooth sensors anywhere in the house. One-click install or a few lines of YAML, plus where to put proxies.

• Build a smart garage door opener with an ESP32

  A relay and a reed switch make your opener a Home Assistant cover, with a left-open reminder and safe auto-close.

• DIY water leak sensors with an ESP32

  Wire probes that reliably detect tap water, and alerts that also warn you when a sensor goes offline.

• Build a soil moisture sensor with an ESP32

  Avoid the clone boards that don't work at 3.3 V, calibrate to real percentages, and automate watering.

• Build a CO2 monitor with an SCD40 and ESPHome

  Measure CO2 directly, place the sensor right, and run ventilation when a room gets stuffy.

• Build a WLED LED strip controller with an ESP32

  Size the power supply with a calculator, wire the level shifter, flash WLED and add it to Home Assistant.

• Build an mmWave presence sensor with the LD2410 and ESPHome

  Wiring, a working config, and how to tune the radar gates so it stops detecting the ceiling fan.

• Planning DIY HVAC zoning with ESP32s and motorized dampers

  The airflow math that decides how many rooms you can actually close off, and the fail-safes a zoning build needs.