Blogs
Blogs
DIY ESP32-Based Motion Sensor for Home Assistant Security Automations
Ever walked into a dark room and wished the lights would just know to turn on? Or wanted a simple way to alert you when someone’s lurking near your front door? That’s where a DIY ESP32-based PIR motion sensor comes in. I recently built one to integrate with Home Assistant, and it’s been a game-changer for my home security automations. Here’s how you can do it too—no PhD in electrical engineering required.
Monitoring Disk Space Across Servers Using Node Exporter and Prometheus
Ever had that sinking feeling when your server runs out of disk space at 3 AM? I have—more times than I’d like to admit. After one too many midnight emergencies, I decided to automate disk space monitoring using Prometheus, Node Exporter, and Grafana. Here’s how you can set it up too, complete with alerts and pretty dashboards to keep your sanity intact. Why Monitor Disk Space? Disk space is one of those silent killers.
Build a Wi-Fi Presence Detector Using ESP32 and Home Assistant
Ever walked into a room and wished the lights would just know to turn on? Or wanted your smart home to react the moment your phone connects to Wi-Fi? With an ESP32 and Home Assistant, you can build a Wi-Fi presence detector that does exactly that—no fancy sensors or wearables required. In this guide, I’ll walk you through my own journey of setting this up, complete with code snippets, troubleshooting tips, and a few laughs at my own mistakes.
How to Use Recording Rules in Prometheus to Reduce Load and Speed Up Queries
I remember the first time my Prometheus server groaned under the weight of a complex Grafana dashboard—it felt like asking a toddler to solve calculus. Dashboards loaded slower than my morning coffee brewed, and my CPU metrics looked like a stress test. That’s when I discovered recording rules, Prometheus’s secret weapon for taming expensive queries. Here’s how to use them effectively. Why Recording Rules Matter Recording rules let you precompute frequently used or resource-intensive queries and save the results as new time series.
Control Lights Based on Room Occupancy Using PIR and ESP32
Ever walked into a room, arms full of groceries, only to fumble for the light switch? Or worse—left the lights on all day in an empty room? With a PIR motion sensor and an ESP32, you can automate your lights to turn on when someone enters and off when the room is vacant. It’s a simple yet powerful way to save energy and add convenience to your smart home. In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through setting up this system step-by-step, including wiring, ESPHome configuration, and troubleshooting tips.
ESP32 + OLED Display: Display Weather from Home Assistant
Ever wanted a sleek, always-on display showing the current weather right from your Home Assistant dashboard? I did—and after some tinkering, I built one using an ESP32 and a tiny OLED screen. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the process, sharing pitfalls I encountered (like why my first attempt showed gibberish instead of temperatures) and how to avoid them. Why This Project? I love having ambient displays around my home that show useful info without needing to open an app.
Create an ESP32-Powered Smart Mailbox Notification System with Home Assistant
Ever missed an important piece of mail because you forgot to check your mailbox? I certainly have—more times than I’d like to admit. That’s why I built a smart mailbox notification system using an ESP32 and a simple tilt sensor. Now, I get instant alerts in Home Assistant whenever the mailbox door opens. No more guessing! In this guide, I’ll walk you through the entire process—from wiring the hardware to configuring ESPHome and setting up automations in Home Assistant.
Build a Smart Thermostat with ESP32, Home Assistant, and Relays
Ever wanted to ditch your clunky old thermostat for a DIY smart version that integrates seamlessly with Home Assistant? I did—and after a few weekends of tinkering (and a couple of fried relays), I built a reliable ESP32-based smart thermostat. Here’s how you can too. Why Build a DIY Smart Thermostat? Commercial smart thermostats are great, but they often come with limitations: proprietary ecosystems, cloud dependencies, or lack of customization. With an ESP32, a relay, and a temperature sensor, you can build a thermostat that’s:
Automate Your Curtains with a Smart Tuya Roller Chain Motor: A Step-by-Step Guide
Ever wished your curtains could open and close on their own? Maybe you’re tired of fumbling with cords in the morning or want to impress your friends with a “Hey Google, open the curtains” moment. Whatever your reason, automating your curtains with a Tuya Smart Curtain Roller Chain Motor is easier than you think. Here’s how I did it—and how you can too. Why Automate Your Curtains? I’ll admit it: I’m lazy.
Voice-Controlling Your Home with ESP32 and Home Assistant via Google Assistant
Ever wished you could turn off the lights without lifting a finger—or even getting out of bed? I certainly have, especially on those lazy Sunday mornings. That’s why I set out to integrate my ESP32-based smart devices with Home Assistant and Google Assistant, enabling voice control for my entire home. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the process step by step, sharing the pitfalls I encountered (and how to avoid them) along the way.