esp32

esp32

October 7, 2025

Build a Room Occupancy Tracker with ESP32 and Ultrasonic Sensors

I’ve been tinkering with smart home automation for years, always looking for clever ways to make my home more responsive. Commercial room occupancy sensors work fine, but they’re expensive and often limited in functionality. After one too many instances of my smart lights turning off while I was still reading in my favorite armchair, I decided to build my own room occupancy tracker using an ESP32 and ultrasonic sensors. The beauty of this approach?

September 23, 2025

Build a Smart Light Dimmer with ESP32 and a Rotary Encoder in Home Assistant

I’ve always loved the tactile feel of a good knob. While voice commands and smartphone apps are convenient, there’s something deeply satisfying about physically turning a dial to dim the lights. I wanted to bridge that gap between the digital smarts of Home Assistant and the physical world. So, I set out to build a custom smart light dimmer with ESP32 and a rotary encoder. The goal was simple: a knob that not only controls my smart lights locally but also stays perfectly in sync with their state in Home Assistant.

September 9, 2025

Turn ESP32 Into a BLE Beacon Scanner for Presence Detection in Home Assistant

Turn ESP32 Into a BLE Beacon Scanner for Presence Detection in Home Assistant Before we begin: This guide assumes you have Home Assistant already set up and are comfortable with basic ESPHome configurations. I’ve tried nearly every presence detection method in my smart home journey - from WiFi-based tracking that drained my phone battery to GPS solutions that were anything but reliable indoors. That’s when I discovered the magic of BLE beacon scanning with ESP32 for room-level presence detection.

August 30, 2025

Control a Smart Fan with ESP32 and Home Assistant Using Temperature Triggers

I’ve always been fascinated with making my home smarter, especially when it comes to energy efficiency and comfort. There’s something deeply satisfying about having your home respond to environmental conditions without lifting a finger. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how I built a system that automatically controls a fan based on room temperature using an ESP32 and Home Assistant. Why I Built This System Living in a climate with hot summers, I found myself constantly adjusting fans throughout the day.

August 19, 2025

Automating Window Blinds with ESP32 Servo Motor and Home Assistant

I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of waking up to natural sunlight instead of a blaring alarm clock. But as someone who also values sleeping in on weekends, I needed a solution that could give me the best of both worlds. That’s when I decided to automate my window blinds with an ESP32 and servo motors, integrating everything seamlessly with Home Assistant. After a few prototypes (and one slightly mangled blind slat), I’ve perfected a system that opens my blinds based on either time schedules or ambient light conditions.

July 8, 2025

Control RGB LEDs with ESP32 and Home Assistant Automations

Ever wanted to add some pizzazz to your smart home with colorful, dynamic lighting? I recently tackled this project myself—using an ESP32 to control addressable RGB LEDs and integrating them seamlessly into Home Assistant. The result? A lighting setup that responds to automations, time of day, and even sensor inputs. Here’s how you can do it too. Why This Project? Addressable RGB LEDs (like WS2812B strips) are incredibly versatile. You can create everything from subtle mood lighting to eye-catching effects.

June 24, 2025

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.

June 15, 2025

ESP32 smart home platform

Home Assistant tutorial featured in tutorials read by 10k+ people.

June 10, 2025

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.

May 27, 2025

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.