Tools and guides for ESPHome tinkerers
Generate a working ESPHome config, check which ESP32 pins are safe to use, and follow build guides written from real projects.
- Safe to use
- Works, with a catch
- Leave alone
Free tools
- ESPHome config generator
Pick a board and the sensors you're wiring up. Get valid YAML with an encryption key, OTA password and sensible pins, plus warnings when a pin choice will cause trouble.
- ESP32 safe pin finder
Filter the ESP32, ESP32-C3 and D1 Mini pins by what you need — analog, PWM, I2C, plain input — and see which ones have boot-time gotchas.
Guides
- 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.